Pandora's Box

Chapter 8

What she just said now, is out of this world, so out of this world to be honest, if that device came outside of their borders.

That will be a phenomenal hit.

It’s exclusively made for protection of people here so I totally understand...

But it’s just so cool and I can’t wait to wear one of those.

“Let’s proceed why all of you came here,” she said. Now for the exciting part! Finally for the moment that I have been waiting for.

We started to walk through a tunnel that is seemingly reinforced with some kind of tunnel. It’s fascinating, isn’t it?

I don’t why they originally intended to put them underground. Maybe for security measures, but how can I say? Maybe, I have to find out later.

“For security measures,” oh never mind she just answered my question by now. “We have kept the contained species underground and in case of a breach we can easily locate them, the underground is wide enough to house millions of specimens,” she explained.

Millions? Woah, that’s too many to discover.

“But through the years, all contained species are just twelve thousand,” not millions but still overwhelming numbers. Maybe I cannot see them all until the end of our stay here. “There are aquatic ones, land dwellers, flyers, amphibious, and burrowers, that’s the four classes we have given them and since each one of them possess different traits from each other they are all different species,” she added.

As expected from those self-engineering bacteria.

“For starters I don’t usually what the classes meant, but just to be sure because all of you are all children, to my eyes at least. The aquatic ones, hence its name, lives underwater, the land dwellers live above the ground such as humans, the flyers the ones who are able to fly, the amphibious are the ones who can dwell under the water and land, and the burrowers, likes to tunnel underground,” my jaw dropped on how she fast she said those words to us. I am more than surprised.

I know what those meant but it is just unexpected.

“And this door behind me lies the thousands of specimens we have captured and each chamber contains each class of specimens, and we are not going through all of them, in case you are wondering, we will just delve into to those that will really get your interests,” she said.

“I am just wondering, are the chambers sorted by floor?” I asked her.

“Good question,” she remarked. “This area is sorted by floor just like what she mentioned and they are sorted on how dangerous they are,” she said.

“Yow Rizalians,” I heard Jose whispered behind me. “Cameras are not allowed here but for your sake we will just take some pictures or clips to show you some of it,” he whimpered.

I looked at him and it seems like that he knows what is the meaning of the stare that I am giving to him.

“Please,” he whispered to me. Honestly, I don’t mind, he can be charged by that act so I turned my eyes straight again.

I heard the door behind the doctor slowly opening.

I really can’t wait to see the first set of creatures that I am going to see.

“First the burrowers,” she said. “They are on the first floor since they pose more threat in the lower grounds,” she muttered. I get it, they can easily get away by just creating a mini tunnel underground. “But they deserve to be in this spot since the most of them are the more docile ones,” she added.

That’s cute.

“We are going through just five each class, and I will show you one scary one each level,” she said and her tone changed when she mentioned the scary ones and I noticed a smirk forming on her lips but it was not formed completely.

But I am thrilled when she said those.

When the door completely opened, she once again turned her back on us and started walking forward and the noises was released and I was amazed by the sounds hey make. I am completely fan girling right now. But I don’t care what others may think of me right now because I am more than amazed right now.

We started walking, and a glowing sign showing the word burrowers is posted just by the entrance, just like on a museum, that I have been through and an aquarium show.

Then a dim light and multiple glass enclosures, woah! Jaw drop is an underestimate on my reaction right now when gigantic creature, greeted us just by the entrance. It’s the first one on display.

“As you can see her, we have placed this one where every will not miss it,” she said and then she looks at the creature. I stared at it and it stared at us. I am so thrilled to see it. Just wow dude... it does not have a sharp tooth.

It’s more like a snake but with a fish figure.

“Originally a lungfish but the terra formers have infected this creature when it is in hibernation, modifying it’s structure to completely live on land and breathe air, also as you can see it’s fins that turned into feet that has sharp claws, perfectly fitted for tunneling underground,” she explained.

I thought that they will have some distinct features on them but they look like just bizarre creatures that I have never seen before. Honestly, they just look like normal animals.

I watched too many zombie movies that’s why.

Because at a glance I can know that they are zombies, but these ones, in the wild they are hard to detect.

So, I raised my hand because I cannot afford to let that question rot inside myself.

“Yes?” she called to me while she points her fingers. I awkwardly lowered my hand down as all eyes are pointed towards me because of that.

“How can you know if this animal or species is infected by the foreign bacteria? Because if they are caught just by looking at their bizarre appearances, maybe it’s just simply a new species discovered,” I stated my thoughts. Since I am so nervous right now, I really can’t put my words straight.

“I get your point, but earlier I told you all that we have a scanner, we just simply scan on the creature and if they are positive to be a terra former, a capture order will be sent out to contain the creatures,” she explained.

“Thank you,” I said. I looked back at this cute gigantic burrower.

“Will all of that set aside, may I introduce to you the very first terra former that we have caught, since its gigantic we easily identified the creature, as you can see its face resembles a goby but with a skinny musculated body, which resembles a mole says it all,” she said.

“What’s its name?” my sister asked.

“TF – 001, also known as the mole fish,” she answered her question. So, they have code names which made it easier for them to identify the creatures. Which is great.

There are so many, things and just by calling them by their names will be too hard to remember.

“Mole fish, funny name,” my sister’s boyfriend uttered.

“We don’t have any time to think of such created names, that’s why we just have to come up with one,” she said.

“It’s scientific name?” I asked.

“The code is the scientific name,” she answered me immediately. “Any more questions?” she asked.

We shook our head as a response that we don’t have any more question left to ask for her.

“Good, later I will give you a pamphlet for each species that I have shown you today, so that it will save us time, I don’t have all day guiding you here,” she said.

I will don’t mind about the pamphlet as long as it contains the information that I need.

“Moving on,” she said and she started to walk again, and as we walk away, I stare at the mole fish, it’s staring at me like it is staring at my soul.

I was a little creeped out by its big eyes. Honestly, I thought that these creatures are aligned side by side but they did a good job for separating them, away from each other. Which is a nice little touch to it.

But it did not take us long for the doctor to stop since we entered another room.

“The rest of the species contains their own room, for security measures, and the TF – 001 was the only exception for that since it shows no hostility to humans,” she said. “But the others are not since there are no any other experiments that have been done to them,” she added. “The next one, is TF – 1203 also known as the carver, class burrower, color code yellow,” she said.

What?

Color code yellow?

“What does color code mean?” I asked.

“Their hostility towards any other living things,” she answered my question.

“Would you care to explain it to us sis,” Alexander said. I owe you this one Xander.

“Green means safe, just like what TF – 001 is, Yellow means hostile when showed aggression by others, orange means they are carnivores and would eat another life forms as nutrition or they are just naturally aggressive to others, and last but not the least red code, means dangerous and may cause such catastrophes in global scale,” she said. So that’s what color codes are for.

“If you don’t mind asking, are there any red codes that you have caught so far?” Jose besides me asked.

“Sadly, that information is confidential and I cannot answer that question,” she said.

“What?” he asked the doctor confused. “It is just a matter of a yes or no, why can’t you answer that?” he asked again. “Maybe that means yes, isn’t it?” he said suspiciously.

“Maybe, we have or maybe we still have not,” the doctor said calmly not intimidated by his words. Well, we don’t surely know about that. “Moving on,” she said immediately changing the topic.

She opened the door that will lead us to TF – 1203 or known as the carver. I am curious on what I am about to see on the other side of these doors.