Creatures of God

Angle of the Discussion

Elliot and Dr. Berman stood alone in the pathology lab, contemplating their situation, like a couple of convicts awaiting judgement from the jury. Their secret experiments, and as a result, the many lives affected -- the many lives lost -- had all been found out. Now Elliot and the Professor were going to have to pay for their arrogance and wrong-doing.

"Elliot, you did not tell me about your outdoor excursion with Alessandro and Mimi," Dr. Berman said.

"I'm sorry, Sir," Elliot said, leaning against the exam table with his head down. "I guess I am a liar to you, too."

The elder scientist frowned and pursed his lips. He hung his head as well.

A quietness washed over the two scientists.

"Tell me, Elliot," Dr. Berman said, breaking the silence, "what did Alessandro do to make Mimi suspicious of him?"

"I don't know." Elliot shook his head. "She never believed the whole story that he was from a different county. It was too far-fetched."

Elliot pondered the thought further.

"You know, Aless really acted odd toward Mimi the first time he met her."

"Odd? How do you mean?"

"Well, I think he kind of liked her. He said she was pretty, and then got into her personal space a little bit... I think he tried to kiss her."

"Kiss her? Interesting... "

"Strange... " Elliot said, almost at the same time.

The two men looked at each other.

"Yeah, well," Elliot cleared his throat, "Anyway... it's not important."

Dr. Berman raised an eyebrow

Elliot straightened his posture. "Well, it's possible I just misread the entire situation."

The Professor scrunched his face, then widened his eyes and tightened his lips. He nodded along, as if trying to understand the dynamic.

"What happened the night of your trip outside the Center?" Dr. Berman changed subjects. "What was Mimi claiming about 'six canines?' "

"Oh, that was my fault," Elliot recalled. "I had asked her to supervise a campus outing with me and Aless, but we were late meeting up. It was sundown when we finally went outside, and our activity caught the attention of some canines."

The Professor imagined the scenario.

Elliot elaborated further. "You know, it was strange. I'm well aware of the violence that exists in the Outer World, but that was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that."

"How so?"

"I mean, I've been outside on plenty of occasions before, and generally, I think I'll be ready for anything that'll happen after graduation..."

Elliot hesitated, looking at the Professor.

"... but I uh, I was scared. Usually, I can understand the circumstance -- an animal is hungry or defending its family -- but those canines were... attacking us, trying to kill us, for no reason."

The Professor nodded. "It wasn't because you were out at night, Elliot. You were attacked because of Alessandro. That's why Mimi doesn't trust him. The canines can sense something different about him."

"That he's from a time capsule?"

"Perhaps."

"Maybe he has a scent they've never smelled before."