A New Beginning

Chapter 63

Tessa's POV:

I curled up tighter and draped my wings over me like Abby had just shown me, trying to trap my body heat. It was so hard to sit still, but there was barely enough room in the cage to turn around, let alone pace. I really didn't want to be here.

"Well, it is a chimera. Not one of the originals, though, which is a pity. Possibly second generation." The Votak's voice startled me; he and his parrot friend had been silent for a very long time.

Apus flew over and landed delicately on the white alien's shoulder. "That is a very strange DNA chain. I'm not sure how those humans concocted this one, but it looks quite stable."

"Look at the binders. I think they were just mixing things and hoping they worked. If even one of those codes were misplaced, the creature would have died within days and never survived the metaforming process. You'll probably never see a mutation in this species since it wouldn't survive."

"Wait, wait," Apus said, his squeaky voice rising in pitch. "Look there! Those shouldn't be there. I don't know which lab she came out of, but they clearly missed several steps in the procedures and added the knowledge serum. I'm amazed they had any survivors at all."

"Those humans were idiots," Claas retorted.

"I'm not seeing any evidence of the memory retention sequence, although they may not show in the offspring's DNA." Apus glanced at me. "I'm also doubtful if the humans would have managed that step when they failed to follow most of the directions. This lab clearly took the word experimental to a whole new level."

"Considering how carefully we protected the instructions, I'm astonished at how rarely they followed them from start to finish. However, I am seeing some sicora genes in here, which means the samples we included survived the crash."

"Well, we might have crashed that skipper on their planet on purpose over half a century ago, but they were only just starting to use the technology we gave them. Then that naive group of Votaks bumbled in and destroyed everything."

"It will be decades before we find another reckless race with the appropriate intellectual qualities that doesn't mind sacrificing their own in the name of experimentation. I was curious to see what they would have managed in a couple of decades."

"As soon as we find one, we can pack everything up and move it to a new base."

"Does your chromosome breakdown match what I'm seeing here?"

"Yep. It looks like they tossed an entire menagerie into the mixing pot. They used at least fifty animals when they were supposed to only have a maximum of five. Let's just say that I am very glad I wasn't dragged into that lab. Their chances of survival would have been appallingly low."

"I am not as foolish or reckless as those humans. I told you that you would survive the metaforming process."

"And I am eternally grateful. Even if it hadn't worked, I would have died around the same time anyway."

My breath caught in my throat as I realized that the parrot had gone through the same procedure that Mom and Dad had. Only he was in league with the Votaks.

A light on the wall flashed, and Claas touched it.

A voice through the device said, "Commander Claas, your meal is ready. Would you like it delivered to your location or your personal quarters?"

"My personal quarters."

The two of them walked out, shutting off the lights and closing the door behind them. Four tiny yellow lights near the ceiling provided very dim illumination. I lifted my head and perked my ear tufts up but heard nothing.