PROJECT EARTH

“It is bright. So, so bright.”

That was the first thing Boog thought when he poked his beak through the thin layer of white that blanketed his surroundings since he became conscious. He did not know how long he had been trapped in this encasement, only blinking awake seconds before his instincts told him to break free from the cold whiteness.

“Where am I?”

Boog wasn’t quite sure how he had gotten here, or what here even was. Boog wasn’t even sure how Boog knew he was Boog. He did know that he had to get home… wherever home was. He sniffed and strained his ears to gauge his surroundings, only to whimper in pain from the sudden increase in sound. The loud, mechanical beeps and whooshings frightened Boog as his ears seemed much larger than he remembered, extending far above his head. The lost creature squinted as he peered out into the vast darkness and spotted green symbols blinking above a cut-out in a far wall. Boog felt a churning inside. Something told him he had to get to that sign if he wanted out. As Boog lifted a long, bony foot with sharp talons at the end of each skinny appendage to take a careful step forward, he walked face-first into an invisible wall and an alarm sounded.

“DR. PHLAN TO REHABILITATION, SPECIMEN 427 IS CONSCIOUS. DR. PHLAN TO REHABILITATION, SPECIMEN 427 IS CONSCIOUS.”

The room alternated between being filled with harsh red light and the dark abyss that the creature awoke to. Boog couldn’t understand what the loud sirens were saying as the flashing lights sent a pounding through his head that was almost as loud as the fast beating of all three of his hearts. Ramming his body against the glass repeatedly, Boog let out a frightened shriek at the sight of taught flesh connecting his forearms to his torso. That wasn’t there before.

“Boog. You naughty, naughty bird.” 

Boog froze, he had heard those words before. The creature that uttered them was familiar-looking and big, so big that Boog hardly noticed the silencing of the siren and lights upon their arrival. He had to tilt his head so high that his elongated, pointy ears touched the middle of his back in order to run his eyes over the face of whoever approached him. The enormous creature’s face was odd-looking and confirmed Boog’s suspicion that he did not belong here. Their features were distinct, yet looked too small for this one’s face. Their nose, their mouth, and all three of their eyes were like small islands on a vast sea of blue skin. Their eyebrows were loud, dark lines splitting the sea.

“Dr. Phlan, this is SPECIMEN 427’s third attempt at escaping confinement before his modification process is completed. No other specimen has reacted as such. With all due respect, Doctor, we should really place him in solitary observation before this gets out of hand.”

Another creature exposed herself from behind the first, who Boog now knows is Dr. Phlan. This one wasn’t nearly as big as Dr. Phlan but her nasally voice and cold eyes made Boog equally afraid of her. She pressed the piece of plastic that sat atop her nose with a slim, gloved appendage as her thin eyes glared at him menacingly. Boog felt a shiver go through his spine as he inspected his surroundings for the first time since noticing the door. To his right and left, only what looked to be two steps away, was an endless row of still, white eggs. For some reason unbeknownst to him, it unsettled Boog to see.

“With all due respect, Ms…”

“Sergeant Heinz.”

“Right,” Dr. Phlan chuckled, rubbing a large hand across his neck, “Boog here is the most successful result of our regeneration efforts in PROJECT EARTH. How can we expect to revive this beautiful colony if we don’t let their beings thrive?”

Heinz pursed her lips together tightly and gritted, “My team and I scoured this measly colony in less than a zano only to find ten remaining of the human species and hundreds of these… things! We must take precautions with these Earthlings. What kind of species destroys their own colony?” 

Boog’s heart sunk at the statement. Did that mean his home is gone? The last thing he remembers before waking up here is being snuggled up in warm darkness.

“These ‘things’ are extraordinary! That human tribe found a way to preserve their existence amongst the destruction. Besides, it is my job to restore life and rehabilitate these poor creatures, I couldn’t care less about their history,” Dr. Phlan firmly stated before waving his hand over Boog’s head. There was a beep and hiss before the invisible wall separating him from the aliens slid open. Boog’s instincts told him to run, but he imagined himself falling from a tall ledge; he had to remind himself that he was captive and apparently far from home.

“What are you doing?” Boog noticed Heinz’s hand move to grip a small blaster that sat on her hip as she fired the question to the doctor.

Dr. Phlan scowled, “He clearly wishes to be released. I’ll place him with the awakened humans, maybe they will be able to soothe him.”

Boog had pieced together that he and humans were one of the same, lost creatures from a destroyed colony. But if what Heinz was saying is true, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be placed with them. Were the white eggs next to him other Boogs? Did Boog have a family?

 Boog chastised himself for not being able to remember, though the longer he stayed conscious, the more he craved his home. He could recall pieces of it like the smooth dirt that massaged his stretchy skin, the familiar muddy scent of moist earth, and the juicy bugs he’d snatch in his teeth that conveniently grew outside of his mouth. Boog realized he didn’t look or feel like his current self at all in those memories. His pale, flabby skin with tiny hairs and dwarfed four legs were replaced by stretchy, hairless wings and scrawny legs leading to talons. He was a child of the land modified for the sky? The urgency toward finding answers surged along with Boog’s two extra hearts when he felt a tight squeeze around his body.

Dr. Phlan grinned, removing the creature from his confinement and whispering, “It’s okay, Boog. I’m going to bring you to other earthlings. Just stay calm and everything will be okay.”

Boog found that hard to believe considering Sergeant Heinz’s fingers were now tightly gripping her blaster that was aimed directly at the creature. He could tell she intended it to be a warning of sorts so he feigned submission by curling up into a ball in the alien’s large palm while keeping an eye out for the perfect escape. Dr. Phlan huffed triumphantly and ran a rough finger over Boog’s tight skin before turning towards the green sign and exiting.

The space outside of the darkroom was almost the exact opposite. We entered a white hallway with black doors lining the walls as far down the hall as Boog could see. The overwhelming scent of bleach and chemicals caused Boog to have a fit of sneezes briefly, prompting Dr. Phlan to rub his back soothingly. The three walked for quite a bit in silence penetrated by the squeaking of shoes against the sparkling tile. Boog, having no perception of how many doors down he was from his original enclosure, curled up into a ball and wrapped his wings around himself to protect his eyes and nose from the harsh surroundings. The squeaking ceased as Dr. Phlan came face to face with a door that seemed to be extra protected. Bending over slightly to type in a code, he opened one eye wide for a retinal scan and swiped his key card before pushing the door open. Boog felt a warm breeze brush across his skin as the door creaked. He wondered if the doctor was only fooling him and would now throw his weak body out to the wind. 

The thought was wiped from his mind as he noticed two slim, frailed beings slowly walking towards the three of them. Their feet were so light against the mini dunes of sand underneath them, almost as if they were floating, and their brown skin glowed in the artificial sunshine that reflected off of the serene pond that sat in the middle of the room. 

“Greetings, Doctor,” the tallest spoke first, a perfect sphere of thick hair sat on top of her head. “Is it time already for labs?”

Dr. Phlan smiled before outstretching his hand where Boog sat, wildly observing the artificial habitat, “No, I have brought to you all a fellow earthling. He has thrived within his own habitat, more so than the other specimen. I think he is ready.”

The afro woman eyed Boog cautiously, “I’ve never seen such a creature. It is from Earth?”

“Well, we have made slight modifications to Boog’s kind to heighten their chances of survival--”

Sergeant Heinz interrupts the doctor, “According to our findings, you might know them as a ‘naked mole rat’. Doctor calls him Boog.”

Suddenly, Boog is swept into the hands of the woman, her dark eyes peering into his before her lips creep into a toothy grin. Fear settled into his stomach like a ball of lead as a smaller woman circled around him, examining every inch of the lost creature. Boog wondered if they would eat him.

“Poor Boog,” the smaller of the women whispered, her rounded eyes brimmed with tears as she took in the trembling winged rodent. “What did you do to him?”

Boog wanted to know the answer to that as well.

Heinz scowled, “We saved him from the extinction that you prompted. His heart was weak so we added two more, then gave him wings to fly away from danger, along with talons to his feet. The necessary means for survival, especially amongst you savages.”

“You know nothing of our history. I watched my planet crumble before my very eyes but my tribe alone was not strong enough to save it. We offered our practices to others, warning them of what was to come, but they refused to listen. They called me a conspiracist, said I was crazy, ” the tallest’s eyes glazed over as if she was lost in her thoughts, clutching Boog closer to her chest. “You may leave us. We will take care of him.”

Sergeant Heinz opened her mouth to object but was silenced by a firm hand on her shoulder from Dr. Phlan. They exchanged a look before the doctor shook hands with the presumed leader solemnly before Heinz huffed, marching through the exit with Dr. Phlan close behind her. Boog whimpered and outstretched his wings for the first time, jumping from the woman’s palm to follow suit.

“Uh oh!” the small girl giggled as the rodent face-planted into a dune of sand. She bent down to pluck his head free and dust him off with soft fingers but Boog scurried away from her touch. Hopping to his feet, he attempted to fly away once more but could barely create enough momentum to float. The girl kept her distance and said in a sing-song tone, “It's okay, you don’t have to be afraid.”

Boog looked deep into her eyes and saw kindness. He let her walk towards him, her blackened feet seemingly parting the sand below them, and take him into her arms. The girl squeezed him close, rubbing her chin against his small head tenderly, before whispering, “Mama and I are here now. There are a few others, let me show you.”

She perched Boog on her shoulder and began walking into the desert abyss. There seemed to be nothing but sand stretching for miles until the creature spotted moving figures and huts up ahead. Boog’s ears perked up at the sounds of laughter, music, and conversation. The closer they got to the make-shift town, the louder it became. Boog felt a surge of excitement and fear mixed together as four more brown men and women charged their way.

“My sisters and brothers, please welcome our newest addition to the tribe: Boog, the flying naked-mole rat,” the leader addressed the small group. They erupted into cheers, hugs, and kisses, in celebration of another life restored to their colony. “Welcome to your new home, Boog.”

Boog was lifted from the girl's shoulders onto a tall pile of sand, his head swiveling as he examined each gentle face. They were all smiling and their eyes shone with love. A hand reached out to caress his face and Boog smiled. He was home.