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Chapter 1. The Mars Mission Sunday, December 17, 2028 James Horvath had just finished helping M.E.R.V., the Mars Environmental Research Vehicle, manipulate into the Mars Research Station with its last capsule when he heard the transmission from Colonel Bill Bradshaw, orbiting somewhere above the planet. \"Jim, we've got sensor indications on our instrument panel that the last collection of samples by Merv may have some interesting anomalies from that small cave in Sector Four. Julia wants you to send him back with two more of Pandora's boxes to get samples for our other clients.\" By the time Julia in Mission Control back on Earth had received the sensor readings transmitted by Bill; made the assessment to collect two more samples and transmitted the request back to the Pegasus, Merv had already returned. Jim chuckled at Bill referring to Merv as 'him' but he knew it was easy to do. After all Merv could see, talk, travel to a target unassisted and even had deductible capability that allowed it to make choices. The two other clients Julia had referred to were IASA member countries, France and China that had invested large sums of capital to help finance this massive joint operation with the International Aero Space Administration. He was anxious to get back to earth after spending five and a half months on this voyage to Mars and knew that it would take another four and a half months to get back home. Oh well, what's another couple of hours, he thought to himself. He replied to Bill in the affirmative and began loading two more eight-inch long empty cylinders onto Merv's frame and replaced his two battery packs with fresh ones. Jim smiled as he thought of Julia and how she referred to the capsules as 'Pandora's Boxes'. She called them that because, as she said, they always came back filled with WMSIWYG. What Merv Sees Is What You Get. Jim knew this mission was very important for the world's scientific community. Although he couldn't see too much from Merv's camera in the tiny cave, which was little more than four foot wide by 18 inch high fissure, he knew that there were small pools of frozen liquid, and he suspected, as had NASA, that it was water. These specimens could determine once and for all whether there was, or had been, some form of microscopic life on Mars. The capsules from the last previous unmanned visit in 2007 had only contained soil and rock samples with no trace of past or present life forms. This was the first international manned mission to Mars and he would be glad to get out of this inflatable research station with the four scientists working with him and back aboard the spacecraft Pegasus circling Mars, with Colonel William Bradshaw, and Captain Vladimir Klenovic, the Russian navigator, who were monitoring their progress on the surface. The team at the Mars station consisted of scientists from Canada, Germany, England, and Japan; all specialists in different fields. They had been in this station for five earth weeks and were almost finished their tests and calculations on the surface. Jim Horvath was the son of a hard working farming couple in mid-western South Dakota. Ever since Jim could remember he had wanted to fly the heavens and visit far

away worlds. He never forgot, and his mother to this day would still remind him, of the time when he was seven years old, she awoke from a deep sleep in the middle of the night with an uneasy feeling that something had happened to him. She went to his bedroom to check on him and found him gone. She frantically woke his father and they began searching the house and were just about to phone the sheriff when he strode in through the door. He had been down by the river on a rope swing. When she enquired as to why he wanted to go swinging in the middle of the night he had replied, \"I couldn't reach the stars in my spaceship in the daytime!\" His dedication and perseverance had made him a top choice for this mission. Jim watched Merv through the front portal of the Lander, returning from the cave with its two containers and thought out loud, \"I wonder what kind of surprise you have for us this time, my little friend\". The world would find out, but it would be many months later. Chapter 2. The Mission Returns Home Monday, June 18, 2029 Two days ago the Mission Control Operations Room at Houston had been empty and as quiet as a morgue except for a couple of technicians checking circuits and wiring. Today it was buzzing with excitement as 143 technical operations staff, numerous news media with cameras, lights, sound equipment and a gallery filled with invited guests and dignitaries anxiously awaited the touchdown of the shuttle craft Rendezvous. Colonel William (Bill) Bradshaw, Major James Horvath, Captain Vladimir Klenavic and four international scientists were returning from the first manned excursion to the planet Mars after 404 days. Bill Bradshaw had served seven years in the space program and was referred to as 'The Old Man' by the rookies. Although only 34 he had a wealth of knowledge and training behind him. His uncanny ability to handle stressful situations easily, and his cheerful nature made him a first pick as Mission Commander for this mission. He was also an admired friend of Jim Horvath and when not working or sleeping they spent much of the long trip talking about old times, playing cards and watching videos piped aboard by IASA. Julia Robertson, the Chief of Exobiology watched her monitor closely. She was intently scrutinizing her sensor display of three of the Martian sample capsules returning aboard Pegasus. The capsules had shown minute fluctuations in internal temperature and traces of vibration. Nothing to be alarmed about, however she couldn't keep from wondering what new elements were in the rock samples Merv had gathered from the cave on Mars. Perhaps, she thought, it was just the moisture from the ice crystals in the Martian cave inside the capsules expanding and contracting, as they were subjected to the extremes of heat and cold, on the journey back. After all, the cargo hold was continuously rotated through solar light and darkness, still… After reaching the docking port at the International Space Station, the crew spent several hours transferring the Martian samples, supplies and scientists to the shuttle Rendezvous, before boarding themselves.

Col Bradshaw brought Rendezvous to a perfect landing amid the applause, cheers and congratulations from the Mission Control staff. As the spacecraft slowed to a stop, Jim watched the approach of the usual emergency and support vehicles racing towards them. After a year in weightlessness, he felt strangely weak and it took quite an effort just to stand. After several attempts he managed, with Vladimir and Bill, to make his way to the hatch and get it opened. He knew they would feel weak on their return to gravity even though they had spent many hours each day doing aerobics and exercises to keep fit. As they stood supporting each other in the hatchway, smiling and waving, all he could think about was a hot shower, a hamburger and to sleep for 48 hours on a real pillow, in a real bed. Chapter 3. Pandora's Box is Opened Thursday, June 21, 2029 The world was still elated three days later with the success of the Mars mission when two separate articles appeared in the back pages of USA Today: San Francisco: Ames Research Center Vandalized. Vandals broke into the Exobiology Laboratory of NASA's Ames Research Center overnight and damaged several pieces of equipment. Staff and police are attempting to determine if any items are missing.

Paris: U.S. Transport Plane Crashes in France. A U.S. Transport plane crashed today in a sparsely populated area of France in route to Paris. There are no reports of survivors. The plane carried a crew of three. Although these incidents seemed to have no bearing on each other, within days it would be discovered that there was one very important connection, Pandora's box. Julia arrived around 9:30 am at the lab in the Ames Research Center, where she worked as the Chief of Exobiology, to begin taking inventory of the damages and supervise the cleanup from the break-in the night before. It had been a hectic night after she received the call from security around one A.M. notifying her that there had been a break-in at her lab. She spent the next three hours with the police while they questioned her and the security staff as to what was in the lab and the value of the equipment damage for their report. There did not appear to be anything missing and since she didn't have any narcotics or money in the lab it appeared to be a case of vandalism. Several fingerprints were lifted from the door and a claw hammer found on the floor was taken away as evidence. As Julia surveyed the damage, she suddenly remembered the Martian sample container that had been placed in the isolation chamber. The chamber glass had been smashed but with relief she saw the container was still there. 'How could I have overlooked this last night?' she thought to herself, 'of all the items in the lab, this was the most valuable and I didn't even think of it!' As she gingerly reached through the broken glass to retrieve the sample container she noticed something that brought her heart into her mouth. The security seal had been broken. What if the contents were missing or worse still, their integrity compromised? She hastily removed the container and took it to the one workbench that was relatively clean. She set the container on end and carefully unscrewed the cap. Setting the cap on the workbench she cautiously peered into the container. Julia gasped sharply and jumped back as if hit by a bullet. She stood there unmoving, wide eyed with shock, then quickly slammed the cap back on the container and screwed it down tightly. The cleanup would have to wait. This was far more important, she thought, as she ran to her desk, stumbling over broken glass and lab equipment. Professor Mark Stapleton received Julia's call at 3:36 p.m., Washington time. He had just finished a meeting with the Chairman of Entomological Studies and Disease Control in Washington on the never ending problem of West Nile Virus, and was heading to the cafeteria for a quick coffee when his cell phone began vibrating in his vest. The call stopped him in his tracks. \"You found what?.. where?… Do they know who was responsible?… Get your security posted on the door right away… don't let the container out of your sight! I'll get the National Security Agency to send some agents from San Francisco over to see you right away… I want you and that container on the first military jet available to meet me here in Washington… Just sit tight, I'll make all the arrangements!\" He quickly disconnected the call and punched in the number of the Director of the NSA. Spinning on his heel he began heading for the underground parking lot. Julia was nervously pacing back and forth with the container grasped tightly in her trembling arms when the first security guard arrived and took up post outside her lab

door. He was big, broad shouldered and very muscular. Obviously a jock, she thought, …probably on steroids too! Her thoughts quickly changed to the matter at hand and began racing wildly. Was this …thing, alive? Was it dangerous? What is it? Then it hit her…this was the sample from the Martian cave and there were two more containers somewhere! Julia was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't see the shadowy blur until it was too late. With a sound like the beating of a dozen hummingbird’s wings the blur emerged from the corner of the room and darted directly to the side of the guard's neck. He let out a high piercing shriek, and before he could grasp his neck, had dropped to the floor convulsing wildly. The blur darted quickly away from the guard's neck and disappeared down the hallway. The last thing Julia saw was a tiny stream of blood spurting from the guards' jugular, and then she crumpled like a rag doll to the ground, still tightly clutching the container. Her last thought before the darkness swept in over her eyes was, \"Oh My God! …There are two!\" Chapter 4. Arrival in Washington Saturday June 23, 2029 Julia arrived at Washington Dulles Airport at 2:07 a.m. aboard an Air Force fighter jet from Moffett Field. As she disembarked still clutching the canister, she looked terrible. Her hair was a mess from the rain and the flight helmet that she now carried in one hand, with the cylinder still tightly gripped in the other. She had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep for the last two days. The stress of the lab break-in, the guard's death, and the flight had also taken its toll. Her nerves were near the breaking point. Mark leaped out of the black limousine on the tarmac and dashed through the rain to greet her. \"Are you O.K.,\" he asked, with genuine concern in his voice. \"Yes, I'm alright, but really beat.\" she replied in a voice that cracked from exhaustion and the strain of the past events. \"I've got some news on that guard, but first let’s get you settled and that damn container into a safe place. Tomorrow were going to have a peek at your little friend and see what we can find out.\" They climbed into the limousine with the two NSA agents he had brought with him, and they sped into the night.

Mark met Julia in the hotel restaurant for breakfast around nine in the morning. They sat in a corner booth as far away from the other patrons as possible. Julia looked rested and somewhat refreshed, although her usual chipper demeanor was still suppressed. Mark began, \"We've got to keep a lid on this incident until we can figure out what we're dealing with.\" \"No need to spread panic needlessly.\" \"The NSA has sealed off the section of the Ames Center where your lab is while they search for that thing.\" \"So far they haven't been able to find it.\" He paused to take a drink of his coffee. \"They did an autopsy on that guard that died at your lab,\" Mark stated, while watching Julia's reaction out of the corner of his eye. \"They found two puncture wounds that penetrated his jugular vein about a half inch apart. One was larger than the other and the smaller one was quite swollen, apparently where the venom was injected. The vein was filled with an extremely potent poison that traveled directly to his brain causing instant paralysis. Death occurred within a couple of minutes. There was also two small pincer type marks on either side of the wounds. It appears the thing that stung him, had clung there with small craws before delivering the fatal sting.\" Julia began to describe what she had seen in the container at the lab. \"It was ugly, sort of reddish tan with two pincers and a stinger in its curled tail similar to a scorpion but the head was much different. It had two large eyes like a housefly, but they were fluorescent red. Really eerie,\" she replied as she gave a little shudder. \"I'm curious about the larger puncture wound,\" Mark pondered, as they headed for the cashier. Mark's fear was that this killer was a female, but he didn't want to stress Julia out any further than she already was. They grabbed a cab outside the restaurant and headed for the National Research Building where Mark had secured the container the night before. The meeting with the Director of the NSA and the Presidential Secretary was scheduled for two p.m. so they had time to take Pandora's box to the Research Lab under tight security. The cylinder was placed in a Level 3 Biohazard chamber where Julia, using the remote arms removed the cap from the container. The creature was still in the same position she had seen it the day before. She grasped a set of forceps with the remote arms and began slowly to remove the alien from the cylinder and place it on a specimen dish in the chamber. It didn't move and appeared to be dead. There was a small hole behind the large eyes in the head where some green fluid had seeped out. It was dead. Using a special caliper Julia spread out the tail and measured the length. 82 millimeters. Next she spread out the wings and measured the span: 106 millimeters. It couldn't be classified as an insect, although the wings looked like the wings of a dragon fly, but larger. It had an exoskeleton, or hard shell covering, that almost made it appear reptilian, and the claws and tail were very similar to a scorpion, but the body was longer and much thinner, with six legs attached. Four of the legs were consistent with the body size, however it had two larger articulated legs at the rear of the abdomen, similar to a locust's that appeared to be used for springing long distances. Mark had Julia move the magnifier over the head. A small needle-like appendage was visible on the head. He suspected this one must have been male. As an entomologist mark marveled at the evolutionary changes that this creature must have gone through on Mars to reach this stage. It could spring long distances to get out of tight spots where it couldn't spread its wings; fly quite rapidly to its target with great precision;

could grasp its victim tightly and withdraw blood while injecting a virulent deadly poison; survive in extreme temperatures and atmospheres, and had a hard outer shell for protection. It was the perfect killing machine. His fears were mounting. It would take much more investigation, but it appeared that two of these creatures had survived the long trip from Mars in the container together. One male and one female. Merv had done his job well, unfortunately too well! If they have mated, the female may have killed the male to provide sustenance for the offspring when born. The guards' blood it secured, he surmised, would be used to feed the eggs, or embryo, until hatched or born, and how many would be born? How had the creature managed to zero in so quickly on the guards jugular vein? Did it have some kind of sensor? Mark knew there were more questions than answers at this point in time, however one thing was certain. They had to find the female, and quickly. An alien species like this, loose on Earth, could make the West Nile Virus look like child's play. But, the worst was yet to come. Chapter 5. The Meeting Monday June 25, 2029 Mark was deep in thought on the way with Julia to the Oval Room at the White House for his 2:00 p.m. meeting. They had managed to seal the floor of the center where Julia's lab was located with plastic sheeting and had set up a decontamination

entrance within a couple of hours of the guards' death. All the NSA agents permitted access wore white self-contained decontaminations suits with Pest Control marked on the back. The story given to the media was that this was a normal pest and roach decontamination procedure. Nothing out of the ordinary. He knew this would not keep them at bay for long. They had to find the creature, and quickly, if it had not already escaped their enclosure. With Julia's help Mark had prepared a short briefing paper for the meeting on what had transpired to date and sent it on ahead to the White House. His cell phone suddenly interrupted his thoughts. \"Damn, …alright extend the perimeter, but try to be discreet. We can't start a wholesale panic.\" He turned to face Julia in the cab with him. \"They've not been able to locate it. It looks like it's on the loose. We’re going to need some help on this one.\" Julia and Mark arrived at the White House and were immediately escorted to the Oval Office. James Bean, the Presidents Press Secretary, approached them and Mark made Julia's introduction to him. \"The President has just arrived from Camp David and will be here shortly\", he remarked. \"There have been some important developments on this matter that The President has just been made aware of. This situation has now developed into an international incident.\" He turned, and leaving Mark and Julia dumbfounded, disappeared out a side door. President William Harris, looking like a man on a mission, entered the Oval Office followed by James Bean. His usual cheerful demeanor was replaced by a look of solemn determination. I want to welcome you here today and discuss this matter of the incident that occurred in the lab at NASA, but first I'll let the Press Secretary give you a quick update on what's been happening, …Jim…\". Jim, reading from his notes, began, \"We've received, this morning, some startling information from our sources in Canada. Thieves stole the specimen cylinder that was being shipped to Toronto by NASA two days ago. They hijacked a courier van on the outskirts of Toronto and took the cylinder. Now, it gets worse. The cylinder was discovered in an old abandoned warehouse. It had been opened and the contents were scattered on the floor. A body was found a short distance away. It had two puncture wounds in the neck and the victim had apparently died in convulsions.\" He continued, \"The second incident occurred about 60 miles inland of the French coast. One of our cargo planes carrying the second cylinder to Paris crashed killing the three crewmembers aboard. Before emergency and security crews could reach the area a local 10 year old boy had approached the scene and found the container. He was found dead, a few feet from the wreckage, still grasping the opened cylinder.\" Mark and Julia sat in stunned silence, as though hit by a baseball bat. 'We've really opened Pandora's box this time!' Julia thought. \"We can't keep this from the media any longer,\" the President began, \"I've scheduled a press briefing for 5 p.m. today.\" \"Mark, I need you to give me some info I can throw at them as to what this thing is, and what kind of threat it poses.\" \"I want you to coordinate with any and all the available agencies to get this under control as soon as possible. The last thing we need is an epidemic of panic. I understand you believe this one in California may be pregnant?\" Mark replied that, based on the facts to date, this was a good possibility. \"Well,\" stated the President, \"We don't need to let the press in

on that. Not just yet. There'll be enough panic as it is.\" \"Mark, will you bring us all up to date on the events in California, and what you have discovered about this entity?\" Mark brought the President and other members up to date on their latest information and watched as the President gave a brief chuckle at what Julia had referred to as 'Pandora's boxes'. The smile on his face was quickly replaced by a solemn expression. \"That may have more truth to it than we want to discover.\" He remarked in a barely audible voice. Chapter 6. More Mysterious Deaths Thursday, July 26th, 2029 Several weeks had passed since Mark and Julia's meeting with the President. No trace of the alien creatures, either in California, Toronto or Paris had surfaced since the original incidents. Life had returned to normal, and the assumption was that they had died unable to cope in Earth's environment. Mark was back lecturing to visiting professors at the Research Institute in Washington and Julia was back at the Ames Center in California writing a paper after doing research on the dead specimen from Mars. In the back of both their minds was the nagging suspicion that they hadn't seen the last of the creatures. Julia had just arrived home after a long day at the lab, kicked off her shoes and was just about to put a pizza in the oven when the phone rang. It was Mark calling from Washington. \"Julia, do you have a fax machine at home?\" he enquired. \"Yes I do,\" she replied. \"Well turn it on and stay on the line, I'm sending you an article that appeared in the back of today's Washington Herald. I want to see if your reaction to this is the same as mine.\" Julia checked the fax in her study and returned to the phone. \"O.K., Mark it's on. Fire away,\" she said with a laugh that Mark hadn't heard at their last meeting. The fax began making a humming and whirring sound and Julia started reading the article as it was being produced. Toronto: Mysterious Cattle Deaths Not Mad Cow Disease. Local officials in Toronto, Canada have confirmed that seven cows found dead overnight on a farm outside that city have been tested for Mad Cow Disease and the results were negative. The cows appeared to have been injected with a highly toxic poison that resulted in convulsions and death. Ontario Provincial Police are mystified at such a bizarre act and are questioning residents of neighboring farms. Julia's eyes suddenly widened and she let out a gasp as she read the words 'injected with a highly toxic poison'. \"Exactly my reaction Julia,\" Mark stated. \"I'm going to contact the OPP in Toronto and see if I can get in touch with the Inspector handling the case. I'd like to get more information on the wound marks and poison before we jump to any more conclusions.\" Julia told Mark about her research on the dead specimen and the analysis of the venom that had been found in the dead guard. \"If the Canadian police confirm our suspicions, I'd like you to go with me to Toronto to do some tests on the carcasses. You might want to bring your notes with you.\" Mark said. The conversation ended and Julia hung up the phone. Reaching for the remote she turned on her TV and switched to CNN. She was halfway to the kitchen to finally throw the pizza in the oven when she was stopped dead in her tracks. \"…and now we have an update on that breaking story on the multiple mysterious deaths in the French

countryside…\". Chapter 7. Chance Encounter Saturday, July 28, 2029 Mark met Julia at the Washington airport as she arrived from California to change flights for Paris. The original plan to travel to Toronto had been changed. The deaths in France were far more important since they could help with their investigation of the alien creatures life cycles. Seven people had been found dead in a coffee shop in Rouen. All had the same characteristic marks on their necks as had been found on the dead guard in Julia's lab. With the deaths of the cows in Toronto and these deaths in France it was certain now that they were dealing with their second generation of creatures. It was crucial that they find more evidence on the life cycle of these killers before it becomes an epidemic. They had to find a way to locate and exterminate these creatures, but first they had to find a live one. As Julia and Mark boarded the Airbus 308 to Paris, Julia saw an old familiar face from out of her past. It was Professor Terry Allen Simpson, a classmate from Cornell University, who was doing Post Graduate studies in Hormone and Steroid Research,

when Julia was in the Parasitology course. They had dated several times during this period, however with the load of studies they both had, it hadn't left time for anything serious to develop. They had lost touch with each other when Julia moved to California to pursue her career with Ames and the space program. Julia made the introductions with Mark and explained to Terry that they were heading to Paris to gather information on the possible relationship between the deaths and their missing creatures from Mars. A sharp reporter from the New York Times had finally connected the news of the deaths and the missing parasites, and the correlation between the two could no longer be kept secret. Terry explained to Mark and Julia that he was heading to Paris to attend a World Health Organization conference on Growth Hormone and Steroid use in Bovine and Poultry Production. He had spent the past several years doing research on their use in cattle and the possible long-term accumulative effects in cell regeneration and mutation. Although the use of growth hormones and steroids in cattle were banned in many countries, there was increasing pressure on producers to increase production, which had led to a growing black market use of these drugs in many of the worlds markets. Terry and Julia spent most of the flight chitchatting over old times, while Mark was busy pouring over his notes. When the plane arrived at the De Gaulle airport it was early in the evening and Terry bade them a fond farewell, giving Julia a short peck on the cheek. As he picked up his suitcase and turned to catch a taxi he shouted over his shoulder, \"Keep in touch, we'll have to get together again.\" Little did they know their paths would cross again shortly, and under much different circumstances.

Chapter 8. The French Incident Monday, July 30th, 2029 Julia and Mark had breakfast in Paris early next morning at an exquisite French Café called Le Village Buffet before they left to meet with the police Inspector in Rouen. As they were mulling over their coffee and croissants, Mark was intently scrutinizing the front page of Le Figaro he had picked up at the newsstand on the way to the café. \"It appears the police are still searching for the murderers of those people in Rouen. They still haven't pieced it together yet. They are calling it 'ice pick' murders.\" \"I suppose we'll have to let them think that, until we have more information to go on.\" \"They will be very curious as to why two American scientists are here to investigate this incident, though\". \"We'll probably have to take the inspector into our confidence, if we are going to get any kind of cooperation,\" Mark said, folding the newspaper in half, and laying it on the end of the table. As they drove the hundred kilometers to Rouen in the rented Peugeot, Mark had obtained in Paris, Julia was deep in thought about how they would contain these parasites, once they had located them. It would not be easy, not knowing their habits or peculiarities. Her mind wandered to thoughts of the dead cows in Canada. Strange, she thought, how they had attacked them. Obviously they sought out warm-blooded mammals and not just humans. She really wanted to find a live one to study. There was so much they didn't know about these creatures. Inspector Coulomb greeted them warmly in Rouen, but with a certain amount of curiosity. Mark took the inspector into his confidence and explained the happenings to date. The inspector did not seem entirely convinced, although, as he explained, this would answer some of his questions about the neck wounds on the victims. He had not released any information on the second smaller wound marks found on the necks of each victim. He hadn't been sure how to explain them, or even if he tried, how to keep the media from spreading panic. The inspector agreed that, for the time being, it would be best to let them continue thinking they were searching for a madman with an ice pick. They spent the rest of the morning talking to the café owner and looking over the bodies in the town morgue. Four of the victims were elderly men, local residents that stopped by frequently to chat over a chess game, and a younger couple that were traveling to Paris and had stopped by for coffee and lunch, before continuing on their journey. Two were middle-aged women, and the waitress, a girl in her mid-twenties. All the bodies bore the same grotesque, pained expressions on their face and were frozen in contortions, as they died in convulsions. Julia had seen this before and now

there was no longer any doubt as to the cause of these deaths. The café owner had heard the commotion from inside the café as tables and chairs went flying. He had rushed outside, but all he found was the bodies writhing on the ground. He hadn't seen anyone or anything else around but did recall hearing a high pitched buzzing sound in the distance, as he described, \"like a hundred humming birds\". Julia surmised that they must have struck simultaneously, within seconds of each other, like a swarm, and then disappeared as quickly. Almost, she thought, as though they had picked out their targets in advance and then struck in a precise attack. Julia, on a hunch, asked the inspector if there were any small caves or abandoned buildings close by. The inspector didn't know of any caves, but there was an old abandoned warehouse about ten kilometers outside of town. Julia suggested to Mark that they check it out on Monday. Mark agreed and asked the inspector if he had any protective clothing they might wear. Bulletproof jackets and helmets would be the best he could provide. \"I've got something that might just do the trick,\" Julia added, with a smirk. Chapter 9. The W.H.O. Conference Monday, July 30th, 2029 Terry knew before he entered the W.H.O. conference that his views on growth hormones and steroids use by meat and poultry producers would not be a popular one. His views on reproductive drug retention and escalated promulgation in off-spring were still only theories, but his research to date had suggested that this was in fact occurring in 45% of his test subjects. Much more research and study needed to be done, and on a larger scale. His hope was to recommend a total ban to the World Health Organization until a larger and more comprehensive study could be completed. He knew that this would take many years if not decades before a result could be definitive and that would not be popular with the world meat producers. He had circulated his paper on this subject to the forty-five member countries and twelve other research scientists who would be attending this conference and hoped for their support, however he knew he was sticking his neck out on this one. The conference started with the usual welcome address by the chairperson and then she began by outlining several member countries concerns over shortfalls in meat production caused by a variety of reasons. Last year’s outbreak of BSA had severely crippled the beef markets, sheep and lamb production was down, poultry had severely increased in cost and decreased in availability due to the Asian bird flu. A motion was put forward that growth hormones and even steroids in stock feed now be accepted as a means to rapidly replenish the dwindling herds and flocks before the problem

became irreversible worldwide. Terry's paper on the cumulative effect on the generative cycles of his test subjects was submitted in objection, however only two other scientists at the meeting agreed with his findings. The general consensus was that his tests were inconclusive and could not be accepted without more reliable testing over a larger number of test subjects over a wider area. Because of the serious shortages in the industry it was agreed that the W.H.O. would not recommend member countries place restrictions on the use of growth hormones and steroids in meat and poultry stocks. The W.H.O. however did recommend increased research on the accumulative effects and any possible side effects in consumers of treated products. The outcome was as Terry had feared and he was very uneasy about the W.H.O. not recommending a total ban on the use of growth hormones and steroids in consumable meat and poultry products. He knew his research was on the right track and although his research was not yet conclusive he had a very uneasy feeling that time would prove there would be serious consequences to wide spread use of these drugs in cattle and poultry. He would be proven right but no one could have foreseen the strange twisted events that were about to unfold. One more lid on Pandora's box had been opened.

Chapter 10. Up Close and Personal Tuesday, July 31st, 2029 Julia, Mark and Inspector Coulomb arrived outside the abandoned warehouse at 1:30 p.m., dressed like a riot squad in a Keystone Kops movie. They wore old French WWII helmets with the high ridge running down the center and fixed with face shields. The vests were heavy canvas with steel plates in pockets, front and back, with high canvas collars. Julia brought them each nylon panty hose that they wrapped around their necks to protect the frontal open area. It was extremely hot and cumbersome in the outfits and the 30 degree Celsius temperature made the experience very uncomfortable. The inspector had found pairs of night vision goggles, which he gave to both of them. It was dark inside the boarded up warehouse and Mark figured that the night vision goggles would be less disturbing than using flashlights. Julia had brought a bait bucket and fishing net. If the creatures were in the warehouse they would try to isolate and capture one. They approached the warehouse door, slowly and cautiously, listening for any sounds, which would indicate the presence of the creatures inside. The inspector, after fumbling for the right key, slowly opened the front double doors and Mark and Julia slipped inside. Julia stopped to adjust to the ghostly green view through her goggles, while Mark continued on ahead a few paces. The floor was covered in a thick blanket of dust from years of being empty. There was rat feces and bird droppings mixed with the dust. The warehouse had once been the storage area for a farm implement company that had gone bankrupt several years earlier. The equipment had long since been sold or auctioned and all that remained was a few spare parts of the equipment. It was deathly quiet as they moved cautiously around some tractor tires that lay scattered on the floor, too quiet thought Mark, there should be the sound of birds chirping or rats scurrying out of their way, but, nothing. As they rounded a pillar in the middle of the warehouse, Mark suddenly stumbled over something soft, and yet, unmoving. As he glanced down, he saw why there were no rats scurrying around or birds flitting back and forth. They were there on the floor of the warehouse, or what was left of them, and they were scattered around for several feet. Bird and rat carcasses and in the center of the gory mess was a dead cat. Mark thrust out his arm to stop Julia from walking into the mess. \"Julia, I can see now why they attacked the towns people,\" pointing to the mess on the floor, \"They ran out of food here.\" Julia could feel the nausea welling up in her stomach and grasped the bait bucket she was carrying a little tighter. \"Mark, we've got to find these creatures soon, before they breed again.\" After spending several minutes checking all the nooks and crannies in the warehouse, they decided the creatures had moved on to more profitable feeding grounds and they started to make their way back to the entrance where Inspector Coulomb was waiting for them, silhouetted in the doorway. Mark noticed that the inspector had removed the pantyhose from around his neck and was about to wipe the sweat from his brow. Mark started to shout to the inspector but before he could get the words out, there was a blur of motion that suddenly affixed itself to the side of the inspector's neck. As the inspector let out a shriek and started to crumple to the ground, Mark grabbed the net

from Julia and dashed to the doorway. As the inspector hit the ground, the blur began moving away from his convulsing body and Mark made a furious swipe with the net trapping the creature on the ground. He then stomped down with his boot on the net between the opening and where the creature was, trapping it in the net. Julia rushed up with the bait bucket and slipped the bucket under the opening of the net. As Mark removed his foot from the net Julia rammed the bucket down to the end of the net trapping the creature in the upside down bucket. Mark grabbed the lid that Julia had dropped and slid it carefully under the open end of the bucket. Julia then righted the bucket, and Mark snapped the two retaining clips on the bucket holding the lid in place. Leaving the bucket sitting on the ground, they turned and rushed to Inspector Coulomb's side, but it was already too late. The whole process from the time he was stung until they arrived at his side took less than a minute but they arrived to hear his final breath escaping from his lungs in a soft wheeze, as his body lay contorted on the ground, still clutching the pantyhose that now lay strung out beside him. Mark left Julia with the body and went to the inspectors' car to radio for assistance. By the time he returned to Julia and knelt by her side, the sirens of the local police could be heard in the distance heading their way. Chapter 11. The Issue of Jurisdiction Wednesday, August 1st, 2029 The death of Inspector Coulomb and the subsequent statement and reports to the French authorities had been a strain on both Mark and Julia. But, that was to be the least of their problems.

Shortly after the initial statement of events to the French authorities, Mark had telephoned the U.S. State Department to advise them of the situation and get authority to transport the captive alien creature back to the U.S. Diplomatic traffic had been buzzing back and forth between Paris and Washington the past two days to get the clearance to bring the creature to the U.S., but the French authorities were not being cooperative. Their first immediate reaction was concern over the secure transportation of the creature. After all, they explained, what if another accident occurred over French territory and the creature escaped? The U.S. State Department had assured them that all possible precautions would be taken, and the creature would be transported by military jet in an explosion proof sealed container. Then came the next stumbling block. Since the creature was the offspring of the original creature that was French property, and the creature was on French soil, then the creature belonged to France. The wrangling had continued back and forth for the past two days with no success. The French had dug their heels in and it appeared that Mark and Julia would lose possession of the creature. The research they had hoped to do would be undertaken by the French. Julia and Mark checked out of the hotel in Paris and took a taxi to the De Gaulle airport to catch their flight back to Washington. As they sat pondering the French resistance to handing the creature over to them, Julia chuckled to Mark, \"I suppose they'll want to put the creature on trial for murder.\" Mark, with a slight grin, responded in a voice that was obviously filled with disappointment, \"Wouldn't surprise me at all. We'll not likely get much information on their research of the creature either, knowing the French\". They were waiting to board their flight, when Mark spotted Terry Simpson heading toward them with some urgency. \"Have you two heard the latest news…? He gasped, still trying to catch his breath from rushing to catch them. Terry had finished his five- day conference and seminar with the W.H.O. and was rushing to catch his flight back to the States, when he spotted Mark and Julia waiting in line. Chapter 12. Another Death Saturday, August 4th, 2029 Mark, Julia and Terry arrived at the Washington airport from Paris shortly before one in the morning. Terry had related to them on the flight back the news he heard shortly before catching up to Mark and Julia in the Paris airport. CNN had broken the story that a policeman in San Francisco during an arrest of a burglary suspect had been attacked by one of the creatures but before it had a chance to strike him, he swung his nightstick at it and knocked it to the ground. His quick thinking partner grabbed a nearby empty coffee can from the alley, where they had arrested the suspect, and

plopped it over the creature. They're holding both the burglary suspect and the creature at the local precinct, but here's the catch, Terry went on, the creature was described as being approximately four inches long with a wingspan of nearly 6 inches. That would make it over a third larger than the one in the lab Julia had described to him. Either the cop was exaggerating the size, which was possible given the circumstances, or these creatures were growing larger with each new generation, except, that didn't hold true for the one Mark and Julia captured in France. The size discrepancy had played on his mind all the way back to the States. They disembarked and cleared through customs and immigration then went outside to grab a cab. Terry suggested they have a bite to eat and coffee at a nearby restaurant before he headed home to his downtown apartment. He had some things on his mind and knew that, until he could sort them out, he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. They sat down at a table in the restaurant and after placing their orders, Terry began, \"This size discrepancy of the creatures has been plaguing me all night. Julia, tell me again everything that happened the night the creature escaped from your lab\". Julia began relating all the details again and when she got to the part about the guard showing up outside her door, Terry stopped her. \"You said the guard was quite muscular and looked like he was into bodybuilding?\" he asked. She responded in the affirmative and mentioned that she had thought to herself at the time that he probably was on steroids. \"That's got to be it!\" Terry shouted, banging the table with his fist. The waitress came running over wanting to know what the commotion was all about. Terry assured her that everything was O.K. and she went back about her business. \"That's what was nagging away in the back of my mind. I just spent five days with WHO discussing the possible long term effects of steroid and growth hormone use in cattle, what if…\" he paused and his voice dropped to an urgent whisper as he looked directly at Julia, \"what if, these creatures metabolic rate, enhanced by the enriched oxygen atmosphere of Earth, as compared to the mostly carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars, absorbed the steroids and growth hormones from their victims blood, passing them on to their offspring?\" Julia sat in stunned silence, staring at Terry, her eyes emotionless. Suddenly they widened and she spoke in a husky whisper, \"Oh my God! In a couple of years, depending on their reproduction rate, they could be as large as a fully-grown housecat with a wingspread the size of an eagle! Imagine that coming at you!\" Mark shuddered at the thought and suggested to Julia and Terry he would contact the Whitehouse first thing in the morning and meet with the President again. He had to brief him on this latest development and he would suggest that they three form a special government team, to work together on this problem of the alien creatures.

Chapter 13. Area 51 Friday, August 17th, 2029 It had been ten days since Mark had his second meeting with the President. Mark's suggestion to the President that Julia, Terry and he because of their expertise in the fields of entomology, genetics and exobiology form a research team to study the alien creature they had in captivity was accepted. An open ended grant was provided to secure assistants and equipment. The President gave instructions to the Secretary of Defense to provide them with a top security installation isolated from the media and the public. President Harris gave him one last instruction. \"Find them, their weakness, a way to eliminate them, and soon!\" Julia had spent a hectic week gathering up as many small pieces of equipment and notes as she could manage from the Ames Institute. They had been very helpful in providing her with an assistant to accompany her to the new location. Vicky had been her assistant at Ames and a helpful undergraduate in exobiology from Cal Tech. She would be a big help when they got to their new location. As the unmarked Janet Airlines Jet approached the area where they would have their new lab and facilities, Vicky gasped in amazement at a myriad of lights suddenly flashing on, ahead of them on the ground. What had been a quiet dark flight across the desert from Moffett Field was suddenly transformed into a blaze of light and beehive of activity as they approached. When the jet touched down it taxied into a large hanger and the outside lights flicked off. The large double doors of the hangar began to roll shut and Julia and Vicky disembarked from the jet to find Mark and Terry waiting for them. Julia made Vicky's introduction to them as Vicky glanced nervously around her at the strange place she had found herself in. \"Where are we?\" she asked of Julia. \"You're in a place that doesn't exist, at least not officially, called Area 51,\" Mark interjected. \"It's probably the most secure area in the States and an ideal location for our work,\" He explained. \"Follow me and I'll take you to the security station to be processed.\" They exited the hangar through a small door to the rear that led down a flight of stairs to a tunnel underground. \"By the way, Julia,\" Mark continued, \"Your specimen arrived here Thursday under tight security. It was placed in a level III containment chamber in our new lab and we've been feeding it white rats. There's something very unusual about these creatures…\" his voice trailed off, \"But you'll see what I mean.\" After several minutes of traversing through a maze of connecting tunnels they arrived in a small room where an Air Force MP captain sat at his desk. He glanced at Vicky and Julia then handed them each a clipboard with their names and particulars already filled in. At the top of the sheet was the heading Project Pandora's Box. Following their particulars on the sheet was a list of security precautions and areas to which they were permitted access. They signed the sheets in the space

provided at the bottom and returned the clipboards to the captain. He handed them each an identity card to wear explaining that this card would grant them access to areas they were permitted to access and buzz should they approach an area to which they did not have access, and should they enter that area the card would emit a series of beeps and transmit a signal to security which would then dispatch armed guards to investigate. After the security briefing was finished Mark and Terry escorted them back through a maze of tunnels to an area marked 'FQ'. \"This is your new home while you are here. Your room numbers are on you I.D. cards. They are the last two numbers of your I.D. number. Our quarters are just up the hall from you,\" as he pointed to an area marked MQ, \"so we'll meet you here at 7 a.m. and head for the cafeteria for breakfast. I think you be surprised,\" Terry said, as they waved and headed off to their lodgings. Julia found her room, which was two doors down from the tunnel they had exited, and Vicky's was next door. Julia inserted her card in the reader and her door unlatched. She entered the room and was truly amazed. The room was bright and quite large with a king size bed and as well- furnished as the best of hotels had to offer. The spacious bathroom had a shower and whirl bath and large full-length mirrors with a hair dryer and heat lamp. There was a small kitchenette and dining table, and a small but nicely stocked bar in the living room. Julia sat her suitcase down, poured herself a Jack Daniels and headed for the whirl bath. \"If the rest is as nice as this I may never want to go home,\" she thought to herself as she began filling the tub.

Chapter 14. Vicky Meets Species M2028 Saturday, August 18th, 2029 Julia was awakened at 6 am by the persistent chirping of her cell phone alarm clock. After a quick shower and complimentary coffee from her kitchenette coffee maker she dressed, put on her makeup and turned on the TV to catch CNN. It was the usual murders, disasters and war, but nothing on her little Martian friends. She switched the set off and headed next door to meet Vicky. Vicky had just finished dressing and was in the middle of her coffee when Julia pounded on the door. They chitchatted for a few minutes while Vicky finished her coffee and then they headed to the tunnel entrance to meet Mark and Terry. Mark and Terry were already at the entrance waiting for them and deep in discussion over last night’s Nicks and Raptors basketball game. Terry was born and grew up as a teenager in Toronto and was a great fan of the Raptors. As Julia and Vicky arrived on the scene, they heard Mark jokingly expressing sympathy for him, even though the Raptors had won the game by a narrow margin. \"How'd you girls like your new digs?\" Terry enquired of them as they arrived. \"Great, never had a whirl bath before,\" was Vicky's quick response, \"I may come back here for a vacation.\" \"Wait 'til you meet our little Martian friend,\" Mark interjected, \"You may not think so, then.\" They headed for the cafeteria where they finally got to see the outside world through the windows. Not much to see really, just buildings, runways, sand and barbed wire fences. It looked like another hot day, as they stood in the meal line behind several red coverall clad people waiting to be fed. After breakfast Mark and Terry led them next door to the Administration Building to meet with the Base Commander. Colonel Wayne Talbot was a 'retired' Air Force Special Ops colonel assigned to the mundane task of administering and running a military secret base that, for all purposes, didn't exist. Trying to keep the base low profile necessitated as few as possible military or government uniforms be visible so he dressed in civilian clothing and hired civilian security staff to provide security for the perimeter of the base. The captain they had met the night before and a handful of others were the only visible military uniforms on the base. The base commander greeted them warmly and enquired as to their satisfaction with their accommodations and the food. He explained to them that there were several highly classified projects ongoing at any one time and theirs was just one. He requested that they not question other members about their projects and not discuss theirs with anyone, not even him. He had been advised, very briefly, that their Project Pandora's Box was of a scientific research nature and that was all he knew, or wanted to know. He was there to provide transportation, accommodations, security, facilities and food for them and asked them not to discuss their project with him or anyone else on the base. Turning to Mark and Terry he enquired if they were satisfied with the laboratory arrangements. Terry explained that Julia and Vicky had not had a chance to visit Area D yet but that he and Mark were very satisfied with the arrangements, as he glanced at Mark who nodded his agreement. \"Well then, I hate to cut and run,\" the

colonel chuckled, \"but I've got a date with the doctor who's trying to keep me on my low cholesterol diet and not succeeding very well. Take the gals over to Area D and get them acquainted with their new facilities. Captain Sanchez, who you met last night, will meet with you later to go over fire, safety and security concerns.\" They thanked the colonel for his time and headed for Area D. As the foursome passed by Area B & C, Julia noticed that all of their badges gave off a low buzz, warning them that these two areas were off limits to them. Julia glanced around for the sensors but couldn't see them. She did notice that there were cameras mounted on the walls covering all the corridors. If they were that security conscious, there were probably microphones everywhere too, she thought. They approached Area D and Mark slid his ID card through the reader and the door unlocked. The Laboratory was divided into four smaller labs each with its own office area. Each lab was outfitted with the equipment peculiar to each scientist's profession. Julia's lab held the isolation chamber with Species M2028, as Mark had named it. Very appropriate, thought Julia, 'M' for Martian and the year it was discovered. The chamber measuring approximately eight feet long by five feet wide and four feet high was in a self-contained, pressurized room. The chamber had sand about three inches deep covering the floor with a six-inch wide Petrie dish of water in one corner. Julia took Vicky into the room to meet Species M2028. Vicky stared in amazement as they walked around the containment chamber. The creature unmoving, except for the head, which seemed to watch them with its' tiny glowing red eyes as they moved around. Species M2028 was indeed larger, by about a third, than the dead one she had measured in the lab back in Washington. \"It's hungry,\" Vicky's, voice suddenly interrupted Julia's thoughts. Not, I think it's hungry, or it looks hungry, but an emphatic 'it's hungry'. Julia looked at Vicky questioningly, \"How do you know that?\" she asked. Vicky stared back at Julia with a puzzled look on her face. \"I don't know, it's like it told me, or rather I sensed it. Somehow it looked at me and I knew it was hungry,\" she stammered, clearly shaken and uncertain of what had just happened. Julia left the containment room and returned a few minutes later with a white rat she had retrieved from a cage in the lab. She opened the outer feeding door and placed the rat in the chamber, then closed the door. Species M2028 watched the rat push open the inner door and enter the chamber, sniffing cautiously around. Suddenly it sprang in a leap propelled by its larger back legs, grasping the rat firmly by the back and striking swiftly with the stinger in its tail. The rat began convulsing wildly and the creature struck with its' feeding tube and began withdrawing the rats blood. It was over in less than 30 seconds and Species M2028 spread its' wings and circled the chamber before landing a few inches from its original spot. \"I'm getting this sense, or feeling of contentment, like you feel when you've finished a big meal and pushed your chair away from the table,\" Vicky exclaimed, still looking confused. Julia was certain that there was some kind of sensory telepathy occurring between Vicky and Species M2028, but to what extent she couldn't be sure. Was this what Mark had referred to as \"very unusual\"? It would certainly require further testing. This could be the break they were looking for.

Chapter 15. Telepathic Communication Tuesday, August 21st, 2029. The team spent the next ten days deep in research following the discovery that there were some telepathic abilities of Species M2014 possible with certain humans. Mark had sensed something and Vicky had definitely felt something. Combined the team had amassed a large amount of data on the creature. Mark had contacted Dr. Neil Cook, a noted professor in telepathy and psychic phenomena to work with Vicky to try to further develop her sensitivity to the creature. He had arrived two days later and their efforts were meeting with some success. Terry had been monitoring the creature continuously, but his attempts to withdraw fluid for analysis were a disaster. The creature had an impenetrable exoskeleton that bent or broke the needles he attempted to use for this procedure. Short of sawing it in half there appeared to be no way to extract body fluids from Species M2014. He did manage to salvage some fecal pellets the creature dropped and a small sample of its deadly venom for analysis and DNA mapping. Julia had been observing the physiological aspects of Species M2014 and noted many changes were beginning to happen to the creature. Its weight and body diameter had increased significantly. The abdomen now looked almost oval in shape as compared to its previous relatively slender abdomen. It no longer flew around its enclosure, being too heavy to get lift, but instead would hop clumsily much like a drunken grasshopper. The diet of a rat every other day had now ceased and it had not eaten for the past four days. The color of its body had changed from a tan to almost dark brown and the eyes had lost much of their bright red glow and now appeared almost maroon in color. Julia had measured the grip strength in its craws and found the left one had a grip strength of 2.0 kg per cubic cm and the right a grip strength of 2.8 kg per cubic cm. It could easily snap a wooden matchstick in half with little effort. Julia detected what appeared to be faint clicking sounds coming from the creature and installed a video camera with suction cup microphone to record its movement and sounds. She hoped to try to establish a pattern that might indicate some type of communication from the creature. Under the microscope, Julia observed tiny gill like apertures on either side of its head that appeared to control its rate of air intake. Under normal circumstances these apertures opened and closed at the rate of 1.65 times per minute, however when a noxious gas was introduced they would remain closed for up to 30 minutes. Julia next placed a small fish tank in the chamber filled with water and then placed the creature on top of

the water. To her amazement it spread its wings and using them like diving planes on a submarine kicked with its strong back legs and began diving and turning as though putting on a show for an audience. After several minutes it sank gradually to the bottom, folded its wings alongside its body and sat there staring at her as if to say, O.K., what's next? Julia thought to herself, \"Right, let's see how long you will sit there and how you are going to get out\". As though reading her thoughts, it slowly spread its wings and kicking off with its back legs rose rapidly at a 45 degree angle until it reached the surface and then, beating its wings wildly, rose out of the tank, circled gracefully around the chamber and settled gradually on the sand in the opposite corner facing toward her, it's glowing red eyes staring directly at her, as though to mock her. Vicky had spent the best part of the past week with Professor Cook and Specimen M2014. Her first lesson was to learn to become completely relaxed; to empty her mind of all distractions and enter an almost half dream state. Once she had accomplished this, her next step was to look directly at Species 2014 and wait for something to transpire. The first several times she had tried nothing happened. They just sat and stared at each other for several minutes. Then on her next attempt her mind started to drift and she began daydreaming of her home back in Oklahoma where she had grown up. Suddenly pictures started to flash across her mind. Pictures of sand and rocks and then she was flying above the sand and rocks darting back and forth as though searching for something. A long thin object was on the ground, slithering along like a snake. As the vision came closer into focus she realized it was a large gray worm-like creature trying desperately to burrow into the sand. Next she was on top of the worm with a feeling of raging energy and then a flash of brown as something came down in front of her stabbing deeply into the worm. The worm began to convulse wildly as she hung on desperately tasting the sickly, bitter taste of the worms' bodily fluid as it slid down her throat into her stomach. Vicky jumped up, screaming and gagging she dashed from the room bowling over the professor in her panic to escape. Julia managed to catch her as she stumbled through the doorway from the containment room, sat her down on the floor and put an arm around her to stop the trembling. Vicky just had her first telepathic exchange of information with Species M2028.

Chapter 16. Newborns Wednesday, August 23rd, 2029 A loud banging on her door awakened Julia. She glanced at the clock radio on the night table beside her bed. Four a.m. Julia grabbed her nightgown from the chair beside the bed and headed for the door. Vicky was standing there in her bathrobe, wide-eyed and obviously distraught. \"Something is wrong in the lab. I think M2028 is dying.\" As they ran through the tunnels towards the lab Vicky explained, \"I woke up with this vision of it thrashing about wildly, and I had this terrible sensation of great pain.\" They rushed through the door of the main lab into the containment chamber. Species M2028 was laying on its back, twitching in convulsions, its abdomen split open. Crawling around her was six tiny offspring. As Julia watched, Vicky seemed to go into a comatose trance, staring at the dying creature. After several seconds she jerked back to reality and turned to face Julia had an almost gratifying smile on her face. \"It's dead now, but it died happy giving birth. I sensed thankfulness that we came. It felt loneliness for the other members of its species.\" Four thoughts were burning in the back of Julia's mind: 1. Species M2028 possessed self-awareness, 2. Species M2028 possessed emotions, 3. Species M2028 retained memories passed on from previous generations, as in its previous encounter with Vicky, and 4. Species M2028 could exchange information with humans by transmitting visual images telepathically. These four characteristics displayed intellect. Could this put a new spin on the morality of trying to eradicate the species on Earth? Species M2028 was definitely a life form that possessed a level of intellect, albeit alien. But how advanced was this level of intellect? Julia knew they would have to pursue this with further testing on the newborns down the road, but right now she had to get the dead carcass out of the containment chamber and feed, measure and weigh the six newborn. She gave a little chuckle as she thought, \"Not really what I expected motherhood to be like!\" Julia and Vicky were busy placing the carcass in a container for further study and tending to the needs of the newborns when Mark burst into the lab. \"Remember those clicking sounds we heard coming from M2028? Well, I've been going over and over the video and sound recordings we've been compiling and I think there is a pattern to these clicks. I'm going to send the disks off to Washington to see if the DOD computers and the army cipher section can make any sense of them. It's possible that M2028 was trying to…\" Mark stopped in mid- sentence as he saw the newborns. \"What the…\" he began, \"…Where's M2028?\" Julia explained what happened beginning with Vicky's early morning wake-up call. \"M2028 is dead. The newborns tore her open trying to get out. Not a pretty sight\". Mark was surprised to find a hint of sadness in her voice, but then, in a way, M2028 had almost begun to seem like a member of the team. The phone in the lab started ringing. It was Captain Sanchez and Julia knew by the look on Mark's face as he answered the phone, it wasn't good news.

Professor Cook was dead. He had been attacked by, what Captain Sanchez described, as 'thirty or more flying scorpions, some as big as bats' when he stopped at the gate on his way in to visit Vicky. The guard at the gate had also been killed. Everyone was ordered to remain inside the complex while they sealed all entrances, but they didn't know that three had already entered the tunnel system and were headed for their lab. Chapter 17. Under Siege As the three members of Project Pandora's Box sat in the lab pondering their next move, Julia looked at Mark, \"Where's Terry, we had better warn him!\" She no sooner had the words out of her mouth, when Terry came bursting into the lab, slamming the door behind him. He was wide-eyed and out of breath from running. \"I just had three of those creatures chase me down the hallway,\" he gasped, \"They sure were in a hurry. How'd they get here, anyway?\" he asked. \"My guess is they flew,\" Mark responded with a smirk on his face. They began to chuckle at Mark's sense of humor in the face of adversity when suddenly \"ping, ping, ping, echoed from the glass in the window beside the lab door. Three of Species M2014 had bounced off the glass and, landing on the floor of the tunnel, sat there staring at them through the glass with their glowing red eyes. Vicky, who had been standing there, as though mesmerized, suddenly spoke out. \"They want the babies. They know they're here\". \"How do they know that? For that matter, how do they know there are babies?\" Terry asked. 'We can't get out; they can't get in and we're sure not going to turn any more of them loose!\" \"That's it!\" Mark exclaimed excitedly as his eyes suddenly lit up, \"those clicks we heard was not M2028 trying to communicate with us, but with them!\" as he waved his hand at the window. \"It must have been able to transmit those clicks telepathically on some ultrasonic wave frequency.\" \"My God,\" Terry breathed, almost in a whisper, \"What the hell are we dealing with here?\" \"Pandora's Box\" thought Julia out loud. They sat in the lab contemplating they're next move when two of Captain Sanchez's men appeared outside their door dressed in hooded firefighting suits used for high extreme temperature fires. The first one carried a fire extinguisher filled with

insecticide and began spraying the creatures. The security guard emptied his extinguisher, and then cast it aside when he realized it had no effect on the aliens. The second guard carried a shotgun and fired at point blank range. The pellets ricocheted off the creatures with no effect other than to bounce them around and shred their wings. Assuming he had them incapacitated the guard turned toward the window where they were standing and giving them the thumbs up sign started to remove his headgear. Julia screamed, but it was too late. The guard never saw it coming. Three blurs in unison sprang from the floor, their strong hind legs propelling them upward, landing on the still smiling guards face and neck. He shook twice then dropped like a rock. The other guard turned and ran like he was being chased by the devil. Julia broke into convulsive, uncontrolled sobbing and Vicky fainted. When Vicky revived she was hysterical. \"They're filled with pure evil!\" she cried, grabbing a fire axe and starting for the containment chamber. Mark restrained her before she reached the newborns and sat her down. As a semblance of calm began to return to the lab, Mark began, \"Do any of you remember that old TV series Star Treck back in the late '90s? Well, they had an encounter with a species called the Borg. They were connected telepathically much the same as Species M2028. If we can sever the link between them, we may stand a chance. I have an idea, but I've got to get out of here to get some special equipment to test my theory on the newborns.\" Terry hit upon the idea of using the labs C.O.2 fire extinguisher on the aliens to freeze them, or at least slow them down, until they could drag the guard's body inside the lab. Mark could then use the guards' suit to escape. As Terry approached the door with the extinguisher, Julia kept watch by the window. She noted that the aliens had discarded their old tattered wings and were already growing new ones. Too stubby to be used for flying, yet they were already a third their normal size. Julia's job was to distract the creatures while Terry gave them a burst from the extinguisher. Julia got the aliens attention and started to distract them by making faces and giving them the finger. As she did they would raise their tails in a threatening manner and jab their stingers at her. The plan worked and Mark and Terry dragged the guard's body inside the lab before the creatures had fully recovered. Mark was dressed and ready to leave the lab. He told them he would return in two hours with the equipment he needed and smiling from ear to ear through the visor in his helmet, he looked at Julia and in his best Bogart voice said \"Here's looking at ya, Babe\", then he was gone.

Chapter 18. A Solution is Found True to his word Mark returned in two hours. Mark had no idea how many people were employed at Area 51 but none of them were alive any longer. As he made his way through each area bodies were everywhere. He found the colonel slumped at his desk and Captain Sanchez crumpled on the floor beside him with an empty revolver in his hand. Mark went from area to area searching for the equipment he would require. At almost every area or room he entered there were at least two, and sometimes three, aliens darting about looking for prey. He kept a wary eye on them but they didn't seem to notice him, or at least didn't pay any attention to him. Perhaps, he thought, they couldn't see him in the fire protective suit. \"That's it!\" He exclaimed out loud. Not only couldn't they see him, they couldn't sense him either. His suit not only kept the heat out it also kept it from escaping. Like bats that used sonar to locate their prey, these creatures must use heat sensors like a reptile. That's the answer, he thought, if we can't run from them, then we'll just have to become invisible. He left the cart with the electronic equipment he had collected and headed for the cafeteria. Mark arrived back at the lab pushing a cart filled with rolls of tin foil and foil tape. As he entered the lab pushing the cart they gave him a quizzical look. \"If you're planning a cook-out\", Terry jibed jokingly, \"you could have at least brought some hot dogs\". Mark told them his theory about the creatures’ heat sensory perception and explained that if they wrapped themselves in the tinfoil from head to foot, they should be able to walk right past them without being attacked. They spent the next half hour dressing up like the tin man in The Wizard of Oz. Mark told them about the creatures searching each room and area in the complex. \"If we can lock them in the rooms after we leave the lab we should be able to get out of the complex safely. At least it's worth a try,\" he suggested. \"There's no one here left alive to help us.\" When they were ready to leave the lab Terry grabbed the fire extinguisher. \"Just in

case the aliens disagree with your theory\", he said to Mark. They opened the lab door slowly and the aliens began to stir around looking for a heat source. Seeing none, they took wing and headed through the door toward the containment chamber. Mark slammed the door shut behind them shouting, \"Now stay in there and don't mess up the house while we're gone. Three down, twenty-seven more to go\". They proceeded through the complex locking as many creatures as they could find behind doors. When they arrived at the administration building where Captain Sanchez and the colonel's bodies were the last two aliens couldn't be coaxed into the room so Terry emptied the fire extinguisher at them, where they dropped to the ground stunned, and mark kicked them into the room, slamming the door shut behind them. When they reached the parking lot outside the administration building they began checking cars for keys. They were half way through the second row of cars when Julia let out a shriek. She had opened a car door and a body fell out. It was the guard that had run from the lab after the first guard died. They laid his body out on the ground and Terry jumped into the driver’s seat and started the car. \"Keep the windows up, just in case\", he reminded them. They drove out through the gate and down the dusty dirt road headed for Las Vegas. \"I've got to phone the Pentagon when we get to town. They will have to send some protected troops with flame-throwers out there to go from room to room and burn them out. I don't see any other way,\" Mark stated. \"It's a shame, we'll lose our new test subjects before we've had a chance to study them, but I think you're right, Mark\", Julia responded. Vicky mumbled something about,\"…had enough mind melding with bugs,\" as her head dropped down on Terry's shoulder and she started to snore softly. Chapter 19. Help Arrives They had almost reached the turn onto U.S. 93 heading south towards Las Vegas when a military convoy approached at a high rate of speed. Leading the convoy was a Military Police vehicle with flashing lights and siren. Mark pulled over to the side, jumped out of the vehicle trailing a string of tin foil behind him, and started waving his arms wildly. The convoy passed him, however the rear vehicle pulled over and a Lieutenant in full battle gear approached him. \"I'm Professor Stapleton. We've just come from Area 51. Everyone's dead there. Can you contact your lead vehicle? They're in danger if they go in there like that. We're with Project Pandora's Box,\" Mark shouted. When the Lieutenant heard 'Project Pandora's Box' he immediately escorted Mark to his vehicle and radioed ahead to the convoy commander. Mark returned to the car and they followed the Lieutenants vehicle to the front of the convoy that had stopped about half a mile ahead. A tall lean MP Major approached

them, saluted, identified himself as Major Hilchey and asked Mark for identification. Mark showed him his I.D. card from Area 51 and explained the situation at the base. The Major replied that they had received a hurried call from Colonel Talbot. All he had said was, \"Need help, under attack, flying scorpions, Project Pandora's Box…\" There was the sound of gunshots, and the line went dead. They had tried calling the base but couldn't get an answer. \"You'll need flamethrowers,\" Mark stated, \"Nothing else seems to work. They're impervious to poisons and bullets. If you can secure an area for us, I've got to call Washington.\" They followed the convoy back to Area 51 and waited in the car while the Major sent teams into the Admin building with flamethrowers and fire extinguishers. After half an hour the Major approached their car and said, \"The Admin building is clear. We've removed the two bodies and extinguished the fire there. Corporal Kennedy will escort you in there to phone Washington. Please do not leave the building until we let you know the base is all clear. It's a big help that you managed to contain them before you left.\" A young MP Corporal led them towards the front door of the Admin building, waving his flamethrower back and forth like a duck hunter waiting for a bird to be flushed out. They scurried inside the Colonel's office and Mark picked up the phone. There was less damage than Mark had expected. Except for a large scorch mark in the corner of the room, the smoldering remains of a sofa, and two charred Species M2028's, everything was pretty much intact. Julia and the other members heard Mark say over the phone, \"This is Professor Mark Stapleton, Project Pandora's Box, get me General Hammond, it's an emergency! I know it's one a.m., we've had a significant incident in Area 51!\" Several minutes later General Hammond answered the phone. \"This better be good!\" He grumbled, \"or next thing you know, you'll be a draftee sitting in Alaska!\" \"Right now, I wish I was,\" Mark responded, and then proceeded to tell the General about the recent events. After Mark finished his call with General Hammond he sent the corporal to find Major Hilchey. When the Major returned, he advised him that they would be staying in their rooms on the base until morning. A special flight would arrive around 9 a.m. to take them to Washington to meet with General Hammond at the Pentagon. The Major replied that his team would be on security all night and a special team would arrive before noon to relieve them. They started to make their way to their quarters led by the corporal when Julia had two thoughts. One, she hadn't eaten all day and was extremely hungry and two, they were in the midst of a war; an interplanetary war with a life form from another planet. A war in which there could be only one outcome. Total annihilation of one side or the other. That sobering thought took away her thought of food.

Chapter 20. The Meeting at The Pentagon Friday, August 31st, 2029 The team arrived in Washington at 3 p.m. local time. An NSA agent and limousine was waiting to take them to the Pentagon. A Lear jet had picked them up at Area 51 and flown them non-stop to Washington. General Hammond, in his thoughtfulness, had ordered hot meals be loaded aboard the plane for them. Julia's first thought when she saw the food was, 'I'll have to give the general a really big kiss for this.' Mark had brought his videodisks of Species M2028 with the clicking sounds it made and asked the General to have his Intelligence Section see if they could decipher the clicks and make any sense out of them. He explained his theory that they were a form of communication on some type of wave band. The General explained that several attacks, besides the attack at Area 51, had occurred in the States and Canada, as well as overseas in Europe. \"Species M2028 is increasing in numbers as well as spreading in the areas they inhabit,\" he stated, \"There are reports of some of them being as big as winged rats.\" \"They are no longer just going for the jugular, but were attacking anywhere on the body.\" \"Yesterday, we received a report of a man in Texas skewered through the chest, 40% blood loss and a gaping hole where his left eye once was. I don't need to tell you, the panic is widespread. People are blaming NASA for bringing these creatures here and the President for not being able to stop them. European countries are blaming the U.S and France is claiming they wanted to send the one you discovered back to the States, but we stopped them, saying that since they were on French soil it was their problem, not ours,\" continued the General. \"Unscrupulous companies have been selling spray cans with insecticide labeled 'Alien Killer' and 'Winged Scorpicide'. One company in Tennessee was even selling necklaces with charms guaranteed to ward off attacks. If we don't get some answers, and quickly, we will soon be in a no win situation.\" As an afterthought, he added, \"We may as well pack our bags and move to Mars!\" Vicky's chuckle at the General's attempt at humor was cut short by his stern glance. \"I need some answers quickly!\" he shouted, \"You people have got to get them for me!\" The General explained that Area 51 had been cleared of Species M2028 and new crews were moving back in. \"I'm going to send a team of cipher experts and high tech radio equipment, with specialized technicians, back to Area 51with you. I want you to work together to see if we can find a way to communicate with these aliens,\" his demeanor suddenly became lighter, and he winked at Vicky, \"Just in case, we want to negotiate a surrender,\" he chuckled. The four left the Pentagon and the limousine driver took them to a hotel in Washington. The General's words were still ringing in their heads and the conversation was very limited all the way to the hotel. The situation was becoming grimmer as each day passed and the uncertainty of the outcome was a heavy burden to bear. The prospect of a life, where being hunted daily by a ruthless, indestructible killer, was not a life any of them could visualize.

Chapter 21. Return to Area 51 Monday, September 10th, 2029 The team had been back at Area 51 with the cipher experts and specialized radio techs for almost three weeks. In that time, they worked long hours trying to find a weak link to Species M2028 and establish a pattern to the sounds they made. The containment chamber had remained intact and the baby Species M2028 had survived. Every time the cipher experts thought they might have established a pattern it failed to materialize. The radio techs had a difficult time, at first, trying to establish a wave band frequency that these sounds were being transmitted on, until one of them tried a light wave frequency at which solar sounds had been recorded from earlier space telemetry experiments. There it was, up in the Terahertz region. Almost undetectable by their equipment that was some of the most modern equipment available. The 'babies', were no longer babies. They had grown to almost half a foot in length and had a wingspan of several inches. Vicky could no longer watch, as she now had to feed them rabbits since the rats no longer had enough body fluid to sustain them. As each day passed, they would become more aggressive, striking at the glass in the containment chamber. One of the creatures had died, attacked by its' own kind. It was almost 8 pm and they were getting ready to call it a day when one of the cipher experts suddenly shouted, \"I've got it, I've got it!\" \"Listen to this,\" he said, \"It's a distress call, similar to the old Morse code, but instead of letters like we use, it uses a variation in pitch and tone also. That's why we couldn't figure it out. We were working just on the clicks, but it's how the clicks change in pitch and tone as well. I programmed the computer to play back the message in English. Listen to this.\" He

turned up the volume on the computer and replayed the message. \"Me - Babies Come - Me Prison Held - Me Die - Me Die - You Come Me -You Come Me.\" Then, there was a long undistinguishable sound, something like a high-pitched whistle that lasted for several seconds. \"As best I can figure, that sound is like a homing beacon that they can zero in,\" the cypher tech said excitedly. The team gave him a rousing ovation, and as it died down, Mark asked the radio techs if they could determine the range capability of the transmission. They already had the answer. \"Approximately 50 miles on flat terrain, but that was confusing me,\" said the head radio tech, \"they reached San Francisco and we're ringed by mountains here. The signal shouldn't have been able to get through, but it did. Then I tried sending an omnidirectional signal in all directions, and it got through. Had me baffled until I realized it was bouncing off our own satellites.\" \"Great work,\" Mark said with a gleam in his eye, \"Now I've got a surprise for you. I figured we deserved a special treat today for all the hard work everyone has been doing lately, and besides,\" he winked at Julia, \"It's Julia's birthday, today. The chefs have put on a special dinner for us in the cafeteria, and I just happened to have some very good wine that's been waiting to be drunk.\" \"Tomorrow, I want to discuss my plan to eradicate Species M2028, once and for all with you,\" Chapter 22. The Plan is Revealed Tuesday, September 11th, 2029 The eight members of Project Pandora's Box arrived for work a little later than usual,

and a little hung over. Mark gathered them into his office and began to outline the plan that he had mentioned the day before. They listened intently, and when he was finished he asked for questions and comments. There was silence for a few minutes as everyone tried to digest his plan. Then, Julia broke into a big grin. \"You know, it might just work. We'll likely only get one try at it. They won't fall for the same trick twice. I think it's worth a shot.\" The rest of the team nodded agreement. \"We'll need more equipment, the head radio technician said, but I'm sure we can get it here on time.\" \"We'll start working the program right away,\" said the head cipher expert. Terry volunteered to work on the meteorological data, while Julia and Vicky would work on Species M2028. Mark was elated. His plan was coming together; all he had to do now was convince the military to give him the support when and where he needed it. His plan and the data collected had been sent to Canada and Europe. If everything went as planned, they would all spring their traps at the same time. The rest would be up to Species M2028. Chapter 23. The Trap is Sprung 0600 hrs, Friday, September 21st, 2029 The preparations had been finalized and Project Pandora's Box was about to close the lid, or trap. Since Vicky had been the only one sensitive enough to be able to communicate with Species M2028, she had been kept away from them in order to preserve the security of the plan. Julia had taken over their feeding and gradually cut back their supply of fresh blood. They hadn't been fed for the last three days and were now in a state of high agitation. The radio technicians had set their equipment up in the desert two miles from the base and the cipher experts had finished writing their program and given it to the radio technicians to install in their equipment. Terry had chosen the date and time to spring the trap based on the best available meteorological data, and Mark had secured the necessary military assistance. Only one thing remained to be done. They carried the heavy containment chamber out to a waiting vehicle to be transported out to the radio technicians in the desert. The container was set up and the radio technicians were returning. It was now 0700 hrs. If the plan was going to work, by noontime tomorrow, that area of the desert should be swarming with Species M2028. 0800 hrs, Saturday, September 20th, 2029 As the team watched through high-powered binoculars and telescopes from the safety of Hangar 19, they saw the first swarm of Species M2028 arrive. There was about twenty in all. Some were amazingly large, while others were just specks. Terry's theory had been right. They were passing the effects of steroids and growth hormones on to each generation. They kept arriving all morning in swarms of twenty or thirty. The largest swarm arrived at 10:45 a.m. By 11:30 a.m., the swarms had stopped coming. Mark estimated that around 1650 had arrived in total. Some were flying around the container, while others covered the glass on the outside, and still others littered the ground for about 50 yards

in all directions. At 12 p.m., Mark gave General Moreland the nod who next placed his portable radio to his mouth and gave the command, \"Prepare to Fire!\" and five seconds later, the command, \"Fire!\" A barrage of eight 155 mm Howitzers opened fire from five miles away, saturating the area with phosphorous bombs. As the bombardment subsided 30 seconds later, a flight of five F18's screamed out of the mountains, one after the other, dropping their twin canisters of napalm on the area with deadly accuracy. Julia could feel the heat, from two miles away, scorching her face, as the ground shook and trembled. They headed out to survey the area after the flames had died down and the smoke subsided. All that remained was a huge crater filled with sand that had fused into charred glass. The containment chamber and radio equipment had been vaporized. As they stood in silence surveying the aftermath, Mark winked at Julia and in a sad, but relieved whisper and said, \"Well, 'Pandora', that's the end of Species M2028 on Earth, and your box is closed once again.\"

…. Except for the pair that arrived too late for the party. 1