Genesis Rising

by Eliza Green

  ‘A year ago, maybe, but as more Indigenes joined their cause, the idea of taking over inched closer to reality. All those times they failed were only preparing them for the big event.’

  ‘But the Indigenes have been unsettled for a while,’ said Clement. ‘I infiltrated one of the human groups recently who was collaborating with the Indigenes. I pretended to be eager for change. While I was there, I read some of the Indigenes’ thoughts. They’d been collaborating with the humans for longer than a few months.’

  ‘So there was a catalyst?’ asked Laura.

  Clement nodded. ‘A human catalyst. Everything accelerated when Harvey Buchanan arrived.’

  Laura had always known Harvey was trouble. But he was no longer the doctor of Charles Deighton. He was no longer the geneticist trying to make a quick buck off the desperate and vicious. She’d hoped the old man had changed his ways.

  ‘I foolishly thought he’d come to Exilon 5 to make a better life for himself.’

  Hetty shrugged. ‘Maybe this is his idea of a better life.’

  Laura shuddered at the thought. Keeping everyone under surveillance, locking down the cities and preventing people from leaving was not a better life—no matter how Harvey sold it. Oppression was no life at all. But this wasn’t a takeover like the one on Earth—it didn’t fit the narrative. When Harvey finally got Jameson, would all of this go away?

  ‘He must know that he can’t keep the cities in lockdown forever,’ said Clement.

  ‘Maybe he doesn’t need to,’ said Hetty. ‘We still don’t know what his end goal is.’

  The front door opened and Laura tensed up. Clement shot to his feet as a young man in his twenties burst into the living room. He froze when he saw Clement. His wide-eyed gaze found Hetty.

  ‘He’s back,’ the young man said.

  ‘Where?’

  ‘The old Takahashi property.’

  Hetty looked at Laura. ‘One of the old ITF strongholds, but with the power down it’s just as vulnerable as the rest of the city. I can take you there.’

  ☼

  Laura and Clement followed Hetty through a myriad of small streets, crossing through the rear of residential properties. Their owners, old and young, stared out the windows, too frightened to stop them. Laura wanted to apologise to them, to tell them it would all be over soon. But she had no idea how this would play out.

  Hetty brought them to a railing surrounding a majestic property on a pocket of private land, with a flared roof, long windows and brown, wooden cladding. The railing stopped at a closed gate to the front of the property. Guards were protecting the gate.

  Laura narrowed her gaze at the darkened house, seeing no sign that anyone was in it. ‘And he’s definitely in there?’

  Clement touched her arm. ‘Use your neurosensor. See if you can sense him.’

  She’d forgotten about it, relying mostly on her human instincts to get her this far.

  Laura crept up to the side railing protecting the house from prying eyes. Through one side window, she saw flickers of light. Candles possibly. She concentrated on the minds of those inside the house.

  She sensed several minds beyond the wooden structure, but not whom they belonged to.

  ‘I have to get closer,’ she said. ‘I’m not able to reach the occupants from out here.’

  They followed the railing around to the back of the property. There were no guards there. But there was no gate, either.

  Laura assessed the climb and drop. ‘We have to go over the top.’ She looked at Hetty. ‘Just Clement and I from here. We have the speed and strength to evade them if they see us.’

  Hetty nodded. ‘I’ll use bird song to alert you if there’s an issue.’

  ‘Or just whisper if there’s a problem. Clement will hear you.’

  Clement agreed with a nod.

  He gave Laura a boost over the railing. She landed gracefully on the other side, thanking her Indigene skills for giving her grace and dexterity. Clement followed, neither as graceful nor as dexterous, but at least his landing didn’t create much noise. Laura jogged to the back of the property. It was not being patrolled by the guards for the moment. She cupped her hands against the glass of the patio door and peered through to a room with a window acting as a partition to a second one.

  She saw a flicker of light in the next room, but not much else.

  ‘How far out does your neurosensor work?’ Clement whispered.

  ‘I think I need to see Harvey to see his ghost and catch him in a lie.’

  Clement tipped his chin. ‘The room to the front is visible from the guard’s station. I can take them out.’

  ‘It’s too risky. We’re going to have to go inside.’ She couldn’t see another way to do this but to get closer.

  Laura tried the patio door but it wouldn’t open. They tried the windows in the same area. One was loose. Clement prised it open and climbed inside. He checked the way and said silently, Clear.

  Laura dropped into what looked like an inside patio space with chairs looking out to the garden. She crept across the darkened space, seeing clearly with her Indigene vision, and peered into the next room. Harvey and several of his men surrounded a collection of chunky, flickering candles on the floor.

  ‘How much longer do we need to keep the cities locked down?’ said one of his team.

  Harvey said, ‘As long as it takes for Jameson to give himself up. Taggart has him and we know where Jameson is. But I’m not prepared to walk into a trap.’

  Laura’s pulse pounded thickly at the mention of Bill.

  ‘Where?’ asked a female.

  ‘One place we’re not getting inside without help.’

  ‘Will Jameson come to us?’ one asked.

  Harvey nodded. ‘He’ll have to eventually. There won’t be many places for him to run once he outstays his welcome.’

  ‘Then what?’

  Harvey smiled. ‘That’s for me to worry about.’

  27

  Bill only managed a few hours’ sleep. The others tossed and turned on their beds. They’d eaten, but it hadn’t done much to quieten anyone’s restlessness.

  He sat up, still dressed in a pair of black combats and an army-green jacket, and wearing his thick, black army boots. The others were also fully clothed—his orders. If they had to leave fast, he didn’t want anyone fussing with boots or trousers.

  Bill removed the rope and chair from the main door and peeked out. The rising sun had brightened the moon’s blue hue to a deep orange, but there was still enough darkness to give them cover. He crept to the car, with Ben and Gunnar keeping close to him. Ben got into the front and Gunnar got into the back. Bill took manual control of the vehicle. He steered it towards the gates.

  A glint of something bright caught his eye just past the hospital gates. Upon exiting, he noticed a vehicle parked back from the gates, nestled between the tall wall and the mountainous backdrop the compound was set against. Two men were sitting inside it.

  ‘What the hell are they doing out here?’ said Gunnar.

  ‘Watching us—what else?’ replied Bill.

  It surprised him they hadn’t made a move already.

  ‘If they wanted the kid, they could have taken him easily,’ said Gunnar. ‘No offence, Ben.’

  ‘About taking me or calling me a kid?’ Ben glanced over his shoulder. ‘They’re following us.’

  ‘So they want to know where we’re going.’ Gunnar leaned forward between the seats.

  ‘Because they want to know where Jameson is,’ said Ben.

  It was the only thing that made sense. Bill’s chest tightened with the guilt. ‘This whole thing was a setup from start to finish. And I fell for it.’

  He’d hoped Laura was wrong about Emile, but it was looking like the elder might have made a side deal with Harvey.

  Gunnar looked at him. ‘Harvey really wants Jameson that bad?’

  ‘It would appear so. Getting out with Ben was t
oo easy. So was getting inside the docking station. Half a dozen guards?’ He huffed. ‘Anyone could have taken them out.’

  Gunnar looked back. ‘What should we do—lead them away? This whole thing has been about keeping Jameson away.’

  The car hit a bump. Bill tightened his grip on the wheel.

  ‘There’s nothing we can do. If we stop, they’ll force us to do what they want anyway. We may have no choice but to lead them to Jameson.’ Jameson had stupidly admitted the details of the tests done on the Elite existed in his head and nowhere else. ‘The fact that Harvey is still looking for him means he must want the information not written down anywhere.’

  The tyres hit another uneven patch of ground. Gunnar grabbed the door handle. Bill swerved to avoid another bump, but he didn’t slow down. Speed was the only thing on their side.

  ‘So what do we do?’ asked Ben.

  ‘There’s only one thing we can do. We head for the Conditioned’s caves and hope that their numbers will keep them out long enough to figure out the next move.’

  ‘We might as well hand Jameson over if we lead them there.’

  Bill had been thinking about this. ‘I got from our meeting with Seven that Harvey hadn’t been to see them. He’d been to the hospital and the cities looking for the doctor. Why not there?’

  ‘Because he doesn’t trust them?’ said Ben.

  ‘Possibly.’ He jerked to the left to avoid another bump. The tyre caught the edge of the mound, rocking them inside the cabin. He continued. ‘The Conditioned have spent eight years in isolation, along with the Elite, who are now dead. They have no loyalty to anyone, and as former employees of the places Harvey used to work for, it’s possible they might remember him.’

  Gunnar said, ‘What you’re saying is Harvey will never be a friend of the Conditioned?’

  He nodded. ‘Unlike the Indigenes, who are gunning for change, there’s nothing for the Conditioned in an arrangement with Harvey.’

  ‘So why are we still going there if the Conditioned have nothing to gain from all this?’ asked Gunnar. ‘It’s unlikely they will help our fight with Harvey.’

  ‘Because I’m certain Harvey’s men won’t follow.’

  ‘And what happens when the Conditioned kick us out?’ said Ben.

  Bill watched the uneven ground like a hawk. ‘I’m hoping that won’t happen. I’m hoping I can offer them something, even if it’s only a promise at this point and not tangible.’

  It was the only plan he had to guarantee the Conditioned’s help. Staying at the hospital was no longer an option.

  The boundary wall between no man’s land and the Conditioned’s property loomed.

  Bill skidded to a stop next to the row of boulders. ‘We have to go on foot.’

  He opened the door and got out, checking the landscape for signs of Harvey’s men. He saw their vehicle in the distance; they appeared to have stopped.

  ‘They’re not following,’ said Gunnar.

  ‘That’s because they want us to get Jameson and bring him out.’ Bill climbed over the rocks and worked his way down the deeper side of the boundary wall.

  Gunnar and Ben followed.

  ‘Is this safe?’ asked Ben, looking around. He’d never been here before.

  ‘It is if I promise them whatever they want for keeping Jameson safe.’

  They trekked farther inside, past the environ that had stopped drawing power from the base station the moment Tanya Li lost interest in it.

  Bill checked back to see two heads peeking over the top of the boundary wall. At least they weren’t following.

  It didn’t take long for two tall, pale figures to meet them.

  One said, ‘Are you here to take back your prisoner?’

  ‘He’s not our prisoner.’

  ‘Why have you brought trouble with you?’

  Bill glanced back. The men hadn’t moved from their observation post. Orders from Harvey, possibly.

  He faced the front. ‘We need to talk.’

  They followed the pair to the cave and inside. The second Bill crossed their threshold, both relief and trepidation hit him. A group of Conditioned waited in the bright, open space with the screens and platform at the back. Some were checking the screens, for the intruders most likely. Among them was the Conditioned male who’d hosted Elite Seven.

  ‘You’re back to take your prisoner?’ Seven asked.

  ‘Not yet.’ Bill stepped forward. ‘We’ve got trouble.’

  Seven pointed to the camera screens. ‘I’d say so.’

  Bill checked them to see new people had joined the pair. It wouldn’t be long before Harvey showed up.

  ‘Listen, they’re here for Jameson. That’s what this city lockdown is all about.’

  ‘Your quarrels have nothing to do with us. We chose a life off grid. With the Elite dead, we are free to do as we please.’

  ‘And it won’t take long before Harvey decides to infiltrate your peace and quiet,’ said Bill.

  Seven cocked his head. ‘How so?’

  ‘I don’t know what he wants with Jameson exactly, but I can hazard a guess it’s to do with the data he holds on the Elite’s changes.’

  Seven’s eyes widened. ‘You think he wants to make more Elite?’

  Bill had no clue. ‘He’s a dangerous individual with more genetics knowledge than anyone here. Your Elite would have understood how powerful and persuasive he can be. I’d say anything is possible.’

  ‘I don’t understand why making more Elite would appeal to him.’ Seven shook his head. ‘He and others like him barely tolerate the Indigenes, let alone us.’

  ‘Humans may have ruled this planet since their arrival, but the Indigenes and the Conditioned hold the key to the human race’s survival.’

  ‘And what would that be?’

  ‘Longer life.’

  Seven laughed lightly. ‘None of that matters without peace.’

  Bill agreed. The races were still too separated for that to happen.

  Seven continued. ‘Your peace treaty does not include us, does not consider our rights. I am aware of the irony that it was created by the Elite, in their former human selves, but we have patiently done the bidding of the Elite for eight years.’

  That deal Bill expected the Conditioned to demand? He braced for it.

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘A seat at your table.’

  ‘You mean at the ITF table?’

  Seven shrugged. ‘Whatever you want to call it. Although, I think the name is outdated.’

  ‘What do I get in return?’

  ‘Whatever you need.’

  ‘I need you to fight. I need you to stop Harvey from taking Jameson.’

  Seven’s brow creased. ‘Aren’t you curious to know why he wants the doctor?’

  He was not. ‘Whatever he wants, it’s not good and he needs to be stopped. I knew him back on Earth.’

  This would not end well for anyone except Harvey Buchanan.

  ‘As did we.’ Seven cast his hand around the room. ‘All of us, former World Government and Earth Security Centre staff. The Elite might have dealt with him directly but we knew of Harvey Buchanan. He no longer holds the power he once did. He no longer has Charles Deighton in his corner.’

  Bill always suspected Harvey had been the powerful one in that twisted relationship. ‘He doesn’t need a Deighton. Harvey can do damage all on his own.’

  ‘Or with your help.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  Seven stared at him. ‘Tanya Li never once indulged his whims on Earth, but you did the second he stepped foot on the planet. Giving him full access to our data? You gave him the means to orchestrate this little coup.’

  ‘I gave him only what he needed to create a vaccine.’

  ‘For a virus that affected the Indigenes, not us.’

  Bill gritted his teeth at the double standards. ‘Have you forgotten how that virus came about? Because Tanya Li tri
ed to take what was not hers. And she did that because you were all too chickenshit to stand up to her.’

  Seven released a breath, as if done with the argument. ‘Then it appears we are both to blame for giving Harvey Buchanan too much rein over matters here.’

  ‘The renegades were doing okay before any of us got involved, believe me,’ said Gunnar. ‘There was already an established network here. All he did was slip in and use their grievances against the ITF to further his cause.’

  Seven said to Bill, ‘Are you sure he’s interested in the Elite’s data?’

  ‘No.’

  He paused. ‘Okay, we’ll help you. But you must keep your promise to us.’

  Bill was fully aware what that meant. ‘We need to stay out of sight for the day. More help will come after dark.’

  Seven nodded. ‘One other thing.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘We have someone we want you to meet.’

  28

  Marcus watched from his hiding spot as two Conditioned males left the room and returned with Taggart, Ben and a man Marcus had never seen before.

  Seeing Ben made his skin prickle with rage and abated his hunger. So Taggart had rescued Ben after Marcus left. Through the gap in the privacy screen, he glared at the lanky teen with black hair. When this was all over, he’d do away with him properly. But right now, what that kid did or didn’t do was not his problem.

  Taggart and the Conditioned’s leader bullshitted back and forth for a while.

  Then the leader said, ‘You’re back to take your prisoner?’

  Marcus nearly choked on his own breath. He stepped back into the shadows. Why had the Conditioned told him to hide if they’d planned on giving him up?

  ‘Not yet.’

  When the talk turned around to Jameson, Marcus nearly choked a second time.

  Jameson was here. Liars!

  The conversation carried on between the tall freak and Taggart. Not once was Marcus mentioned. Interesting. He wondered if they were playing both sides.

  Taggart rounded out his little speech and Marcus relaxed for half a second, until the leader dropped him in it. One of the Conditioned showed up, grabbed Marcus’ arm and dragged him into plain sight.