The Thing

Chapter One

The year is 2025.

In a dark, dusty corner of a basement office; dim lights flickered as a figure sat in front of a laptop computer. Faint clicking filled the air as the figure brought the machine to life while reaching for a cup of coffee and sipped its refreshing contents. A soft 'ding' came over a built-in speaker as a notification popped up on the screen.

"Hmm? An email?" He said to himself as his bright purple hair shined in the desktop light, carefully reading the email. It was a job offer in the Artic. He did need the extra money with his debts, climbing, and stagnant income.

The email read:

'6 months, Virology position. Moderate medical training is required to assist on-site medical staff. Pay; $100,000 to be received upon acceptance. Please attach banking information to receive payment'

Sirka thought about declining the position, he wasnt keen on six months in the freezing cold. But he was desperate. A few more clicks and his acceptance reply was sent, almost in an instant he had a return reply.

'Acceptance completed, expect a representative to meet you at McMurdo Air Station. Flight has been arranged. Please take all appropriate measures to secure personal belongings during your stay.'

The email also contained an attachment, likely his airline ticket. The date was little more than a week out. Not much time to move his things into storage; not that he had a lot of stuff anyway with being fresh out of Grad School.

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~One Week Later~

The air bit at his fur and made his small nose run, wiping his muzzle with a hankerchief he deboarded the small twin aircraft. On the runway stood a much larger man. His fur was dark brown. Almost black, removing his goggles, Sirka saw that he was a massive grizzley bear.

"You must be the new Virologist, Sirka, was it?" The man said in a deep, gruff voice. Reaching his paw out to shake.

"Yes sir, Sirka Ribclaw; strage name I know. Pleasure to meet you." Sirka gladly shook the mans hand.

"My name is Dr Gregory Stanowitz, Paleontology. I take it you got the same email I did?" He shook Sirka's hand. Sirka nodded as they headed into the large research station and into a large living area where a group of others sat and drank coffee and tea's. Each muttering among themselves.

After an hour, a tall Deer entered the room, carrying a stack of document folders, the tabs carrying names. Everyone in the room, I bet, then the lights turned out, and an old projector hummed to life that displayed a single picture. A group of men standing in front of a helicopter, the side of the craft reading 'US Antarctica Research Program'

The man sipped a hot cup of coffee before speaking louder.

"43 years ago, the US research station 15 miles South dubbed Outpost #31 had inexplicably gone dark. As per United States policy, a rescue team was dispatched but failed to yield any results as to why the station was destroyed. The perveying theory is that the record-breaking storm that year caused damage to their generator, resulting in a massive explosion. Only one body was found, a Black Panther whose nametag read "Childs"

Sirka was about to raise his hand when another beat him to the question.

"Sir, you have experts from every field in the world here from Paleontology to Virology, Astro-Mechanics, and Mechanical Engineering. Just get to the point about this so we can decide if the money is worth it. "

The small fox woman said in ernest, almost annoyance with her thick French accent.

"I was just getting to that if you would be patient. As it turns out, almost half a century later, the US government is not satisfied with the results of the rescue team. And neither am I. I have a personal interest in this as my father, the station pilot, RJ MacReady, was one of those lost in the disaster. Our mission is to investigate the cause of the stations destruction and return with any physical evidence. Should any of you require any further compensation, please see my assistant. No amount is too much, as you probably can tell. I am the founder of a large tech company.

The elk said as he laid out the document folders.

"First and foremost, my name is Christopher MacReady. Like my father, you can call me Mac. Now to the attendance."

Opening one folder, the assistant laid out a photo. The fox lady, her hair in a ponytail.

"Dr Catherine Trundsberg, Astrophysicist. Director of Astrophysics, Harvard."

The woman nodded, flicking her hair behind her ears as they twitched.

Another photo, this time is was Sirka. His fur was the strangest in the room. While everyone else was natural colored, his was a base of Black with tiger stripes of purple and turquoise. The purple markings on his face stood out like starlight. The tips of his ears were softly furred.

"Sirka Ribclaw, Virology. Grad School Graduate, top ranked in his class and recipient of Magna Cum Laude from MiT."

He stood and bowed to everyone.

"Thank you for having me, I'm excited to work with all of you."

Another photo, a Wolf. His hair cut in the military style. A large scar over his left eye.

"Captain, US Marines. Security Detail. Honorable discharge, six consecutive deployments to Afghanistan. Along with his team of nine military contractors will be providing round the clock protection as tensions build between the US, Russia and China."

The wolf gave a slight nod as he stood firm and upright, his hands positioned behind his back.

A total of twelve photos was laid out on the table. A rat, a raccoon, a german shepard, a rabbit and a golden retriever. All of whom responded to their names, most foreign.

'This is going to make or break my career' the excitement shined in his eyes as his leg bounced haphazardly, his usually well disguised ADHD coming more prevalent.

The group discussed the possibilities of why the station practically disappeared, one. The shepard even tells a ghost story about a monster that dwells in the Arctic and that the research team had disturbed its resting ground. Sirka thought superstition was a little unorthodox for such a renowned scientist. But as the sun dipped below the horizon, he found himself yawning and decided to find himself an unclaimed bed, to claim much needed sleep and drift away into his dreams.

What he didn't know that this was just the prologue to a living nightmare.