Human (53 page)

Phil looked between Liam and Jayne, annoyed. “So, test them. Isn't that what you do here? Teach them something and make them read,” he said.

“I see. If the hobbits learnt symbols and words in your language,
then
you would find this -” Liam nodded to where Nerov and his assistant were lowering the males into travel crates - “less acceptable? The concept of measuring a higher intelligence in some humans over others is entirely subjective. Those sorts of tests are only appropriate to people measured within a shared cultural background and education standards. These people have their own culture. And they have every evolutionary right to do so.”

Jayne turned back to Phil. Her eyes were like ice. “Can't you see past yourself?”

“Throughout history,” Liam interjected, “Perceived ‘higher intelligence’ has led to unspeakable atrocities against other humans, not to mention, against other species. It’s a superiority complex that justifies slavery, sexism and the Holocaust.”

Jayne scowled. “You can’t measure intelligence if you don’t understand the way another creature thinks,” she said.

Phil stepped forward angrily. “
You
don’t know how they think Jayne, any more than you know how a cow or a cat or a goldfish thinks! You’re pushing your feelings onto animals that aren’t like us! They're born with innate behaviours. They do what they need to do to survive, to eat and to reproduce – that’s life! Do you think a tiger gives a second thought to its prey? Chimpanzees have been known to rape and cannibalise their own young. Polar bears will play with a dying seal relentlessly before they eat it. Where’s
their
empathy?”

“So essentially you’re saying that other animals have no concern for the welfare of other species or even some of their own?” Jayne raised her eyebrows. “Sounds familiar - sounds pretty
human
to me. In fact, that sounds practically
universal
. I can tell you’ve never had a pet dog and I pity you for it. Anyone who has would tell you they feel emotion.”

Liam cut in, this time more quietly. “That's what I do here, Phil. I mean what I
did.
” He corrected himself, shooting a glance at Nerov who was loading the transport carriers onto a cart. “It’s been proven that animals can form incredibly close bonds. They can recognise and discriminate between hundreds of individuals. Denying them the possibility of emotion simply provides justification for committing violence and atrocities against them. It makes our lives easier. But how do you know that other animals, including these,” he nodded at the female’s body still lying on the cage floor, “don’t feel pain, loss, fear and love?”

“How do you know that they
do
?” Phil argued.

Liam stood quietly for a moment, his shoulders sagging beneath his filthy clothes. “One of the greatest scientists I know once said, that if you don’t understand other primates from a human emotional viewpoint, then you can't understand them at all. There are countless examples of animals sacrificing themselves or their safety for other creatures; including humans. They show true friendship, regardless of species; they show concern and love for one another and grief when they experience loss or death. What’s more definitive of the kind of humanity we aspire to, than being so humane?”

Phil shook his head. “Fine, so they show glimpses of what we consider to be humane. But these hobbit creatures here are clearly not human. We don’t mate with them; so they’re an entirely different species. Sorry, but I’m not buying your one-family love-in.”

Jayne rolled her eyes. “Maybe they aren’t human, but even so, we still share 99% of our DNA with them.”

“Sure, and we also share 60% of our DNA with a banana.”

Liam growled and flexed his wrists against the handcuffs behind him. Nerov walked over and pulled on the cage door, checking it was securely locked. The unconscious female was still sprawled on the ground by the steel bars and the juveniles remaining were huddled together, terrified to come closer to the men to be near her. From the middle of the group, the baby that Orrin had seen her try to protect, whined quietly and broke out of the group. The others hissed, clearly conflicted as it crawled toward its mother on shaky hands and feet. It couldn't have been more than a few months old, far younger than a human baby could posses such advanced gross motor skills.

“You don't get it do you?” The sight of the baby's single-minded need to be near its mother, seemed to give Liam renewed courage. “I’m not saying they
are
human Phil; I’m saying your definitions of humanity are unresolved. The way you define what makes us human is entirely subjective. The majority of defining characteristics that you’ve attributed to humanity – strength, skill, intelligence, the ability to feel love, fear and grief, the ability to create and use tools, language and communication, the ability to understand abstract concepts and experience spirituality in some form, having a complex social or kinship system – none of these abilities are unique to humans!” Liam was jolted back by his handcuffs as Nerov and his assistant began pushing the trolley toward the wire exit. Loaded on top, the two heavy cages sat side by side, an unconscious body in each one. As they left, pitiful crying came from the huddled juveniles.

Liam shuddered violently, trying to break free from the guard. He faced Nerov. “Look at them! That's a god-damn baby, Nerov! How can you be so callous? You used to have a heart! What the hell happened to you?”

Nerov stopped, staring him down with cold eyes. “That's your problem right there, Kent! It's not a
baby
. It's an animal. Genetically - socially - physically - they're not like us.
They're not human.
” Nerov's chest stiffened and Orrin knew Liam had hit a nerve. “You want to know what happened to me, Kent? I grew up. I live in the real world now. The real world where I have my own god-damn babies and mouths to feed. This is a job. This is reality, Kent. Grow the hell up.”

Orrin glanced at the female's body in the cage. The baby was now sitting in the cocoon of space where her legs curled up to her belly. It pulled itself forward across her chest, trying to rub its face against her forehead. She didn't respond. Nerov's assistant drew the professor’s attention.

“What about that female there? I think you hit a lung with that dart.”

Nerov turned and surveyed the body still lying in the cage. He narrowed his eyes at Liam then continued walking. “Leave her. Maybe she’ll be a little more cooperative next time.”

“You bastard!” Liam spat at him, his face twisted and angry. He launched himself forward, pulling the security guard behind him. All three men fell sprawling to the concrete, sending the trolley and assistant into the cage bars with a crash.

Nerov scrambled to his feet, wiping his hands on his overalls. “That's it!” He and the security guard wrenched Liam roughly from the ground. “Charge him! Make sure he never sets foot in this lab again!”

The men pushed past Orrin, Dale, Phil and Jayne, dragging Liam with them back through the laboratory to the waiting van as he yelled obscenities at them. The assistant and his trolley quickly followed.

After a few moments, they heard the engine start and the van drive away. Jayne turned to Orrin.

“Do you still think that you did this Orrin? You honestly think you created this reality?” There were tears in her eyes but her voice was hard.

“Yes.” Orrin wished more than ever that he could deny it.

“Good.”

“Good?” Orrin was stunned. “I’m admitting to inadvertently causing species genocide and you think it’s
good
?”

“Of course
it’s
not good. I mean good that you think you did it,” Jayne said. “If you did it, then maybe it can be undone. If there is an alternative to this existence, then I’ll do whatever you need to help bring it back. You said I was here, alive in the last one. So I’ll be here again. Hopefully though, these poor wretches won’t.” She pulled a set of keys from her pocket and unlocked the open cage door. Gently, Jayne arranged the unconscious woman’s limbs into a more comfortable position, leaving the baby clinging to her while she slept. Stepping back into the viewing area, she locked the enclosure door behind her. “Honestly, I have
no idea
what I’m doing. And now that Liam's gone… even if he hadn’t been arrested again, he’s lost his job here. I’m an archaeologist for god’s sake. And a student at that. I don’t know how to deal with this.”

Phil stepped forward, looking honestly confused. “I just don't get it, Jayne. You’ve always lived this life. This is
your
reality. Why change it now? Why help Orrin? Do you actually believe this crap about sending a woman to the Stone Age and messing with evolution?”

Jayne looked tired. “You’re helping him too, Phil. And I’d rather believe his
crap
, than believe that this is all the integrity we have left in the world.” She turned away, and then faced him again, changing her mind. “And it’s not
the
Stone Age for the record, it’s
a
Stone Age. There have been many, depending on which culture and region you're referring to. Go buy an encyclopaedia, you might learn something.” She turned to Orrin. “I'm going to the vet department. I know someone there that might help her.” She glanced at the female on the floor, beginning to stir feebly as the tranquiliser wore off. “You know where to find me.”

Orrin tried to smile, but couldn't. “Yeah, I do.”

Neil
was
a God.

It was a good plan and if Neil was honest with himself, he was surprised it had worked. Maintaining the illusion was proving difficult of course, but intimidation went a long way in keeping spears at bay. There was nothing familiar nor comforting about Neil for these people, so he played on their fear as much as he could. From his white skin to his magic fire keeper, from his bizarre clothes to the souls trapped in his pocket, Neil was everything they never wanted in their midst. To amplify his effect, Neil took to silently staring at anyone who challenged his gaze while flipping his mobile slowly in his fingertips. The implied threat of having their soul torn from their body and encased in the device seemed to be effective enough a warning. Families were shifted to provide him room in the limestone cave, and they hurried away with their belongings, eager to be out of his sight. All eyes were averted, except those of the youngest children that were wide with fright and awe at the whisperings of their parents.

Now, the young woman with the blue feathers in her hair waited nervously at the perimeter of his hearth. She had brought a breakfast of fruits and smoked molluscs on a polished shell dish and Neil ate slowly, content to analyse the comings and goings of the tribe. In this world where his wits and keen observation were his only defence, he used them voraciously. They had already rewarded him with more information than he expected. This young woman for example, seemed as frightened of Charat as she was of Neil himself. The hunter preyed on her specifically, making sure it was she who brought Neil's food and drinks and emptied his toilet bowl each morning. Charat kept her close, and Neil could see why. The woman was alluring. She was strikingly pretty with pert breasts and the hide skirt she wore did nothing to stay Neil's imagination. Strangely though, as closely as Charat watched her, he was rarely kind to her. Apparently the red-beaded hunter was enjoying his newfound authority in more ways than one. The prospect of control over women, or at least this one, seemed to be as high on his agenda as killing the ape men. Neil pushed the empty plate away and the young woman took it, tripping as she scurried from him. He pretended not to notice.

It seemed the elders had designated Charat to be Neil’s point of contact. This was probably due to their unwillingness to be near him as much as Neil's own request. He had refused to communicate with anyone else. Neil needed to survive and Charat clearly craved power. There was an interdependency at play.

There was no overlap of language between them, so strategy was infuriatingly slow. Neil had no idea how the redhead had navigated the lack of communication. Of all the time he watched her, until now, he'd clearly underestimated the impact of the language barrier. She had seemed content to talk as if they understood her when clearly they hadn't. She'd accepted their dirty hands on her arm and their foreheads pressed to hers constantly. God knows how or why she put up with it. A weak mind, Neil supposed, and weak sympathies. It was difficult, trying to communicate with Charat, but he at least showed more intelligence than the redhead's menagerie. The hunter had a sharp mind. They shared the same intent, and that was enough.

Neil looked around the cave, noting its smaller size to the one of the Ebu Gogo he had spied on. There were more people crammed into it too; indeed, it was almost suffocating with humanity. The walls boasted dark brown and red paintings of human and animalistic shapes. Macabre stalactites dripped from the ceiling like teeth. Stalagmites clawed upward to meet their counterparts, occasionally joining and dividing the cave with hazardous columns of limestone. Shades of moss covered the walls of the cave and a damp smell clung to the air. There was also a more pungent, sinister odour.