Primal Gambit

Chapter 43: Vikhr the Tourist

The grizzled foreigner moved beyond the street-side shouter who rained propaganda down from his pedestal. He wondered how the soapbox didn't crumble beneath the shifting weight of the heavyset, trilby-adorned man. Breaking free from the tides of civilians that flooded the sidewalks proved difficult for anyone smaller than Vikhr, but at first glance, civvies moved away as if he were an ancient deity parting the sea.

A massive sign hung above the impressive arches that read "Marcotte: The Last True American Observatory". The gates were open and the Siberian pounced at the opportunity to blend into the lifestyle, to become shrouded in the sheer number of other viewers. Gunmetal school buses with pug-nosed grills lined up across the street as a local precinct's field trip went underway. Vikhr could not fathom what would urge a teacher to suggest a trip to a place like this, leaving him wondering what there was to learn from seeing people be treated with such intense malaise.

Crowds of students led by lone teachers and tour guides collected their brochures and flocked to the first enclosure, which held the cage-breeds: children who had been born under captive rule. Stripped of their guardians, they were immediately put on display as soon as they reached the age where their lips had grown enough to support sinew. As Vikhr pulled an informational pamphlet from a nearby kiosk, he couldn't help but overhear a young child in the nearest group:

"Are we going to see the professor today?" The intrigued boy asked the middle-aged tour guide. She smiled down at him.

"He's normally kept in the last paddock, but unfortunately he is having tests run on him to streamline his nutrient intake– so he'll not be on display for at least another week. Our little professor is sick!" Her words bit into the Siberian. He read her lie immediately.

Shuke was not there.

"Aw!" The child pouted as he returned to his circle of friends. His small gasmask, tightened improperly, bounced on his face as he did so. The group moved along.

Vikhr knew that the professor was the best attraction the observatory had, and so it was normal for them to put him in the last exhibit visitors would get to see. He had remembered hearing stories about zoos in the past, where the biggest animals were showcased at the very end to increase the "wow" factor in audiences. Captors used to do it with whales, though now the great beasts had mutated from the pollutant radiation in the seas and could no longer gather a crowd.

Moving from animals to humans was a strange transition. Vikhr was unable to see the connection. Before he moved on in the park he looked down at the brochure, dwarfed by his monstrous paws. The noonday sun reflected off skyscrapers in the distance, neon signs turned off to conserve what power they could. A crisp air nipped the Siberian's bare forearms as he changed his filter.

He sat down at a nearby bench and opened the small paper-fold. His ability to read English writing was not up to par, but he did retain some data from the words. The first paragraph gave a brief overview of the history of Marcotte:

Since the dawn of mankind, there has been an inherent, instinctive interest in the lesser man. This was most notable in the rise of the human zoo – at the turn of the 20th century. These exhibitions rose through different means and various obstacles, bringing light to the more primitive species of human. Across the globe, from New York to Paris, they brought millions of viewers who wished to witness these men and women in a controlled environment, to see how removed the foreign societies they were. Alduous Marcotte knew the potential, the importance, in presenting the lesser species to the wealthy. In the decades following his death, his fight, his struggle...his dream was realized. The Marcotte Human Observatory opened its doors in October of 2096, and now, over three years have passed with the annual number of visitors only continuing to rise.