Francesco Mazzotta - Cellular Activity

Those who created this organism were – and perhaps still are – geniuses. A superhuman intelligence whose boundaries fade to the most pure madness.”

“Dr. Ivanov”, Dr. Moore is speaking, always more interested in the discourse. “Exactly… what are we dealing with?”

Ivanov lets out a bitter smile. “Believe me, perhaps no one will ever know for sure. It’s a metamorphic entity. It has the uncanny ability to assimilate any living being, mastering its DNA, and reproducing each cell and biological structure to perfection. In my laboratories I have conducted dozens of experiments and, as because of accidents that have occurred against our will, we could see how this organism is able to assimilate and perfectly replicate complex animals too. I mean very complex…”

Ivanov awaits, leaving the other three enough time to get to the same conclusion.

It’s Moore who gives voice to their thoughts: “Do you mean that this creature could replicate a person?”

“You’re perceptive, doctor, but don’t use the conditional. Unfortunately I’ve seen with my very eyes that that thing is quite capable of replicating a human being to perfection.”

“I find it hard to buy all this, Dr. Ivanov”, says Ironside with a disappointed face. “But at this point I’m curious. Were you ever able to establish some sort of communication with this… creature?”

“No. There is no way to communicate with it. Not for our species. It hides, and it does it so well that – believe me – we aren’t even sure if the imitations play a perfect performance, or rather aren’t even aware of being just imitations.”

“But how is that possible?”, asks Moore, more and more fascinated.

“Dr. Moore, think about it in those terms: you, your awareness, your actions, are mostly dictated by your own unconscious. Even when you are sure that your choice is based on what your own “I” believes, the thought that led you to that choice comes from deep inside your being. An underground world, where none of us is as we seem on the outside. Most people, in their unconscious are like children who constantly scream “me, me, me.” Others are old, cynical and disillusioned. Still others are like aliens, whose behavior is often incomprehensible to most. And sometimes… sometimes real monstrosities pop out: disturbed and perverted background consciousnesses. Read some report about serial killers investigations and you’ll have an idea. Now, try to imagine that your unconscious was replaced with an intelligent entity, ancient and evolved, able to dispose of your own memories… Would you be able to notice it? I tell you: no. You would feel strange, maybe slightly disoriented, perhaps you would have some memory lapse that you would attribute to a momentary sickness or stress. Shortly, something would distract you, and you would end up not thinking about it that much, going ahead with your life.”

“Dr. Ivanov”, intervenes Ironside. “How much time would it take to complete the replacement process?”

“I see you are using the conditional, which means you don’t believe, partly or totally, what I’ve told you so far.”

Dr. Moore starts to say something, but Ivanov stops her with a hand gesture. “Let me go on, please. After all it’s a very good question. The dynamic of the assimilation depends on the size of the organism victim compared to the aggressor’s. As I just said, only one cell would be enough to take full control of a body as big as a sperm whale. However, if the assimilation begins with a small cell cluster it takes time to overtake the whole body. Conversely, if the two masses are more or less equal – and we talk about multi-cellular organisms, such as a cat or a dog for example – the assimilation is often violent and brutal, and it’s consumed within minutes. The organism is a hunter, just as a lion, he chooses the isolated victims, since during the assimilation it’s easily identifiable, and therefore vulnerable.”

“I understand, but does this creature have its own form? For example, what can you tell us about its cellular structure? ”, again the woman.

“Its cells, in their natural look, have a star shape, which could be defined as a trademark of its creators. They use powerful enzymes to dissolve the organic structures and get to the DNA in the victim’s cell. They eat their prey this way. Then, the creature needs a more or less long period of time before being able to assimilate another organism. The step of assimilation is particularly critical. If the enzymes and digestive juices are insufficient, or if they become scarce before the process is complete, or if the creature is disturbed during the transformation, it loses control over the cloning process. The result is something that we sincerely hope to never see. It’s often an abomination, a twisted and disharmonious body, where different life forms seem to blend in a chaotic and absurd way.”

“Dr. Ivanov, one last question for now: is there a cure, a kind of vaccine or a way to eradicate this threat?”, intervenes Ironside.

Ivanov shakes his head. “Unfortunately not, I’m sorry, there is not a cure nor a vaccine. The only thing to do to prevent further infections is to completely incinerate the infected bodies.”

“If it’s so perfect, how can we distinguish a person from a copy? Moreover, you mentioned the word creators before…”, says Moore.

Ivanov looks at her, almost smugly. “The paleontologist, in her legacy, described how the creature wasn’t able to clone parts foreign to the body. It regenerates it following the rules of its DNA. Our research has confirmed this. The clones have no fillings in the teeth, earrings, bone prostheses, and the regenerated bodies also have parts that were missing in the victims, possibly because of accidents, such as a severed finger. We initially noticed the possibility of a blood serum analysis, by placing it on a heating plate. Every cell in the body is an entity in itself and it always tries to survive. When the blood was approached to the fire it tended to form tiny creatures that tried to move away from the heat. Over the years, however, the organism seems to have evolved. It learns at an incredibly rapid pace, and we are sure that there is some form of telepathic communication between creatures. Currently the best test is through a strong electrical discharge. I would recommend to equip your men with shockers, and to check the blood of all those who have been on the crash site, and of any survivors as well. If any.”

“All right Ivanov, that’s enough for now”, Ironside’s voice. “For the moment you will stay in the room that was assigned to you. We’ll call you in case we still need your advice.”

“Just a minute”, says Moore. “What about the creators?”

Ironside doesn’t let Ivanov reply. “Dr. Moore, I am sure that we will have other opportunities to discuss this. We have a real emergency to deal with, right now.”

At a gesture from Ironside, Macready calls the two guards who waited next the door. The two soldiers escort Ivanov out.

Left alone, the three exchange questioning looks.

Macready breaks the silence, turning to Ironside. “With all due respect, are we really going to buy all the crap that that man told us? Did you see the light of madness in his eyes? I think that he is completely insane and, in my humble opinion, we wouldn’t fail if we sent him back to the Kremlin with a stars and stripes footprint tattooed on his ass.”

The other man seems to evaluate what to say. “I don’t know what to think, Major. I appreciate your candor, and I must say that this story is too implausible for me too. I’m afraid that there was more to hear. But… basically he has no alternative but to cooperate. His immunity is only temporary. If he proves successful, Uncle Sam might find his expertise undoubtedly useful in the field of biological warfare. In addition, if there wasn’t at least some truth in all his story, why would the Russians haste to warn us and send him here?”