A Gift for Future Ancients(J.A. Lutz) "It smells like shit in here!", Zarah exclaimed when she walked through the door of Trenton's flat. After reading the note he had left posted on her latest MemLink, she was eager to know what was so important. She had read it several times, and each time left her anxiously curious, as well as nervous, but still her Mental Image Recall function was working superbly; "The door will not be fastened when you arrive, please come in and make yourself comfortable."- signed Trent.

Zarah had only known Trenton for three weeks. She had met him at her local pub for a date on her first Virtual Encounter. From the first moment she uploaded his profile into her MemorUS Link, she knew he was special, and she wanted to date him. The scar on her lower spine still tingled after receiving her MemorUS Implants, but she had made a promise to herself that the side effect would pass.

As Zarah walked into the single dwelling flat, she was reluctant to close the door behind her.
"Trent!, Sweeeeety?! Are you home?!", she beckoned playfully.
No response.
She walked in cautiously, not knowing what to expect. She knew from their previous dates that he was a lively sort, and she wondered for a second if he was going to jump out at her in some kind of boyish prank.
No response.
"TrennnntT--Ttonnnn!", Zarah cooed, in hopes of persuading him with her angelic tone.
But still no response.
She walked into the living quarters smiling, and gracefully set her clutch on what looked like a bachelor's rendition of a tea & coffee table. Instantly, Zarah's mother's words --from a time forgotten until now, from her formative teen years-- rang out like a church bell ; "Now dear, NEVER place your handbag or clutch on the floor, it is bad luck dear. Don't forget. "
Mother was right, Zarah thought as she surveyed the filthy floor.

Zarah hadn't been to her new boyfriend's flat before, and with a few more steps and glances, she knew that she would soon be faced with the task of gently reminding him that, "Cleanliness is next to godliness ", as her mother had always reminded her.

Again she called out, this time with fear and hopefulness in her voice, "Trenton, I'm here like you asked. Where are you silly boy?"
Zarah's head darted towards the short hall on her right, as she heard the startled groan of a man's voice.

"I'm … in the…… washroom! Come in!", Trenton called out with an anguished shout. Zarah hesitated as her hand reached for the door access hologram.
"PLEASE! I need HELP!", bellowed Trenton.

Zarah swiped her hand quickly across the hologram knob. The washroom door dissolved in three rapid fractions, but before she could enter she was warned with a sudden response by Trenton, "Mind the plastic curtains I've placed, AND my flat mate!"

Zarah walked through the center of the clear plastic sheets that had a slit down the middle, only to be startled by a hulking dog.

Despite Trenton's warning about his "flat mate", Zarah was still alarmed by the size of what was clearly a genetically engineered dog. She had heard of a growing trend in the news about bear and lion DNA being spliced with a select few breeds of K-9 to be sold as trendy designer pets, but she had never seen one in person. The animal in front of her was sitting calmly, but had an erie protective transfixed gaze, and it was locked on Zarah. To Zarah, the beastly house pet seemed more chimera than a domestic animal. It occurred to her in this moment that the corpulent genetically modified "flat mate" had to be responsible for the overwhelming smell of feces that was permeating throughout the flat.

Trenton was in the sanitary cubicle with the privacy glass dimmed to full black, steam billowed in rolling mists above the glass door.

"Zarah, I want you to listen to me very carefully...", Trenton began to explain with an urgent tone and a slight tremble in his speach. "Please don't pay anymore attention to Marduk, he is well trained and will only attack on my command. I need your help. Something has gone horribly wrong with my MemorUS Link implant, and you're the only one I can trust."

With hesitation and bewildered concern, Zarah wondered to herself what could be so horrible and asked, "Trent dear, this is scaring me. What's all this about? "

"I think I'm having a severe biological reaction to my MemorUS Link implant."

"Did you call your doctor? Wait,… what do you mean by 'biological reaction'?"

"I'm afraid to tell anyone, that's why I called YOU for help. I'm ch-changing... somehow. I'm in serious pain, and things are mutating on my body."

"WHAT?! This is scaring me Trenton. You better start making sense or I'm calling emergency services and leaving! I hope this isn't your idea of a sick joke, because if it is, WE'RE FINISHED! "

"Zarah, PLEASE don't go! I'm seriously SCARED!"

Trenton began to sob uncontrollably. Zarah could hear the panic in his audible attempts to gasp for air between sobs. As Trenton's sobbing became increasingly desperate, Marduk began to whimper as dogs do when wounded. Marduk was a Tibetan Mastiff, engineered with Panthera Leo (African lion) genetic attributes, which made his whimpering an alien sound when mixed with the low frequency vibrating purr of a mature male lion.
The sounds escaping Marduk's lower throat sent icy chills rippling up Zarah's spine.

"Trenton! Turn the water off and let me see you. Please baby, You need help. I want to help you, but I can't if you don't tell me what's happening to you. Please, I'm begging you. Let me help you."

"I'm afraid you'll run away.", Trenton pleaded trying to regain his composure.

"Then if you won't tell me or show me what all this is about, why did you insist so urgently that I meet you here?! WHY?! "

The sound of water being shut off seemed to instantly hush Marduk's whining concern for his distressed master. Zarah now felt comfortable inching her way around Marduk, and stationed herself in front of the sanitary cubicle door. She placed her hands on the darkly dimmed glass and prepared her final plea for Trenton's cooperation. Before she spoke, Zarah remembered a short prayer her father used to recite to her when she was a little girl too afraid and nervous to sleep, out of fear of monsters under her bed.
She mentally recited it to herself quickly in an effort to soothe her diminishing bravery; O Angels of God, from heaven so bright, watching beside my children to lead them aright; Fold your wings round them, and guard them with love; Softly sing songs to them of heaven above. Amen.

Feeling calmed now, and with her hands on the warm steamy glass, Zarah straightened her posture with hope of speaking in her most soothing and comforting voice.

"Open the door sweetie, I'm here for you. I need you to trust me and understand that nothing is going to change how I feel about you. Now, I need you to be brave and open the door or un-cloak the glass. Okay?..."

"Okay, but I'm begging you, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME. Something unnatural is happening to me. Please Zarah, brace yourself."

Zarah took one step back with the second foot following the first. She wiped the condensation her palms had collected from the steamy glass door on the front of her pants. With a rapid gesture, she removed an elastic hair tie from her wrist, twisted her shoulder length hair behind the crown of her scalp into a tight ponytail, and unconsciously slowed her breathing.

"I'm ready Trenton", Zarah whispered with the release of her anxiously held breath.

Marduk stood slowly, and began a steady gurgling growl that had a noticeable rhythm to it. He walked the few feet from where he was sitting with a few calculated strides, turning is hindquarters towards the door way, as if to prevent the egress of anyone. Teeth were slowly beginning to show, as the upper lip of his jowls curled. His growl was consistent in decibel level, and no longer had a rhythm.
Zarah shot Marduk a quick disapproving glance, as if trying to silence the beast with telepathic powers she did not possess. Turning her attention back to the glass door with intense anticipation, Zarah tried with every shred of courage to imagine in a fraction of a second what could be so bad behind the glass.

With a confident voice Trenton spoke, "Privacy Off."

The darkened glass door turned clear as the proper command was received.
A formation of billions of blackened pixels shuffled down the glass disappearing into the light source at the base of the floor with a beautiful pattern.

Zarah shrieked in terrified disbelief, as the image of her boyfriend instantly materialized in her mind. Her thoughts fired in speed of light succession, trying to make sense of what disturbing alternate universe she entered.

"OH HOLY HELL! WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU?! Oh Jesus-Oh Jesus-Oh Jesus-Oh Jesus!!!! "

In Zarah's two perfectly functioning eyes, she saw six mantis like arms that had torn their way through what used to be pectoral muscles and upper abdominal muscles. Two human legs were covered in long needle point quills that all changed colors at random, and seemed to have some kind of bioluminescent fluid dripping from the tips. A toad like leg had grown out of what used to be the rectal cavity, it's highly defined muscles pulsating under green pimply leather skin, this rear amphibious leg with backwards bent knee was posturing like a spring loaded kickstand. Ten inch crimson red antennae slithered out of Trenton's nasal passages, like snakes being summoned by a Cobra charmer's flute. What used to be human arms, now resembled massive body length tape worms that dangled loosely twitching with involuntary spasms. One large horizontal eye wrapped around the crown of his skull like a bright neon orange belt, it made a grotesque slurping noise when a single grey eye lid blinked. The only recognizable human feature left on what Zarah had previously known as her boyfriend's body, was his mouth. His lower abdomen was distended, puffy, and appeared to have a clutch of fast moving unborn young inside.

"Zarah, say something, …ANYTHING."

"Whahhhh- howww...... are yooouuu okaaay?...", Zarah stammered still in complete shock.

"I am now sweetheart ", Trenton replied with a thundering voice that sounded like an angry child speaking through an amplified harmonica.

Marduk started barking with excitement. Distracted by the sudden outburst of her boyfriend's goliath sized dog, Zarah broke Trenton's freakish cycloptic gaze for a quick assessment of her surroundings. She turned her attention back to Trenton completely confused and disoriented by his odd voice and strange reply.

"Whahhhh?-----", Zarah almost formed a single word question with baffled inquisitiveness.

Before she could finish her one syllable question, Trenton's mouth opened with the lighting fast reaction of a stalking crocodile lunging at it's prey, the upper hemisphere of his head flapped backwards as if it was connected with a spring loaded hinge in the rear of his head. A nine foot tongue flew out of his mouth wrapping itself around Zarah's entire head in an upward swirl. Zarah's head detached without a noise, and was swallowed whole, just as fast as the tongue seemed to appear out from Trenton's Pez action head. Zarah's lifeless body remained standing in place for a few seconds before collapsing with a pulsing fountain of blood.

Marduk casually walked towards the human shaped blood fountain that was only seconds ago his master's lover, and began excitedly lapping up large amounts of warm viscous life fluids. Marduk's facial mane was quickly becoming deeply stained.

Trenton spoke to Marduk with his new spirit voice, "Is that good mate? Do you like that? "

Marduk looked up at his master and spoke with a thick Sumerian accent, "It is delicious indeed master. Can we have more?"

"Novel idea 'ol boy, let's do just that."

"Wonderful. So, who's next then master?", Marduk asked purring between gnawing at the bloodly neck stump.

"Computer, Call MOM."

The central household computer dialed Trenton's mother. After four rings an elderly woman's voice came through the speakers throughout the flat.

"Son! Oh how I miss your calls. How is my only boy?"

In his best human voice Trenton replies, "Mum, Something is terribly wrong with me. I'm sick. Please come quick, but don't call emergency services, I can't afford another bill."

"Oh no! I'm on my way dear!"

The line disconnected. Trenton looked down at his pregnant stomach as it writhed chaotically with life trying to escape. He smiled at the thought of birthing his first brood of young. He imagined how beautiful his young would look. Trenton instinctively knew the exact quantity of nourishment his 213 offspring would need. Trenton was overwhelmed with poetic joy thinking of his young nourishing themselves on the body of the same woman that once provided him with life and nourishment.

"Marduk my boy, Mother is on her way! And very soon I will have enough new vessels to conjure the spirits to reincarnate your entire Babylonian Pantheon."

"Master, I'm so happy to feast with you. Thank you for summoning my spirit into this vessel. I cannot wait to rebuild my empire with you."


~~The End~~

Written by: Jonathan A. Lutz ©

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