The good looking boy who looked like he could be part Native Alaskan, waved his hand towards the vacant seat.

 

(Excerpt Alma Chapter 1)

 

            After I signed in, I was told which classes I would be in.  I was given a map to download onto my phone of the school building, with my class time table.  I was relieved to see on my schedule that I was placed into the Home Science and Music classes that I nominated as my electives.

            The school bell sounded and hurriedly I left the office.  I walked down the now empty corridor looking for Room 306 for my first class of the day which was English.  To be honest, I didn’t find the school map that helpful.  I kept losing my place by having to check the ‘key’ at the bottom, to work out what all the different colours meant.

            Merde! I'm going to be late for my first class! Now I’m really going to stand out!

            At last, I found Room 306 after walking up one staircase and down another corridor.  Nervously, I approached the closed door where I knocked once before slowly opening it.

            The English teacher was a red-headed woman, who was standing up the front of the class.  She was writing on an electronic board with a sensor pen before she paused to look on my lateness, unimpressed.

            “I’m – I’m new,” I tried to explain.

            I heard some snickering from the students who were all staring at me.  Most of them eyed me analytically and looked unimpressed with what they saw.  Their expressions mirrored the look on my teacher's face.

            “You’re new?” the teacher raised her eyebrows. “That would explain why I’ve never seen you before.”

            There was more snickering as the whole class stared at my appearance.  I stood there, like I was stuck in the mud, wondering if I was supposed to say anything else? The teacher didn’t ask for my name nor did she offer hers.

            “Well, unless you want to stand there and help me teach, you can find a seat," she said at last.

            My face burned in embarrassment as I looked for a place to sit down and hide, but there were only two places.  Beside the vacant seats, sat fashionably dressed boys or girls who looked like they were secretly hoping I wouldn’t sit beside them. But if they didn’t want me to, where else am I supposed to sit?  I’m going to have to sit in one of those seats whether they like it or not.

            I moved towards a seat beside a boy who was wearing a sports team jacket, when abruptly he put his foot on the chair to stop me from sitting down.

            Mon Dieu!  This day was worse than I could have imagined!  Not only does nobody like me, but they already hate me!  I froze in terror as I didn't know what to do, when out of the blue I heard this…

            SMACK!

            …a good looking boy who was sitting behind the mean boy who'd stopped me from sitting down, had just slapped him on the back of his head!

            “Don’t be a dickhead, Johnson! Move your frickin’ big foot!” he snapped.

            The other kids who'd witnessed this, burst out laughing, whereas I wished I could turn invisible.

            The good looking boy was sitting next to a broad-shouldered girl with a very pretty face.  But her physique was what made you notice about her first, as she was one of the strongest looking girls I'd ever seen.  Truly, she looked like she could have been a weightlifter!  She had bright blue eyes and long, wavy, dark blonde hair, and was looking at me with a curious expression.

            She was sitting next to another boy, who was the exact opposite to her as he was very thin.  He had faded blue eyes and his pallor was so unnaturally white, his lips were almost blue.  To say he looked sickly would have been an understatement. 

            The good looking boy who looked like he could be part Native Alaskan, waved his hand towards the vacant seat. 

            Immediately, I sat down and busied myself by taking out my laptop.  I tried to ignore the death stare by the sports jacket guy named Johnson.  He glared at me then the good looking boy and back to me. 

            Mon Dieu!  That's it, tomorrow I’m not coming back to this school!  I’m never going to come to this school again!

            However, I noticed the good looking boy didn't bother with Johnson's threatening looks, he was too busy staring at me.  And he wasn’t just staring, but he looked completely transfixed.  Then I noticed so too were the blonde girl as well as the pale guy.

            The good looking guy had scruffy, dark brown hair which sat just below his ears and dark brown eyes.  Although he and the girl were sitting down, I could tell they were both tall.  Their pale, thin friend wasn’t as tall, or anywhere as built-up as the other two.

            These three weren’t dressed as trendily as their classmates and seemed to have their own style.  The good looking guy was wearing blue jeans, a grey t-shirt and a brown suede jacket.  The girl was wearing brown jeans, a pale blue shirt and a black suede jacket.  The pale guy was wearing black jeans, a white shirt and a black, pin-striped suit jacket.

            What’s more, it wasn’t just the good looking guy that was staring, but it was all three.  Whereas the first guy’s mouth hung open, the girl and the pale guy looked very curious.  Then, the two smiled in a friendly way, but the first guy continued to stare.  When the girl noticed her friend’s mouth was hanging open, she whacked him on the arm to make him snap out of it.

            “What?” he looked back in surprise. “Oh yeah.”

            He straightened, closed his mouth and gave me a goofy grin. 

            I liked his smile, it told me that he was a nice person.

 

*****

“But Mama, look at their clothes! Look at my clothes! I won’t fit in here! I fitted in, in my old school in Nara!”

(Excerpt Alma Chapter 1)

 

            We sat in our vehicle and looked at the kids who appeared to be my age or older, all stream through the front doors of the large school building.

            The students were a mix of Caucasians, Asian-descent or Native Alaskans. I spotted a couple of African-American kids, but their hair was treated so it looked smooth and straight, not like my frizzy hair.  All of their clothes looked like the latest fashion and they all carried the latest models of laptops or tablets or mobile phones.  I saw how they pretended to look busy by messaging each other using their technology, as they checked their class schedules on their tablets. Some of them even wore large earphones to listen to loud music and block the world out.

            I knew I was going to stick out with my old clothes. My laptop was second-hand and used to be Mama’s and my mobile phone was old so it didn’t have all of the extra features of the newer models.  In Nara none of this mattered, but here I was worried that I wouldn’t be accepted because of it.

            “Can I move back to Mali and live with Uncle Bouren and Aunt Menaka?”  I passed her a pleading look.

            “No," she was quick to glare. “Your father left me for another woman and now you want to leave me too?”

            “But Mama, look at their clothes! Look at my clothes! I won’t fit in here! I fitted in, in my old school in Nara!”

            “Then make them fit in with YOU!” she flared and next, she hit the control for my door to make it open. “Now go to school!”

            With a huff to show my unhappiness, I climbed out of the vehicle.  Then as I slowly walked up the concrete path towards the large building, I looked back.  Mama powered up the hover-car and I watched the vehicle rise into the air.  Lastly, she threw me a wave before she flew off down the road.

            Merde! I’m all alone and I’m going to have to ask one of these fashionable kids where the school office is to pick up my class timetable.  I walked through the doors to find a crowded school corridor with lockers lining the walls.  The students stood with their friends in front of them, either putting things in or taking them out, as they all talked loudly.

            There weren’t any signs that I could see for the school's office, so I was going to have to ask for directions.  I started to walk over to two girls who appeared to be my age, who were touching up their made-up faces using small mirrors.   Mama would never let me wear make-up to school.  Now there’s another reason why I’ll stick out like an elephant next to a giraffe.

            “Pardon," I smiled as warmly as I could. “Could you please tell me where the school office is?”

            “Down the corridor and turn left," one of the girls answered without looking away from her mirror.

            “Merci - er - I mean thank you," I replied awkwardly.

            Merde!  They were like the neighbour Mama and I encountered.  Only worse, the teenagers here won't even look at you.

            I walked down the corridor and I turned left just as the girl directed only to find another long corridor.  Mon Dieu, please don’t make me have to ask for directions again!  Feeling lost, I started to walk down this hallway past more lockers and kids chattering loudly.  I still couldn’t see any signs of any school offices so I stopped and looked about, confused.

            Just then a pretty girl with long black hair and dark brown eyes noticed me standing in the middle of the corridor.  She was standing with a similarly looking friend and I think they were Native Alaskan. The first girl walked up and smiled which immediately made me like her.

            “Hi, you look lost," she laughed, but not meanly.

            “I’m trying to find the school office.” I told her.

            “It’s just down the end of this corridor," she pointed.  "The door is hidden, so I’ll show you.”

            “Thank you!” I gushed in relief.

            Next, both girls walked me down the corridor and as they did, they openly examined my appearance.

            “Where’s your accent from?” the second girl asked out of interest.

            “I just moved here from Mali.”  I answered.

            “Mali?” the second girl echoed in surprise. “That’s a big change coming to Alaska.”

            “Where’s Mali?” the first girl enquired.

            “In Africa," the second girl answered for me.

            “Wow," the first girl sounded impressed before she stopped and pointed out a door.  “There it is.”

            “Thank you very much,” I said gratefully to the two.

            “Good luck on your first day," the first girl smiled then she and her friend walked on.

            I gave them a wave as they departed and I wished I could be in their classes but unfortunately they were younger than me. 

 

*****

I came from a climate where a ‘hot day’ could reach forty-five degrees Celsius; to a climate which could drop to minus forty-five degrees Celsius.

 

(Excerpt Alma Chapter 1)

 

9th September 2380 – Nine Months Previously

 

            The hover-car landed with a gentle thud on the side of the road out the front of Alma High School and powered down. 

            Our second-hand hover-car wasn’t as shiny and new as the other models that we passed on the streets, or even those that were parked in the student car park.  Our vehicle also made a loud humming noise coupled with a slight rattle when we were zipping from A to B whereas the newer models moved almost soundlessly.  These differences only aided my self-conscious tendencies which were nerve-wracking when starting at a new school.  

            Mama turned off the ignition and turned to give me a brave smile. 

            She ordered, “Don’t be scared.”

            “I’m not,” I lied.

            “Today is my first day at my new job.” Mama continued. “I’m not scared, I’m excited.”

            “Mama, I’m not scared.” I repeated.

            She wasn't convinced though as she examined my face which looked very similar to hers in features, but our colouring was different.

            Mama was full-blooded Mali with the typical smooth, dark brown skin, big brown eyes and short afro hair. Her eyes were her best feature as they were large and yet pointed in the corners which gave her a feline-like quality. Mama was 170 cm’s tall and skinny.

            I wasn’t as tall as Mama, I was at least ten centimetres shorter. I was 16 years old so I still had a couple of years left where I might reach her height. My hair was long and frizzy and my skin was a light brown colour. My paler skin came from my father since he was Caucasian French.

            My parents divorce had just been finalized.  Papa had moved back to France at the start of their separation and with its completion, Mama and I moved to Alaska.  It was thanks to her getting a job at the new hydro power plant which operated just outside of Alma.

            It was ‘fall’ as they called autumn here.  Mama and I were already wearing coats as we had to adjust to the colder climate. I had moved from arid conditions to almost arctic.

            I came from a climate where a ‘hot day’ could reach forty-five degrees Celsius; to a climate which could drop to minus forty-five degrees Celsius.  Alma had odd daylight hours being so close to the Arctic Circle.  In summer, I've heard that there are days where the sun doesn’t set until 11 PM and in the middle of winter, there are days when it doesn't rise until 11 AM.

            I didn’t want to come here. I didn’t want to leave Mali. I miss my Aunts and Uncles and I miss playing soccer with my cousins. I miss the warm weather and the warmth of my family.

            Alma has a population of around 7,500 and people here aren’t as friendly.  When Mama and I first moved into our small, two bedroom townhouse which was in a complex, we asked a neighbour for directions to the supermarket. The lady was snobby and only gave a short answer which wasn't helpful.  Now I'd be going to school with people like this and I've been dreading my first day.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How could we make the Detective and Forensic Scientist understand that this was a war between Werewolves and Vampires?

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

It took me a minute or two to regain my bearings and recognize physical sight instead of my gifted sight.  I blinked then I blinked again as my mind returned to Alaska.  I lay on my back, breathing deeply to slow my racing heart.

            Eventually, I turned my head to look at the digital clock sitting on my bedside table and saw the time read as 7.49 AM.

            Were the Sabre’s awake, especially Aunt B and Uncle Dec?  I wanted to run into their bedroom and deliver my warning.  I knew they'd believe what I had ‘seen’ in my sleep, but what would their reaction be?

            Would they harm the Moscow Police Officers?  I've seen what Uncle Dec can do to protect his family.  Could we think of a peaceful solution instead that prevented his arrest?  How could we make the Detective and Forensic Scientist understand that this was a war between Werewolves and Vampires?

            The smell of bacon and eggs cooking filled my room, indicating that he was awake and preparing food for the family as usual – which now included me.

            Uncle Dec wasn’t really the cold-blooded murderer the Officers thought.  But how to make them see this, without exposing the Sabre family and the Lokoti Tribe’s secret?  Now that would be tricky. 

            Oh dear Mama in heaven, what do I do?

            Anxiously, I jumped out of bed and flung open my bedroom door.  I raced down the upstairs hallway in my flannel pyjamas then slowed as I approached the staircase.  But just as I started down the stairs, I stopped.

            I saw below the Sabre family congregated around the table with Uncle Dec carrying people’s plates out from the kitchen.  He and Aunt B were dressed but their children were still in their pyjamas.  Susanna was wearing her ‘Scooby Doo’ set and Sophia was wearing dark purple satin.  Lucia sat in her usual seat in a white singlet top and grey pyjama bottoms.  They looked just like a regular family preparing to eat their Saturday morning breakfast.

            “Mali, you’re right on time.” Uncle Dec greeted, as he carried out a plate and put it down at my spot.  “Pull up a seat.”

            But I couldn’t eat, not with the bad news I was carrying inside.

            Aunt B noticed my hesitation and she asked, “Mali, what’s up?”

            I opened my mouth to answer but I couldn’t find my voice, I was so nervous.

            Lucia and Sophia noticed this as they looked up from their food whereas Sues seemed oblivious and kept on eating. 

            “Mali, are you OK?” Lucia looked on concerned.

            “Spit it out!” Sophia prompted.  “Our breakfast is going cold!”

            My wide eyes met Uncle Dec’s curious ones as he stood beside his seat at the head of the table, holding the last plate of food which was for himself.

            “I had another storm dream.” I uttered out.  “They’re coming for you.”

            His eyes narrowed as he squared off his shoulders defiantly as if he thought I meant more Vampires. 

            “Who Mali?”  Aunt B stood up in alarm. “Who are coming?”

            “The Moscow Police.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Once the US Government reorganized itself and law enforcement was re-established, the multinational corporation Hodge Endeavor protected Declan and Bianca Sabre by issuing fake ID's for them."

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

“So, what do we know about the year 2101?" she sat down on her stool.

            "It was the year all of the world's governments signed the Apology Admission for World War Three," he shrugged.

            "So between the years 2062 when the Third World War occurred up until 2101 when the Admission was signed, we had chaos and lawlessness, da?"

            "Da," he verified.  "The US including Alaska would have had the same problems as Russia and many other countries did."

            "Nuclear fall out causing birth defects and radiation sickness, riots, governments collapsing, the media in disarray, looting, neighbour fighting neighbour over food and unpolluted natural resources," she listed off.

            "There were no longer functioning government departments which would have distributed driver's licenses, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates or passports.  So our Mr X could have easily slipped through the cracks with no-one to identify him."

            "Once the US Government reorganized itself and law enforcement was re-established, the multinational corporation Hodge Endeavor protected Declan and Bianca Sabre by issuing fake ID's for them."  She agreed.

            Griggori stood up to stretch his legs again and he slowly began to pace up and down as he thought aloud.

"Hmm," he frowned thoughtfully. "That would make sense if he was our Mr X with the increased physical strength and antibodies."

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Half an hour later, Griggori was sitting hunched over his computer pulling up various records however, Julia wasn't as successful.   When he heard her cursing, he looked over to where she was working.  Bad-temperedly, she hit her touch-screen computer which blinked again in protest.

            "Babushka?" he sat up straighter.  "What is it?"

            "Declan Sabre has never been to a hospital or to a doctor's surgery for any injuries or illnesses," she declared.

            "Hmm," he frowned thoughtfully.  "That would make sense if he was our Mr X with the increased physical strength and antibodies."

            "Bianca Sabre was treated seven years ago at the Hodge Endeavor Hospital in Anchorage," she continued.  "But I can't get access to her medical records.  Every time I try to bring up her blood work or even see why she was admitted, the hospital's privacy settings lock me out."

            "Are you putting in your Interpol ID and Badge number?" he checked.

            "Of course I am!" she snapped.  "But it won't give me the information unless I have a subpoena and even then, it directs me to the Hodge Endeavor Legal Department."

            "Hmm," he repeated.  "I think I know why Hodge Endeavor is protecting her."

            "You do?" she stood up and went over to his computer.  "What have you found, Griggori?"

            "First of all, when I run a check on everyone who has ever lived at 5 Hill Road, Lokoti Tribal Lands, Lokoti National Park, the same name comes up."

            She watched as he typed in a new command into the computer and on the screen appeared several different driver's licenses, all with the same name.

            "Declan Sabre," she read out.  "So up until 2101 there has always been a Declan Sabre living at this address?"

            "Da and look at the photos of him over the many years," he prompted.

            "The first license in 2101 has him looking like he's in his thirties, then the other licenses over the years he looks like he's in his forties, fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties." 

            "Da, this is in the space of 280 years," he nodded along.  "But look again at his current driver's license."

            “He looks like he’s twenty years old again," she sucked in her breath.  "But how is this possible?  Why hasn't the US Government picked up this anomaly?"

            "Look at the dates of birth, they change with each new driver's license," he pointed out.  "Guess which hospital issues the birth certificates for him, the Hodge Endeavor Hospital in Anchorage."

            "So Hodge Endeavor is protecting him as well as her," she noted.  "What have you found out about the wife?"

            The pictures of Declan Sabre's driver's licenses disappeared to show a screen full of driver's licenses for Bianca Sabre.

            "Like him, her date of birth changes with each new license that's issued," he began.  "But unlike him, her name changes even if her photos don't."

            "Dr. Bianca Wisetail, Dr. Bianca Riverclaw, Dr. Bianca Carmichael, Dr. Bianca Worthall, Dr. Bianca Baker."  Julia read aloud each identity.  "Her hairstyles alter slightly, but it's obvious it's the same woman."

            "Now, she's Dr. Bianca Sabre," he pointed out the last and most recently issued driver's license.

            "What's she a Doctor of?" she wondered.

            "She has a PhD in Archaeology and Ancient History," he announced.  "She works part time, doing guest lectures at universities around the world."

            Suddenly, the Forensic Scientist straightened like a bucket of icy water had been tipped over her.

            "What if she has a doctorate in Ancient History because she has first-hand experience of it?" her voice dropped.  "What if she and Declan Sabre are our OO Positives and they're much older than we think?"

            Griggori sighed, "It's a pity we can't go any further back than the year 2101."

"He's supposed to be in his forties, too? Like his wife, he looks like he's still in his twenties!"

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Griggori pressed a new command into his computer which displayed the driver's license complete with a photo of a woman named Bianca Sabre.

            "She's attractive," Julia noted, as she looked on the woman's long, black hair, smooth white skin and dark blue eyes.

            "If you like that sort of thing," he shrugged back, before looking appreciatively at his girlfriend's blonde hair.

            "She looks good for her age, too," she remarked.  "Her date of birth has her in her forties but she looks like she's still in her twenties."

            "Let's see what her husband looks like," he hit a new command on the touch-screen and a new driver's license came up.

            "How do you know that she's married?" she arched an eyebrow.  "Perhaps she's a single mother."

            "Alma Sheriff's Department reported that after each mugging/wild animal attack, the husband arrived at his wife's side."  He said simply. 

            "Alma?" she echoed.

            "The name of the town in Alaska where the attacks took place," he brought her up to speed. "The husband was this man, Declan Sabre."

            Julia leaned in for a closer look, "He's supposed to be in his forties, too?  Like his wife, he looks like he's still in his twenties!"

            The Detective and Forensics Scientist stared at the male on the screen with handsome features, bright blue eyes and wavy, blonde hair down to his ears.

            "The couple are definitely in their forties because their eldest child is 16 years old and has a driver's license."  Griggori hit another button on the computer.

            Next, they were looking on a pretty teenaged girl with bright blue eyes and long, dark blonde hair.

            "Lucia Grace Sabre," she read the name off the screen.  "Where do the Sabre's live?"

            He enlarged the section of the license which displayed the address and read aloud, "5 Hill Road, Lokoti Tribal Lands, Lokoti National Park, Alaska."

            Just then Julia leaned back with a grave expression on her face which she turned on Griggori.

            "But how long have the Sabre's lived at this address?" she wondered.

            "Hmm?" he passed her a puzzled expression.

            "Declan Sabre and Bianca Sabre look young for their ages, da?" she began.  "Our Mr X doesn't seem to age, either.  Perhaps there's a connection between the Sabre's and our suspect?"

            His face took on a determined expression, "I'll do a background check on them."

            "And I'll check their medical histories and see if they've had any blood tests or scans, which will give us a sample of their DNA and blood type."

            Then the two went to work on their different computers with a renewed sense of purpose.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A large creature which was supposed to look like a huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly but DNA analysis put it in the canidae family.

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

“Tell me in linear order.” Griggori requested. 

            “In China in 2226 AD, a large group of grey wolves were found dead in a remote area of the country.  Some of them had been killed by a silver sword, evident by the traces of metal in the singed flesh around the cuts. However, most of them had been mauled by a larger animal.  The DNA in the animals' wounds belonged to Mr. X but the animals also had OO Positive blood type.”

            “Wolves with OO Positive blood?" Griggori pondered.  "Why would Mr. X eat the wolves, especially if part of his DNA is canidae?"

            “As I said before, Mr. X is not a particular eater.” Julia said coolly. “May I also remind you that motive is your department!”

            “Yes, of course Babushka," he rubbed her back affectionately.  "Please continue.”

            “In Scotland in 2236, there was a report of a break-in," she began. "When the Police came to investigate, they found large amounts of OO Negative blood splatter as well as two different types of OO Positive blood.”

            “Wait, I remember this case, I read about it tonight.”  He moved over to his own computer.  “Nothing was stolen but the house was trashed.  It appeared to be the scene of a fight from the large amount of blood on the walls and floors.”

            Julia remained at her computer as she read out the results which had been uploaded to the InterPol Forensics Database.

            “Several samples of OO Positive saliva were found mixed in with the OO Negative blood.  From analyzing the DNA in the saliva, it appeared that there were two different kinds of OO Positives involved.  Mr. X appeared to work in conjunction with another type of OO Positive.  You see the differing third and fourth sequences here in the DNA?  Whoever fought with Mr. X was also OO Positive but they were a different type of species of OO Positive.  But the OO Negative victims must have fought back, because upstairs in one of the bedrooms there was a large blood stain which belonged to the different type of OO Positive.”

            "So our wolves in China had OO Positive blood and there's another kind of OO Positive in Scotland, which brings us to three different types of OO Positives."

            “In New Orleans in 2240 a ‘wild animal attack’ was blamed for three human deaths," she went on.  "Mr. X’s blood and saliva were taken from the crime scene.”

            “I looked at this case as well," he pressed his touch-screen computer to bring up the Police Report.  “A large creature which was supposed to look like a huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly but DNA analysis put it in the canidae family.  Several security cameras caught footage of the anomaly.  US Police couldn’t fathom how this mystery animal vanished in the middle of a city, while leaping across rooftops running at 300 kilometres per hour.”

            Julia left her computer for Griggori's to see what he had, which he put on ‘replay’ to show her.  Her eyes widened as she watched a blurry image run on all-fours across the New Orleans city skyline.  The 'animal' deftly leapt from rooftop to rooftop as it bolted in an impossible speed, which accounted for the blurriness.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How can you link Mr. X to the murders today and to the ones 236 years ago?”

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Reluctantly, she set aside her cold Chinese food and together they congregated around her computer so she could explain the readouts.

            “I have been able to isolate several saliva samples in the victims’ bites to allocate them to specific members of the OO Negative and the OO Positive species.  I believe I have even found the perpetrator of your latest crime.”

            “You have?” his eyes bulged.

            “But Griggori, I must warn you," her voice dropped.  "I do not think you will be able to take this information to your Lieutenant.”

            “But why?”

            “Your OO Positive murderer in our latest OO Negative killing spree, is the one and the same.  It’s the same OO Positive who killed his own kind as well as one of the OO Negative victims found 236 years ago.  I will call this particular member of the OO Positives, Mr. X.”

            “Very well," he gave a nod. “How can you link Mr. X to the murders today and to the ones 236 years ago?”

            “Mr. X’s DNA was found on one of the twelve OO Negative species killed in 2145.  His DNA was also found on the younger male and female OO Positives ravaged necks.  It would appear that Mr. X and these two OO Positives were also of the same species.  From the blood found in the stomach of the older male OO Positive who had been impaled, as well as the younger male whose neck had been ravaged, they too killed two of the twelve OO Negative victims.”

            “The same species of OO Positives attacked the twelve OO Negatives together and then they turned on each other?” Griggori summed up.

            “Da.”

            “Can you postulate why?”

            “Forensics can uncover a lot, but not everything," she said haughtily.  "Motive is your job, Detective!”

            “My apologies Babushka, please continue.”

            “Mr. X’s DNA turned up in several more crime scenes over the years," she frowned.  "He does not appear to be selective in his victims, as he has fed on OO Positives, OO Negatives, humans and animals."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What's certain is the OO Negative species require fresh blood to replenish their necrotized bodies.”

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

The pair worked solidly away in a comfortable silence over the next several hours. As Grigorri searched the InterPol database for 'wild animal attacks' or sword-related deaths, Julia combed the Forensics reports for anymore OO Positive and OO Negative blood samples taken from crime scenes.  They each worked at separate computers with cartons of half-eaten Chinese food and half-drunk caffeinated sodas around their work areas.  Yet, they worked in unison with a common goal in mind.

            At 10.59 PM she rubbed her stinging eyes before yawning loudly.  He could relate, the glare off the touch-screen computers was hurting his eyes too.  He sat back on his stool and did a big stretch when he saw what she was doing.  She'd picked up her chopsticks to finish off her cold leftovers.

            “Griggori," she began, in between mouthfuls.

            “Da, Babushka?”

            “Don’t call me that, not at work," she flashed him a warning look which was negated by the smirk after it.

            Griggori looked around the empty room before returning her smile with a goofy grin.

            "Look around Babushka, we're the only ones in the lab," he pointed out.  "No-one is here to hear your nickname."

            “Griggori," she returned to her original train of thought.

            “Da?”

            “I've noticed something about the DNA samples of the OO Positive and OO Negative subjects from the different crime scenes you found in the InterPol database.”

            “Da?”

            “The samples, they differ slightly.”

            “Do you mean they're by several different perpetrators instead of the one?”

            “Da and Nyet," she sighed tiredly.  “Mostly, it’s by the same perpetrator but I have found differences as well as similarities.”

            “Tell me, Babushka," he said affectionately.

            He pulled her seat closer so she could sit down beside him which she did.

            “I believe there are several different species of OO Negative and OO Positive that we're dealing with.  The various species appear to have different physical characteristics, by the different bite marks, clawing and the saliva taken.  For example, some of the OO Negative saliva samples contained an unusual, poisonous compound, like venom.  The saliva can either kill a human or incapacitate them."

            This made him sit up straighter as if she'd just thrown cold water over him.

            She continued as she ate, “What's certain is the OO Negative species require fresh blood to replenish their necrotized bodies.  This theory can be supported by the differing puncture wounds primarily on a human victim’s major arteries, such as the jugular.  The OO Negative species appear to paralyze or incapacitate their victims, to drink from them.”

            "Then after they've drained the body by feeding off them, they use laser rifles to burn the evidence."  He concluded.  "Julia, forgetting about our OO Negative victims for a moment, what if the rise in charred bodies found throughout Europe and the UK are human victims, who were prey for the OO Negatives?"

            "It would make sense, to burn the body and remove any evidence of teeth marks or traces of the perpetrator's DNA including saliva," she nodded along.

            "Is there any evidence that the OO Positives are killing humans?" he asked. "Maybe the OO Positives are helping humans by killing the OO Negatives."

            "But you're forgetting the OO Positive Jane Doe and John Doe whose necks were ravaged by another OO Positive; the OO Positive who's also the culprit of our latest OO Negative murders."

            "So he killed his own kind, then?"

            "Da," she verified.  "And it had help, by the swordsman or woman, who killed the older OO Positive male."

            "Do you think that perhaps our OO Positive attacker who's murdering our latest OO Negative victims, is fighting back in self-defence?"  He postured.  "Do you think there could be a war on between the two species?"

            "Good question," she thought aloud.  "If I were a OO Negative who was missing red and white blood cells, proteins, antibodies and blood sugars, I'd target a species that has an abundance of them, like our OO Positives."

            "Now tell me why you think there are several different species of OO Positives and OO Negatives," he requested.

 

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