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.

 

*****

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.

 

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

"And while I interview them, you could hide a scanner inside your handbag and secretly scan them!" he thought up.

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Griggori jumped off his stool in excitement wearing a grin from ear to ear.

            "Babushka, you're brilliant!"

            She was caught off guard when he rushed up and swamped her in his arms and swung her about.

            "And while I interview them, you could hide a scanner inside your handbag and secretly scan them!" he thought up.

            “You want me to come with you?” her eyebrows rose in surprise.

            “Of course, can you imagine the reaction we'd get if we shared our theory with another Detective?”  he scoffed.

            “I can be packed and ready to go within the hour," she smiled excitedly. 

            Inwardly, Julia was thrilled to work on a case with her amore and most of all, to get out of the lab for a change.

            Griggori looked up at the clock on the wall, “The Moscow Trans Port have international shuttle flights departing at 6 AM.  I’ll book us seats to Anchorage and then to Alma, which is located next to the Lokoti National Park.  In Alma we can pick up a rental hover-car.  I’ll meet you at the Trans Port at 5 AM!”

            With that, he spun on his heel and departed with Julia noting that he strutted out like a man with a purpose. 

            “I’ll clean up, shall I?” she sighed tiredly, looking at the take-away containers sitting around their respective computers. 

            After she cleared away the mess, she saved all of the files they had onto her laptop.  Then she slid it into her carry bag to take with her, along with a hand-held Forensics Scanner.  Then she shut down the computers before she too departed the lab.

            With her bag slung over her shoulder; she strolled down the main corridor which was much quieter now being so late, and exited the building.

            Outside, she put up her umbrella to protect herself from the rain which was still pouring down as the storm lingered over the Russian city…

            …

            …but it was a storm nonetheless, I recognized this detailed dream as a sign.

            My eyes snapped open as my heart raced.  I was no longer seeing the outside of the Moscow Police Station.  Instead, my eyes were staring up at the ceiling of my bedroom inside the Sabre household.  

"The Legal Department of Hodge Endeavor may be protecting their real identities, but it doesn't mean you can't simply interview them."

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

This gave Griggori an idea and he turned to Julia with a hopeful expression.

            "What about their daughter... this Lucia Grace Sabre...was a birth certificate created for her?"

            "Da," she nodded.  "But like her father, there are no medical records for her with any of the hospitals in Alaska or the rest of the US."

            "Where was she born?" he quizzed.

            She wandered back to her computer and pressed in a few commands before announcing, "It was a home birth, at their address on Lokoti Tribal Lands, overseen by the tribe's Medicine Man."

            "Well, he would have medical scans or blood work for the family," he brightened.

            "Again, we would need a subpoena to get that information," she said unhappily.  "What would we say to your Lieutenant to get him to issue the order?"

            He deflated in a defeated manner by bending over his computer and covering his face with his hands.

            "If only we could scan this Declan and Bianca Sabre and then we would have the evidence we need to solve this case," he sighed.

            Julia opened her mouth to say something but then she hesitated and closed it again.

            "What?" he noticed.  "What were you going to say?"

            "The Legal Department of Hodge Endeavor may be protecting their real identities, but it doesn't mean you can't simply interview them."

            "It doesn't?"

            "You've talked to numerous witnesses at the nightclubs the murders happened," she drawled.  "They all described a huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly.  So why not talk to another witness who's seen the same thing?"

 

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

"Two hundred years is a long time to be married."

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

"What do we know about Hodge Endeavor?" he postulated.  “The company began in the early 20th Century, starting out as a Pharmaceutical company which branched into Medicine and Engineering.  It made its money with cutting-edge technology in the field of medicine and computer science.  After World War Two, the company began a Finance division which worked on the Stock Market, known as The Hodge Endeavor Shares and Stock Exchange.  They have never made a bad investment.  Numerous times over the centuries the company has been audited but it has always come out clean.  It's politically connected, it helped organise the ‘Apology Admission’ that was signed by all of the world’s governments.  It did it by sponsoring financial, medical and educational aid to the former Third World countries, putting them on par with the First World’s economies.”

            "Politically connected, da," she deflated.  "Imagine telling your Lieutenant that your chief suspect is centuries old, has human and canine DNA, is OO Positive which shouldn't exist in nature, and has false birth certificates created for him by the most powerful company in human history."

            "What if our Mr X, or we should call him Declan Sabre, has a passport?"

            Next, he headed back to his computer, sat down on his stool and returned to work.

            "What are you looking for?" she pondered, as she came over to look.

            "Da, I was right, he does have a passport," he spoke excitedly.  "Now let's see if he's visited Russia on the dates the recent murders were carried out."

            Julia looked over his shoulder as he pressed a button here or there on the touch-screen however, he couldn't find anything.

            "Declan Sabre does have a passport but he hasn't used it yet."  Griggori groaned.  "According to this, he's never left the country."

            Tiredly, he rubbed his face and Julia gave his shoulders a sympathetic rub.

            "Da, he hasn't used his new passport yet," she pointed out.  "But what if it's because it's new, like his latest driver's license?  What if we did a search on his previous passports under his previous incarnations?"

            "It wouldn't hold up in court," he shook his head.  "His Defence Attorney could argue that it's a different Declan Sabre with a different date of birth."

            "Who've all lived at the same address with the same woman?" she arched her eyebrows.  "Two hundred years is a long time to be married."

"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."

"I have the case file open and what's interesting to note that on both times, Mr. X rescued the same woman."

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

"The huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly sounds like what our Mr X might be," Griggori continued.  "In 2364 there was a 'wild animal attack' in Alaska where witnesses described this creature as the one who did the attacking.  Three victims were mauled in a supermarket car park with their heads being eaten through.  It appears to be the preferred way our Mr. X kills his targets."

            "I saw this case file too," she nodded along, before returning to her Forensics notes.  "This creature has the same DNA as our Mr X and look at the blood work, Griggori.  The victims were OO Negative, but they're a different type of OO Negative."

            "So they're not the same species of OO Negatives from Scotland and St Petersburg?"

            "Nyet," she shook her head.  "Did you see there was a second attack in the same place again?  In 2372 Mr X mauled another three victims in the supermarket car park, who were also OO Negatives, but they too were another species.  Their blood work doesn't match the previous OO Negatives in the first attack nor the OO Negatives in Scotland or St Petersburg."

            "Da," he pointed at his computer screen, "I have the case file open and what's interesting to note that on both times, Mr. X rescued the same woman."

            "Huh?" she blinked, as if she misheard him.

Again, she left her computer with its Forensics reports and went to his to look on his which the InterPol reports were on.

            "On both occasions our huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly mauled the OO Negatives who were reportedly mugging a woman.  On the first occasion she was pregnant and on the second she had two small children with her.  Mr. X would suddenly appear on the scene, the security camera outside the supermarket would be disrupted by static so there's no footage of the animal attack, he would maul the three OO Negative muggers and then run off.  It's the same MO of our recent murders and the same description of the attacker."

            "Who is this woman?" she enquired.

 

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

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."

 

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

“Their DNA scans as primarily human, but see here, every second or third sequence is canine. Da, I know how crazy it sounds Griggori. It's probably why the investigation faltered back in 2145.”

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

            Griggori forced himself to look at the gory pictures on the screen again.

            "So both OO Negative and OO Positive are allergic to silver?"

            "Da," she confirmed.

            “With the bite marks on the other three OO Negative victims, if a teeth casting was done I'd bet it would match the two OO Positive victims.”

            “I'm sure you're right." She said.  “236 years ago Forensics tried to do an autopsy on the twelve OO Negative victims.  However, they were only successful with six of them because after seven days, the bodies abruptly decomposed.  All that was left was a type of biological ash."

            She hit another button on the screen so they were looking at an autopsy bench with a human-shaped pile of a reddish ash lying on top of it.

            “The rapid decomposition is astounding, da?” she remarked.

            Griggori blinked then he blinked again, “Is that ash from their flesh and bones?”

            “Da, both flesh and bones turned to ash," she verified.  “But look at the autopsy results of the three OO Positive victims.”

            After Julia hit another command on the touch-screen computer, Griggori was looking at the two men and one woman again.

            “They look completely normal," he shrugged.

            “Da, they LOOK normal, but do you see their amorphous cellular structure and their DNA make up?”  She changed the picture to show diagrams and medical results which left him lost.  “Their DNA scans as primarily human, but see here, every second or third sequence is canine.  Da, I know how crazy it sounds Griggori.  It's probably why the investigation faltered back in 2145.”

            He did a double-take at the data on the screen as she continued. 

            “Look at their bone density and the compact tissue that make up their muscles, let alone the abundant red and white blood cells.  These three OO Positive subjects would have been very strong with immune systems that could repel almost anything.  I wouldn't be surprised if they had accelerated healing, too.”

            “What are you saying, that they're super humans?” Griggori tried to joke.

            "But it doesn't explain why part of their DNA was canine," she said seriously.

            He leaned forward against the bench top that the computer was sitting on, as he stared thoughtfully at the touch-screen.  She recognized this look, he was piecing together the puzzle.  She smiled to herself knowing that he was about to have a revelation.

“It doesn’t exist, there is no such blood type in the natural world as OO Negative," she sat upright in a huff. "It's a category they made up to classify an unclassifiable blood sample that shouldn't exist.”

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

9th June 2381

 

            It was raining heavily from a rumbling sky when he made a run for it from his hover-car to the entrance of the Moscow Police Station.  He grimaced when he felt the icy water seep inside his suit collar which only made him run faster.  The angry sky flashed once more before a deafening clap of thunder chased him inside of the building.

            He shook himself off once he was inside the front door.  The water droplets easily fell off his new suit with the water fortunately not soaking into the fibres.  The artificial clothing was light weight and water resistant however, his dark hair was a different story, it was soaked. 

            “A lovely summers’ day outside?” a co-worker joked upon passing.

            “Da,” he said sarcastically, “with tropical sun showers.”

            The female officer laughed before putting up a clear plastic umbrella then venturing outside.

            Once he'd shaken off most of the water he walked down the busy hallway.  The Police Station was always abuzz with activity and this wet day was no different.  In fact, he noted that the uniformed and non-uniformed officers moved around with a louder hum of work today.

            Recently with the spree of murders including the one which had brought him here, there was public pressure on the Police to catch the killer or killers.  The public couldn’t understand how the use of 24th Century scanning equipment hadn't identified the murderer/s yet.  But as he told several different World Wide Media reporters, “Identifying the DNA left at the scene of the crimes is easy.  Finding the culprit who the DNA comes from is the hard part.”

            After turning down several corridors he entered the Forensics Lab via a set of frosted over, automatic glass doors.

            Then he saw her as she was leaning over her touch-screen computer going over the latest scans from the recent crime scene.  Her blonde hair complimented her white lab clothes.  Although the lab smelled sterile, the fruity fragrance of her shampoo tickled his nose.  The very sight and smell of her gave him pause.

            “Griggori," she acknowledged his arrival while not looking up.

            “Babushka," he returned teasingly.

            “Julia," she gave him a quick glare.  “In the office, you call me by my proper name.”

            “As you wish.”

            When he came over to sit on the available stool beside hers, he noted that they were alone in the lab since the other technicians had left for the day.   Julia returned to her work and he sat quietly to allow her to concentrate.  Besides, this way he could admire her beautiful profile that was lit up by the light coming off the computer screen.

            “Look, there it is again!”  

            Her shrill voice was accentuated by her Russian accent.  The Forensic Scientist hit the computer touch-screen bad temperedly.  The screen blinked in protest before re-displaying the same information as before.

            “Woah there, Babushka," the Detective gently restrained her.

            Whilst holding his lover in his arms, his face was considerably closer to the screen than before and that was when he saw it.

            “OO Negative?” he uttered in disbelief.

            “It doesn’t exist, there is no such blood type in the natural world as OO Negative," she sat upright in a huff.  "It's a category they made up to classify an unclassifiable blood sample that shouldn't exist.”

            “But this classification that was created 300 years ago has the same blood type as my corpse which is two days old," he argued.

            “It was 236 years ago that Forensics then invented this classification," she corrected.

            Griggori used this chance to move closer to her computer and press the touch-screen to bring up records of this phenomenon.  As he went over the data, she thought she should narrate what he was seeing, since he wasn’t educated in Biology.  His knowledge with Forensics extended to using a scanning device to check a suspects' DNA but that was it.

            “The OO Negative sample is neither human nor animal, but it has characteristics of both.  It is parasitic in nature and completely void of red and white cells.  It appears to feed off other sources of blood from either human or animal, to replenish its missing cells, proteins and sugar levels.” 

            “Then what’s this?” he noticed a link to another file in the bottom corner of the screen. “OO Positive?”

            Julia leaned forward to use her index finger to press the link for him as she continued:

            “OO Positive is the exact opposite of OO Negative, it’s rich in red and white cells, antibodies, blood sugars and proteins.  But there's something else."

            "Da?" he waited for it.

            “Both OO Negative and OO Positive are communicable by infection of the blood.  If either OO Negative or OO Positive blood infected the blood of a human, they would become either OO Negative or OO Positive.  But the patient infected with OO Negative blood would soon need to consume more blood to replenish itself."

            "Why?" he asked, confused.

 

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