Shadow Of The Past Trilogy ∞ THE DISPLACED

45 ∞ the objective

Day Twelve ∞ Tuesday morning & Anno 6649

THE FIRST THOUGHT on Danny's mind when he woke up was the same one he fell asleep with last night: what was written on Mickmi's scalp and forehead.

These were not random marks—these were there by design. They were put there to inform of what she carried within her, what kind of animal her extra chromosomes belonged to. There was no doubt about it: everything they had gone through up to now was pointing to this. It explained why she had an affinity—or some sort of psychic connection—to the panther he happened to pick up that night. That was why she could retrace its exact steps, experience what it experienced, feel what it felt, and taste what it tasted. Her whole body seemed to be connected to the panther in a way that it even reacted with the memory of her old scars.

They'd stared at each other in silence for a good minute before he asked her why she would be a carrier of cat chromosomes.

Her answer came without thought: "I am an Ark."

"Ark?" he echoed, her response conjuring images of animals marching in two by two. "You mean like Noah and the Ark saving the animal kingdom?"

That seemed to strike home, her eyes brightening. "I am an Ark for a single species of the Animal Kingdom, aye."

"But how... Is that something you were born with?"

She wasn't sure. But one thing she was sure of: she was not the only one. He could see that: she couldn't have been the only one if the purpose of her hosting cat chromosomes was to be an Ark. Her world must have been in serious trouble if people had to be used to host DNA from so many species. It was disturbing. Were there any side effects? How long would they have been expected to do that? How many generations before her world could sustain animal life again?

"You must not let it happen to your Earth," she'd said.

No, we mustn't. He sighed, closing his eyes. He couldn't imagine what that would be like; he didn't want to ever have to know. He hoped it would never happen in his lifetime—or any lifetime at all for that matter. But if World War Three broke out, or if Earth got hit by a huge meteorite...

He frowned at the depressing thought, rubbing his face—then froze. He'd heard a knock, but not on this door.

A pause, then there was another rapping sound. "Danny dear, are you awake?"

"Crap!" he exhaled and sat up hastily; he was still in Mickmi's room. It was only a matter of time before Mother found out where he'd been spending his nights. And there was no explanation that he could possibly give.

He heard his bedroom door open and Mother's puzzled voice muttering as she closed it again, then she knocked on the bathroom door. "Danny?"

He got up from the floor and stood listening inside the door as Mother's footsteps started down the stairs. He waited until she had almost reached the ground floor before pushing his head out.

"Gina dear, where's your brother?" he heard her say in the kitchen. He quietly skirted the balustrade to the other side of the landing, avoiding the creaking floor boards, heading for the balcony.

"I don't know... Maybe outside?"

Danny waited for Mother to open the front door to mask the sound of him opening the balcony door—and then he was outside, breathing a sigh of relief. He'd have to reconsider how to make sure Mickmi was safe at night.

"Good morning, Mickmi; have you seen Danny?" he heard her say below.

He leaned over the wooden railing. "I'm up here."