Year 2275 The Unkari Research Lab. Atlantic Ocean, Earth

“Master Ennuturat! You need to see this! I have identified a research subject that is going through the final stage! Look at his brainwaves during the sleep period!”

Old Ennuturat slowly got off his reclined chair and proceeded to the monitor, where his young assistant was pulling up various databases on someone named Otis Solarin.

“Hmm” The coefficient of the thalamus activity correlated with the oscillation ability is extremely high. “Are you sure he has the gene?”

“Positive! I am so excited! This is the first time we received this good of a result since the subject named Carl Jung, although the gene was not passed onto either of his five offspring. I’ve been monitoring Otis Solarin since birth. The gene runs in his family.”

This youngster was too much like the foolish Hundigar, with all his excitement and exuberant youth. Obviously, it was not a compliment in Ennuturat’s vocabulary. He looked thoughtfully outside the large transparent force field of the research lab that separated them from the ocean. A large school of fluorescent fish hurried by, casting shadows on the rippled sandy ocean floor, lit up with the green lights surrounding the lab building. He would never admit it to anyone, but he had grown to love this view and the serenity of the ocean floor. Sometimes he would open the sound channel and flood his personal quarters with the sounds of the ocean. The songs of the aquatic species worked miracles for his old body.

“Presuming it is so, and all checks out, do you think he can oscillate when awake?”

“Hmm. I don’t know, master. We haven’t found anyone who could yet. But I know someone on Erinozhan who is creating an artificial field that would amplify the brain waves and simulate the collective network effect of their ancestors. Perhaps he could oscillate in the field. But in any event, his descendants, a generation or two away, will be able to. The projections are unanimous.”

“We need him then. As soon as possible.”

“Master?”

“Is this going to be an ethics lecture?”

“Master, you know as well as I do. Abductions are ruled illegal by the Council.”

“Black hole on their heads! When we are so close, they decide to fall for this ‘human rights’ nonsense.”

“I know, master, it is extremely frustrating, but we have to follow the protocol.”

“So what do we do?”

“Well, we discussed the First Contact for some time now. Maybe this presents a good reason to officially introduce ourselves. This Otis Solarin may agree to join our research project willingly. With a little white lie of course, but willingly nonetheless.”

Ennuturat was old school. Negotiating with the lab animals was beyond his comprehension, but he knew one thing for sure: this universe belonged to the new guard, for better or worse. And the new Unkari, with their evolved vision of these humans, would have to deal with their dangerous ability. Looking towards eternity, Ennuturat had resigned to this new vision, no matter what he personally thought of it.

“First Contact you say. That should be fun. I’d like to see their reaction when we come out of the ocean,” said the old Unkari with a mischievous smile. “Alright, send a memo to the Council. If they approve, we’ll have some fun before I drift into eternity.”

“Don’t say that, Master. You have many galactic rotations ahead of you,” coaxed the young Unkari scientist, fully aware that he was lying. But what’s a little white lie, when someone’s peace of mind is at stake?

TO BE CONTINUED