Apex Predator (19 page)

“I need to figure out arrangements for Tracy and I really need to have you and everyone else in the family be there for Beth and the kids. I am planning on it being something small, just family and just the family that can make the trip easily. This doesn’t need to be, can’t be, too elaborate. Once that is done then I think they need to go with you as soon as possible.”

Lucy answered, “Of course, do you need help with the arrangements?”

Steven shook his head, “No, I’ve got that covered. Everyone at the office has really stepped up for me, especially our CEO.”

Before letting him walk away, Lucy grabbed Steven’s arm one last time, “I mean it, Steven, if you don’t let it out, let it all out, it will eat at you for the rest of your life.” Steven gave her a sad smile, nodded and walked away.

Steven left early the next morning because he knew he was going to have a busy day. He had actually reached out to Doctor Tyrone Leonard the previous day and, surprisingly enough, he had agreed to meet with Steven at his office on campus. That had been before news of Riche and the girls had hit the wires.

A young graduate assistant showed Steven to Leonard’s office. The door was open and Dr. Tyrone Leonard was on the phone. He waved for Steven to come in and motioned him to have a seat in one of the chairs in the office, the only one without a stack of books on it. His first impression of Leonard was that the man was whip-smart. He was short in stature, probably no more than 5’5’’ or 5’6’’and a build leaning toward stocky with deep ebony skin and hair that was now completely white. What caused the biggest impression were his eyes, however, which were a honey color and spoke of years and years of education and experience, both in his profession and in his life, but they also held a brightness, a sense of joy that was hard to miss.

He was finishing his phone conversation as Steven took a seat, “I’ll be happy to do the interview, but I’m afraid we’ll have to do it here on campus…that’s correct, I simply can’t take the time to come in and do it at your studio…okay, I will talk to you then…you’re welcome. Goodbye.”

He turned to face Steven and welcomed him with an outstretched hand, “Mr. Loomis? Tyrone Leonard.”

Steven shook his hand, “That’s right, Doctor, I’m sorry to interrupt. We can reschedule the meeting if you’d like.”

Leonard smiled broadly and waved with his hands, “Oh, don’t worry about that. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there was a break in the case of the girls’ disappearance that has been on the news lately.”

His demeanor changed a bit and took on a sad, but pensive look, “They found their remains in a warehouse. They have a man they think is responsible in custody.”

Then just like that, he brightened up again and continued, “So, you can imagine that given my work and my field of expertise, there are a lot of journalists wanting to do an interview, always looking for an angle, I suppose.”

As Leonard was speaking, Steven debated with himself whether to tell him about Tracy. He decided against it. If he told the man his daughter had been one of Riche’s victims, it might taint his opinion or worse yet, it might make him so uncomfortable that he just refused to talk to him.

Steven was sure that the man would put it together before the day was over in any case, “I understand and I really appreciate you agreeing to meet with me.”

Leonard nodded, “Always happy to speak with someone with genuine interest in our work. I think you’ll find that to be true of almost every scientist. Now, how can I help you?”

Steven hadn’t really come prepared with questions for the man, but he knew what he was looking for, so that seemed like the best place to start, “Well, Professor, I have been reading a lot of your research, what I could find anyways, and I think I understand what your conclusions are. I just don’t quite understand how you got there.”

Leonard, smile still on his face, leaned back in his chair and asked, “Okay, and what is it that you think I have concluded.”

Steven leaned forward, “As I understand it, you have come to the conclusion that there is another type of human, that evolution has changed some humans so far that they are now a part of a different species.”

Leonard shook his head slightly, “Well, Mr. Loomis, you have part of it right, but you have one big part that is wrong.” Steven waited for him to go on.

“You are correct in that my conclusions have come about as a result of the study of evolution and natural selection, but you are wrong in your understanding that what I found is a different type of human. What I have found is a different subspecies of human altogether. For practical purposes, a different species from humans. Scientifically we are defined as
Homo sapiens
, are we agreed on that?” Steven nodded. “Okay, that means we are a part of the
Homo
genus and our species is
sapiens
, hence
Homo sapiens
. Technically, however, it is
Homo sapiens sapiens
, the subspecies for modern man. The oldest evidence of what we now consider human was found recently, in 2003, and they date back 160,000 years. That fossil defined something that has come to be known as
Homo sapiens idaltu
. So the genus is
Homo
, the species is
sapiens
and the subspecies is
Idaltu
. Are you following me?”

Steven was fascinated, “Absolutely. I had never heard of what you are talking about.”

Leonard’s smile widened, “You are not unique. Most people haven’t. The reason that finding was so significant is because as you and I both know, most of science believed that we evolved from Neanderthals, which based on this finding is obviously not the case.” Steven now looked lost. “Forgive me, I’m used to speaking with scientists. The reason it is clear we did
not
evolve from Neanderthals as previously believed is because this fossil, the Idaltu fossil, predates Neanderthals by 85,000 years. That means, obviously, that they existed before the Neanderthal. So, all of this means that we have had to revisit the whole evolutionary process.”

Steven’s look let Leonard know that he did not get how any of this related to what he had asked.

Leonard recognized it and chuckled, “As always, I digress. As you can tell, I am very invested in this science and sometimes I don’t know when I am going off course. Back to my work. I had been doing research for more than 30 years on how humans have evolved and specifically on the possibility that we share the planet with another species within the
Homo
genus, a species distinct from
Homo sapiens sapiens
. So, we are not talking about a different type of human, but a different species from modern humans, still in the
Homo
genus.

“Until now, science has only recognized
sapiens sapiens
as the only species and subspecies existing within the
Homo
genus, and what I am proposing is that now there are
two
subspecies under the
Homo
genus,
Homo sapiens sapiens
and what I have called
Homo sapiens predaer,
or
Homo predator
. For purposes of our discussion, we’ll simplify and just make it
Homo sapiens
and
Homo predaer
.

“Now you can see why the 2003 discovery was so important, that finding meant that at one point there
was
a different subspecies under the
Homo
genus walking the earth. They were clearly
Homo sapiens
, or human, but different from what we understand as human today. If ones were alive today, I venture to say we would most likely not call them human, we’d define them as a different species, as it should be. It’s the same with
Homo sapiens predaer
. We’ve come to define them as a different species.”

Steven now understood better, but still had a few doubts, “I think I get what you’re saying, Professor, but what is still confusing me a bit is the whole
Homo sapiens
thing. If they’re
Homo sapiens,
doesn’t that mean they are in fact human, which would mean they’re the same species as us, wouldn’t it?”

Leonard smiled more broadly. He had clearly been asked this question or one very similar to it. “No worries, it’s something I get asked a lot. So rather than speaking in terms of human, let’s talk about it in terms of canines, shall we?”

Steven nodded. Leonard explained, “Okay, well, the wolf’s binomial name, scientific name if you will, is
Canis lupus
. I think when I talk to you about a wolf, you would most likely agree with me that while it is within the canine family, it is quite different from a family dog, would you not?” Steven nodded, “Of course. I think anybody would.” Leonard continued, “That’s right and it wouldn’t just be you. Society as a whole views family dogs quite differently than they do wolves. I venture to guess that if someone shot a wolf that came onto their property, they’d be completely exonerated, they’d be shooting something that could harm them or their family. I also venture to guess that if the same thing happened with a family dog, the individual would be prosecuted for their actions.” Steven nodded again, “I’m with you so far.”

Leonard leaned back, ready to bring it all together, “And yet the wolf and the family dog are both
Canis lupus
, but the family dog is actually
Canis lupus
familiaris
, the family dog. So both are in the same species family, but the family dog is a different subspecies from
Canis lupus
.”

Steven paused for a second and then nodded. It made sense to him and Leonard noticed the look of someone for whom a light bulb had just gone off.

He chuckled, “Now you see why this science has been my life.” Steven nodded, “I do, I really do. How were these ‘humans’ they found in 2003 different?” Leonard explained, “They were much larger than modern humans, their musculature and the size of their brain cavity was larger. Before you ask, I will tell you. No, this was not a form of Neanderthal or other human predecessor.

“The skull did not have the broad frontal extrusion or ‘bump’ of the brow and their brain case was round, not football-shaped as was the case with human predecessors. These were in fact
a subspecies of human, the same way
Homo sapiens sapiens
and
Homo sapiens predaer
are subspecies of human.

“The term subspecies is a bit misunderstood. Most people see it as being less evolved or enlightened, but in reality a subspecies simply means it is a more specific or narrow definition of a particular species. The term ‘specialized’ is derived from the word ‘species.’ That’s why, when I’m speaking with laymen, I simply use
Homo sapiens
when I am referring to us, modern humans, and
Homo predaer
or
Homo predator
when I refer to the other species under the
Homo
genus.”

Steven now interjected, “I can see why you’d want to simplify. So the finding in 2003 meant that your theory about a different subspecies from
sapiens
within the
Homo
genus now had more credibility.”

Leonard raised his hand, index finger in the air, “Bingo! That’s exactly right. As you can imagine, our work has found some very vigorous resistance and just plain disdain all along the way. This changed things. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some very zealous detractors and skeptics of our work, and there will always be. I’ve come to make peace with that, but it is most definitely not the way it was before.

“Anyway, over the past 10 years, and especially over the last three years, we have been able to confirm a lot of our initial hypotheses about the new species. We have better technology and there are far more scientists conducting studies, which means we have a constant influx of new information.

“Since 2003, we have also had a significant increase in our funding. We now have much more reliable numbers as far as population, and we are designing some tests to further confirm our initial definition process.”

Steven now wanted to get down to the real reason he was here, “So if I understand you, Professor, you are now
certain
that this species exists, you are not trying to establish whether it does or not. Now you are simply refining how you define them and how many there are.”

Leonard nodded, “That’s correct, Mr. Loomis, we are certain, or as certain as one can be when it comes to breakthrough science, that is. We
know
they exist. We have established what defines the species and how it is different from humans. We are now trying to examine if there are more fundamental differences, differences at the genetic, chromosome and molecular level, and we are trying to get a read on what percentage of the population could potentially be members of the new species.”

That perked Steven’s interest, “And how many do you suspect have the potential of being a member of this new species?”

Leonard paused for a beat, “Well, our numbers indicate that the number can be as high as one percent of the total U.S. population. We haven’t even begun to think beyond our borders.”

Now it was Steven who leaned back in his chair; that meant that about three million people in the U.S. could potentially be members of the new species. A chill came up his back. Three million potential predators, creatures that looked and behaved exactly like humans, but who did it for the purposes of catching their prey.

Leonard could see the wheels spinning in Steven’s head. His wasn’t an unusual response when numbers were brought up.

Still, Leonard wanted to make sure Steven understood the numbers, “Now those are broad estimates, mind you. And remember that we are talking about three million people that are
potential
members of the species. There are many factors involved, but I think it would be safe to assume there are at least one million individuals who are likely members of the new species.”

The number still had an impact on Steven, “One million potential murderers is still a huge number.”

Leonard shook his head, “Yes, Mr. Loomis, one million
potential
murderers. Not everyone who is a member of the species has necessarily murdered anyone, although I must admit it is exceedingly rare for us to find a bona fide
Homo predaer
who has not killed yet.”