Chapter 14: Discussions of The Past

Ferral and Dr. Atlas finally made it back to the facility. They headed straight to the control panel, which was still active. “So, I’m guessing the sample I gave you worked?” Atlas asked, resting his hands on the machine. “Yeah, it mapped out the locations of where this fungus was while you were busy snooping.” Ferral remarked. “I wasn’t snooping, I was only looking around.”

Ferral scoffed, looking at the holographic globe. He started to notice that more red dots appeared in Europe and along the western side of Australia. “Looks like it spread more.” Dr. Atlas looked at Ferral, puzzled. “Spread? Where?” “It spread further in Europe,” He pointed, “And it seems your friends from yesterday brought some with them.” The two gazed at the map. “Then we have to act now. Before it continues.” Dr. Atlas pulled out his phone and started walking off. However, Ferral grabbed him by the back of the neck. “Stay here.” Dr. Atlas nodded, slightly scared.

“Hello? Yes, I’m okay. I told them to call off the attack, sir. Their deaths were not my responsibility.” He continued to argue with the man on the phone, rubbing his eyes in frustration. “Look, sir, we’ll have the cure made. We just need a quick lift to the western coast of the continent.” As they continued talking, Ferral heard a noise coming from one of the other rooms. He stealthily made his way toward the sound, motioning for Atlas to stay. He nodded, and Ferral went off.

After Dr. Atlas finished his call, he looked for Ferral. He’d been gone for a few minutes, and Atlas had started to worry. “Mr. Ferral!” He called out. He peeked in some of the rooms, eventually finding Ferral. Atlas’s eyes widened as a massive bird-like creature walked around Ferral, who was sitting against some sort of pod. It was tall, a little over nine feet. It didn’t have any wings, resembling an emu or ostrich. Its feathers were black with a red beak with black at the tip. The creature lowered its head, letting Ferral freely pet it. He smiled, scratching under its chin, which the creature seemed to enjoy.

“What….on Earth….is that?” Dr. Atlas asked, mouth agape. Both Ferral and the creature’s attention turned to Atlas. The beast let out a cry, running behind the pod Ferral sat against. It was extremely fast. Ferral stood up, chuckling as the creature coward. “Dromornis stirtoni.” Ferral said, “Aka, the Australian Thunderbird.” Atlas shook his head in disbelief. “No, no, that’s impossible. They’re supposed to be extinct.” Ferral walked over to the thunderbird, comforting it. “You’d be surprised what lies within these jungles. Creatures we once thought long gone, and some we’ve never even seen. Pretty amazing, huh?” Dr. Atlas moved closer, the thunderbird walking back in fear, but Ferral calmed it down.

Atlas was only a few feet from it. He was in total awe. “Incredible.” He muttered. It shrieked, bolting off behind Ferral and out the door. Dr. Atlas slumped his shoulders, bummed. Still, even catching sight of was once thought to be an extinct animal was still exciting. Atlas looked at Ferral. He smiled, looking out the door. His face had softened. Atlas had never seen him like this before. It was strange, almost like looking at a completely different person. Ferral noticed Atlas staring at him, and his expression morphed back to the cold resentment the doctor was more familiar with.

“So, what happened?” Ferral asked while walking toward Atlas. “There will be a chopper to come and pick us up. Figure we’d skip the long journey and get this cure done as fast as possible.” Atlas pulled out a small bulb-like object from one of his coat pockets. “This is a tracker. All I have to do is twist it and they’ll find us.” Just as Atlas was about to, Ferral grabbed his wrist. “Let’s do it away from here. I’d like to keep this place a secret.” Dr. Atlas nodded, and Ferral let go of his wrist. The two walked out of the facility, Atlas following Ferral east for about an hour until they reached a small creek. Ferral looked at Atlas and nodded. Sigiling for him to use the tracker. He pulled it out and twisted it; a blue light blinked from the top. “They most likely won’t get her for a while. So we’ve got some time to kill.” Ferral sighed, walking over by the creek and sat on top of a large rock. Crossing his arms.

They waited for what felt like hours, but it was only a few minutes. Neither said a word. Ferral stared into the water while Dr. Atlas explored a bit of the area. Time passed slowly. Eventually, Atlas walked over to Ferral, standing beside him. “So….” Atlas tried to start a conversation, but couldn’t think of anything. “See any interesting fish?” No response. Atlas chuckled awkwardly. He tried to think of any other topic.

“I’m surprised,” Ferral said, bewildering Atlas. “You didn’t go down some path of revenge. After all, my father killed yours.” Atlas looked at him, but Ferral kept facing the creek. “I was never that close with either of my parents,” Atlas replied, looking at the flowing water. “They were always so busy with work that they barely had any time for me. So, there was never any real connection with them. Their deaths didn’t hit me as hard as they should’ve. I just…shrugged it off. Moved on.”

“I never knew my biological mother,” Ferral spoke. “My father killed her after she had me. And twenty-three years later, I killed him. You’re lucky.” “Well, I don’t know if I call it luck. But that must’ve been terrible. Having to kill your own father.” Ferral shook his head, “No, he deserved it. I don’t feel pity for scum.” A long silence swept through as the two watched the creek.

“Can I ask you something?” Dr. Atlas finally broke the silence. “What?” Atlas looked at Ferral. “What was it like? Growing up as an experiment, I mean.” It took a second for Ferral to respond. “It was hell.” “I could’ve guessed that much. But surely there was something that made it bearable. Right?” Once again, Ferral took a moment before responding.

“Yeah.” He said, “There was. A woman, Amber, was her name. She was a scientist who took care of me…” Ferral closed his eyes. “She was beautiful, kind, and smart. Everything about her….was perfect.” He opened his eyes, and a small smile formed on his face. “She was like an angel sent to cure the pain I felt. There’s not enough time in the day to describe how much she means to me.” His face had softened again. “And then there was Clare and Buck. Belle and Ezekial. My friends….my family. I loved each one. So much….”

Ferral’s expression slowly melted into sadness. Then into anger. “And each one was taken from me. Killed by you DAMN humans.” He gritted his teeth, his claws dug into his arms. “You all caused this. You’re mistreatment of us experiments. Taking away what was precious to us!” Atlas stepped back a little. Scared. Ferral closed his eyes again, inhaling deeply. He exhaled, his breath shaky. Ferral looked at Atlas, “You understand, once all is said and done, I WILL kill each and every one of you. Until your kind is completely extinct.”