Mixer

Trigger warning: Contains a birth scene.

6 months before:

I felt the chill first, then saw bright lights shining orange through my eyelids. A sharp, astringent smell bit at my nostrils. A clammy feeling enveloped my body. I opened my eyes and saw a large, round creature staring back at me in astonishment, a wide grin pushing up the apples of his cheeks.

“Hello, my name is Hariko Jones. I designed you. You are my first Mixer to survive the growth tank.” The glee and excitement rolled off of him in tangible waves as he gently patted my arm and made notations on his screen.

I didn’t understand him then, but months later I watched the reel of my awakening with both bitterness and gratitude. I could understand his words now and I tried to tamp down my growing hatred for this scientist, my creator. Dr. Jones only saw his own genius when he studied me. I was something to be poked, prodded, weighed and measured. A creature to be tested. How high could I jump? How well could I understand him? How much weight could I lift? I observed my creator as he observed the other form growing in the gel tank, a twin of the tank I had completed my incubation in. I watched and realized we were only numbers to Dr. Jones. Something was missing, but I had no understanding of the human being to base my suspicions on.

A buzz of activity interrupted my musings. Dr. Jones rushed into the lab. He motioned for me to follow him back out. He still didn’t realize how much language I could understand. His genetic tinkering had given me a vast intelligence and I glared at his back in contempt.

Outside? I had watched reels of the city outside and felt a strange desire to see the light in the sky reflecting off buildings and children climbing trees. Did they have retractable claws like I did? Dr. Jones had brought me outside in the evenings, but never through the front doors.

I quickly traipsed after him and blinked as sunlight attacked my eyes. Stunned, I paused and the glorious warmth of the sun made up for her vicious attack on my eyes. I looked around and saw a mass of people.

“She’s got striped fur,” I heard a woman gasp. “But her eyes look human.”

I snarled as someone yanked on my tail. “It’s real! I thought she was a robo, but I can see her breathing,” He shouted.

As the confusion and shouts increased, my ears were pierced by the decibel level and I whipped around as a new person tried to pet my arm.

“My glorious creation! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Rivia, part feline and part human. The first Mixer to be born alive.” Dr. Jones smiled like a proud father. “This is the future for our world- the ability to strengthen our DNA with the creatures we admire.”

There were cheers, but in the stillness after, a shout rose up.

“Abomination! Return her to the hell she came from!”

“She shouldn’t be alive. Kill the demon creature!”

I heard a whistling sound and ducked as a rock shot past my head. A second rock hurtled through the air and knocked Dr. Jones on the shoulder. He fell backwards, pulling me with him. As he lay there, I realized that he was unnaturally still. Blood seeped out from under his head and I saw that he had hit a hard ridge of concrete on his way down. I jumped up and ran back into the lab, barring the door.

Hurrying into the tank room, I hit the button to drain fluid from the tank containing the other form similar to mine, with long, lovely spotted fur instead of my gold and grey stripes. The banging on the door grew louder as I worked through the process I had been taught by Dr. Jones. He had often bragged of his success to me, repeating each step that had led to my awakened life, not knowing I could comprehend every word he uttered. As soon as the fluid drained, I suctioned the Mixer’s lungs and injected an awakening serum into his leg. His eyes fluttered open and he stared at me in confusion. I pulled him up and dragged him towards the hidden back exit, which went through a hill and came out in the forest. I knew the lab doors would only hold for a little while longer.

He stumbled as he was yanked along, but his coordination grew as his mind and body awakened more fully. We crept out into freedom, the roar of the crowd a dim whisper in the distance and the song of birds luring us into a bright and beautiful future. A future untainted by an angry mob.

2 months ago:

I named him Tavi. It sounded similar to my name and it rolled off the tongue with a delightful resonance. Each day that we lived gave us a better understanding of our bodies’ limits and strengths. Already, I had discovered that I could hear a dragonfly a mile away, and run as fast as a deer for short sprints. Tavi and I used simple signs when hunting prey or when the humans came in with their machines and dogs to search for us.

After each search, we travelled deeper into the wilderness, but still the humans sought us. Was it out of fear? Did they want to terminate us or breed us? The unknowns kept us moving.

As we travelled, our relationship grew close and at night I would rub my head under Tavi’s chin and our purrs would mingle in a musical two part resonance as we showed our affection for one another. Already, I could feel small forms in my womb, filling our ears with the tiny sounds of their heartbeats, reminding us of our love for each other. In my center was real creation, formed of two beings, grown in the sacredness of a mother’s center. Inside my body was what was missing from Dr. Jones’ lab- a heart full of love.

Present Day:

My time was coming. Tavi had led us into the heart of the mountains, to a deep glen with a protected cave. I felt the tightening of my womb and readjusted the branches and fur I had formed into a birthing nest. Tavi stroked my back as each new cub appeared. I stared in amazement at the strangeness of our children. One by one they arrived. Each infant was covered in fur, some with ears on the top of their head, others with ears on the sides. Some cubs were striped or spotted and some were a mixture of both. All were born with their eyes and ears sealed closed. When the last child was delivered and I began to clean the small body, I saw Tavi frown in disapproval.

“Rivia, that one has very little fur and its ears are already open. It will be both cold and deaf, unable to care for itself. Perhaps I should leave it out for the ravens.” Tavi declared.

I looked at my wee, hairless babe and the small creature opened her eyes and stared at me in wonder. I glanced over at her siblings and shook my head.

“This one is special, Tavi. She may hold the key to our survival. I will call her Eevie,” I declared.

And it was true. Eevie grew slower than her brothers and sisters, but she was smarter. I made her work harder so that she could be stronger. One day, she would fit into the world of men, and she would carry our secret origin with her.