7. Transformation
Next morning the sun beamed through the kitchen window as though nothing had happened to the world but everyone was subdued as they sat down to breakfast. Morgan’s parents couldn’t bear to listen to the radio so it stayed switched off.
His father kissed his mother and gave her a badly wrapped present. This lightened the morose mood in the room and Morgan had to smile as he watched her unwrapping a slim, elegant presentation case that she quickly opened with almost a shy smile at his father. She was delighted with her new watch. Lin handed her an immaculately designed I-Ching reading and his mother thanked her for it. She professed that she didn’t like birthdays, but everyone knew she did. They were too much fuss, she always said. Morgan kissed her and gave her a hastily drawn birthday card.
“Your present is coming,” he told her. She smiled at him knowingly and said nothing then glanced at her new watch twisting her wrist this way and that.
“I’d better check on Winston,” she said.
“I’ll go, Mom,” offered Morgan and slipped out of his chair.
“I’ll come with you,” said Lin.
Morgan and Lin went upstairs into Winston’s quarters, a spare room used to store old books, scientific paraphernalia, furniture and toys. In one corner was a straw bed intertwined with branches and leaves. Curled up asleep under a blanket, Winston was just a sprout of orange hair protruding over the top. Nucloid sniffed around and whined quietly as Lin knelt down beside the orangutan.
“Winston, time to wake up – Winston are you all right?”
Morgan snapped his fingers and clapped his hands. “Hey, Winnie, come on, let's see you up and about. Breakfast is in two minutes. It’s hot waffles, your favourite.”
From under the covers came a deep, peaceful voice. “It can hardly have escaped your notice that I am asleep. What a weird dream. For a moment I really thought I was an ape.”
Morgan had turned towards the door.
“Stop fooling around, Winnie. I'm hungry even if you're…”
Morgan stood frozen with his mouth hanging open. He remained immobile staring at the bed.
Lin’s eyes were wide open with a look that said: 'I knew it, I believe in magic!' She approached the bed. “Winston, you can talk, just like the animals in fairy tales. I always knew it was possible. Oh, Winston, this is wonderful.”
“Possible,” Morgan spluttered, “how can it be possible? It’s totally impossible.”
Winston opened his eyes and sat up
As Morgan turned, Winston threw back the covers, yawned and stood up. “Waffles you say. I just adore waffles.”
“How?” Morgan just stared at Winston. “How did this happen?”
“How did what happen, Morgan?” At that moment Winston caught sight of himself in a mirror. His face puckered, registering utter surprise and disbelief. “Oh! My, my, my! I see what you mean. I am an ape – it wasn't a dream. The lab – my cerebral cortex must have – I feel weird.” Winston examined himself closely.
Morgan had by now recovered from the first shock wave and was grappling with the second. What to do about this situation and how to come to terms with what had happened? Lin had no such problems. She walked over and took Winston by the hand. “You must be hungry. Come on, let's get some breakfast.”
“Be prepared for a big shock when mom and dad find out,” said Morgan.
Morgan’s parents looked up curiously and Morgan’s mother touched Winston’s arm. “He looks fine, doesn’t he? All right, Winston, you take your usual seat.”
“Winston, are you feeling all right?” Morgan’s father laughed and shook his head. “Come on, let's eat.”
“I’ll check him out later,” said Morgan’s mother.
Lin blurted. “He’s fine, Mrs Lane. He...”
It was Morgan’s turn to interrupt with a cough and stare meaningfully at Lin. “He feels better now,” she stammered. “Look, he's back to normal.”
Everyone gazed at Winston again. He gazed back. There was silence for a brief moment then they all dug into breakfast although Morgan’s mother kept a watchful eye on the orangutan.
“You know,” she said to no one in particular, “there is something different about Winston. I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Has there been any news about the animals?” asked Lin.
The atmosphere around the table instantly darkened, Somehow, the very coziness of the room seemed to accentuate the extraordinary events that had happened in the world. It was as if a curtain had been drawn over days long past and Morgan had stepped into the same room but into a different time with a different future. He shivered as he gazed at the familiar kitchen objects he had known all his life. It was like seeing them all for the first time.
Morgan’s mother began. “The primates have gone. The sanctuary is empty so my work is effectively over. It does appear from the news reports that all animal life on the planet has simply vanished. We are both at a complete loss, I’m afraid.”
“Of course, we can’t be one hundred percent certain that all animal life has gone,” his father interjected trying to soften the situation. “There will have to be checks and surveys but it is looking extremely serious. If it’s true that all animals, including invertebrates and microscopic life, has just disappeared to who knows where, then the implication for human life on this planet is more than serious – it’s catastrophic.”
“But people don’t know that,” protested Morgan. “Most people in the world don’t realise that they can’t live without animals. They think meat comes from supermarkets and don’t know that the soil will die without worms and insects.”
No one said anything.
“What about Mount Everest?” asked Lin.
“Back to normal just as if nothing had happened,” answered Morgan’s mother. “There is no evidence of any geological disturbance or even a rise in temperature. It is simply inexplicable.”
“And what about me?” asked Winston. “In case anyone has forgotten, I am still an animal.”
Silence followed by a collective intake of breath.
“Winston, you...you spoke,” Morgan’s mother stared at the orangutan but then her mouth flapped open and closed and no sound emerged.
Morgan’s father just stared with total incredulity as a small piece of bacon fell from his motionless fork back onto his plate. Finally he managed to croak a few words. “It’s not possible.”
“Winston...” Morgan’s mother finally managed to stammer.
“My work,” gasped Morgan’s father. “Something happened during the storm. The molecular synthesiser must have created some kind of nano fluid. There was some kind of data on the screen. Morgan, you saw it didn’t you?”
“Er...I’m not sure, Dad. You said you were close, didn’t you.”
“It’s now just a matter of calculation and timing.”
“And transfinite cardinals,” said Winston.
His father sat up and paid acute attention. “Did you say transfinite cardinals, Morgan?”
“It was me actually, Rufus,” said Winston.
“I can’t believe I’m talking to an ape. That's not a bad idea. Where did you? How do you?” His father regarded Winston strangely.
“Look, if it's confusing for you, Rufus, just think how I feel. By the way, I've been meaning to talk to you about an idea I've had. If you apply the same enzyme twice during a polymerase chain reaction you could reduce extraneous nucleotide triphosphates. What do you think?”
The adults looked at each other. Morgan’s father finally placed his knife and fork back on his plate unable to speak while his mother grappled with conflicting emotions – disbelief coupled with hope that her life’s work had borne fruit.
Finally, the scientist cleared his throat and managed to say something. “Yesterday – what happened must have – Winston – it's impossible – no, it's happened so it can't be. I must be asleep. No, I’m definitely awake. The same enzyme twice? Good God, I'm taking an ape seriously.” He stared at Winston with his eyes wide open. “Brilliant! It’s simply brilliant.”
“I think you’ll find I’m right about the transfinite cardinals,” said Winston.
Morgan’s father just watched Winston in awe but his mother had at last overcome the first shock.
“Winston, all these years of conditioning have finally paid off. This is the greatest thing that's ever happened. I never thought – this is incredible! The best I had hoped for was some intelligent sign language. I mean, your vocal chords are not designed for speech.”
“It’s not just the speech,” muttered his father. “Where did the knowledge come from?”
Morgan looked at their faces. His parents couldn’t know. “Maybe it was a chance event caused by the comet,” he suggested.
“That is what is so extraordinary,” his father shook his head and scratched his jaw. “I am unable to explain any of this. I doubt if anyone on Earth can.”
“If people find out about Winston they are going to want to know why only one animal is left on Earth,” said Morgan. “They’ll take him away and find out he can talk and has a mind like a computer. They’ll experiment upon him thinking there is a connection between Winston and the Vanishing.”
Winston held his head in his hands.
“We will have to keep Winston hidden away from the world until we see how the land lies and try to discover what has happened to him,” his father replied.
“So, he’ll be a prisoner,” cried Lin.
“Better than a freak,” Winston said. “It’s all right, Lin. Rufus is right. What else can I do? We have to give it some time.”
“It’s not looking good,” said Morgan’s mother. “I have an awful feeling about the future.”
Morgan had a pretty awful feeling about it too but he couldn’t say anything.
“I’m going to ask Uncle George to take a look at the hard drive,” said his father. “There must be some kind of clue or record we can track down.”
Morgan spent the day with Lin and Winston trying to keep out of way of strangers as they walked beside the Cam, trudging through banks of mud, stones and rubbish dumped by the swollen river. As they walked, they went back over the events of the evening before trying to isolate the trigger for the amazing transformation.
Morgan told them everything, about the angel, the so-called quest, the Guardians, the Cosmic Algorithm and that he knew about the Vanishing before it happened although he didn’t know what it meant.
Lin and Winston listened in silence. Then Lin said.
“Well, we’re going on this quest with you, oh, Chosen One whether you like it or not. And I’d love to meet an angel.” She paused. “So you don’t know what this quest is?”
“Not really,” Morgan told her. “These Guardians appear to have caused the animals to vanish because something awful is happening to the world. And this algorithm in my head is the key to stopping it and bringing the animals back. That’s as much as I’ve worked out. I’ve no idea how Winston fits in.”
Winston told them about Animus, the wondrous creature that had appeared in the laboratory. He didn’t know what it was but it was simply magical. It was the spirit of all animals that ever were and ever would be.
“See, magic,” said Lin with a triumphant smile. “I knew it wasn’t just stuffy old science.”
Morgan tried to explain the strange computation he had committed to memory. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I know it’s a special kind of algorithm.”
“Algo what?” asked Lin.
“An algorithm is sequence of instructions, like a code. You have to know where to start and the algorithm quantifies the process of getting to the end.”
“The end of what?” asked Lin.
“I don’t know. It’s like nothing on Earth. I just know it’s special and it has chosen me for some reason.”
“I’ll consult the I-Ching later,” promised Lin. Then she stood still looking upset. “I’m the only one nothing amazing has happened to. Why can’t something special happen to me?”
“I think you might be better off the way you are,” said Morgan. “I’ve got a feeling what’s happened to Winston and to me might have a downside.”
As if in response, the Cosmic Algorithm embedded in Morgan’s memory cells began to tremble, almost like a pleasant headache. Morgan tried to explain the feeling to the others but gave up with a shrug. Winston wanted to know if Morgan could reproduce it – write it out somehow. Morgan didn’t think he could yet. In fact, he didn’t know exactly what use it was but he knew it was somehow important. Then he remembered the vivid dream he had last night. He knew he would find out what the algorithm was when he met the stranger in the dream.
“There’s got to be a connection somewhere,” Morgan told them. “There was that unusual eclipse a year ago, remember? Now we’ve had the comet and the worst weather disasters the world’s ever seen. Winnie’s seen some magical spirit of the animal kingdom and turned into a talking genius and I’ve got this stuff inside my head.” He paused, thinking hard. “We’ve got to get back to the computer before Dad takes it to uncle George,” he said. “I know dad would go ape, sorry Winnie, if he knew. We can’t risk messing around with dad’s work.”
“I’ll give you a special I-Ching reading, Winston,” said Lin.
“The I-Ching is fascinating,” said the orangutan. “It does have a direct link to the unknown.”
“See.” Lin glared at Morgan.
“Tonight,” said Morgan lowering his voice. “Let’s just keep out of the way during the day. We’ll go to the lab and see if we can reproduce the conditions. Maybe there is something lurking on the hard drive somewhere.”
Later that night, Winston crept into Morgan’s room and Lin joined them. They cuddled up together on the bed. Winston idly picked up a book from Morgan’s bedside table and opened it at random. “Frodo waited patiently for the first touch of elfin magic. He looked at Sam as if he knew the answer,” read Winston.
“Lord Of The Rings,” said Morgan. “A classic. You can borrow it if you like.”
“When are we going downstairs?” whispered Lin.
“No time like the present,” said Morgan. They glanced at each other then Morgan climbed off the bed and led the way.
They crept softly to the door.
The house was dark and quiet. They tiptoed downstairs to the laboratory. It was tidier than Morgan ever remembered it being; his father had clearly been hard at work. Morgan sat at the computer terminal and his fingers hovered over the keyboard. He twitched them nervously and was assailed by acute doubts about what they were doing. But he touched a few keys nervously and experimentally. A succession of files was immediately displayed on screen. He jumped back and idly twiddled his gizmo and watched the screen carefully to give himself time to think. None of them knew what they were looking at or for.
“We’d better be careful,” said Winston. “Don’t erase anything.”
Morgan noticed Winston looking apprehensively at the looming shape of the molecular synthesizer and the elaborate network of ducts, tubes and pipettes that formed its bizarre and surreal structure. He guessed Winston was remembering being trapped in the machine and reliving the fear.
“I’m not sure this will work,” mumbled Morgan, scratching his head. “I can’t say I know what I’m doing.”
On an impulse, and because he did not know what else to do, Morgan slid his finger along his gizmo. The tiny filaments immediately aligned themselves into regimented rows with exquisite precision until they were all facing exactly the same way at exactly the same angle all pointing at the master computer. Immediately, the screen blinked and scrolled rapidly through a mass of figures. The terminal shorted out, went blank, then surged back to life with new data. In the corner of the screen was displayed a tiny copyright notice and a flashing logo depicting The Natzler Synthetic Life Corporation.
“We appear to have accessed another system somehow,” said Winston.
“Natzler,” croaked Morgan. “What’s he doing on our computer?”
Then the screen reformed in brilliant colour graphics. An unusual and striking corporate logo appeared in the centre of the screen
Morgan gasped, “I don’t believe it.” He pressed more keys and a series of diagrammatic animal-like shapes of bizarre creatures scrolled down followed by pages of technical data.
“What are they?” murmured Morgan.
“They’re monsters,” said Lin. “Where have they come from? How did they get on this computer?”
“And if we can see this data…” said Winston.
Morgan stared at the screen. “They could access dad’s program.”
“This looks like some kind of mass production process,” said Winston.
An array of vibrant graphic simulations flashed on the screen – all different, distorted, mutated, like beasts designed in a nightmare.
There was a rumble of noise outside the laboratory, the door flew open and the lights snapped on. Morgan, Lin and Winston turned in terror.
His parents stood in the doorway looking furious. His father was almost speechless with rage. His jaw muscles were moving but no sound other than a fearful croak emerged. Morgan had never before seen him so angry.
“Morgan! I thought I told everyone the lab was out of bounds. What on Earth are you doing? Don’t you realize you’ve probably ruined years of work?” shouted his father.
“Morgan, how could you?” cried his mother. She clamped her hand to her mouth in anguish.
“Mom, Dad, I can explain,” Morgan stammered. “We haven’t touched the program but, Dad, there’s a link to the Natzler Corporation mainframe on the hard drive. Dad, he's creating some kind of weird creatures. Which means, somehow, that Natzler can access your work.”
His father stared at the three-dimensional computer generated diagrams of creatures of every shape and size and inhaled deeply.
“Dad,” said Morgan quietly. “There must be a connection between the disappearance of the animals and these monsters.”
“And me,” said Winston softly.
Morgan’s parents looked grim and solemn.
“Let’s sleep on it,” said his father. “Come on all of you, back to bed.”
“Won’t be long, Dad,” said Morgan. His parents, Lin and Winston shuffled slowly out of the laboratory. Morgan made to follow but then slipped outside and trudged down to the reed beds and stood watching the river at the end of the garden. The night wrapped itself around him like a shroud and the Cam lapped against the weeds and reeds of the bank. The night sky bore the imprint of the fast departing comet although the world was still and deathly quiet.
Too quiet.
Morgan shivered even though it was not really cold. He had had to escape from everyone for a few minutes. He needed to concentrate. It had entered his mind without even trying.
“Time locked, man-made, jewels are strewn
In pools of ancient light on a distant shore.
Deep is the ocean that bears no name…”
This was as far as Morgan had got. The next line was so close he could almost taste it. Why was it so difficult? Memorizing a mathematical equation was kid’s stuff compared to writing poetry.
Lost in thought he slowly made his way back to the house.