Confic Art
by Patrick Smith
Anomalous Object Entry
AOE-6204
Object Severity
Lethal
Containment Difficulty
L̶o̶w̶ High
Containment Status
Partial
Containment Specifications
Specimens of AOE-6204 are to be kept in a 5 x 5 m room containing adequate nutrition and means of hydration, as well as an adult dairy cow when reproduction is warranted. Cattle destroyed by the reproductive cycle of AOE-6204 are to be removed, incinerated, and replaced after the maturation of AOE-6204 infants. All but one member of each AOE-6204 litter are to be exterminated and incinerated after reaching maturity. All site personnel entering the containment chamber are to wear Hazmat suits with durable padding around the legs. Hazmat suits are to be inspected prior to entry into the chamber for ruptures.
In the event of a hazmat suit breach, respective personnel are to undergo one week of quarantine minimum. Personnel showing any signs of housing an AOE-6204 specimen are to be terminated and incinerated immediately.
Due to the threat that populations of AOE-6204 pose to the general population and the natural ecosystem, CTD Epsilon-12 “Bobcats” has been created as a joint-operation between CTD Alpha-22 “Fireflies” and CTD Zeta-8 “Mouse Trap” to monitor and respond to outbreaks of AOE-6204.
Abstract
AOE-6204 is a species of mammal similar in appearance to members of the mustelid family, most closely resembling the short-tailed weasel. Specimens are typically white in coloration and smaller than standard short-tailed weasels, usually reaching just 22 (twenty-two) cm in length and 5 (five) cm in width.
AOE-6204 was first discovered in ██████████ National Park in ████ after a series of unusually mutilated animal carcasses were discovered by park rangers. After three of the park rangers were later found dead and having suffered wounds similar in consistency to the animal carcasses, institutional agents were mobilized to scour the park for anomalous activity. AOE-6204 remained undetected for a period of two weeks until agent █████ witnessed the hunting phase of AOE-6204 first-hand. Containment Team Dispatch (CTD) Alpha-22 “Fireflies” were then dispatched to incinerate 1000 acres of park land under the guise of a controlled burn. Only two instances of AOE-6204 were captured alive for research purposes. The offspring of one of the AOE-6204 instances captured is currently contained at Site-19E, while the other instance was dissected for research purposes and is now stored in Site-64D.
Anomalous Properties
Unlike standard short-tailed weasels, AOE-6204 instances are hermaphroditic and capable of self-fertilization. This unique quality is not present in any other member of the mammalian family. AOE-6204 also possesses a set of extended fangs it uses both in the predation and care of its host organism. These fangs are connected to a set of organs capable of distilling two varieties of anesthetic (non-anomalous), and a sack filled with a strong aphrodisiac (non-anomalous).
The first variety of anesthetic is used in the hunting process and renders potential host organisms immobile and unconscious within a period of 2-5 minutes of introduction into the bloodstream. The second variety of anesthetic has a long half-life and maintains itself in the hosts' blood at actionable levels for far longer. The second variety is used within the reproductive process to keep the host organism calm and unconcerned about the AOE-6204 instance residing within them. The final substance, the aphrodisiac, is used after the reproductive phase of AOE-6204 to coerce the host organism into seeking out others of its kind.
AOE-6204 is parasitic, a trait absent in other members of the Muselid family. AOE-6204 specimens will consume small insects and mammals until finding a mammalian host of suitable size to begin its reproductive cycle. AOE-6204 has been recorded as having previously infested large canidae, ursidae, cervidae, bovinae, primates, and humans both in testing and the wild.
AOE-6204’s reproductive cycle constitutes three distinct phases including a hunting phase, reproductive phase, and incendiary phase.
During the hunting phase, AOE-6204 instances will seek out a potential host large enough to facilitate AOE-6204’s residence. AOE-6204 will then attempt to remain unseen and move towards a potential host. Once it is in range, AOE-6204 will target and bite an exposed area of flesh within close proximity to a blood vessel. AOE-6204’s fangs will secrete the first form of anesthetic once its fangs have punctured an area of its target's flesh, and the potential host will become unconscious and immobile within minutes. The host will remain unconscious for a period of six to twelve hours in a comatose state after succumbing to the anesthetic. Once the potential host is defenseless and immobilized, AOE-6204 will move towards and enter the oral cavity.
The reproductive phase sees AOE-6204 move down the esophagus, through the stomach, and eventually reach the small intestine. Once within the small intestine, AOE-6204 will begin to inseminate itself and feed on tissue and debris within the organ. It is unknown how AOE-6204 does not suffocate during this time. AOE-6204 fetuses are partially formed within adult instances, leading to a drastically increased rate of maturation. Once it has fed and inseminated itself, AOE-6204 will move forward to the first few inches of the upper large intestine. The host will often regain consciousness during this period but will remain in a disoriented state, per the anesthetic. Sensing motion, AOE-6204 will begin injecting gradually increasing quantities of the second form of anesthetic into the bloodstream. This serves to comfort the host and maintain a sense of normality during AOE-6204’s reproductive cycle. AOE-6204 continues the process of administering the twin anesthetics for 5 to 6 days before beginning the final stage of the reproductive phase.
In this period, AOE-6204 will move through the large intestine, giving birth to a AOE-6204 infant every 0.5 m to a recorded maximum of 15 (fifteen) births. This process takes roughly 24 hours, during which AOE-6204 injects a greatly increased quantity of the second anesthetic into the host, as well as a strong aphrodisiac. The aphrodisiac often has the effect of motivating hosts to seek out other members of their species for the purposes of sociality and procreation.
The incendiary phase begins once AOE-6204 has finished birthing all of its young. AOE-6204 will accumulate high quantities of methane gas within its body and conform itself to the wall of the large intestine. Once it has accumulated a significant amount of methane gas, AOE-6204 will ignite the collected gas via a method not currently understood and detonate, eviscerating and burning the area surrounding itself. This has proven fatal in 100% of observed host subjects. Infant instances of AOE-6204 are coated in a flame-retardant ichor and around 60% of a litter survives the detonation of the parent AOE-6204 instance. The litter will consume the corpse of the host organism for sustenance until quickly reaching maturity within 1-2 weeks, at which point the surviving members of the litter will leave the corpse via the aforementioned explosive wound to find other members of its species, as well as suitable hosts to begin their own reproductive cycles.
Addendum
AOE-6204's containment difficulty has been reclassified from Low to High with the approval of administration after instances of AOE-6204 were found in ███████████████████████ by institutional personnel on █████████████████. CTD Zeta-8 “Mouse Trap” was quickly dispatched and is recorded to have eliminated 23 AOE-6204 instances. However, the distance between ██████████ National Park and ███████████████████████ would suggest that AOE-6204 remains at large and numerous in the American Northeast.
© Patrick Smith
© Confic Magazine
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Shout out to Furret
My only real criticism is that three paragraphs in a row start with the word "During." Other than that, it's a nice self-contained little biological system and some pretty gnarly old-school confic-style body horror. Ya love to see it.