Matthew Illuyda stood outside the gleaming glass edifice that was the Montana headquarters of Greenfield Genetics. Numerous trees, shrubbery and other greenery dotted around the area broke up the sterile appearance of the corporate campus. As he watched through the heavy steel bar fence that ringed the campus, he could see scientists and other workers — both Human and Mesozoican — strolling across the manicured, yet naturalistic paths.
I wish I could smack my six-year-old self for being such a stupid fuck, he thought.
He was interrupted from his ruminations by the door to the small visitor’s center opening and one of the guards stepping out.
“Mister Illuyda,” the guard said. “I am afraid I cannot allow you to speak to Doctor Delameter as he is currently very busy at the moment with a shareholders’ meeting.”
“Can I make an appointment then?”
“Mister Illuyda, Doctor Delameter does not take personal meetings at work nor does he meet with strangers.”
Matthew sighed as he ran a hand through his sand-colored hair. “This is a deeply per—”
The guard’s tone took on a slightly sharper edge. “Mister Illuyda, I have already stated that you cannot meet with him. Please leave before I have you removed from the property.”
Defeated, Matthew walked away from the visitor’s center and made his way back to the visitor’s parking.
“Guess there’s only one other person to meet,” he muttered as he got in his car and started it up, the faint hum of the electric motor permeating the cabin as he pulled out onto the main road. He pondered how to meet up with the next person.
***
A ten minute drive later, he found himself at a low building with the distinctive Mesozoican rough hewn stone facade. He checked the sign: NAAMC Headquarters.
And then of course, there was the statue standing in front of the building’s entrance. The statue was a larger-than-life bronze representation of Krtall with his hand raised towards the sky and standing atop a plinth of Montana wonderstone surrounded by flowers. He could see the remains of food as well as polished rocks left on the plinth as offerings.
He parked his car and headed towards the entrance. Once inside, he was struck by the rustic nature of the interior with rough-hewn wood and stone décor and plenty of greenery. The air smelled of earth, wood, and pine. There was also plenty of seating (much of it appeared to be tailored for the raptors, he noted). Deciding that he shouldn’t be wasting any more time, he approached the reception desk.
“Good morning, how may I help you?”
Matthew stared briefly at the receptionist, a perky Compy currently standing on the desk with a pen held in their claws. Quickly minding his manners, he shifted his gaze as to not stare. He cleared his throat to break up the tension. “I’m here to meet with Krkthal Delameter.”
“I see. Name.”
“Matthew Illuyda,”
The Compy typed something on their computer and then turned to Matthew. “He’ll be out shortly. Please have a seat.”
The Human did so, taking a seat in one of the few chairs that was made for Humans. He picked up one of the brochures and browsed it over. It was about the newest Mesozoicans, the Stenonychosaurus from Project S.A.R.G.E.A.N.T.
“Great, my father’s going to be on this like a shark on a whale carcass,” he muttered.
A few minutes later, he heard footsteps approaching him. “Good morning, you must be Matthew Illuyda.”
Matthew got up and looked at the speaker. The speaker was a Deinonychus with a cobalt blue crest and equally colorful feathers on his arms. The rest of the raptor’s body was covered with a sandstone colored shawl with abstract designs reminiscent of petrogylphs. The raptor’s neck had steel-grey plumage with dark slashes across the back and the underside had tan colored feathers. All that combined with the yellow eyes and distinctive slit pupils all pointed to a single Mesozoican: Krkthal Delemeter.
“Good morning,” Matthew said, offering his hand for the raptor to shake. “You must be Krkthal.” He looked over the raptor. The raptor had the same appearance as he did twenty four years ago back when they were both in first grade. Of course, the only exception was that the raptor was now eye level to him instead of him looking down at the raptor.
“I am indeed,” Krkthal replied, returning the handshake. “Now, Mister Illuyda, what brings you here?”
“Matthew, please,” Matthew replied as he swallowed the lump in his throat. Had Krkthal forgotten what happened to him all those years ago? If so, he could just leave and pretend like nothing had ever happened.
But would it be fair to either of them? The Human knew what drove the California Decision and while he wasn’t mentioned in any article or book about it, he played a key part. Albeit indirectly.
He took a deep breath as he looked Krkthal in the eye. “Krkthal…I want to apologize.”
The Dein blinked and slowly nodded. “I see. This is a very personal subject and I think it’s best if we discussed this after work,” he said.
“Where?”
“We can do that outside my house. It’s located at 25 Aurornis Way.”
Feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest, Matthew nodded. “Thank you,” he said.
“You are welcome. I am glad that you decided to make this apology. Now then, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”
“Wait, is there a museum or some place I can learn more? And what time will you be there?”
“Five PM is a good time. There’s the Mesozoica Memorial Archives. It’ll tell you everything you need.”
“Thanks!” Matthew watched as Krkthal headed back to the offices deeper inside the building.
He then exited the building and got back into his car and got onto the main road. He plugged in the directions to the Archives and allowed the GPS to guide him to his destination.
***
You have arrived at your destination.
The synthetic female voice jolted Matthew out of his thoughts as he allowed his car to automatically park itself. He got out and looked around. Again, there were many trees planted around the parking lot and a larger-than-life bronze statue of a Compy stood near the entrance. Like the NAAMC Headquarters, the architecture was rough hewn sandstone. He watched as Humans and Mesozoicans alike filed through the front entrance.
The Human then entered and noticed how quiet the interior was. To the left of the entrance was a small café that served snacks. Past that, he could see a gathering area with a skylight and decorated with a variety of greenery. Beyond that he could see several doors that he assumed to be the bathrooms as well as other areas off-limits to the public.
Feeling slightly overwhelmed at everything, he went over to the front desk.
“May I help you?” the man behind the desk asked.
Matthew couldn’t help but notice the man was wearing an earth-toned shawl like Krkthal. “Um, where do I start?”
“Are you looking to learn about the history of Mesozoica and the Mesozoicans as a whole, or are you interested in the tourism?”
“The history.”
“The museum is down that hallway,” the man replied, pointing to hallway on the right.
“Thank you.” Matthew then made his way to the hallway, which had ample illumination due to the massive windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. He also noticed a delineated walkway for Compies and other small Mesozoicans. He then stepped through the door at the end and noticed a placard that stated he was at the start of the history of the Mesozoicans. Inside, the room was dimly lit and silent save for footsteps of Humans or Mesozoicans, giving it the quiet dignity of sacred ground.
Matthew glossed over the first placard, which told about the construction of the Greenfield Genetics campus in Bozeman, Montana in 2034. Inside the display case were the symbolic golden shovels wielded by the founders Erik L. and Chris Delameter at the groundbreaking along with a piece of Montana wonderstone had had been dug up during said groundbreaking.
Another placard told the story of a rival biotech company, Bio-Gen Corporation founded by Doctor Johannes Krauss in Germany in 2034. Unlike Greenfield Genetics’s focus on medicine and gene therapy, Bio-Gen Corporation originally focused on a more frivolous use of genetic power: gene modded pets that ranged from luminescent rabbits, goldfish in hallucinogenic colors, and finally, dinosaurs.
Matthew then moved to the next display case, which was about Project Second Genesis and the ancestral Mesozoicans, Victor and Victoria. “So my father was wrong after all,” he muttered as he read over the blurb that explained the project. Even though Project Second Genesis was most notorious as a seemingly indulgent dinosaur revival experiment, it was actually a test bed for advanced gene editing techniques that would later become the foundation for safe gene therapy (and doping, it must be noted) thirty years later. Inside that display case was an empty eppendorf tube that held the very first bit of DNA that would later become Victor. And sealed inside two glass boxes were feathers shed by the two ancestral Mesozoicans.
He then moved to the next item, which was a kiosk that played a video of the disastrous press release of March 29, 2037. Next to the kiosk was a touch screen that allowed the patrons to browse through digitized newspapers and magazine articles talking about the press release.
The rest of the timeline didn’t really interest Matthew, but what struck his eye was the timeline for 2042. He read the description and noticed that it was when all the raptors were moved to an internment camp known as Government Compound Nine after a raptor named Brcklcas led a breakout at Mesozoic Zoo. A footnote stated that Krkthal was the only raptor to not be relocated (and the only raptor not housed in Montana). Another placard mentioned that the smaller raptors were housed at Greenfield Genetics and given basic education as well as various jobs ranging from janitorial to even IT around the campus.
The next display was labeled “Life Inside Compound Nine”. Pictures of the internment camp with its solidly build concrete walls, electrified fences, and armed guards brought to mind century old images of a gulag in some Soviet Bloc country.
There were also pictures of the raptors and the convoy that appeared to have been taken clandestinely with drones or telephoto lenses.
Matthew skipped over the placards that discussed the convoy, the transport of the raptors, and the construction of the compound. Another placard showed a map of the compound with all its facilities clearly labeled.
He looked over the artifacts. The first one he noticed was a booklet labeled “Compound Nine Rules and Regulations”. Above the display case was an informational placard that displayed the rules in entirety. He read through the rules and then looked at the next item inside the display case. It was a black nylon collar with a stainless steel tag containing blocky laser-cut letters that read:
Scthaern 050740860146 Property of Greenfield Genetics/US Government
There was locking metal band next to the collar. Despite the letters being smaller and more difficult to discern, they were the telltale blocky font indicative of laser-cut letters. Even with the small size, Matthew was able to make out the words “Ktlz—” and “Prop—” as a well as a string of four numbers.
He suspected the band and the collar were both for raptor identification, which a glance at the placard located below the items confirmed. A section of the guidebook was reproduced verbatim next to the artifacts:
1. All raptors are required to wear an identification tag bearing their name, a randomly assigned ID number, and “Property of Greenfield Genetics/US Government” whenever they leave their house. 2. The tag can be customized in different shapes or colors but they all must contain the required data. Stainless steel is the only acceptable material. 3. Tags must be clearly visible above plumage. 4. Lost or stolen tags must be reported as soon as possible under penalty of imprisonment 5. Failure to wear identification tags outside the home can result in house arrest or imprisonment. 6. Tags must be shown upon entering or exiting the housing district or upon request by any security personnel. Failure to comply can result in house arrest or imprisonment.
Matthew then browsed some written testimonials from the raptors imprisoned inside. All of them stated the guards enforced the tag guidelines so strictly that it became a de facto rule that the raptors were required to wear them 24/7 — even inside their homes.
Many of them also talked about how the guards often ransacked their homes, aggressively frisked them, or just straight up taunted them.
As Matthew read the confessions of the former Compound Nine guards, he pondered an alternate universe. An alternate universe where he was not Matthew Illuyda, the IT professional, but Officer Matthew Illuyda, the California Highway Patrol officer notorious for abusing Mesozoican suspects.
He pushed those thoughts out his mind as he looked at the next artifact: a collar like the one in the previous display with the addition of a black box from which two visible metal prongs and an antenna protruded. The placard below it stated the item was a shock collar with tracking capabilities that was required to be worn by any raptor who left the compound.
The Human then moved over to the section of the 2042 timeline that talked about State of California v. Mendocino County Superior Court, more commonly known as the California Decision. A chill went down his spine as he read the placard summarizing the whole debacle, starting with Krkthal’s expulsion from Comptche.
Most of the artifacts were nothing major, just Krkthal’s enrollment letter to the Comptche School, some paperwork that confirmed the raptor’s sapience, a letter to Aleksander Kalinov — the principal of the school at that time — informing him of Krkthal’s enrollment, some US government paperwork that confirmed Krkthal was being enrolled in the school as an experiment, and some other papers that appeared to be the plebian staple of any school: report cards and letters to the parents.
However, there was one that caught his eye and brought up uncomfortable memories. It was the original letter on official California letterhead sent to Chris Delameter from the California Department of Fish and Game after they had learned of Krkthal’s presence. The letter’s contents were faithfully reproduced on a placard next to the original:
Dear Christopher Delameter,
You have been found in violation of California Code of Regulations, Title 14. Natural Resources, Division 1. Fish and Game Commission-Department of Fish and Game, Subdivision 3. General Regulations, Chapter 3. Miscellaneous 14 CCR § 671: “It shall be unlawful to import, transport, or possess live animals restricted in subsection (c)", California Code of Regulations, Title 14. Natural Resources Division 1. Fish and Game Commission-Department of Fish and Game, Subdivision 3. General Regulations, Chapter 3. Miscellaneous 14 CCR § 671.3 § 671.3. Minimum Facility and Caging Standards for Wild Animals Housed at Permanent Facilities and California Code of Regulations, Title 14. Natural Resources Division 1. Fish and Game Commission-Department of Fish and Game, Subdivision 3. General Regulations, Chapter 3. Miscellaneous 14 CCR § 671.1. Permits for Restricted Species: “It is unlawful for any person to import, export, transport, maintain, sell, dispose of, or use for any purpose any animal restricted by Section 671 except as authorized in a permit issued by the department.”
You have one (1) week to surrender the animal to an officer of the California Department of Fish and Game, a local animal shelter or humanely euthanize the animal. Failure to comply will result in civil or criminal penalties in addition to confiscation and possible destruction of the animal.
“Fuck me,” Matthew whispered as he read the letter over and over. He recalled what his father had said on that fateful day twenty-four years ago: “You don’t ever have to worry about that beast nor that freak of a ‘father’ again. Not only will you transfer schools, I’ll make sure that creature never hurts anyone again.”
Matthew braced himself against the display case as he legs grew weak and the crowd around him melted away as his mind explored an alternate path. An alternate path where the California Decision never came to pass and Krkthal was seized and euthanized. He saw himself standing in front of Chris Delameter at the (imagined) ornate executive suite of Greenfield Genetics. He saw himself not as a boy of six like back then, but as a man of thirty like now.
“Doctor Delameter,” his mental avatar said. “I’m sorry forwhat I did to Krkthal back in first grade.”
His mind’s projection of the scientist spoke. “Matthew Illuyda, your actions cost my son his life and cost me my son. I should have experienced all the milestones of being a father. Instead, I had to fight to get Krkthal’s body back so I could have him buried at my estate. All because you bullied him for not being Human.”
The simulacrum of Chris shook his head and continued. “You or your father could have apologized back then or simply not pressed the issue. But both of you chose actions that led to Krkthal’s death. Matthew, your apology is twenty four years too late and it won’t bring him back. Please leave my office; I don’t ever want to see or hear from you again.”
Just as the mental phantom of Chris turned his back, the opulent executive suite started to distort into a wavy, shimmering haze. The Archive’s crowd began to emerge from the mist and the faint white noise in Matthew’s head began to form recognizable whispers as he heard the patrons talking.
Matthew leaned against the display case as his leaden legs suddenly gave out under the rush of emotions. The cool glass against his hands proved he was in the real, tangible world.
“Hey, are you okay?” The voice broke the hold the imaginary conversation had on him.
Matthew pushed himself away from the display case and turned to the speaker. The speaker was a brilliant purple Utahraptor with slashes of blue across their neck and muzzle.
“I’m fine,” Matthew said, trying to keep his voice neutral. “I just skipped breakfast…that’s it.”
“Okay. You can grab a quick snack like a sandwich at the café in the front,” the raptor replied as they walked away.
“Thanks.”
Shaking his head to exorcise the phantoms of the scientist, Matthew continued his journey. Finally, he stopped at 2050. He gasped as he read the placard. It informed him that until the Mesozoican Rights Act of 2050, Mesozoicans were not legal persons according to the federal government. Several states — California, Virginia, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire and New Jersey — did consider them legal persons prior to the act, but the laws only applied within their borders.
He then looked at the artifacts contained within the display cases.
There was the beacon of equality, the shining silver pen that was used by the president of the United States to sign the Mesozoican Rights Act into law.
There was a fist-sized chunk of concrete that was labeled as being from the outer wall of Compound Nine.
There was an American flag with 51 stars, ensconced behind a glass case and mounted on the wall behind the display cases. A small placard indicated that this was the first flag that flew above the city-state of Mesozoica.
There were numerous photographs of Krtall’s fateful speech in New York City, and of his funeral procession in Mesozoica.
There were even newspaper and magazine articles, some of which were from foreign news outlets like Der Spiegel, or The Economist.
Matthew then went to a small kiosk where the digitized court transcript from the trial of Johannes Galbreckian was available to browse through. What struck him was that the Humans on the jury were sympathetic to the Mesozoicans and considered them people — regardless of what the law said — finding the assassin guilty of murder for killing Krtall.
Of course, the judge felt otherwise and her views were recorded for posterity in the transcript: Overruled. As Krtall is not a human being, under the law, the defendant cannot be charged with murder.
The man blinked as he read over that simple line. Everything had come together; Krkthal had to have known that he was considered a pet…and by extension, property prior to 2042. Matthew’s mouth went dry as he realized why Krkthal had attacked him back in December 2041. It was the first time he had actually made a direct jab at the Dein’s lack of personhood; his previous insults were superficial schoolyard insults that made fun of the Deinonychus’s appearance, his diapered state, or his intelligence. All jokes applicable to any elementary schooler.
But his insults about Krkthal being a pet and his father actually being his owner were no different than him calling Xiao a racial slur, joking about Jimmy’s parents jumping the border, or making fun of Lara because her parents died. All of them targeted something that was deeply personal. And had he done those things, he would have understood it if they hit him in retaliation.
But why did he not grant the Dein that same understanding? As he looked over the artifacts, he reflected on his thoughts.
Feeling overwhelmed, the man exited the museum exhibit and out into the Montanan afternoon. After getting in his car, he drove to the Mesozoica Business District and parked his car. Being a weekday afternoon around lunchtime, it was relatively busy with people of all species enjoying the air, window-shopping, or just having some relaxing meals in the street-side restaurants.
Matthew walked along the streets as he took in the sights. Much of the stores were nothing interesting, just pharmacies, clothing stores, and boutique food stores. He passed by a store named Mesozoic Devices.
Curious, he looked in the window and saw it was an electronics store. In particular, one of the items they had on display was a cell phone that was the size of an average tablet. He looked at the small placard next to it, which indicated that it was for the larger Mesozoicans like Utahraptor.
Seeing as there was nothing of interest, he continued down the sidewalk until he found himself at the edge of the Business District. He looked at the store he had stopped in front of. Hanging over the entrance was a sign that read “Montana Stone Wonders” with the font made to look like rocks leaning against each other. In the window were numerous rock sculptures as well as some jewelry and other geological trinkets.
Shrugging, he entered the store and was immediately struck by the smell of earth, pine, smoke, and other fragrances. Matthew fought down a sneeze as his nose itched. He saw a trio of incense sticks slowly burning in a pot of sand behind the counter, the fragrant smoke forming delicate curlicues in the still air of the store. He pondered the numerous items of jewelry behind the display case. Most of them were necklaces, bracelets, and anklets, but many of them appeared to clearly not be for Humans as they were too large, too small, or just flat-out in the wrong shape.
It was then a tall woman with black hair emerged from the back room. Over her flannel shirt and jeans, she had an apron with some stone dust on it and she wore a set of wire rimmed glasses. He noted that the woman was approximately his age.
“May I help you?” the woman asked.
“Oh, I’m just looking around,” Matthew said.
“Well, feel free to browse!”
Matthew went over to the corner nearest the entrance and saw what appeared to be boulders with little shelves carved into them. He noticed a price tag on it and saw that it was several thousand dollars.
He then moved over to the sculptures. Many of them were of various dinosaurs and prehistoric life, but there were some abstract ones that he couldn’t make head or tail of.
Seeing as the shopkeeper wasn’t busy, Matthew decided to make some small talk. “So, uh, what brings you to Mesozoica?”
The shopkeeper looked up from the rack of incense she was restocking. “I applied for a grant to open a store back in 2058 after I graduated college. I’ve always found paleontology and geology interesting. Around high school, I found my passion in sculpting and jewelry making. So, why not combine them both? What about you?”
“I’m just passing through since I’m visiting some family and friends in Bozeman. Just curious, why Mesozoica of all places?”
“Well, I owe it to a Deinonychus I met back in elementary school in California. He’s the one who got me interested in learning more about his people.”
Matthew’s stomach sank. There was no way this was who he thought she was. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he spoke up. “The Dein’s name…it wouldn’t happen to be Krkthal, would it?”
“Why yes it would! He was a good friend of mine!” She then shook her head. “Shame I never saw him again until I was a freshman in high school. We still keep in touch, but we’re both pretty busy nowadays. Just wondering, have you met his wife? Her name’s Izea.”
Must be a Mesozoican, Matthew thought. But who knows nowadays?
“No, I haven’t. I didn’t even know he got married,” he said, swallowing as he tried to rehydrate his parched mouth. Even though the shop was cool, he could feel sweat beading on his forehead. He was almost certain he knew who this person was. He took a breath and spoke up. “You wouldn’t happen to be Faye Georgopoulos, would you?”
The woman froze; her arm halfway through placing a pack of incense on the shelf. “Yes I am. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I’m someone who knew him from elementary school as well.” Matthew wisely decided to not elaborate on how he knew him.
“Really? Which one of his friends were you?” Faye adjusted her glasses as she continued restocking the incense.
God help me, Matthew thought. Already, he was bracing for the storm that was certain to come his way. He took a breath. “I’m Matthew Illuyda.”
“I see.” Her voice suddenly hardened, carrying all the warmth of the slab of Montana wonderstone Matthew could see in the back room. “Well, are you here to buy anything?”
“Well…no, I just wanted to explore around town and maybe meet up with Krkthal.”
“I am glad you managed to patch things up with him. He’s a very busy guy and very punctual, so I shouldn’t keep you waiting.”
“Uh, thanks, Faye.”
“You’re welcome.”
Matthew — clearly seeing that Faye wanted him out of her shop immediately — exited out onto the street and wiped his forehead. Unsurprisingly, it was a bit damp. “Goddamnit, she still remembers me.” He watched through the glass as Human and a Velociraptor entered and Faye’s stony personality instantly vanished.
He then continued on his walk. “I guess I should have expected that,” he muttered. He passed by bus stop that was covered with a variety of posters advertising everything from Claw-On-Claw lessons to garage sales.
As he walked, his stomach grumbled. He looked around; he had walked far enough that he could see big-box stores, restaurants, and other stores starting to blend into residential neighborhoods.
Finding a small Chinese restaurant, he entered and looked around. The interior had the classic Chinese restaurant décor, with some potted plants as well as paintings emulating classic Chinese artwork. He could hear sizzling and see brief flashes of flame from the back of the restaurant. The pungent, salty, smoky aromas of Chinese food filled his nostrils, making him hungrier.
“Please seat yourself,” the waiter said. Matthew did just that. A ceramic cup and a metal teapot were placed in front of him along with a menu. There was also something that struck him as odd. Unlike how the seats in the Archives and NAAMC Headquarters were perfectly tailored to fit both Humans and Mesozoicans, the only seats that he could see as suitable for use by the sapient raptors appeared to be a set of small wooden benches that were tucked in the back of the dining room, near the bathroom.
He noticed there was also a menu written in Chinese near the kitchen door but paid it no head as he poured himself some tea. Matthew took a sip of the steaming liquid as he browsed the menu.
“What will it be for you?” the waiter asked.
“Just the pork lomein,” Matthew replied, handing the menu back to the waiter. He took another sip of his tea as he pondered how to start off his conversation with Krkthal. Was he going to dive into the deep end and open up with an apology for all the bullying? Confess that he was the one who nearly got the Dein taken away?
After staring at the paintings and listening to the sizzling of cooking food and the clattering of cutlery as the chefs in the back expertly handled the wok as well as snippets of Chinese, the Human decided on his course of action. Just some simple small talk, but let Krkthal lead the conversation. After all, his visit was about the Dein, not him.
“Here you are. Is there anything else?” the waiter asked, placing the dish in front of Matthew and returning to the kitchen.
The man picked up the chopsticks and tried to grab a mouthful of the savory noodles but ended up dropping his would-be meal back onto the plate. Sighing, he adjusted his grip and was treated to the same event.
After a minute of struggling, he sighed, placed the chopsticks down and called over the waiter. “Can I have a fork instead?”
The waiter returned with the utensil. Matthew twirled the fork in the noodles, releasing a bit of steam that carried with it the scents of vegetables, pork, spices, and even a hint of smokiness. He took a bite of the perfectly seasoned noodles, crisp, yet well-cooked vegetables, and tender pork.
Soon, he finished his meal and the pot of tea and asked for the check.
Once he paid for the meal, including the tip, he walked out of the restaurant. He stepped off the sidewalk to let a pair of jogging Velociraptor pass him by. On the side of the road, he watched as a Dakotaraptor easily kept pace with a car that had to be doing at least thirty miles per hour.
The Human fished his cell phone out of his pocket and checked the time. 2 PM. He still had three hours before the meeting with Krkthal. Sighing, he began his slow walk back into the Business District.
***
After two and a half hours of browsing through practically every shop in the Business District, Matthew got into his car and told his GPS to route to 25 Aurornis Way.
Robotically following the synthetic voice, he soon found himself in front of a relatively large single-story home made mostly of wood with visible cobblestone highlights. The “lawn” appeared to be not turf, but native grasses. To his utter surprise, he could see the garage door was open and two cars were inside.
“Mesozoicans can drive cars?” he asked aloud as he parked in on the street and made his way up to the front door. He pressed the doorbell and almost immediately, a Deinonychus answered the door. This one however had bright green feathers visible underneath their shawl. “Uh, is Krkthal home?”
“He’s currently busy right now, is something the matter?” the Dein asked.
“Well, he asked me to meet him today at five PM,” Matthew replied. He assumed this raptor was Izea as the voice sounded female.
“Come on in,” she said.
Matthew did so, and took his shoes off, placing them on the front rug. He looked around the wood-floored foyer and saw several paintings depicting both modern and prehistoric landscapes as well as portraits of both Deinonychus. A few dwarf ginkgos added some greenery. To his left, he could see a surprisingly well-equipped kitchen attached to a dining room. At the rear of the foyer was hallway that he assumed led to the bedrooms and bathroom. To the right was what he recognized as a small study.
He sniffed the air. The house smelled of stone and earth with a faint overtone of pine. “So, uh, while we wait for Krkthal, why don’t we introduce ourselves? I’m Matthew.” The Human offered an open palm.
“Izea,” the female raptor said, sniffing at the offered palm. “I’m Krkthal’s mate. I assume you’re one of his coworkers?”
I can’t tell her that I was his childhood bully! She’ll throw me out of the house! he thought.
“I’m an…acquaintance of his from elementary school.”
Izea bobbed her head in understanding. “I see. Well, I hope you two have a good time talking about your past!”
It was then that he saw the familiar grey feathered muzzle of Krkthal emerging from the back hallways. The Dein wasn’t wearing his shawl and his full coat of feathers was visible for all to see. The raptor’s appearance hadn’t changed at all from his elementary school years as he still sported that same steel-grey plumage marked with dark grey slashes across his back and a light tan underbelly.
“Ah, you’re just in time,” Krkthal said as he saw the Human. He then nuzzled Izea who reciprocated the action. “I see you’ve met my mate.”
Matthew nodded.
Krkthal then turned to the Dein. “Matthew and I have something personal to talk about, so could you please give us some privacy in the library?”
“Of course,” Izea replied as she headed to the corridor where Matthew assumed the bedrooms to be located.
He looked at one of the portraits and noticed that it was signed by Izea. The Human said nothing as he followed Krkthal through the kitchen and into the living room. Matthew stared agog at the massive bookshelf that lined the entire back wall. It was as if he had taken a bit of the Archives and placed it in his own home.
“Like what you see?” Krkthal asked.
“Well, that’s a lot of books,” Matthew said.
“Yep. Got that from my dad. We’re both avid readers. Now, before we get to talking, why don’t we have something to drink?”
“Sure.”
Krkthal went to the kitchen came back with a tray containing a glass bottle with a label on it that read “Ginger Brew”, two glasses filled with ice and a small glass jar with a clear liquid inside. He then placed the tray on the table in living room and opened the bottle with an audible pop before pouring the fizzy liquid into both glasses.
Matthew looked at the chair and quickly figured out how to configure it for Human use by raising and adjusting the back rest, followed by folding down the front portion. He sat on it and marveled at how comfortable it was.
The Dein took a sip of the liquid. Matthew, not wanting to be rude, followed suit. He struggled to keep his face neutral as the drink launched a three-pronged assault on his tongue. “That’s quite…something,” he said, smacking his lips and tongue in an attempt to expunge the bitter, sour, and pungent tastes from his mouth.
“That’s why there’s syrup,” Krkthal said, pointing to the jar with clear liquid.
Matthew poured some of the syrup into his glass and swirled it, listening to the ice clink against the glass. He took a sip and found that the beverage was now far more agreeable in taste, almost like a stronger, more complex version of ginger ale.
Taking another gulp to fortify himself, Matthew began. “Krkthal, I’m sorry for how I acted back in first grade.”
Krkthal nodded and took a sip of his glass. “The fact that you actually sought me out to apologize is a great sign that you have matured and outgrown your childish bullying. And as such, I accept your apology.”
“Thank you,” Matthew began.
“But, since you’ve matured and are presumably willing to listen, I want to talk about how your words made me feel.” The Dein’s voice was calm, but there was a note of melancholy in it. “I was deeply aware that I wasn’t Human. The people around me acted as if I was Human and even tried to treat me like I was a Human. But back in 2041, it was an illusion. A well-crafted illusion and one that I enjoyed, but an illusion nonetheless.”
Krkthal sighed and continued. “Your words on that day, telling me ‘you’re not even his son’ and calling me ‘a pet on a leash’ were some of the most hateful things I have ever heard in my life. You violently shattered that illusion that I and everyone else had built up.”
“Is that why you pounced on me?” Matthew asked, clutching his cup.
The Dein nodded. “I was so mad I didn’t know what else to do. You can’t tell me you haven’t done the same thing?”
Matthew grew silent as he recalled his suspension back in sixth grade. After another classmate made fun of him for his “low standards” by crushing on who his peers had deemed the ugliest girl in class…and making her cry; his first reaction was to punch his tormenter in full view of everyone — staff included — in the lunchroom. “No, I can’t say I haven’t done the same thing.”
Krkthal took a sip of his ginger brew. “The events immediately after my suspension weren’t any better. I understand why my dad had to tell me what he did, but he just further broke the illusion.”
It was then Matthew saw the pain in Krkthal’s eyes. He wanted to say something but he reminded himself that this was the Mesozoican’s story to tell.
The Dein’s tail visibly drooped and he took a deep breath as he continued. “He stated that my actions ran the real risk of me getting taken by animal control and being killed. He also explicitly stated that I did not have the legal recognition of a Human.”
Matthew felt a shudder run down his spine. Sure, the pounce was frightening but he was unharmed. Krkthal on the other hand, could have paid for a moment of impulsive childhood anger with his life. The visions he had of Chris lingered in his mind. “Is that what you mean by ‘illusion’?” He took a sip of his drink to rehydrate his parched throat.
“Exactly,” Krkthal said. “Like any Human child, I went to school in Comptche and Chris was my legal guardian. Everyone tried to treat me like an ordinary first grade boy. Which meant doing their very best to conceal the fact that under the law, I was property of Greenfield Genetics with no more rights than any other pet and if they deemed me dangerous, I could be confiscated with a warrant.” Left unsaid, but lingering like a shadow was the darkest part of the Dein’s status as property: a court could order him to be euthanized as if he were a dangerous dog.
The Human sat in silence to let those words sink in.
The Dein then continued. “You never showed up to the school again, but I never forgot your words. And I faced those same insults during my tenure as head of NAAMC prior to 2050, but not from children, but hateful mobs of adults.”
Matthew then pondered whether or not he should confess about that letter that Chris had received. In the end, seeing as this discussion was about Krkthal and not him, he decided to do so. “Krkthal,” he said. “Do you remember that letter your dad got in 2042 from the state of California? The one that’s in the Archives?”
“How could I forget? It’s what put my campaign for legal personhood in California on fast-forward.”
The Human took a sip of his drink and then took a deep breath. “Well, my father’s the one who sent that tip — and attached photos — to the California Department of Fish and Game.”
“I should have figured.” Krkthal’s voice had a slight edge of contempt to it but the expression on his muzzle remained neutral.
“Look, I’m aware that I likely made history and will be immortalized in the history books as the impetus for pushing your campaign forward and leading up to the California Decision,” Matthew said, placing his drink on the tray. “But truth be told, I don’t want my name attached to such a shitty action.”
Taking note of the sadness in Matthew’s words, Krkthal spoke. “The tip and pictures that your father sent in were anonymous and the California Department of Fish and Game stated that they will not be released to the public,” he said, placing the glass down and looking at the Human seated across from him. “All the history books say that the reports were anonymous. In fact, until you confessed, I never knew who called in the tip. It’s not every day another piece of Mesozoican history is discovered.”
“Krkthal, I don’t want my father’s name attached to it.”
The Deinonychus swirled his glass as he looked at the ice cubes floating in the fizzy golden liquid. “It’s just for the historical record. We’re not—”
“I share his last name!” Matthew’s exclamation came out louder than he intended. He took a breath to control the anger simmering within. “Sorry about that. But if word gets out that I’m related to him, I’m done for!”
Krkthal drummed his three fingers against the wooden table as he realized the implications of doing so. It was the conundrum of the contemporary historian: balancing objective truth with respect for the historical figures and their relatives, even if they were reprehensible people. Especially if they were reprehensible people; it wasn’t fair to destroy the lives of relatives whose only crime was sharing a surname with a monster. “I understand. Any materials with his name will be stored in the restricted area of the Archives.”
“Thank you,” Matthew said, picking his glass back up and taking a sip. He then continued. “But I must admit; I also share the blame. I bullied you, you pounced on me, then my father called in the tips. If I hadn’t bullied you, none of this would’ve happened! Because of my six-year-old self’s idiocy, I’ll forever be ‘the elementary school bully who kicked off a civil rights campaign by bullying a Mesozoican, nearly getting him taken away by Fish and Game, and possibly getting him killed’.”
Krkthal nodded as he finished off his drink and poured himself a second helping. “You didn’t start it,” he said. While he kept his voice neutral, there was a hint of disappointment at the self-centeredness Matthew was displaying in he thought of himself as the sole instigator of his campaign for personhood.
But at the same time, Matthew didn’t seem very happy about what he did. His words seemed less self-congratulation and more self-flagellation. The Dein continued, “There were already plans to argue for the personhood of the Mesozoicans as a whole once the incident at the Mesozoic Zoo transpired.
“The delay would have only been two years at most, almost certainly shorter. And if it wasn’t you, it’d be someone else…and the whole thing would play out the same way. There was…and still is quite a lot of ignorance around Mesozoicans. Look at what we’re trying to do with the Stenonychosaurus. We’re seeing the same anti-Mesozoican arguments as we did over two decades ago.”
Matthew nodded as he finished off his portion, poured the last of the beverage into his cup and added just enough syrup to make it drinkable. “So, Faye’s apparently a local sculptor,” he said.
Krkthal narrowed his eyes slightly at the blatant attempt at changing the topic, but upon seeing Matthew slumped forward and clutching his glass with a look of disappointment, he decided to just go with it, lest he upset the man further. “Yes, she and Izea know each other from art expos. I actually have some of her art. You met her?” he asked.
The Human nodded. “Yes. I went to her store, Montana Stone Wonders. I don’t think she was happy to see me.” He then stared into his glass as if the tawny liquid were replaying his encounter.
“You bullied alot of people in first grade.”
“I know!” The declaration came out harsher than intended. “I just wanted to apologize to her.”
“Not everyone is willing to forgive.”
“And yet, you have the greatest reason to not forgive me.”
“It doesn’t excuse your behavior back then,” Krkthal said, placing his glass down and looking at Matthew. “But holding onto a grudge for nearly two-and-a-half decades isn’t the way to move towards a better world.”
Matthew said nothing but stared in silence at his glass. “I guess I also owe your dad an apology as well,” he said.
“That would be a good decision.”
The Human drained his glass of ginger brew. “And that’s what I tried to do this morning.”
“He’s probably busy today, but I’ll give him a call right now and see if he’s available tomorrow.” Krkthal picked up a phone from the nearby end table and dialed Chris’s cell phone.
“Hey, Dad, it’s me, Krkthal.”
“Yes, I’m doing fine.” Matthew then saw the Dein’s feathers on his muzzle flatten. “No, Izea takes care of that! By the way, Matthew Illuyda is here with me. Yes, he’s the same one. No, he’s sorry for what he did and he wants to apologize. Oh, really, that’s great! I’ll let him know! Thanks! Good bye!”
“So, what’s the news?” Matthew asked.
“He wants to meet up with you tomorrow at 2 PM in the Archives.” Krkthal said.
“That’s great!”
Krkthal then looked at the grandfather clock at the opposite end of the room. His inhumanly sharp vision allowed him to read the numbers as if he was standing right next to it. “Well, it’s 5:30 PM and I got some time before I have to cook dinner,” he said. “We can continue this conversation if you want.”
Seeing as he still had plenty of baggage to unpack, Matthew nodded. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he decided to let Krkthal take the lead.
“One thing that’s bugged me all this time is why?”
“Why what?”
“You bullied seemingly everyone in first grade, most often because they were smarter than you,” Krkthal said as he sipped at the water in his cup. “I was one of the top students in my grade, but I wasn’t the top student. Yet, you targeted me the most often and with the most hateful words. Why me?” The way the Dein phrased it wasn’t as an accusation, but a simple question.
The Human placed his glass, the ice cubes within having melted away, on the wooden tray and looked straight at Krkthal. “It’s because you were different. You weren’t Human.”
“Is that all?” Krkthal replied.
“Yes.” Matthew then sighed.
“But what did that have to do with anything?”
“It’s complicated.”
“We’ve got enough time,” Krkthal replied, glancing at the clock.
Matthew nodded. “My father’s an academic bully. Anyone who wasn’t as smart as him got no respect. And that extended to me. I legit struggled in classes but he never helped me. I always had to figure it out myself and then he’d get upset when I got it wrong or couldn’t figure it out. And because of that, I resented the students who were better than me at academics like Faye, Jimmy, Xiao, and Lara.
“But then you, a pet…a simple animal trained to do tricks by its owner outperforming me? I hated it. It felt like the school was making fun of me by enrolling you alongside the other students, like they were saying, ‘Hey, look at Matthew! He’s so stupid the pet raptor’s doing better than him!’” Matthew’s voice carried traces of the old bitterness and venom of his elementary school days.
The words stung Krkthal slightly, but the Dein reminded himself that Matthew was simply channeling the ghosts of his past psyche.
“So, your dad took out his frustration on you, which you then took out on your fellow classmates, in particular me because you saw me as an animal trained to do tricks?” Krkthal asked.
Matthew scowled. “Pretty much. Honestly, even after you left the school and learned about their existence thanks to the zoo breakout, I still disliked Mesozoicans since I thought it was a program to shame badly performing students into doing better by making them look dumber than a trained animal.”
The Dein blinked. “Well…that’s a new one.” He had heard all sorts of (usually bigoted) conspiracy theories regarding the Mesozoicans ranging from them being aliens to them being a government funded super soldier project (the last of which had a grain of truth to it).
“I was six at time!”
“Fair enough. But why pull you out of school? If say, Faye had slapped you for stealing her glasses, I doubt your dad would have done the same.”
Matthew sighed. “Yeah. That is true. My father is pretty protective of me…at least when he’s not on my case for my academics. But he grudgingly tolerated you being in the school…he didn’t hate you at the time, but he just thought it was some wasteful government stunt.”
“And afterwards?”
“I don’t think he hated you, but he thought you were unfit to be in school alongside Humans, much like a grizzly bear cub. And he rallied the other parents, and complained constantly to the school board.”
Krkthal listened in silence as Matthew admitted his father’s role in his expulsion from school. “And what about my dad?”
Matthew grew silent as a stormy expression crossed his face. Several awkward seconds passed before the Human sighed and held a hand to his forehead. “He never liked your father ever since he enrolled you, but after the whole incident he hated him. Hell, he probably still holds a grudge against ‘the mad scientist’ to this day.”
The Dein’s lips peeled back slightly, exposing his serrated blade-like teeth. The Human felt a chill run through his entire body and his hands dampen as he saw the beginnings of a predatory snarl on Krkthal’s muzzle. It was a sensation that promised impending doom. It was a sensation that he had felt only once before in his entire life: that time in trade school when he accompanied his friends to an out-of-town bar and wound up running for his life from a pack of very angry bikers after one of his drunk friends did…something. It turned out that bar was frequented by members of the Black Turtle-Snake MC, a predominantly Asian outlaw motorcycle club. Needless to say, he never went back to that town again.
Krkthal, instantly smelling the fear that radiated off of Matthew, covered his teeth with his lips. “I see,” he said. “Well, Matthew, it was good to hear you apologize for your actions. But I have to go prepare dinner now.”
“Likewise, Krkthal,” Matthews said. “I’m glad I was able to make amends with you and you were willing to forgive my transgressions.”
The two shook hands and Krkthal picked up the tray with the glasses to deposit them back in the kitchen as the Deinonychus led Matthew back out to the foyer.
“Goodbye,” Krkthal said.
“Goodbye,” Matthew replied as he heard the door close behind him as he made his way back to his car.
It was still bright out, seeing as it was late summer. He pulled out his cell phone to check the time 5:45 PM.
“Well, that went better than expected,” he said as he got into his car, started up the motor and pulled out onto the main road of Mesozoica.
After a drive of about thirty minutes, Matthew passed by the sign that read “Now Leaving Mesozoica” and was heading south on Springhill Road on his way to Bozeman for a reunion with some of his friends from trade school.
Matthew Illuyda, the bane of Krkthal's first grade existence, has decided to meet up with his old victim over two decades later to seek forgiveness for his childhood transgressions. Have the scars of his bullying faded enough that both Matthew and Krkthal can find closure?
