The Inhuman Sympathizer

You humans have long wondered if there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, and I find that funny, because there is another intelligent lifeform living alongside you, right here on Earth. I belong to that group. The Nameless Ones. We look exactly like homo sapiens, but we're something else altogether. We've only been around for the past hundred thousand years or so, and we're just trying to survive. Homo sapiens is a violent species, and this doesn't make life easy for us.

Who is this, you may ask? Call me Sam. No last names, at least not for now, possibly not ever. A big and tall, dark-skinned gentleman who appears to be of African descent, and hovers between late twenties and early thirties in terms of age. Quiet, polite and efficient, that's how past classmates and coworkers would describe me. I live in the City of Ottawa, Ontario. I am college educated, fluent in multiple languages, and work in the tech sector. Chances are you've seen plenty of my kind and never known it. Speciation is a hell of a thing, and those without great adaptability and survivability tend to vanish really fast.

The ancestor of modern humans was an ape-like creature called Lucy, whose remains were found in Ethiopia a long time ago. Lucy belonged to the genus of Australopithecus, and much has been said and written about her, and her links to modern humans. The ancestor of my species was the Gigantopithecus, the gigantic, ape-like creature that lived in the forests of Asia and the African subcontinent about a hundred thousand years ago. Primatologists believe that the Gigantopithecus went extinct a hundred thousand years ago but they didn't die, silly human, they evolved into us. My species. A race in direct competition with yours.

The race of Gigantopithecus grew smaller, and leaner, lost a lot of fur and muscle mass, and gained the ability to shape-shift at will. Evolution and the game of survival demanded that we change, and we did as we must. Nowadays, we're everywhere. If you see a tall, fairly large, socially awkward yet highly intelligent person, odds are that he or she might be a Gigantopithecus in disguise. In the olden days, modern humans eradicated those of my species who lacked the metamorphic abilities which enabled us to hide in plain sight. You humans wiped out the cavemen, and various other human-like breeds, until only modern humans remained...or so you thought.

"We are among you, humans," says I, Sam the weirdo. Of course, reading this, you sit there at your computer, probably sipping coffee and thinking to yourself that I'm just another wacko on the Internet. Maybe you're reading this on your phone and giggling while on the bus, or the train. Yes, I am absolutely and positively frigging nuts. You go right on thinking that. The way I figure it, it actually works to my advantage. As a member of a species that's in direct competition with you, having you underestimate me enables me to surprise you once in a while, and gain the upper hand. You can't prepare for the enemy you don't even believe exists.

I've made a study of my kind, and this is something which the others consider to be dangerous because of our need for secrecy. I'm different from the others in that I seek knowledge, rather than mere survival. I guess I've been around you human monkeys for too damn long. I want to travel and explore. I want to know things. I want to spread knowledge. I believe in enlightenment. I abhor ignorance. If this makes me an anomaly among my own species, then so be it...

I was born in the Caribbean, and my family moved to the Capital of Canada when I was but a wee one. In my time, I've traveled to places like Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, Egypt and Australia. I want to visit as many countries as I can. I am fascinated by exotic languages and exotic foods, and I love to encounter other cultures. The majority of my species have a special hatred of humans which I do not share. I have an almost anthropological curiosity about you people. Oh, I know how destructive you are, and continue to be, but I believe there's more to you than that. Perhaps I am wrong. Time will tell...

The Sacred Archives of my people are restricted, and one of my thirty-odd years lacks access to them. I believe that there was a time when our two races coexisted. When I read the ancient religious texts such as the Bible and the Koran, and even the Torah, there is mention of beings that were like humans, but larger and greater, and they lived among men in ancient times. I think that there was a time when my kind, the descendants of Gigantopithecus lived openly among ancient Homo Sapiens, and that there was peaceful relations, perhaps even trade and intermarrying among our two species.

I am a voice in the wilderness among my people, and even my older brother Arthur chastises me for voicing such theories in discussion forums among our people. What am I to do? I feel alone in this world. On the one hand, I am a proud son of the Nameless Ones, we who will inherit the planet Earth after ridding it of Homo Sapiens. On the other hand, I am a seeker of knowledge, and one who believes in different peoples putting aside their differences to work for the common good.

I am a fan of Star Wars, and Star Trek, and I support the politics of racial diversity and LGBT rights and inclusion. I believe in liberalism. I believe in progress. Of course, these are human principles, and ill suited for one of my kind. Still, I'd like to believe that there could be an interspecies alliance of sorts between us. Of course, this is mere speculation, since I know a lot about human xenophobia. It is everywhere I look, in fact.

If human history has taught me anything it's that the species is inherently violent, and intolerant. In the Middle East, the Arabs and the Jews are pitted against each other, even though they have much in common in terms of culture, religion and shared heritage. Hell, a lot of them resemble each other like cousins if not brothers and sisters. In Africa, there's no love lost between the Somalis and the Ethiopians, who continue to fight the same battles fought by their fathers and grandfathers, even though none of them remember who started the conflict in the first place.

In Asia, the Japanese and the Chinese are not at war for the moment, though there's no love lost between them. India and Pakistan are like the big brother and the little brother fighting over the inheritance left by a dead father. In Europe, xenophobes stir anti-minority hatred against the Blacks, the Arabs and the Asians living in their midst. They don't like the fact that immigrants hailing from places colonized by Europeans in ages past are now moving into Europe itself. Even among subcultures that are used to being mistreated, there's conflict. Among LGBT people, it's considered okay to bash bisexuals and transgender people, with bisexual men bearing the brunt of the erasure and abuse. There's no escaping the hatred that mankind has for its own kind.

There are seven billion human beings on the planet, and an untold number of us, the sons and daughters of the Gigantopithecus bloodline, hiding in plain sight amongst you. We are grocery store clerks, janitors, security guards, police officers, schoolteachers, computer geeks, porn stars, professional athletes, healthcare workers, entertainers, tradesmen, and yes, even homeless people. We're here, and we've always been here. Waiting for the right time to get rid of homo sapiens and take over the planet Earth.

"Sam, get your head out of the clouds," says a feminine voice, and I turn to look at my co-worker Salma "Sally" Chaouni. The short, curvy, bronze-skinned and dark-haired young Moroccan woman has been working at the tech company for a couple of years, and we've developed a good rapport. Sally is one of my favorite human beings. She's obnoxious, and likes to snore and sometimes fart at her desk when she thinks management is not around. I find her utterly fascinating.

"Sal, you know me, pondering the mysteries of the universe," I reply, as I click out of the personal document I'd been typing, instead of being a good little programmer for a certain Canadian tech company. Sally sits at the edge of my desk, and I inhale her scent. Sharp senses of smell, taste and hearing are part of the package for us descendants of Gigantopithecus, but when it comes to visual accuracy, we're on the same level as you modern humans. Mother nature's way of equalizing things, I guess...

"Here comes Paul," Sally says, and I cringe as one of my least favorite human beings comes along. Paul is short, and skinny, with blond hair and too many tattoos. He carries himself like the belle of the ball, and sounds like your sister when there's a major sale at the mall. I, Sam, pride myself on being capable of finding beauty and sex appeal in both females and males. Among us, the Nameless Ones, sexual fluidity is the norm so bouncing around between female and male lovers is no big deal. Among humans, sexual fluidity is usually seen as a problem. Another small way in which we Gigantopithecus are superior to you modern humans.

"Hello Sally, hi, Sam," Paul says snidely as he walks past us, en route to our manager Theodore's office so he can snitch on someone or bitch about one thing or another. Once he's done, he will return to his cubicle to read online gossip. Sally finds Paul funny. I despise the little bozo for many reasons, not the least of which the fact that he's crushing on me and can't take no for an answer. I am sexually fluid, and have been known to take beautiful women and handsome, masculine men to my bed. I make no secret of my bisexuality. That being said, I wouldn't touch Paul if he were the last human being on earth. Got to have standards, thank you very much.

"Ah, Sam, what is your secret?" Sally asks, and I look at her, wondering what she is talking about. Among us, the sons and daughters of the Gigantopithecus bloodline, we are taught from birth to protect the existence of our species at all costs. If Sally here suspects me of being anything other than a big and tall, socially awkward black man, then she is going to have an unfortunate accident or end up on the Missing Persons List. I smile at Sally, and urge her to explain herself. She doesn't know it yet but her life depends on it...

"Please elaborate, my dear Sally, a brother has many secrets," I reply nonchalantly, nodding at Sally while running scenarios in my head. My Gigantopithecus brain processes information much faster than you modern homo sapiens. We're smarter, but this makes us a bit awkward socially. Essentially, we come off as nerdy, or odd, even during the best of circumstances. It seems to be a characteristic of our species. I'm fine with that. I'd rather be smart and socially awkward than fit in while being super dumb and predictable...

"Well, Sam, as the resident bisexual, a lot of the local ladies and the fellas don't know what to make of you, you look good and you're masculine, but you don't date, you don't gossip, and you keep to yourself," Sally said, leaning way closer than socially acceptable. I smile at her, and relief washes over me in the most amazing way. Sally thinks I'm a social weirdo instead of an inhuman monster whose species is at war with mankind. I am a master of disguise. I feel like patting myself on the back. I feel like tap dancing. You would too, if you were in my size twelve black Timberland boots.

"Just call me Sam, Local Man of Mystery," I reply, and suddenly I realized that I inadvertently leaned a bit closer to Sally. The lovely lady grins, and then closes the gap between us. Sally presses her lips against mine. Sally kisses me. I've been kissed a few times before. This is pleasant but awkward. I kiss her back, and her tongue slides against mine. The kiss is brief, barely a few seconds, but I liked it. Sally smiles, and opens her eyes, and I realized that I didn't close mine. Hey, socially awkward imitation-of-a-human here, alright?

"Hmm, I'd like to unravel that mystery," Sally says, and she winks at me, touches my shoulder and walks away. I watch her walk away, and find myself admiring her rather ample derriere. Among my kind, I'm considered a weirdo because I sleep with humans. My brother Arthur teases me about it all the time, as do our parents. I take it in stride, for the way I figure it, I'm just doing research. In the global conflict between my kind and yours, knowledge can tip the situation one way or another, and carnal knowledge is knowledge, last time I checked...

"You sicken me," Paul mouths from his cubicle as I get up and grin, still aglow from kissing the lovely and curvaceous Sally. The Moroccan gal has sweet tasting lips. Makes me wonder about the rest of her. Let Paul throw a hissy fit if he likes. I ignore him and keep walking. In the so-called community, males who only like males absolutely hate seeing males who like both sexes end up with females. Paul's shady behavior is as predictable as it is unwelcome.

As I walk to the cafeteria, intent on getting some coffee, I run into...him. Stanley, the only one of us who also works at the company. He's tall, green-eyed, dark-haired and Caucasian, somewhere in his mid-twenties. Among us descendants of the Gigantopithecus genome, there are many different groups. I am a Seeker, what you'd call the Intellectual Class. The academics. There are Infiltrators, and they work in law enforcement, the military and sometimes the media and the sciences, keeping us one step ahead of homo sapiens. The most dreaded among us are the Enforcers. They make problems disappear. Stanley is an Enforcer.

"Greetings, Brother Sam," Stanley says, and he smiles at me like we're old friends. We exchange a tense handshake. According to his various social media profiles, Stanley used to be in the Canadian Armed Forces, then he got an honorable discharge, went to college and now works for the same Canadian tech giant which employs me. I have nothing against Stanley but I don't like him. Nobody likes the Enforcers. When you see them, it usually means that you or someone you know has fucked up and is about to disappear.

"Hello, Stanley," I reply, and Stanley and I make small talk while I prepare my coffee. He sips on his cup of sugar free tea. Stanley works as an auditor for the company. He's that guy who checks every account, and to whom every expense accrued on company time has to be justified. The humans at the office don't like the auditors. It's the perfect cover for Stanley. I wonder why he's here but I can't just ask. When it comes to the Enforcers, a general rule is to be polite and stay the hell out of their way...

"The company is doing a lot of work in Africa, Asia and Latin America, they're honestly digging where they shouldn't," Stanley says out of the blue. I nod politely and take that in stride. Among us Gigantopithecus, it has been a custom to burn the remains of our dead, and scatter the ashes. We don't leave skeletons behind for annoying human scientists to ponder about. As far as the humans are concerned, our remote ancestors are extinct, and we don't exist. That's the way we like it.

"It is always a good idea to mind one's own business," I reply, and Stanley nods, then grips my shoulder. I lock eyes with him, and Stanley grins, seemingly in a friendly manner, but we are not friends and I find his touch intrusive. Among all hominids, personal space is a thing. The chimps and gorillas in the wild have their personal space, as do ordinary men and women in the world today. Well, personal space is also a thing among us Gigantopithecus. I inhale Stanley's scent, and weirdly enough, he doesn't smell of aggression or anger. He smells...mundane, normal. Weird.

"Glad you feel that way, Brother Samuel, enjoy your day," Stanley replies, and with that, he lets go of my shoulder and walks away. I watched him go, wondering what the hell just happened. Should I feel threatened? Is Stanley the Enforcer here for me? Perhaps he's here for one of the humans. I work for a telecommunications giant. The company has branches all over the world. Last time I checked, we deal in communications technologies, and not anything to do with digging up ancient crap to find who knows what. How could anyone at the company be a threat to my species and thus merit a visit from the Enforcers?

"It's my life," I say to myself as I head back to my cubicle. As the work day ends, I get a text from Sally, inviting me to grab drinks. I accept, and meet her later that night. I take life as it comes. Who am I? Sam, just Sam for now. I take life as it comes. After a few drinks and dancing at one of those clubs that doesn't give a damn about Covid or quarantine, Sally and I go home for some fun. I enjoy every moment of this life. Who knows? Tomorrow I might get a fatal visit from Stanley the Enforcer due to my being a human sympathizer. Wish me luck. Peace.