The Gift

The Gift
By
Raman Jalota

    “Our Echosphere was built for only Sixty-five-hundred inhabitants. We can’t afford to house the Seventy-five-hundred we have and continue to add new inductees.” Destin’s loud voice boomed over the gathering.
    Dr. Oscar Bridge tapped on the voice scanner, “But we can’t refuse the escee. All the inductees have been sent by his direct order. We can’t refuse them. We have no weapons. We’ll be annihilated.”
“Yes, that’s correct. We can’t refuse the orders of the supreme commander. But we have to resolve this overpopulation or we ourselves are doomed. Isn’t that correct Dr. Prasad?”
    Dr. Kedar Prasad got up from his chair and displayed a hologram. He pointed, “The intersection of our food production capacity and the usage per occupant takes place at seven thousand. Our stored supplies can sustain the additional five-hundred occupants for another eight months. After that we will have to take exceptional measures.”
    “What measures would you suggest Dr. Prasad?”
    “The nutrients that are needed for basic survival can be manufactured using my chemical formulae almost limitlessly. I can guarantee availability of the nutrients for as many as twenty thousand occupants without requiring any higher production of basic chemicals than current levels.
    “Your problem will be the organic material that you need to produce to fill those empty stomachs. Given the limits of our Echosphere, we simply can’t produce significantly higher amounts of daily food components. Simply put, our dilemma is - Create more organic food or reduce consumption of the food by whatever means possible. I suggest Destin that you go over the alternatives now.”
   Destin glared at Dr. Prasad. It isn’t my problem alone. Why do I always get stuck with the worst part of the presentation? He cleared his throat, “There are several alternatives that we have explored so far on an extremely limited basis. This list is basically to get our thinking juices flowing.
    “First, we could expand the Echosphere in one of two ways .... ...”

.....

    Destin slept fitfully. The subsequent alternatives that he had covered from introduction of diseases to outright killing of substandard occupants had disgusted him. The nauseating feeling had not left him the whole dayplan. He awoke in the middle of the nightplan.
    What’s wrong? What did I hear? Was that a yelping of a dog or a coyote? Isn’t that what they were called? Coyotes? The front of his night shirt was wet with perspiration. What the hell did I dream?
    He threw the sheet off his body and went to the refresh room. He looked at his reflection as he washed his face. His face had lost all color. I must have had a nightmare.
    He sat on the living room chair and tried to remember. What had Prasad whispered in my ear? Did he say, “I have a secret solution?” I wish I had more time to talk to him. I’ll have to intercept him first thing in the morning.
    He turned on his wall and recalled the first alternative. Expand the Echosphere by reclaiming the adjoining parts of the Callisto or locate a colony in a structure not connected to the Echosphere.
    Could we claim any remaining parts of Callisto? No, there was no way. All previous attempts had been fruitless. The continuos bombardment by the energetic particles of Jupiter's magnetosphere left little or no chance for survival on the exposed surface of the moon without a prefab structure like the Echosphere.
   What had Prasad said, “But we could send out a team to explore. If they succeed, great; If they fail, it’s still all right.”
What he had left unsaid was more sinister. The team would die like the others that had tried and by dying; reduce the number of occupants by the size of the team. A team of about ten or fifteen will be needed to attempt any significant exploration. A few such teams, and the current catastrophical problem would be reduced to a manageable level.
    I wish there was a better way than manipulating people into dying or manipulating diseases to kill people. What did Prasad have up his sleeve?

.....

    Destin pushed open the door to Dr. Prasad’s office. Kedar Prasad had his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. A mischievous smile creased the corner of his right lip. He was rocking himself in the chair.
    “I see you are not very busy today. Is it our problem that amuses you Dr. Prasad?”
    “What did I tell you yesterday? You never listen to me. There’s no problem anymore. It’s already been solved. You don’t need to worry any more.”
    Destin’s mouth fell open, “Solved? How? What solution have you designed?”
    “You don’t need to know. It’s my gift to you. It’s my gift to everyone. It’s my gift to humanity. I have started the implementation of the solution. You may not know it, but you are an integral part of the solution.”
    “I don’t understand you, Prasad. What do you mean by all that?”
    “It’s a simple chemical solution. You know what chemistry is? Right? You mix a few chemicals and ‘boom’ you have a transformation. A new product. You add a catalyst and things react that wouldn’t react otherwise. It’s very simple. You just need to know the precise nature of the reaction you want to create. Once the right chemicals are gathered and the right environment is provided, the right solution emerges.”
    Destin shook his head. What’s wrong with Prasad? “What was that you whispered yesterday to me? What do you mean by a gift?”
    “Yes, yes, yes. My name is Prasad. Prasad means ‘holy offering’ or ‘holy gift’. The solution to the problem is my gift to humanity.”
    “I don’t understand you, Prasad. But I hope you know what you are doing.”
    Prasad watched his retreating back and said loudly, “Destin, I am just the catalyst.”

.....

    Destin stood outside a unit in the Valhalla housing complex. I have never been here. What am I doing here? It’s nightplan, I should be back in my unit. His eyes clouded over and his body stiffened. Something pushed him forward. He tore open the door effortlessly and walked in.
    A couple was sitting at the dining table. They looked frightened. The man walked toward Destin, “Who are you? What are you doing in our unit? I demand ...”
    Destin unsheathed his claws and raised his right fist. He brought it down diagonally across the man’s face. The man’s left eye popped out of the socket. Blood spurted everywhere. Destin snarled and bared his fangs. He grabbed the man by his shoulder and bit into his neck. He could taste the warm, sticky sweet blood on his tongue. He didn’t spit it out. He dropped the dead body and moved toward the petrified screaming woman. She offered no resistance. Must have fainted. He bit into her neck. Her head rolled sideways almost completely severed.
    Good, now the kids. Destin walked toward the juvenile sleep unit
    He awoke with a shiver. There were sweat beads on his forehead. Was it a nightmare? It had seemed very real. His tongue felt dry. Did I drink a man’s blood this nightplan? He washed his face and looked at his hands. I had claws in the dream. And fangs. He stared at his face in the mirror. He slowly remembered the taste of the blood and threw up.

.....

    The biweekly meeting was torturous. Destin could barely keep awake. A nauseating feeling kept overpowering him. “The current numbers are slightly better. The total population stands at Seventy-four-hundred. Since our earlier meeting, a number of occupants have fallen victim to random violence.”
    Oscar addressed the group, “Fellow occupants, we have a strange dilemma. It seems a random killer or killers are hiding among us. These killings are reducing the size of our problem, yet this points to a fundamental shortcoming with our socio-political structure. We have no security force to deal with such a threat. And I don’t know if the escee will ever allow us to have a security force. If we sit and do nothing our population problem will become manageable. But, if we sit and do nothing, we are all at risk.”
    Dr. Prasad displayed a new set of holograms, projecting the reduction rates for another three months, “The way I see it, even if we were to try and take some measures against this new variable, by the time we are able to do something, we would have already resolved our first crisis. I agree with Oscar, I believe the escee will not allow a security force on any habitat. Such a force poses a potential threat to his supremacy, no matter how small the force may be.
    “My last communication with him was two days ago. He has suggested that we investigate the killer or killers and proceed with caution. He hinted he could send the E-86 group to take control of the Echosphere.”
    A shiver went down Destin’s spine, “No! Not the E-86 group. They are ruthless and rule with no conscience. We don’t want to relinquish our self-governance at any cost, do we?”
    Everyone was in complete agreement. Prasad suggested the formation of a group of investigators. Oscar was quickly chosen to be the head. The meeting was over.

.....

    Destin threw himself in his sleep-pod. I can’t understand what’s happening to me. I have no energy left. Am I burning out? He closed his eyes. He dreamt of flashing lightning bolts and a heavy downpour.
    He woke up drenched. He was standing outside the Europa housing complex. What brought me here? He looked around. His nose twitched. A strange wild smell was around him. His muscles were rippling with energy. What has energized me? And then he noticed the blood on the back of his hands. He looked for the claws. He could just will them into unsheathing. Like wiggling my toes. He felt it. There it is again. An overpowering force drove him into the complex.
    A voice kept echoing in his head, “Number nine. Number nine. Number nine.”
    He tore open the door to unit nine effortlessly. Through his half-open eyes he scanned the unit. Six small children and a teenager were huddled together. Their faces petrified with fear. He took two giant steps and started slashing at the huddled group. Pieces of flesh flew like debris from an asteroid. Blood splattered the walls of the unit. When the screams had died down, he picked up the nearest child and bit off his head. He tasted the young blood and felt his body grow stronger. One by one he buried his blood stained fangs into all the young necks taking a gulp of blood or two from each.
    What next? Of course number nineteen!

.....

    Destin felt lightheaded. He half ran half jumped back to his housing complex. He felt he was flying. The exhilaration stayed with him till the smell of blood finally brought him back to reality. He tore off his clothes and stood staring at his reflection. His skin had turned dark. His face and arms were covered with long dark hair. His eyes were red and elongated. He stood in the shower for almost an hour, till the metamorphosis was reversed.
    I must see Oscar? He’s the only one who may know what has been done to me. “You are an integral part of the solution” Prasad had said. What has he turned me into?

.....

    Oscar frowned, “What do you mean, he is turning you into an animal? Dr. Prasad has a lot of knowledge but beyond being a genius in the biochemical field, he is .... Oh shit! He is a great source of prehistoric knowledge. With his biochemical background and his knowledge of a mythical man-beast ... he may just be the one who knows how to create a killing machine! Show me your hands.”
    He examined them carefully, especially the nails. He shook his head.
    “Let me see your teeth.”
    Again nothing.
    “Oscar I am really scared. I can’t control my actions and even my thoughts are not within my command. Help me Oscar. I don’t know what to do. Last night, he somehow manipulated me into killing sixteen people in the Io complex.”
   “So, it was you last night?”
    “I have been waking up in the middle of a massacre every day for the last five weeks. In the beginning I used to wake up with a strange feeling or sensation after the killings; but lately, the killings begin with me fully conscious. And the more I kill, the stronger I feel.”
    Oscar paced his office. He felt Destin’s muscles and sat down, “I don’t know what we can do at this point. Prasad is a personal appointee of the escee. It will be impossible to discredit him with such a scenario. We would be laughed off at the central command. Physically, you appear no different than before. Prasad will have no trouble shredding our accusations to pieces. He could even have us banished.”

.....

    The Echosphere was immersed in a strange fear: The fear of a man-beast that came from nowhere, left no survivors and disappeared effortlessly. Destin sat in his office with his eyes closed, immersed in thought. Would the killing stop if I killed myself? Or would Prasad find another ‘Catalyst’?
    He walked into Prasad’s office, “Prasad, will you tell me what you have done to me?”
    “We are instruments of destiny. You and I do not control what happens. Someone else controls yours and my destiny.”
    “I am convinced that somehow you have found a way to cause extreme changes in my body and mind. Somehow you are able to program me to kill. I can’t take this anymore, Prasad. You have to stop this or I’ll end my own life.”
    “Don’t you understand anything? You do not control whether you will live or die. It’s not in your hands Destin.”
    Destin shook his head bewildered. His message center was flashing as he walked back to his office. He clicked on the imager. Oscar’s face appeared, “Destin, I have found something. Come to my office soon as you can.”
    He ran the two flights up to Oscar’s office. Oscar’s face was ashen.
    “What have you found Oscar?”
    “I remembered that Dr. Prasad’s hobby was ancient human mythology. In one of the works he published, he examined the remnants of literature from the ancient human races. Here take a look under man-beast.”
    Oscar clicked the wall and manipulated the keyboard. A hologram of yellowing papers showing pictures of a half-human, half-animal being appeared along with Prasad’s monotonous voice, “These parchments dating to at least fifteen thousand years ago, show the existence of these mythical creatures. The folklore suggested that a full moon and certain inherited traits turned a man into a hairy beast with claws and nails.”
    Destin’s voice cracked, “That’s what I looked like when I saw my image last night. And it took more than an hour to turn back into my normal self. What do you think causes it?”
    “Prasad didn’t divulge any more in his published works, but I won’t be surprised if he found the means to create such a change .... wait a second .... a full moon ... we live on the moon ... for us the moon is always full .... all he needs is the remaining biochemical components ... and he’s a damned good biochemist. I bet this wasn’t too hard for him to do. He is enjoying every minute of this.”
    “Are you saying I am doomed? I can’t stop this.”
    Oscar patted him on the shoulder, “We’ll find a way. We must.”

.....

    Destin pulled out the laser knife and ran it through his heart. He fell down on the floor. Good, at least it ends for me. Minutes later, he got up without a trace of bleeding or a cut. He slashed his wrists ... nothing. Has this thing made me immortal? Maybe that’s why Prasad researched this. Not only he could control such a creature, he could also tap into the immortality of his subject. I have to confront him.
He walked to Prasad’s housing unit and put his hand on the door’s eye.
    “Come on in Destin. I was expecting you. Have you seen the last reports? We are back to normal. Our problem has been solved.”
    “Doctor Prasad, I know what you have done to me. You have turned me into this creature that you found in your research ... a man-beast.”
    “How do you know that?”
    For the first time, Prasad sounded worried. Good! “You can’t keep such a secret from everyone. Oscar and I were able to decipher what you have done. Your biochemical background; your publications on ancient human mythology. We were able to put two and two together. And unless you reverse the process, we will expose you.”
    “What proof have you got? How will you prove that what’s happening to you is as a result of what I may have done. You don’t have any idea about what I have done, do you?”
    “Will you reverse the process?”
    “I think that you are insulting me by insulting my gift to you. This gift that I have bestowed on you, has helped bring peace and harmony back to Callisto. You are blessed to have been the catalyst for the good of society. You should go down on your knees and thank me for letting you do so much good.”
Destin walked out of Kedar’s home dazed and confused. He had barely gone two-hundred meters when the pains began. Quickly he headed to Oscar’s housing complex.
    “Oscar look at me. It’s happening. Help me control this.”
    “Let me try a sedative.”
    Oscar pumped 50 milliliters of xcytolic acid into Destin’s biceps. It didn’t slow down the metamorphosis. With a scream the man-beast stood in front of Oscar. His hands shaking he reached for Oscar and bit down on his neck. He heard the door open and someone walk in. He dropped Oscar’s dying body and turned to the door
    “Good work Destin” Prasad clapped his hands.
    Destin stood frozen. His mind was trying to deny the powers that were controlling him. He wanted to tear Prasad to pieces but Prasad had somehow completely immobilized him rendering him powerless.
Prasad took a wooden stick and a hammer out of his pocket. Destin stared puzzled at what Prasad was doing. Prasad put the silvery, pointed end precisely on Destin’s heart and raised the hammer in his right hand all the way back and struck the wooden stake with full force.     “You ingrate beast. You have insulted my gift. I hereby withdraw it.”

The End    3131 words

Copyright © 2004 Raman Jalota. All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

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