Science Fiction

SOUMYA SUCHARIT DAS

8 June 2009
The world of science is always so
alluring. The more you learn.the
more you want to learn
I must note down everything from
now on in this diary as it might lead to
a greater discovery for mankind as a
whole. It would help mention the facts
correct in my thesis too.
Today it was a sort of serendipity
for me. I found it growing on the
carcass of some dead rodent on the
countryside. I had not visited the place
for quite some time after my spine
injury, and you know, there are some
biologists who just want to look up
everything under the microscope!
I always carry my equipments for
that purpose only. So, out of curiosity
and enthusiasm I scraped the rodents
skin and brought the slimy growth to
my lab on a Petri dish. It was a
microbeabout which I had never
studied. I took out my whole
collection of books, materials and
looked up the Internet too. Nobody
mentioned about a microbe with such
specifications ever. I dont know
where it had come from on the rodents
body or how it grew on it.

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 Science Fiction
I reached for my wheelchair and slumped into it.....
I turned around and looked at the lab and the destroyed room
that gave me shelter yesterday night.
It was as if a violent storm had just passed.....
And it is quite a discovery
whether you discover a new species of
mammal or you discover an alien
microbe, the fame you get out of it is
the same!
The first thing I noticed under the
lens was that the culture was dying. The
micro- organisms seemed to feed on
the blood platelets and may be the
flesh. The scraping seemed to be
decaying by the evening. The little
amount I had scraped along with the
skin was now only a slimy little drop.
I just couldnt let go. I put a drop of my
own blood on the culture just to see
the reaction. The microbes responded
positively and started reproducing
again. The microorganisms seemed to
be forming some sort of symbiosis
with the WBCs of the blood.
I need this culture to survive to
carry out a few more tests and prepare
my thesis accordingly. I have put it in
a protein medium with some more
blood. Hope it survives this night.
Tomorrow I will find it some more
food. The only disadvantage it has is
that it cannot withstand heat. Even at
temperatures just a few degrees above
body temperature, it starts
disintegrating. The cells crumpled into
a mass and there was no sign of life. It
seems to be very vulnerable to heat.
It growled at me.
Its eyes were red
blood red. It took me
a moment to sense
its intentions.
I rushed into the house
and closed the door.
It violently scratched
at the door.
I was terrified to
death......
9 June 2009
The initial findings are great! They
are attaching themselves to the WBCs
enhancing their ability to reproduce
faster without going into the
cancerous stage. And if my hypothesis
is correct then it must improve the
immune system of any animal
considerably. In short, it would make
a superman of a man! A more efficient,
diseaseless, powerful breed of
creature. Mans life span would be
prolonged. It works like an energy
supplementa sudden boost in
power
Its abilities looked great and the
first thing that came to my mind was
my own wrecked spine! But I am no
guinea pig. I needed another
volunteer. My dog, Tommy seemed
to be the best option. I injected the
microbe into him. Initially there
seemed to be no effect but gradually
Tommy seemed to be more energetic.
Now it was time to test the true ability
of the life form. So, I tried injuring
Tommy to see the healing process but
he had acquired tremendous energy,
he ran out of the lab and has not
returned since then.
I tried it on a lab mouse too. It
became aggressive and damaged the
grills of its little cage. I injured it with
a scalpel, a wound just enough to injure
its spine. It fainted. I later realized that
it had actually died. But the moment I
saw blood on its skin the next moment
I saw it healing. I observed that the
spine also has healed.
I am overjoyed as I write todays
entry in this diary. I can very easily
imagine myself on my feet again,
without the wretched wheelchair!
10 June 2009
In the morning found the carcass of the
mouse. I dont know how it decayed
so fast but I could see the slime on its
body. Now it is time for action, I have
conducted a few preliminary tests and
injected some of the culture into my
veins.
It was ecstaticlike a sudden
boost in energy. I just stood up from
my chair, my backbone creaked as I did
so and in a moment I was ready to do
anythinganything I wanted! I was
standing on my feet with a straight
back! After three months I visited my
office. Everyone was amazed to see
me fully recovered. Whichever file I
took up, it was like childs play. I was
more vibrant than ever. Completed a
lot of pending work today and was
appreciated by one and all. I returned
with a satisfied heart.
The first thing I noticed in my lab
was the remains of the mouse. In the
morning I had no time and left it as
such but now it has grown worse. It
was almost like the remains I had
found in the countryside. Nothing
decays so fast. It is not natural. The
microbe is doing it. I took the slime
under the microscope again. I had not
noticed this change on the first
instant.the normal cells of the mouse
were all deadonly the microbial cell
lived on the protein of the initial cell.
Now I realize that it is feeding on the
creature. It at first enhances the
abilities to a devilish extent and then
starts eating up the cells. Now, I had
never thought of the after effects of the
injection. There are always some side
effects! I should have thought of it
before injecting it into my
bloodstream. Now, there is no going
back.
Suddenly my thoughts were
disrupted as the telephone rang; it was
Dr Rastogi from the neighborhood. He
complained that my dog, Tommy had
killed their cat and had created a lot of
nuisance. It even broke their iron
fencing.
The picture is getting clearer bit-
by-bit. Tommy is now in the second
stage of the microbial action or its life
cycle. It first enhances the capabilities
and gives tremendous energy to the
host. In the second stage it increases
the abilities to a devilish extent and
the restless mind seeks destruction; the
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 Science Fiction
mouse too had grown aggressive
before it died. The third stage is
obviously decay. The microbe takes
its fee for giving you such tremendous
energy. It feeds on you!!
Everything comes for a price
here the price is life
In the night, Tommy returned
But it did not recognize me. It
growled at me. Its eyes were
redblood red. It took me a moment
to sense its intentions. I rushed into
the house and closed the door. It
violently scratched at the door. I was
terrified to death. What have I done to
my little dog! I have made it a
devilmay be I too am going to be
like it.
I write this as I hear his distinct
growls outside my house. Its still
there. Waiting for me
11 June 2009
The best form of defence is offence
I had discovered the flintlock gun
of my father this morning. The
moment I opened the door, the dog
leapt towards me. I shot. It tasted dust.
It had grown stout; its fur was ruffled
and unclean, teeth sharper. It lay
before me motionless. I struck it with
the end of the gun. It did not move. I
noticed that it had started decaying.
The wound healed but the rot set in.
I got back into the lab. If we see
the timings of each stage in different
life forms then I am going to enter the
second stage any time by the next day.
I sat down to eliminate the thing that I
had thought to be my savior a day ago.
The only weakness that I had detected
in it was heat, an all time enemy of
microbes. In case of bacterial or viral
infection, the body temperature goes
up by some degrees to counter its effect
or to retard their growth rate. The
raised body temperature enhances the
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immune system. The process of
increasing the body temperature
manually is implemented to counter
the growth of cancerous cells too. They
call it hyperthermia therapy. This was
my last resort. I had infected myself
with a deadly microbe and was now
trying to find a possible cure for it!
I entered the lab after cremating
Tommy. The mouse had by now lost
all its existence, the slime remained. I
poured some kerosene on it and set it
on fire too. Now all I needed was heat,
heat and more heat!
I emptied the room, put clothes on
all the four sides and set them on fire.
Placed a chair for myself in the middle
of the room and a table to place this
diary on. Then went to the kitchen to
get all the spices I had on the shelf. I
had a sumptuous and heavy
carbohydrate rich meal. Then soaked
a few blankets with warm water and
wrapped them around. The next thing
to do was to exercise. I could never
have imagined that with my broken
backbone but now I was efficient
enough to do it.
After all these body-heating
techniques I have sat down to write my
diary. In case I dont survive this night,
my ordeal must not go unnoticed.
Whoever finds this diary would
certainly work to eliminate this devil.
At least they would know what it could
do to them.
May be soon the devilish second
stage would take over and I might go
on a rampage. So, I have shackled
myself with whatever I found in the
vicinity.
God save me.
12 June 2009
I woke up on my chair, completely
drenched in sweat. The ground too was
wet with it. The fire had died down.
I had never thought of
the after effects of the
injection. There are
always some side
effects! I should have
thought of it before
injecting it into my
bloodstream. Now,
there is no going back.
The plaster of the walls was damaged,
the table broken. It was evident that I
had broken into a violent fit yesterday
night, but by Gods grace I am still alive
today.
My temperature seems to be
slightly higher than normal and for the
first time after such a long period I am
happy with my broken spine. It gives
a sense of relief that I am not going to
die now. The microbe has been
destroyed!
I reached for my wheelchair and
slumped into it. I turned around and
looked at the lab and the destroyed
room that gave me shelter yesterday
night. It was as if a violent storm had
just passed. But I still doubt whether
the microbe has been destroyed
completely or not. Its effect was
contagious and Tommy had gone
berserk. He must have bitten some
people or other animals. This thing
can go on forever and wipe out the
entire race.
I cant reach everyone with this
physical deformity. People might not
be knowing its destructive character
but I have faith that they would
learnlike me.Man is an adaptable
creature and would soon find a way to
eliminate this devil forever. I must
stop writing this diary now. I will
definitely find a better topic than this
for my thesis submission.
I too have to adapt to live with this
damaged backbone. One must accept
ones deformities and try to overcome
them with ones own efforts rather than
expecting miracles to happen.
Goodbye whosoever reads this
diary
Shri Soumya Sucharit Das, Type-IV, Qrt-23, Income
Tax Colony, Vanivihar, Bhubaneswar, Orissa