Conjectural Figments Feb 2012

“She has rebooted the Genofect Project. Effective immediately.”

It freezes for a moment. “She’s found a specimen?

After all these aeons?”

“Apparently, yes. A pure and complete DNA strand from original Homo Sapiens. I don’t know how.”

Subject 249 does something that I could not have anticipated in my diminished state. I came prepared for violence, but instead I see tears. First a glittering bead in the corner of its alien eye, then a trickle, then a flood of what can only be remorse, or perhaps even terror. A shred of humanity after all? Can I truly justify my hatred of this thing?

“I see that you understand what this means.”

“Can you get me out of here? Is that why you came here?” It is actually quivering now. “Please tell me you came here to get me out.”

“Much as I am loathed to confess, I need you. And you need me.”

“Why would you need me?”

“Surely you can work it out, especially after sensing my loneliness.”

He shifts his head to one side. “You have disconnected yourself from The Hive!” he says with realization. “You want to escape too.”

“If I break your cell and help you escape, they may assume my disconnection was the result of an attack and that my body was ejected into space, otherwise they will simply seek me out and reconnect me. And then when the Genofect Project reaches The Hive we will be disassembled. I would rather suffer this ache of isolation for the rest of eternity than go back to an animal form.”

He nods slowly, calmer now.

I think he is genuine. And why wouldn’t he be? His tears demonstrated his fear of the future. Not for him, he has already accepted his fate. He fears for the rest of his kind.