Once on the ground they walked carefully towards the pod, the ground was soft and the cavern itself filled mostly with water. As they approached, the pods interior lit up exposing what lay within.
"It's huge!" Afain exclaimed, "Is this what the inhabitants of this planet look like?" She studied its finer features, the giant's sharp protruding teeth made Afain shiver.
Cleo answered Afain's question, "I doubt that, this is probably a primitive ancestor to what is now the dominant life form."
"Let's hope." Afain stuttered.
As Lyja was doing her scans, she became more and more amazed. In more ways than one it became obvious to the others she had discovered something.
"Well speak up Lyja," Kira said seeing obvious bewilderment in her face.
"This thing shouldn't be."
"What do you mean?"
"The circuitry in this thing, it's all organic."
Kira blinked, "What?"
Lyja just couldn't believe it, "Its original components are not here anymore, likely corroded beyond working condition. This thing replaced it with an organic equivalent."
"That's not possible."
"It is because I'm looking at it. I'm reading its memory core but it's convoluted beyond belief. Only a few core commands are even recognizable and those are written in the ancient language. You might understand them better." She handed the scanner to Kira who looked totally confused.
"You're right, most of this is memory files not machine code, it's almost like a new language."
Afain ran her paw over the top of the pod, "So can we turn it off?" Afain said.
"I don't think so, not without killing the creature within." They stared at it and the tendrils that lead from it to the walls with the organic pods.
"Have any theories on those Lyja?" Afain asked.
Lyja walked up to one of them and studied it, she did a quick scan but she was really interested in what lay within. She still was amazed at what this thing had done, if she was right this was a miracle that they had found. "I do but let me gather a few more scans."
"Well, now that we found it, how are we going to get it out of here?"
Lyja was quick to answer that, "Trifelonate."
"What?" Afain said.
"It's a substance that can easily be made to solidify then after be returned to its natural state."
"But those pod things are attached to the walls."
"We'll tunnel behind it, not to worry we can have this thing out of here in a few hours with the 406."
"406?" Kira asked confused.
"It's a tunneling bot, I made sure we had one before we launched, didn't know what we'd expect. Packed almost anything you can think of."
"Ok Cleo send for that bot, lets get this thing out of here."
Understood."
It took Lyja and Kira about two hours to move the pod into position to be sealed in trifelonate. Afain decided things were under control and returned to the ship. They were extremely cautious when moving it but eventually it was accomplished without incident. All tendrils were safely moved intact. The trifoliate was applied and the pod was now sealed, ready for transport back to homeworld.
On the other side globe: British Columbia.
The two mothers screamed in severe pain, they grabbed their heads in agony. Alison within mother had never felt such terrible pain. It continued until they could take it no more, they all collapsed onto the floor into unconsciousness.
It was hours before they came to, but they all felt somehow different. They really couldn't put their finger on it but they felt apart from something.
Mother/Swallow rubbed her head, "You experienced that too."
"If you mean the pickaxe to the head, yeah," Mother said as she rubbed her head. "Still have the pain though, not as intense but it's there."
"Yes I still do as well, what the hell happened?"
"I'm not sure." Mother crawled to a chair close by, her head was just swimming; it was a chore just to stand. "I'm having a hard time concentrating."
"I'm all right in that respect, just that the pain is intense." Mother/Swallow said.
Mother tapped on her belly trying to awaken Alison, she hoped that she was all right. Blast these feelings she thought, she didn't want them; they were a nuisance. "Ow." Was the thought she got, "good" she thought she was alive.
"I feel different, something is wrong…well not wrong, just not exactly the same as it was." Swallow/Mother said.
"You're right, I feel that way too." It was then mother got another thought from Alison, "The pod!!!!"
The ship: Brazil.
Afain stared at the thing in the cargo bay, it was nothing but miraculous that it survived all this time. Lyja just happened to be coming back to look at the things as well.
"Amazing." Afain said.
"Oh yes, it is. It could change our technology again if we can figure out how this thing did it."
"It's that advanced?"
"Yes, that thing figured a way to repair its systems by using other means than technology. It grew itself a new limb…so to speak. None of our machines can do that, organically I mean. They can use technology and machines to make repairs but not grow them. This machine did, it wasn't an organic to start with, but it is now. It has changed and that's the miracle."
That was indeed one for sure but Afain had another concern, "Do you think we will be able to get it to release the creature within?"
"Not sure, might, but its going to take some thing to interface with it to do it. And right now I have no idea what we have that can."
Afain sighed, "At least we saved this world from finding out about the technology. It being buried was a stroke of luck."
Cleo had followed Afain to the cargo hold, being ever so diligent making sure nothing happened to his charge.
"That is not entirely correct", Cleo said. The pod was emanating a very low carrier signal both for receiving and sending data. I thought it may be of importance so I followed it and I believe now that it was in contact with someone on this planet."
"And now?" Afain said.
"It isn't, the trifelonate must block the transmission of any signal." Cleo's data base did not have every bit of data the Zargozians possessed; many things were left out intentionally to allow room for other more important data. They assumed if Cleo needed to know something it would research it. For the most part that was true.
Lyja smiled, "Yes trifelonate has that property, its great stuff for blocking interference from electronic noise. It has many other engineering qualities too." She was about to go on but saw that Afain didn't look at all interested. "I'll tell you later Cleo."
Afain just sighed, "Did you get a location?"
"Yes, I am loading it into the ships guidance program now."
"Then its best we find these individuals as soon as possible."
British Columbia.
Mother felt extremely ill and decided to run a warm bath while Mother/Swallow went off on her own business. She didn't tell her the revelation that Alison had spoke of. The warm water felt good and she relaxed. She whispered, "Speak when you feel like it, I may not answer but I'll certainly listen."
It was a little while but Alison finally spoke, "Oooh that hurt, I'm still reeling from that. I believe, and this is only a guess, but I think we have been disconnected from the pod, "Mother just hummed an affirmative, "either by chance or by interference by someone or something else. You did say it was in a cavern, anything could have gone wrong; maybe the cave collapsed." Another hum from Mother, "There is one theory that is way out there." She was silent for a few moments then resumed, "Maybe the owners have come to claim it." Mother hummed in question.
"Well someone owned that thing, we didn't build it…at least I have no memory of it."
Mother hummed a "no" as well. "Then it probably is not from this planet, maybe the beings who left it here finally got around to coming to pick it up."
Mother whispered for this was important, "Could they trace it back?"
"You mean that feeling we have of somehow of being disconnected? Yes they might."
"Then there is hope we might get out of here." Mother whispered.
"Yes."
Mother settled back and relaxed, the first good news she'd had in a long time.
She felt a lot better after that bath, seems the relaxing helped; the pain in her head was subsiding. She went down to find Mother/Swallow rummaging through a closet.
"What's in there?"
"You tell me." She rolled out a long slim canister. "There are three of them, one isn't working. What's in them? I cannot seem to remember."
That's where those damn things went, I'd wondered where those stupid people put them; Mother thought. "They contain clones from the skunk I used for Swallow's, Ti's, and the 'taurs' template."
"What happened to the other one? Why is it non-functional?"
"It malfunctioned and released one of them, although that clone is defective; which might mean those other two are as well."
"Defective?", she raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"It didn't grow, well it grew but not to scale. It's a very small version of the original skunk."
"Interesting, a miniature version of it; so you never discovered as to why?"
"To tell the truth I'd had forgotten about those, my employee's took them from an associate of mine."
"Oh, he was threat?"
"I needed to regain control over him, I knew he had the clone so I took her one day along with those cylinders. Those were obviously misplaced and I went on to other things, like death."
Mother/Swallow raised an eyebrow, "Ah yes, let's not think about that."
"I agree, what do you want to do with them?"
"If as you said they are not viable then it might be best to destroy them and to start again." Mother/Swallow said callously.
Alison kicked mother in protest, mother winced. "It might be best to hold off on that, I can run more tests on them to check."
Mother/Swallow just looked at her strangely, "Very well, your project." She put the container back into the closet with the other two. "Do as you please with them." She closed the door and left them to their own devices.
Mother rubbed her protruding belly, it was bigger that was for sure. She was moving along with the pregnancy; how this was going to turn out in the end she wasn't sure. One thing for sure, one of them was going to have a baby!!!