The cow did not look right.

It labored to walk. The extra limbs that grew out of its sides seem to move on their own accord, getting in the way.

Sue saw the cow stumble past the kitchen window. ‘There’s a break in the fence again, ‘ she says over her shoulder before resuming her onslaught on this morning’s dirty dishes.

Dyna does not immediately answer. An article in the morning paper held his attention.

“Dyna!’, Sue turns to him, dripping soapy water on the floor.

‘Paper says there is another meteor heading our way. This one is projected to hit south of Dallas.’ Dyna gulps down the last of his coffee. ‘This is the third one this month. Makes me wonder how many more we will see.’ He gets up from the table, pushing the chair back with his legs. The scraping sound it produces makes Sue raise an eyebrow. ‘It’s not due for another week,’ she says, ‘Best we take care of our immediate problem.’ She dries her hands on her apron before removing it. ‘I’ll take care of the cow. You fix the fence.’

Dyna smiles. He married Sue because she asked him. Actually, she instructed him to do so. He loves that about her. She knows what she wants, and she clearly articulates it.

‘I heard you the first time, ’ he says as he walks over and pulls her close. She has to look up at him, and he has to bend down to kiss her forehead. The fire in her eyes changes, becomes softer but warmer. ‘Move the cow behind the utility shed before you kill it. I’ll bury it once I fix the fence.’

Sue nods and places a hand on his chest. ‘Get going, husband, before something else finds that hole.’

Dyna goes. Fence breaches are not something to ignore.

***

The meteors first showed up 10 years ago. At first, they were small and burned up in the atmosphere. On November 15th, 2043, a meteor, either large enough or made from sterner stuff, crashed into a cotton field just outside Shreveport, Louisiana.

The sound it produced broke windows for miles around. There was no explosion, just a deafening impact that created a large crater.

People are curious.

Many rushed to the field, some just to see, others with more intent. The crater was 400 feet across, filled with a thick, cloud-like smoke that hid the meteor from sight.

The smoke did not clear. It became denser and eventually spilled out of the crater, covering about 2 acres before it stopped.

The authorities cordoned off the crater before the smoke cloud started to expand, initially keeping the press and onlookers at a safe distance. This changed in a hurry after a scout robot’s legs dissolved immediately after stepping into the cloud.

Civilians were forcibly removed from the site, and a perimeter fence was hastily installed to circle the crater at a distance, allowing for any further expansion of the ‘acid cloud‘, as it became known.

It did not grow anymore and seemed to settle on the ground like dew before dissipating completely. The crater was empty.

***

The first mutations occurred two weeks after the meteor crash. Several soldiers became ill, their symptoms indicative of the flu. The captain in command had the presence of mind to link this to the meteor and quarantined the sick soldiers.

Within days, more personnel fell ill. By accident, moldlike spores were detected in the air around the crater. The spores were not visible to the naked eye, but clearly detectable using UV light. It did not blow away in the wind, but hung within the cordoned area above the crater, forming a dome that reached 25 feet at its highest point.

The affected soldiers grew extra limbs. These limbs grew at odd angles and from random places. Those who were still able to move got up and tried to leave the medical tents and had to be restrained. One even grew wings, three of them, also at strange angles, making flight impossible.

Two weeks after the first soldier became ill, the medical tents were filled with new spores. Some of the soldiers died and their bodies ruptured, releasing mold spores into the air. These remained clustered around their hosts, and months later, the soldiers’ bodies were gone, presumably consumed by the spores surrounding them.

The medical tents were closed, sealed, and constantly monitored. Eventually, the spores were gone.

Not long after, another larger meteor crashed in downtown Los Angeles. The risk of the mold spreading became a matter of national security. There were too many affected to keep them contained. After mutation, and right before the hosts burst open to release the mold that grew inside them, many of the infected were leaving the downtown area. It seemed the mold compelled them to go, thereby allowing it to spread.

The military deployed thermobaric weapons to contain the spread, burning most of downtown Los Angeles to the ground. More meteors were on the way, and globally, authorities decreed that it was best to round up and euthanize all those infected, human and animal, then bury them without a coffin. Once the mold consumed its host, it too died and became dust.

***

Humans are adaptive and resilient.

They continued on with their lives. The ‘space mold’ became just one more thing to deal with. A new space race has begun, with countries vying to be the first to develop orbital defense weapons capable of repelling meteors. The origin of these meteors was unknown, but their purpose was clear: to prey and survive.

Humans are opportunistic.

New companies emerged that produced quick-deployable fences, and the army established a new branch, tasked with installing these to contain the spread of the invasive mold.

It became known that the soil surrounding a crash site became immensely fertile once the mold died. Many sought to profit from this knowledge, prompting the military to expand further, not only to contain crash sites but also to keep people out.

In central Mexico, an organized crime group deliberately infected a small town, planning to harvest the soil afterwards and sell it. They were discovered and made an example of.

Humans are so entrepreneurial.

Some can even find ways to turn an invasion into profit.

***

Dyna took the fence repair van and drove to the meteor site. When there are hosts present at a crash site, it takes 8 months for the mold to complete its lifecycle. This particular site is in Nebraska, where the meteor crashed into a commercial feeding station for cattle. The lifecycle is in its fourth month, and occasionally something escapes.

There is no need to go look for the escapees. They will find you. They break out looking for new hosts. Sue and Dyna are tasked with living near the site and dispatching anything from the dome that comes their way. Since this site is large, 12 couples are living in mobile units spaced evenly around the perimeter.

Humans are industrious.

These new jobs now employ thousands of people.

***

The hole is near the east edge of his sector, the 30 degrees of arc he and Sue are responsible for. Fixing a hole is basically automated. The operator is responsible for recording the location, size, and sector, then positioning the robotic arm to weave a patch. It has not been fully automated for a reason. If things go wrong, someone needs to be blamed, and machines can’t be held accountable.

Humans are very good at covering their own ass!

This hole was wrong. It was made from the outside. The torn fibers were clearly pushed inward.

Humans are, unfortunately, greedy.

Someone made this breach to allow something inside to escape, presumably to collect the emerging mutans. ‘Sue!’, Dyna says out loud, realizing that the cow she is about to euthanize might be someone’s prize. He cannot leave the hole open, so he skips a few steps and sets the mending process in motion. He is required to watch the process, but his concern for Sue is more pressing. Dyna takes a rifle from the van, checks that it is loaded, and races home on foot. It is not very far; he might make it in time.

***

Sue walks to the utility shed, and the cow follows, guided by the rudimentary intelligence of the mold. She is a potential host.

Once she reaches the cleared area behind the utility shed, she readies the gun. It is not really a gun. It is a pneumatic captive bolt pistol with a long barrel, allowing the operator to stay clear of any mold spores. Sue is wearing the protective suit and respirator required for any outside work so close to the mold dome, making the length of the barrel an added safety precaution.

Operating the gun is simple: arm it, press the tip of the barrel against the head of the target, and press the trigger. A metal rod is then driven into the intended target, killing it before retracting back into the barrel. Cleaning the gun afterwards takes more time than using it. Sue stops, turns, and presses the barrel against the animal’s forehead.

‘I would not do that if I were you!’ The voice was behind her, and she slowly backs up while looking around. The cow is still shuffling towards her, pressing against the barrel of the pneumatic gun. Sue keeps the barrel there; it is protecting her in more than one way.

There were two men, wearing older-style protective gear. One held a shotgun, and the other a long pole with a loop at one end. The gun is meant for her, the loop for the cow.

‘All we want is the animal, and we will be on our way, ‘ the man holding the shotgun gestures towards the cow, ‘we mean you no harm.’ Sue does not believe him and readjusts her grip on the cattle gun. The man notices, realizes the score, and lowers the shotgun. ‘Really! All we want is the animal. With it, we will be able to feed our entire village for many years once it fertilizes the land.

Sue maneuvers the animal between her and the two men. They recognize her tactic and start to flank her. For now, they are worried that she might kill the animal, making it worthless to them. They will never get it back to their land in time before it blows its spores. She knows this is the only thing that is keeping her alive.

She slowly backs away from them, and as she emerges from behind the utility shed, she sees Dyna unfolding the rifle’s tripod on a hill overlooking their home. Sue picks up her backwards pace, worried that this might trigger the men into more decisive action. They did not notice; all they wanted was for the mutated cow to remain alive.

The bullet cut the man with the shotgun in half in a split second before the report was heard. The other man froze, bewildered by what he had just witnessed. He was lifted off his feet and thrown back several feet when Dyna shot him in the chest. Sue pressed the trigger of the cattle gun, and as the cow collapsed, she was already running for cover. Mold thieves often travel in large groups.

***

Dyna does not like this part of the job. Killing mold thieves is necessary, but they are still human beings. He sees a vehicle speed away and takes care to aim a little in front of it. The bullet hits the vehicle’s engine bay, and it comes to a stop in a cloud of smoke. His neighbors would be alerted by now, and these thieves will not escape.

Humans are tenacious and cunning.

Only the fear of death keeps people from robbing mold domes and risking further contamination. This makes a firm hand necessary when it comes to dealing with mold thieves.

He scans the area through the rifle scope and signals that it is all clear to Sue. She waves once before entering the utility shed to fetch the excavator. There are 3 graves to dig today, and she will get a head start.

If she can bury the men before Dyna returns, she will have time to clean up and prepare lunch while he buries the animal.

People need to eat after all.