The Anomaly is only 5km from our accommodation as Eliza flies. It is only 2km from a nearby road in the same direction. Eliza turned up, holding a small cloth bag as the sky was lit up with the rising sun. I put the seeds and pits into the bag, and she flew off. Soph would examine them with more care over breakfast. She and Rich are the ones who can see patterns. I hate to admit it, but she is more intelligent than Rich.

  At dawn, I find a comfortable spot, crack open my Laptop, sync to the mobile data on my phone and start reading what the brains have figured out to date. The latest article is Amanda’s impressions of the Anomaly from yesterday. Nothing really new. I start reading backwards in date order from there.

  Dr Goodwin loves her techno-jargon. Seriously, her writings are almost incomprehensible. Was it even English? On the difficult ones, reading the introduction and the summary/conclusion at the end is often enough. I often didn’t even understand her conclusion. There were others, and I absorbed what I could and let it percolate in my brain.

  Around 10 am, I packed it up and moved further out to the edge. I was at the opposite edge of the army base. Ten minutes later, I heard the sound of my truck approaching. Carla was driving around the edge of the anomaly to me. She parked nearby, and the five ladies, including Eliza and Amanda, got out.

  It wasn’t Amanda I was worried about. It is the rest of the world, especially those with grudges like Captain Grudge himself. Rich came bounding up from wherever he had been. I checked them all for bugs, the electronic kind. I didn’t mention Soph’s fleas. The Ute cab was bugged, and there was a tracking device on the back, but I left them for now. I put my phone on charge and set up the solar panels to charge the laptop.

  Soph had brought brunch, so we sat well away from the truck and ate, enjoying the lovely morning. The ladies chatted about various unimportant stuff.

  Amanda kept glancing at me. I could tell she was keen to turn the conversation to the anomaly. Eventually, she turned to me and asked, “So, any insights last night?”

  “Are you asking for you or the military?”

  “Me, although the military wants answers ASAP. You have a problem with Lewis?”

  “Not Lewis, but I distrust organisations as a rule, particularly when I don’t know those sending the orders down the line.”

  “Especially when they covertly listen in to us,” Carla said.

  “They placed listening bugs on you? After Ngoi yesterday?”

  I nodded, “The cab of the ute is bugged.”

  “That certainly doesn’t engender trust,” she said. “Are you certain it was the military and not someone else?”

  “The truck was not bugged when we arrived yesterday morning, and when I packed my gear for the overnight stay, it was, so it was sitting all day inside a quarantine with only army-controlled access. What do you think?”

  Amanda frowned, “I will bring it up with Commander Lewis.”

  I just nodded. I looked at Ata.

  “I am good,” she said.

  I looked at Soph, “No problems.”

  “Carla?” I asked

  She shrugged, “I guess I am OK.”

  OK then. “No big insights last night, but there are some things we can test. Soph?”

  “I have a few options around for potential bonds,” she said. “There is a rat nest in the barn and some rabbit burrows nearby. Catching birds is an option, but it is too late for nests. There are some skinks around as well. A possum came and went last night, and there are the sheep. I would prefer a smaller animal, though. I am not sure about the bees. I looked up queen bees, and I was unsure if I could recognise them or whether bonding would enable control of the hive.”

  “Have you figured out what makes a good bond? Is it the pattern?” I asked.

  “It is not the pattern, or it is not anything I can currently recognise in the pattern. Rich and Eliza had very different patterns and essence colours. I know I can only bond with enhanced animals. No plants unless they somehow develop mental abilities. So it is essence, but it also has to do with the mind, and I think we can test that today and hopefully narrow it down.”

  I noticed she left Carla out of the list of her bonds. She is not fully trusting. Maybe Carla and I have taught her something. “What about temporary bonds?” I asked.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “I don’t think that is me. I get emotionally attached, and while I can close bonds, I don’t want to.”

  “So your emotions probably play a part in the bonding.”

  “Most likely. We stopped at a pet store and got different types of food, nets, cages, etc. They are in the back of the ute.”

  “How many bonds can you have at once?” Amanda asked.

  “I don’t know,” Soph said. “It could be an essence limit, or a mental limit, or a combination. It might depend on the type of bond it is. Dogs I know. I grew up with a dog. Birds are more work, I think. Although getting to know Eliza over the last few months makes it easier to understand her.”

  “Of the animals we found, which resonates the best for you?” I asked.

  “The mammals, definitely. Rabbits, rats. The sheep, not so much, though. That may be because Rich looks at them hungrily. The birds are also OK, probably because of my time with Eliza. Lizards and insects, not so much.”

  I wondered about fish and sharks through Carla, but I didn’t go there yet. “We should probably start with the least likely as if you can build an understanding that will make things easier in the future.”

  Soph made a face but didn’t disagree.

  “What is your plan,” I ask.

  “I plan to sit here with Ata and enjoy the day while Rich and Carla go hunting to capture animals for me. We bought plenty of snacks and drinks, didn’t we, Ata?”

  Ata smiled and nodded. Soph was acting as if she was pregnant even though we didn’t know yet. That was wise. We couldn’t confirm for a couple of weeks unless she can sense the essence of the new baby. I am sure she is checking.

  Come to think of it, I don’t think I signed the legal papers she gave me. They are back at the Hardcastle shack somewhere. We will get back there eventually.

  “I might need to change those plans a bit. I can go pet hunting with Rich, but I have another test for Carla. Is that OK with you?” I asked. I was really asking if her senses through Rich were enough or if she needed Carla’s senses.

  Soph nodded. “It is fine.”

  Carla perked up.

  I looked at Carla, “You have two forms you can change into, but I said there might be more, but they are not complete, fully mutated or something.”

  She nodded.

  “Do you think those forms are fixed at the time of your mutation, or can new forms be added?”

  “Enhancement, not Mutation,” Amanda reminded us.

  Carla and I were in sync because we both gave her the finger simultaneously. The Bitch and the Bastard together as one! The Witch told us off, though. Ata needs a superhero name. Hawkeye? No, we would get done for copyright infringement. Birdbrain? No, I would get clobbered.

  Carla was concentrating and said, “I don’t know.”

  “Want to test it?”

  “What are you thinking?” Carla asked.

  “Before we go on, in your unformed mutations, is there a Kangaroo?”

  “You think eating mutated things might open other forms?”

  “It is a thought. There has got to be more to this essence that we currently know.”

  She concentrated for a bit, “I don’t think so.”

  “Maybe we just didn’t eat enough? Why did you cut those stakes and cook them for us?”

  “It was just a last ‘fuck you’ to the Roo that killed Buck.”

  “The carpet is good too.”

  She smiled.

  I continued, “Maybe you just need to eat more to get the option. I don’t know, but we are in a mutated orchard at harvest time. We can test that.”

  “You want to turn me into a tree?”

  “Grapevine, preferably. Then if you start pissing wine, we can bottle it and make a fortune.”

  That got a laugh from Ata and Soph. Amanda looked a little shocked.

  “Fuck you,” Carla said.

  “Toasting with a bottle of the Bitch’s Piss sounds awesome. I have the branding all worked out,” I said.

  “I don’t want to know,” said Carla.

  “Your transformations are only partial,” I said more seriously. “If not, we can plant you somewhere until I decide to give you the essence to change.” I ducked that swipe. My electroreceptors are good at giving me that little advanced warning. “Grapes, nectarines, plums and pears are your choices. Grapes are by far more plentiful.” I tossed her a grape, and she ate it.

  “Sitting around all day with Soph and Ata eating grapes sounds like a great test to me,” she said.

  “I thought it might. Nothing might happen. It might be fixed, but now is the chance to test it. This is also a strong test, as it is in an incompatible Essence zone. If it can be done here, it can be done anywhere, or that is the theory.” I said. I looked at Ata, but I spoke to her and Soph, “You might also consider eating mutated fruit. It might speed up the immunisation, giving the kids a head start. Not sure, but it might.”

  “But what about upgrades for you and Ata?” Soph asked. “You have worked out possible upgrade paths for me and Carla, but what about you two?”

  “The Bastard and the Babe? Oh, is Babe is not a good name? No, let's consider more options there. There is more about essence to come. I am working on the details.”

  I am working on the details. It is not all bullshit. Or dogshit, in this case. Birdshit? I think the key is using our essence to enhance our mutations and the link to patterns. There have to be other uses.