The next two months were a blur. Between receiving the additional training and testing my abilities, Me'Neath giving me private after hours instruction in the darker forms of the martial arts that I didn't get anywhere else, and my tutoring him in languages, time flew faster then a cheetah on speed. He really didn't need my tutoring, as he picked it up very quickly. Human languages are rather easy for Tigerians to pick up. It was more of a social thing. We also went through the first year of the journal. Mom was on this planet for a very long time before she died, and her journal recorded every bit of it. Me'Neath also questioned me about religion. Since I was never really brought up in a religion, aside from the snatches of whatever mom believed in, He told me a bit about Tigearia's different religions.
"The Tigereans have five major religions and any number of minor ones which are usually sects or sub-sets of the major ones. Most the live here on earth believe in the largest one, called in English "The Order". It's simular to Buddhism." I spoke up. "What did you and the others mean by "the prophecy" when you first saw me?" Me'Neath's muzzled flushed red for a moment, and then he spoke. "I'm surprised that you caught that. The old writings spoke of one who, not born of Tigerea having both the abilities and weaknesses of our people, and also having abilities beyond our people. That person would lead our people to the end times. I do not think that it is you, but I must research the journal to find out what happened in your case. Your mother had a thing of tinkering with genetics. She might have found something out." The blood in my veins went ice cold as I realized the full depth of what was just said. "Are you saying that I could have been an experiment in creating the best of both worlds?" Me'Neath sighed and lowered his head. "I am sorry, but yes, that is what I am intending to find out. Regardless, you are a remarkable creature, and you should not let that bother you. I think it best, however, if I leave you to think." With that, he got up and left rather quickly. I found myself unable to do anything for quite some time afterwards.
One week later
"Me'Neath, could you come here? I found something which might interest you." He
hung up the phone and came over to the desk that I had in "The Pit" as the base
was lovingly called. I showed the journal to him, and he stared at it, dropping
his drink at the same time. "This is very interesting. It's written in
alternating languages, so only a few could even read it, let along make sense of
it. This is why you were sent here. To find me. Because I can read this:
My Dearest son:
You are most likely the only living creature that can read this. It's hard for me to say this, but I feel that you must know the truth. You were an experiment in retroactive genetics. The reason that you do not remember any of it is because one of the treatments, sadly, erased your mind. For that I am ever so sorry. You were born human, but crippled in a way that most people would rather die then live with. Your father, aware of this, chose to bury himself deeper in his work then ever and chose to ignore his only son and his wife. He left me to care for you. He wanted nothing to do with you. I took you, your crippled body, and altered it. Through several combinations of retro-virii and a bit of tinkering, I re-created you in your current form. The über-form was a by-product of an unsuccessful attempt to turn you into a full Tigerean.You may heave heard rumors, if Tigereans have seen this form, of you being "The One" as foretold by The Order's prophets. Frankly, they may be right, but they may be wrong. I attempted to clone you after this, but met only failure. Know this: You are NOT nothing more then "just an experiment" in my eyes, and will never be. You are MY son, and I love you very much. Tell the Tigerean next to you, if there is one there, that I kept this secret for obvious reasons. If anyone on the homeworld knew, I would be forbidden to ever return.
Tigereans can not whistle, but I heard one in the background anyway. We both spun around, and George was there. "Well now, That's very interesting, Tigerpaw. Everything drops into place now about your past. I had a hell of a time verifying your past. The official papers insist that you are human, and were born with multiple congenial defects. Technically, you should not even be alive, but it seems your mother found a way around that. Not that I'm upset, mind you. She gave the worlds one a hell of a gift. I want to know something. Does that journal contain her research notes? It may be useful to the humans to further medical science." I thought for a minute, and looked in the index. Finding them, and looking at them, knowing instantly that they were encrypted, I shook my head. "What notes that are here appear to be encrypted. I don't know what the decryption key is." George nodded, and stated, "Try to find out." He left, and I quietly got up, and, motioning Me'Neath to follow, went upstairs to the the one place that no one could hear us, the generating station on base.
Over the din I shouted to him, "I won't give the notes up. I know the key, but Mom warned me not to give out the notes to anyone except the Empire in another of her entries. She was loyal in that respect, but little else. I know that now. I also know that we need to get the empire to come down and retrieve both of us. Your work here is done, and I feel that both of us are not safe here anymore. I think that at least on the home world, I might have a chance." Me'Neath thought for a minute, and replied. "No, I think the best place is here, for whatever reason. I do agree that George should not get a copy of those notes. They are not his property to do with." Suddenly, our phones started beeping in a manner that we knew to be a priority one call. We left the room and heard the intercom message blare out, "All personal report to the Meeting Room in five minutes. This is a Situation Blue alert."
We looked at each other, sighed, and I locked down the journal, and we walked to the meeting room. We got there and sat next to the other Tigereans and halfs. Me'Neath bluntly told the other three when we walked in that I was not the one. The reaction to this was quite interesting. It looked like, to the mundane observer, that a major feline war broke out. The language degraded from Tigerean Standard to Primal rather quickly, but Me'Neath won out in the end. Still getting strange looks, I sat down in the back. The rest of the two teams and staff filed in a minute or two later. After everyone was seated, George walked up to the podium with a grim face, and started the briefing.
"We have a situation that requires both Teams..."