“Surprised, Lieutenant? Not for an instant. In fact, I was expecting you. I see the transformation was effective. How do you like it?”

“I…” She blinked and seemed briefly nonplused. “It takes some getting used to. But how did you…”

Morell’s expression narrowed, taking on a look of fierce calculation – in my view a less-savory substitution for the fetchingly innocent intelligence of the young demmie officer I knew before. A feral light seemed to glow in her eyes.

“Perhaps it is time for you to find out for yourself, Professor,” she murmured smoothly, taking a step forward. And I realized that the “glow” in her eyes had become something more than metaphorical.

“That is, if you are one of the lucky ones.”

“L-lucky ones?” I could no longer put up a pretense of confidence. The shine had taken on a hypnotic quality, twin glints of painful sharpness that stabbed from her eyes to mine, slowing time to such a degree that my muscles felt kilometers away. Frantically ordering them to move, to slam the door between us, felt like sending messages through molasses. Her languid, poised approach would reach me long before they obeyed.

“About one in a hundred. That’s the ratio among the local humanoids, professor. The fraction of victims who then rise up all the way to become Nomorts, instead of entering some lesser afterlife. Of course we don’t yet know the ratio among demmies… or humans… But I hope you do make it. I always liked you, Dr. Montessori.”

It did little good struggling to avoid her captivating gaze. The sharp, hypnotic glare hurt. Worse… it itched, tickling and scraping my sinuses. And yet, at the same time, something compelling and attractive about it, felt… terribly familiar. Though I could not close them, my own eyes squinted.

“The Captain…” I managed to blurt. “The others…”

“Everybody has a destiny, as you’ll soon discover doctor,” her voice was smoother now, almost soothing. “It’s time to feed your legendary curiosity… while you feed me…”

Leaning forward and spreading her cape again, she opened her mouth. Those pointy canines shone. I could not move or speak.

But I did remember, all of a sudden, what was familiar about the sensation. That tickling itch. And with realization, I abruptly stopped trying to look away from her eyes. Instead, I focused all of my attention upon them, letting the force of those rays enter completely.

I gasped inward, sharply, squinted even more at the tingling glare…

…and released an explosive sneeze.

There have been many attempts to divide the natural Terran species of Homo sapiens into subgroups. Into races. Blood types. Two (or more) sexes. All sorts of oversimplifications and outright bigotries abounded, during our crude and simpleminded climb toward civilization. Especially during stages fourteen to twenty.

And yet, one stark division was seldom mentioned, though it pervaded all times and cultures.