OCTOBER 22, 1:50 P.M., UNDERGROUND RESEARCH FACILITY, LOCATION DELETED CONSISTENT WITH PROVISIONS OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ACT

“I can’t stand this waiting. What are we waiting for anyway?”

Lyle E. paced back and forth in the common area of their prison suite while Eunice L. sat on the couch, feet tucked under her watching. Dr. Harriman, as always, was at the computer in the corner. “And what the hell are you doing, tapping away at that computer all the time?” Lyle E. railed.

“Endeavoring to help us escape, my dear,” Dr. Harriman responded with that calm, soothing voice usually reserved for disturbed patients and angry colleagues.

“How? By preparing our eulogies?” Lyle E. snarled and then turned away in disgust. “I’m gonna try to make it out of the complex.”

“Lyle E.! You stop right there!” Eunice L. jumped up and grabbed him by the arm, holding him tight, as if to physically prevent him from going. “There is no way that I am going to permit the person I am in love with to go off and kill himself. Those ‘things’ are still out there.”

As they stood with Eunice L.’s hands locked onto Lyle E.’s arm and her head against his chest, there was a loud scratching sound. They all stood immobile, listening intently for several seconds. Eunice L. burst into tears and Lyle E. gently disengaged his arm from her death grip so that he could hug her to him.

Presently, Dr. Harriman returned to his computer, typing with even greater fervor.

OCTOBER 22, 2:15 P.M., UNDERGROUND RESEARCH FACILITY, LOCATION DELETED CONSISTENT WITH PROVISIONS OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ACT

The scratching was louder.

“You understand that they can probably smell us and that they are almost certainly starving,” Dr. Harriman turned away from his computer terminal to speak.

“Great! So now we’re rat chow.” Lyle E. was still fuming, but Eunice L. had at least been able to get him to sit next to her on the couch.

“Dear, I’m telling you for the very last time. Your anger is totally misdirected. Now please be quiet and listen.” There was a hint of anger in Dr. Harriman’s voice. Lyle E. could not remember exactly when he had last heard his beloved Daddy use that tone of voice, but it had involved the expulsion of half the football team.

“Yes, Daddy,” he replied meekly and sat primly on the couch, waiting for the end of the world, or another such disaster, to be announced.

“Thank you. Now to continue.” Dr. Harriman cleared his throat and began speaking in that careful, friendly tone he used to keep his students attentive. “My time on the computer has been well spent. I have finally managed to break the override on the complex’s security system. As a result I also now know what happened, how it happened, who it happened to and, I might add, how to get out of here at long, long last.” He cleared his throat again.

“As we feared, those creatures that have been scratching at our door used to be human beings. Three guards, all male and two technicians, one male and one female, were changed due to contagion by a modified version of the original viral medium.”

Eunice L. raised her hand as if in class, then realized what she had done. Blushing, she dropped her hand back onto her lap where Lyle E. took it and gently. Glancing over for support, she saw Lyle E. nod and offer a tentative smile before she asked, “But what are they?”

“They are what a human becomes when they are given the DNA of a lab rat,” Dr. Harriman sighed sadly. Before Lyle E. slammed the door in one’s face, we saw the white fur just starting to grow. Then there was the nose, already elongated and the pointed ears. From the way they are trying to walk about on all fours and eschewing the use of the simplest of devices, I’d say their brains are already more rat than human. Those nails they’ve been scratching on the door with are part way there, but eventually they will grow and harden into claws. By the way, that’s the only reason why the poor benighted things haven’t been able to break in yet, human teeth and nails, even partially modified ones, are not very good for digging and borrowing.

“Anyway, the skeletal frame is, of course, still human which explains why they walk so peculiarly. They think they should be walking as quadrupeds but there bodies are built for bipedal ambulation. Remember that their brains, like those of all members of genus rodentus, are smaller compared to total body size and have less convolutions. This means they probably no longer demonstrate abstract cognition. Most of their actions are probably instinctual. With that in mind, we can probably devise an effective plan of escape.”

Eunice L. listened raptly, but impatient as usual.

Lyle E. interrupted. “Great, but enough talk already. Can we hear the escape plan please, Daddy?”

“Certainly. I’ve disabled all the security. Now, we are going to walk through that door and out of the complex,” Dr. Harriman explained.

“That’s it? That’s the plan?” Lyle E. was thunderstruck. “You’re joking, right Daddy? You have something up your sleeve that you haven’t told us yet, right?”

“No, dear. That really is the plan.”

“But there is something your not telling us, isn’t there Dr. Harrison?” Eunice L. had a gleam in her eye, as if she were groping for a thought but was unable to grasp it completely. “There’s something about rodent behavior that makes this more than the harebrained scheme it seems to be, but I can’t quite place what it is that’s niggling at my memory.”

“You are, of course, correct, my dear,” he smiled proudly and encouraged her to continue. “Rodent behavior is the key. Can you remember what that key is?” Dr. Harriman’s demeanor became even more professorial.

“No. No. I...Of course. They’re not really carnivores, and...” More ideas came almost like a torrent. “They have very poor vision in daylight, they prefer flight to fight and they forage independently rather than in groups.”

“Excellent, my dear. Excellent. You have it all.”

“You mean we’ve been afraid of nothing?” Furious, Lyle interrupted. “We could have left at any time?”

“No dear. I only just managed to deactivate the security. Without that we couldn’t have left this room.”

“But we can leave now. Right?”

“Yes, dear.”

“Wait a minute,” Eunice L. interrupted. “This virus was supposed to be transmittable only via bodily fluids. How were these people infected and how do we know it is safe for us now?”

“Dr. Sternlicht was using a standard mononucleoid sheathing to protect the virus and prepare it for airborne transmission. The particular mononucleoid he was working with is commonly used for bio-warfare projects because in only has a 24 hour life span. Thus, the air was free of the virus about two days ago.”

“That assumes the air is not being continuously contaminated by new dispersions,” Eunice L. observed thoughtfully.

“Very true, but I doubt that for two reasons.” Dr. Harriman was once again the teacher. “First, as far as the official records show, Dr. Sternlicht was at least a week or two from production, so anything he did had to be hurried and surreptitious. Thus, it would be unlikely for there to be sufficient quantity for a prolonged attack. Second, it seems that no one is trying to get down here to help us, so our choice is to risk it or die here.”

“Great.” Lyle E. once again interrupted. “So the bottom line is we go or we die. Easy choice. Let’s get back to the issue at hand. We can just walk right by these rat-men?”

“Yes dear, but we must be careful not to corner one. If that happened it might attack in fear.”

“May I suggest we each take something we can use as a weapon?” Eunice L. interjected. “If a fight is necessary I prefer to have every human advantage on our side.”

OCTOBER 22, 2:30 P.M., UNDERGROUND RESEARCH FACILITY, LOCATION DELETED CONSISTENT WITH PROVISIONS OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ACT

They stood by the door, each wearing the most durable clothing they could find. Dr. Harriman, carrying a wooden table leg from the kitchen set, looked ludicrous in a long leather coat and furred leather winter hat with earflaps. Lyle E. wore a pale blue ski outfit with pads and a helmet. He also carried a hockey stick. Finally, Eunice L. was dressed in a biker outfit with a leather vest, leather miniskirt and knee-high leather boots with a three-inch heel.

Dr. Harriman clucked at Eunice L.’s attire before turning to Lyle E. “Did you really wear things like that dear?”

“Yes, Daddy. Didn’t you notice?” he giggled. Then his face turned a bright red as he remembered that he was a guy now and not supposed to giggle. “Can we get on with this?”

Lyle E. nodded to the others. “On my count of three.

“Ready?

“One.

“Two.

“Uh, sir?” Eunice L. interrupted. “Before we go, may I ask a question? It’s been gnawing at me since you described the rat-people.”

Lyle E. rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think there might be a better time for questions?”

“That’s all right, dear,” Dr. Harriman smiled. “There’s always time for a question before we make like the Light Brigade and charge off to our deaths.”

“Gee, great allusion there,” Lyle E. snorted, but let Eunice L. continue.

“Well, when you mentioned the rat-people you noted that their brains were changing too.”

“That’s correct, Eunice.”

“Does that mean our brains changed too?”

“Why yes, of course,” Dr. Harriman answered. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I just wondered,” Eunice L. bit her lip while deciding how to continue. Lyle E. smiled, thinking how fetching she looked and placed a protective arm around her waist. “Does that mean I’m going to start thinking like a female?”

“In what context do you mean that, Eunice?” You could see Dr. Harriman relax and smile. He was about to be a professor, something he did better than anything lese in the world.

“Uh…I don’t know. I guess with respect to things like intelligence, sexual orientation, memories, whatever.” Lyle E. was still holding her, but Eunice L. kept shifting from one foot to the other nervously.

“Oh,” was the professor’s only response.

“Oh? What does ‘oh’ mean?”

Unperturbed, Dr. Harriman answered, “It means ‘oh’ I understand and ‘oh’ I’m considering your question. You wouldn’t want me to rush and give you erroneous information would you?”

“Uh, guys?” Lyle E. asked. “Is this really the time for this?”

“Actually, it probably is a good time for this,” Dr. Harriman gently corrected his ex-daughter. “We’ve hedged our bets as best we could, but there’s still a risk that one or more of us won’t make it out of here intact. Eunice L. asks an important question and it deserves an answer, if for no other reason than to insure that whoever does escape can transmit that information to others. On the other hand, considering our situation, I will try to be brief.”

Turning back to Eunice L., he smiled encouragingly. “I think I understand your concern, but the answer is not an easy one, mostly because at the moment, much of it is speculative.

“Given that every other part of your anatomy is changing, it is reasonable to assume that your brain is changing too. That is the short answer. However, I think you’ve already come to that conclusion, so I suspect that your real concern is what that means to you as a person, entity, soul, etc.”

He stopped for a moment to confirm his assumptions and Eunice L. hesitantly nodded his agreement. Lyle E. turned away, feigning disinterest, but the way his eyes intently followed his father’s every word made it clear he really was interested.

“No one’s been able to isolate a specific part of the anatomy that contains a soul, if there is such a location. There is no scientific basis to assume that it changed. Ipso facto, if there is a soul, it’s still yours.

“Still more important to each of you, I suspect, is what this means to your intellect, to your emotions and to your ability to function as a member of the opposite sex.”

“Eunice L. nodded and mumbled, afraid to speak for fear Dr. Harriman would stop, yet just as afraid not to speak for fear she would not like what he told her.

“I haven’t seen your IQ scores Eunice, but if you were successfully enrolled in a doctoral program and Maximilian permitted you to be his research assistant, it is safe to assume that you were, as Lyle, quite smart.

“One forty-three IQ.”

“Impressive,” Dr. Harriman responded. “Genius level. I can see why you’re worried. But not to fear, my little Eunice came from some pretty good genes too. I believe she tested out at one forty-four, didn’t you my dear?”

Lyle E. nodded, but scowled the suggestion that she might be stupid. Eunice blushed in embarrassment, but looked relieved.

“There may be a few differences. Remember, there are differences in how the sexes process information. I’m sure you know what I mean. Men tend to be better, on average, in math and in spatial relations while women are better with communication and with multi-tasking. But I expect those differences to be relatively insignificant, especially for the two of you.

“As to emotions, that too can be attributed to genes. Eunice was always very open about her feelings; maybe too open at times.” Glancing at Lyle E. he added, “Sorry my dear, but it’s true.”

“You, on the other hand,” Dr. Harriman’s attention returned to Eunice L. “You were always a bit of a nebbish, too afraid to feel the warmth and the pain that always results from interaction with other. Weren’t you Lyle?”

Eunice L. nodded, her eyes lowered to the floor in shame.

“Now, now. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, my dear,” Dr. Harriman gently took her chin and pulled her face up so that she was looking at him again. “If anything, that might be good. Eunice’s genes in your body might help you to open up and show your feelings a bit more and, your genes–I mean your old Lyle genes–might help Eunice learn to temper hers just a bit; a potential win-win situation.”

“Can we go now?” Eunice L. asked. We still have to get away from the giant rats that are trying to eat us and make it past all the security this place has.”

“Almost my, dear. There’s just one more part of Eunice’s question to be answered.”

“Er, ah, Daddy?” Lyle E interrupted yet again. “Do we really need to discuss that? I think it should be obvious we’ve adjusted there.”

“Well, I’m not so sure about that, my dear,” Dr. Harriman responded, surprising his ex-daughter. He bushed off the rejoinder he knew was coming and continued. “Yes, yes, I know the two of you have been intimate, but sex is more than just, er, that. Besides, I suspect that was a genuine response resulting from two people in love with the bodies irrelevant to the equation. Beside, the actual question was could you function as members of the opposite…”

“DADDY!”

“Yes, my dear?” He saw the glare in his ex-daughter’s eyes. She had had enough. To continue now would be to proceed at risk of also having to deal with her temper.

“Three.”

“Huh?”

“Three,” Dr. Harriman explained. “Three. As in one, two…”

“But what about the last answer?” Eunice L. asked in confusion.

“You heard him. Three.” Lyle E. yanked the door open and stepped out into the hallway with the others on his heels. Immediately to their right and less than ten feet away was a rat man chewing on the wall. It had shredded its clothes so that it was mostly naked. Its limbs and torso where still that of a human, but it was covered with matted clumps of fur. There was a short little stub of a tail, but the bones and cartilage had yet to grow sufficiently to extend it more than a couple of inches. But the face–the nose was stretched and pointed, as were the ears. The teeth were still human, as were the eyes–sad eyes, pleading eyes, eyes that showed the last of a fast fading spark of humanity.

It jerked and faced in their direction, nose twitching wildly.

“Boo!” Lyle E. yelled and the thing scuttled away looking something like a naked man trying to walk on four legs until it turned its elongated face back towards the group as it departed.

“That was easy,” Lyle E. said gleefully as he grabbed Eunice L., picking her up and dancing around.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” interjected a more somber Dr. Harriman.
Lyle E. and Eunice L. stopped dancing. “Which way?” Lyle E. asked with a sigh.
Dr. Harriman pointed and they moved off in the same direction as the rat man.

OCTOBER 22, 2:45 P.M., UNDERGROUND RESEARCH FACILITY, LOCATION DELETED CONSISTENT WITH PROVISIONS OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ACT

“We’re almost out. At the end of this hallway is the last security checkpoint. Then it’s just an elevator to the surface.” Dr. Harriman pointed the way.

“Great. Let’s go.” Lyle E. started marching down the hallway only to stop after about five steps. He was not being followed.

“What? Let’s get out of here.”

“I feel impelled to make two observations.” Dr. Harriman was again sounding professorial. “First, we are being followed and, while genus rodentus is primarily herbivorous as Eunice L. noted earlier, given the choice of starvation or animal flesh, survival instinct will take precedence. That means we could be in trouble.”

“Great,” Lyle E. scowled. “I hate to ask, but what is your next point?”

“My second and final observation is that we have not determined what course of action might be advisable should we, in fact, affect an escape.

Lyle E.’s scowl deepened, much to Eunice’s surprise. She had not thought it possible.

“Sir, while our lack of a plan beyond escape is a noteworthy failing on our part, I think I should note that our soon to be completely furry friends are approaching rapidly and this may not be the best time for prolonged discussion. In other words, run for it!”

Lyle E. tugged on both his companion’s arms to get them moving. The rat men, and one rat woman, were twenty feet away and closing. Lyle E. pushed harder, forcing them toward the elevator. Bringing up the rear, he was just entering the foyer where the elevators were located when Eunice L. began cursing like a sailor.

“The elevator’s not here. We have to wait for it to get down to us.”

“I guess this is it, folks. Those rats are starving. They’re closing fast and this was our only way out.” Lyle E. sounded almost resigned. ”I suggest you get your weapons ready.” Gripping his hockey stick tightly, he turned to face the oncoming creatures.

Eunice L. turned to Dr. Harriman. “Isn’t there something, anything, else we can do?” she asked worriedly.

“I’m afraid not, my dear. I didn’t have time to undo the security on the stairs. This really is it.”

“Well, could we get to the cafeteria and use the stuff there to feed the rats?”

“I’m sorry, my dear. I know you don’t want to be responsible for the deaths of these people and neither do I. Unfortunately, the rats are between us and the cafeteria.” Putting actions to his words, Dr. Harriman took a position slightly behind and to the left of Lyle E., gently tapping his table leg against his left hand.

“Come on. Get here. Come on. Come on,” Eunice L. chanted as she kept staring at the elevator floor indicator muttering encouragements as it counted down to their level with excruciating slowness.

As the rat men came within a few paces, they slowed to a stop. The lead rat sniffed the air and squinted at the humans.

“Why did they stop?” Lyle E. wondered aloud as he continued to wave his hockey stick in a threatening manner.

“Instinct is warring with survival,” Dr. Harriman explained. “Their instinct is to run, but hunger is making them stay. If nothing happens, we may yet survive ourselves.”

“Eunice, how close?” Lyle E. glanced back.

“It’s hard to tell, maybe fifteen levels or 40 seconds to go.”

“Lyle, watch out!” Dr. Harriman yelled. The lead rat man attacked while Lyle E.’s head was still turned. The ex-female swung his club as hard as he could, but his lack of skill made itself known as he missed by a mile. The wooden stave hissed harmlessly through the air, even as Eunice L’s far weaker, but better-aimed jab struck home on the rat man’s ribs. Surprised, the creature squealed and fell back, but was immediately replaced by another. This one snarled and swung a roundhouse, open-clawed paw at Lyle E., who successfully, if artlessly, blocked with his hockey stick and then poked it, hard, in the solar plexus. It doubled over and fell back.

Swinging her eyes towards the stubborn indicator, Eunice L. called out, “Two more levels! Any second now!”

“Move back! Closer to the elevator,” Lyle E. shouted. “As soon as it’s here we need to be in and overriding the door mechanism so the door closes as quickly as possible.”

The rat men closed for one last charge as the humans retreated, moving to within a couple of feet of the elevator door.

“It’s here! It’s here! Everyone get in,” Eunice L. screamed as she ran into the elevator. Dr. Harriman back-peddled into the elevator.

Lyle E. remained standing, braced to repel the onslaught of the rat men. Dr. Harriman reached out of elevator to grab the younger man’s collar and pulled Lyle E. backward into the elevator as the door began to close. As he fell backwards, a clawed hand flew by, just inches from Lyle E’s face. The female rat person had snuck around beside Lyle E. to attack.

The door closed and Eunice L. stopped frantically pushing buttons.

Eunice L. began a brief victory dance while the other two just sighed with relief and slumped against the nearest convenient wall as the elevator started its upward journey to the muted sounds of music.

The trio rode silently, each lost in his or her own thoughts. Finally, they were at the top. The door opened to the sound of multiple clicks. A squad of men in DeCon suits threw the bolts of their rifles and pointed them at the opening elevator door.