The Grabber powered up as usual. As he waited for it to reach maximum efficiency, Asa eyed the enclosure. Immediately he could tell the space had been widened. Plus the walls were thicker. Other than that, he couldn’t tell what, if anything further, had been done.

            “Hey, Asa. Have you ever wondered how the Grabber is able to go back in time to pick up these animals?”

            “I can’t even begin to guess the science behind it.”

            “Ever wonder how far back in time it goes? I mean, I know it’s able to precede the comet going by us, before the Earth entered the residue left by the tail, but I mean, how many years before that do you think it’s able to reach?”

            Asa grunted. “It’s got to be at least several hundred years. Remember that dodo we retrieved a few months back? The species had been declared completely extinct in the sixteen hundreds.”

            “Yeah. I remember that. Completely threw everyone for a loop.”

            They heard the machine leveling off. Lifting the cap that covered the power dial, Asa placed his hand on the big black knob. “Okay. Take note of the time. Raising to fifty-five percent.”

            “Roger. Fifty-five percent at oh eight ten.”

            “Send each step to Westfall as we progress,” Asa included.

            “Already done and done.”

            He barely moved the dial, until the numbers on the display read fifty-five. There was hardly any change in the low rumble coming from the machine, but he hadn’t expected there to be. Three percent wouldn’t make any kind of dent, but it would be much safer taking baby steps over time, rather than revving it up all at once.

            “How long will you hold it here before advancing?” Sergei inquired.

            “I’m not going by any timetable,” Asa admitted. “I’ll see how this old girl’s doing, and make adjustments when I feel she’s ready.” He cast a grin at the young man. “Getting antsy?” It was then he noticed Sergei’s pasty face.

            “Oh, yeah,” the assistant admitted. “I’d be lying if I said different.”

            After a few moments, Asa reached for the dial again. “Note time. Upping to sixty percent.”

            “Noted. Sixty percent at oh eight twenty-three.”

            Again, there was barely any increase in the machine’s internal noise.

            “She seems to be handling it well,” Asa remarked. He got a prod in the ribs with an elbow. Looking at Sergei, the man gave a nod in the opposite direction. Turning around, he spotted Westfall standing just inside the doorway, watching the proceedings. Apparently, getting the information direct wasn’t good enough, and Asa couldn’t blame him.

            “I’m holding it here a bit longer than I did the first time. Give the Grabber a chance to acclimate.”

            Westfall strode over to the console in time to hear Asa’s remark. “Good idea. See if it happens to hit on anything.”

            “Mr. Westfall?” Sergei addressed the CEO. “Just curious. I know the scientists never were able to figure out why only certain animal species were wiped out after that incident with the comet. But do you have a theory?”

            “Do I have a theory?” Westfall repeated. “I have a dozen theories. But for every one I have, there’s at least one major flaw I can find to argue against it.”

            “Bet one of them is Mammal Theory,” Asa half-teased.

            “Ah!” Westfall chuckled. “The most popular one, despite it being blatantly wrong.”

            Asa nodded. “I agree. I mean, if only mammals were susceptible, why weren’t we humans?”

            “Or, for that matter, whales and dolphins, and the like?” their boss included.

            “What’s your favorite theory?” Sergei inquired. “Which one do you ascribe to?”

            “Personally? I tend to lean toward the Genetic Theory,” the man admitted. “I believe it has something to do with a particular or specific genetic makeup that caused some species to be wiped out, and others to dodge a bullet.”

            Sergei turned to Asa. “What about you?”

            “I believe it has something to do with genetics,” Asa answered. “But I don’t think a specific set of genes had anything to do with it. I think it may be either an additional gene, or the lack a gene, that placed a target on their backs.”

            Westfall gave a nod. “There are a lot of scientists who think that. What do some birds and insects have, or don’t have, that kept them from being wiped out entirely?”

            “See? That’s another thing that confuses me,” Sergei remarked. “So many mammals and reptiles died off, but not humans? And birds! We lost chickens and hummingbirds, and crows and eagles, but not vultures? Or hawks? Or owls? Why not all birds? Why snakes but not alligators? Or turtles but not lizards?”

            “We may never know why the epidemic targeted some but not all. All we know is that every bird species’ DNA is different, or else there wouldn’t have been hawks and falcons, and eagles, and condors, and cardinals, and parrots. Same for the reptiles.” Asa checked the time. “All right. So far, nothing’s been latched onto.” He glanced over the readouts. “Going to dial up a little more. Taking it to sixty-five percent.”

            There was no mistaking the change in the Grabber’s tone as he gradually raised the power level. If Asa didn’t know any better, he’d swear he’d changed gears. Westfall and Sergei also noticed it.

            “Sounds like it kicked things up a notch,” the assistant commented.

            “Add that information to the record,” Asa ordered.

            “Done.”

            “Kelby.” Westfall’s tone drew his attention to where the man was pointing to one of the monitors. The red flashing CAPTURE sign lit up the screen.

            “All right! Notify the team,” Asa ordered. “Let them know we got something.” He eyed the readouts. “Not a biggie, but weighing in at almost a thousand pounds. Anybody want to take a stab at what we have?”

            Sergei peered over his shoulder. “Judging by the height, I’m going with a bear.”

            Westfall agreed. “Sounds like a bear to me, too.”

            The Grabber shifted sound, and the three men turned their attention to the enclosure as it began to fill with the white mist. Hank and Benn rushed in, along with Dr. Besenji, with Tarika not far behind.

            “Is this under the increased power?” Besenji called out, raising her voice to be heard over the grind.

            Westfall nodded. “Yes! And we haven’t pushed as high as we were aiming to go.”

            The enclosure’s interior darkened. The moment it went black, the Grabber powered down. Almost instantly, they heard a deep growl come from the interior.

            “If that isn’t a bear…” Sergei commented as the blowers kicked in.

            They waited with eager expectation to see what would be revealed. Despite knowing the enclosure had been reinforced, they still kept a respectful distance away out of habit.

            When the fog finally cleared, Asa gasped in disbelief, unable say anything as he stared at the creature crouched inside. It was Tarika who spoke first, voicing what everyone was thinking.