by Teo Xue Shen
“Proceed as instructed. We will send you the shortest route to your position. Any questions?”
I can’t hold myself back any longer. This emotionless voice, this abnormal calmness in the face of calamity, gets on my nerves.
“Just what the hell actually happened here?” I snatch the radio from April. “Why the hell are there rotting bodies staked to the ground everywhere?”
“There was a resettlement programme not too long ago, when the city was still under our control. People were moved into the villages while plans for a nineteenth wall were made. But the Savages attacked this place. The bodies you see are a warning sign to our soldiers.”
Silence. I don’t know what else we expected to hear, but everyone’s expression is grave.
“If there are no other questions, proceed as planned. You have two hours left.”
The radio falls silent. Quite suddenly, I don’t think anyone feels bad about killing the Savages any more. The thought that any one of us could have been amongst the bodies on the ground sends chills down my spine. Out of the chaotic mix of feelings I’ve had since we were deployed, only anger and disgust are left. I can sympathise with Ivy now. Her face is contorted with hatred, her hands gripping her rifle so tightly that her knuckles turn white.
“You still think there’s another way?” Raine prods Sean in the back.
She probably shouldn’t be asking him that, not now, but she’s past the point of caring. I open my mouth to tell her to cut him some slack when to my surprise, he nods. Just how stubborn can that guy be?
“Let’s go.” I hand April the radio, my eyes hard. “We don’t have time to…”
“Quiet,” Raine interrupts.
“What?”
“It’s too quiet,” she explains slowly. “Where the hell are the birds and other scavengers?”
Finally it clicks. That weird feeling that something isn’t right. Quick as a flash, my Extension sprouts from my back, my rifle already at my shoulder. Too late. We watch helplessly as they come streaming out of the huts. Savages. A good thirty of them. Involuntarily, I step in front of Raine. Somehow, she manages to look happy and irritated at the same time about it. I take aim, then lower my rifle slowly. It’s hopeless. Seven of us against thirty odd Savages. We back up against each other, eyeing the ring of enemies closing in on us.
Closer and closer, they creep.
“So, what do we do next?” Hyung asks in a trembling voice.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I sigh. “We die.”
13
Raine nudges me aside and raises her rifle, making it clear that she isn’t going down without a fight. One by one, we do the same, resigned to the bloody end that fate has delivered to us. They don’t want to die. Not like this. I can see it in their eyes. Pain. Anguish. Heart-rending reluctance. In every situation we’ve found ourselves in, we always found a way out. But now, surrounded and outnumbered, we’re at the end of the line. We’re kneeling on the platform, a guillotine above our heads, waiting for the executioner to pull the lever. The Savages creep to within five metres of us and I prepare to give order to fire. The order that will see the end of Squad 72.
“Wait.”
I blink. An unfamiliar voice. The others are glancing around too, a look of confusion on their faces. Before anyone has any time to react, a spiked mesh of vines fans out over our heads, falling upon us like a net over a school of fish. It sprouts from the shoulder blades of one of the Savages.
“Fire!” I roar as the vines constrict.
It’s too late. We watch as the organic walls of our prison flex and intertwine all around us, our bullets digging harmlessly into them. Raine lashes out in frustration, using all eight clubs of her Extension. It’s futile. This Strachea doesn’t behave like any other we’ve encountered. Instead of shattering, it simply compresses sinuously like an elastic band, absorbing the impact dealt by Raine’s Extension. Tired and helpless, we await the end. There’s a hissing sound. Plumes of pungent gas curl up from the bottom of the tangle of vines. The more I breathe in, the worse I feel. Eyes watering, dizziness and a pounding headache. My body is heavy, my head light. So this is how it ends, huh, gassed to death inside the Strachea of a Savage. I’m not ready for death, but at the same time, a part of me is relieved. Relieved to leave this messed-up world behind. I don’t have much that I want to accomplish anyway. In fact, my only regrets are that I can’t avenge my parents and that I can’t save Squad 72. Out of the corner of my eye, I see April smash the radio on the ground. Wise choice. What a failure of a person I’ve turned out to be. In the end, I can’t even protect the ones who matter the most to me. As my consciousness slips away, I feel someone grab me. Raine. She presses her lips against mine. Then, darkness.
14
I wake. I shouldn’t be awake. Nor should I be here. Here being a bare, air-conditioned room. Alarms sound. Fifteen men storm into the room. Savages. I can tell by their Stracheas. I’m bound to a metal chair with thick, steel cables. They needn’t have bothered. In my current state, I can’t concentrate hard enough to retaliate with my Extension. Whatever they used to knock me out, it’s pretty damn potent. A Savage steps up to me. I recognise it. It’s the one with the vine-like Strachea, the one that trapped us.
“How are you feeling?”
“What the hell?”
That’s what I mean to say, but it probably comes out as slurred gibberish. My mouth is still numb and my tongue seems to have malfunctioned. I know it’s a rude thing to say to someone who’s asking about your health, but I can’t help my surprise. They can speak. Up till now, I always assumed that they growled at each other like animals.
“Look, I know where you’re from and what you’ve believed throughout your entire life. I’ve been there myself. So, what I’m going to tell you may sound outlandish, but do try your best to take it in,” he smiles warmly. “You’ve been out for about a day.”
He’s way older than I am, his eyes crinkling up when he smiles. His hair is streaked with white, his gnarled hand laid upon my shoulder.
“Where the hell am I? Where the hell are the rest of them? Why am I not dead? What the hell do you want with me? And what the…”
“Look up.”
There’s a screen bolted to a corner of the room. It’s divided into six panels. Each panel shows the video footage of each member of Squad 72, including Hyung and Ivy. They’re in the exact same situation as me. Great. Just great. If they’re threatened with harm, I don’t think there’s any piece of information I wouldn’t divulge.
“What do you want?” I snarl.
I’m seriously considering busting out with my Extension.
“Don’t bother trying anything,” he says, as if he can read my mind. “The guards will stop you.”
“Are they really necessary? I mean, I’m glad you think so highly of me, but surely, having my friends in your clutches is insurance enough,” I say dryly.
“Nope. I heard from April. You’re the leader of the squad. I’m not taking any chances.”
“If you hurt her in any way…”
“We didn’t,” he assures me. “We want your help.”
“With?”
“Ending this war.”
I’m starting to tire of this shit. “Look, let’s just be honest here. Who are you and what do you want?”
“Who am I?” he echoes. “I am you. We are the same. Two peas in the same pod.”
“Bullshit.”
“Then, what do you think I am?”
“A Savage,” I reply without hesitation. “An enemy. We’re not the same.”
“But everything you’ve thought of us has been disproved, am I wrong? You thought we were feral, incapable of communication. You thought we were inhumane, barbaric and without an ounce of emotion. But the very fact that you’re alive, listening to my explanations, proves otherwise. And doesn’t the fact that we both have Extensions tell you that we’re in the same boat?”
“Strachea, you mean.”
“No. Extensi
ons. I was modified too, just like you.”
I shake my head. Outside the room, the wailing of alarms reverberates through the corridor. Initially I think it’s due to my stubbornness and I prepare myself for the worst. The Savage glances at the screen.
“Guards section two, proceed to room nine,” the Savage speaks into a radio-like device attached to the breast pocket of his uniform. “I repeat, proceed to room nine.”
I follow his gaze and realise the cause of the chaos. Raine has woken up, her Extensions flailing wildly about. She rips through the steel cables and gets to her feet. The guards stream into the room. She tries to take a step towards them in an unbalanced stagger and falls to her knees, her Extension flopping onto the floor.
“Don’t you dare do any…”
“Relax.” The Savage squeezes my shoulder. “They won’t hurt her unnecessarily.”
Anxiously, I watch as the guards subdue Raine. True to his word, the guards don’t attack her with the intent to kill, deliberately aiming for the non-vital areas of her body. She sends them flying one after another, only calming down when she notices the screen in her room.
“All right, back to the matter at hand. How did you think we got our Extensions anyway? Magic?” the Savage asks.
“Interbreeding with animals.”
He stares at me. Slowly, his mouth moves, but nothing comes out. It takes him a minute to compose himself.
“By god,” he whispers. “You are an idiot. Is that what they teach you in schools these days? I’d almost rather you said ‘magic’. Humans are a species, meaning that we’re genetically isolated from other species. Which therefore means that interbreeding to produce fertile offspring is impossible. There are pre-zygotic barriers and post-zygotic complications to prevent that. And besides, what about physical and sexual incompatibility? Has it ever occurred to you that there is no way a human being can…”
His voice trails off when he sees the blank expression on my face.
“Anyway, it’s impossible,” he says quickly. “If you’re still unconvinced, take a look at my Extension. It derives from that of a liana. You really think someone mated with a plant because they were bored?”
He does have a point.
“Doesn’t change the fact that we’re enemies,” I repeat stubbornly.
I can’t accept this. There’s no way they can be the same as us. Because if they are, then what the hell does that make me? Me, who can’t feel for the dead. Me, who can’t understand the meaning of love. Me, who has managed to become inured to killing the Savages. The Savages, who aren’t as savage as we’d thought they were.
“Fine,” he sighs in exasperation. “If I show you around, will you believe me?”
“Seeing is believing,” I shrug.
This is going rather well. If I can get out of this room, my chances of escape will increase drastically.
The Savage motions to the guards, who haul me to my feet and guide me out of the room, through the building and to a four-wheel drive parked outside. They load me into the back of the vehicle, two guards clambering in after me. The Savage gets behind the wheel, whistling as he revs the engine.
“Remember, we have your friends,” he cautions. “Oh, by the way, I’m Ben. Third descendent of the Human Re-creation Project.”
I’ve got questions for Ben, but I decide to hold my tongue for the moment. A growl, a jerk, a belch of acrid smoke and we’re off. It’s amazing. We’re driving around some sort of military base. It bustles with activity. From a hospital to barracks and even convenience stores, this place has it all. In fact, it’s like a normal, human city, except for the armed guards patrolling the perimeter.
“Believe me now?”
“The Savages…”
“People,” he corrects. “Yes, they eat, speak, play and die just like you. They bleed, hurt and feel, just like you. Because they are like you. We are people. Just like you.”
“No,” I disagree. “They murder people. They kill without reason.”
“So do you. To us, you are the ones killing, murdering, raping and destroying our lives without any rhyme or reason. So, tell me, what is it which you think differentiates us?”
I don’t answer. Not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t. It is as he says. I’m reluctant to admit it, but these Savages have their own livelihoods, their own homes and their own needs. Anyone can see that. The most disconcerting thing is that at this moment, the scene in front of me is strongly redolent of the military base I grew up in and the cities I occasionally visited, where people lived their daily lives with passionate hope for a better future. In all honesty, I’m unable to differentiate between them and us any more. Never did I expect the supposedly feral Savages to live lives which are so similar to my own. It’s humbling and painful, especially with the awareness that I single-handedly snuffed out so many lives which bore the brand of humanity, so many lives which could have been fulfilled if I hadn’t prematurely ended them.
“If…if you’re people, just like us, then why?” I ask softly. “Why do you persist in attacking our country? You have your own cities, land and resources out here. So why? Why the hell would you trample over the lives of so many soldiers just to get into that walled community of ours?”
“We wouldn’t,” he replies immediately. “On the contrary, it is your side which wants war.”
“What do you…” I begin angrily.
He silences me with a wave of his hand.
“Do they ever tell you about the history of Mankind? Before the Savages existed? And now that you know that it’s impossible for a Man and a beast to mate, where do you think the Savages came from?”
I shake my head.
“Very well,” he sighs. “I’ll tell you. The Human Re-creation Project. Its goal was to create a race of people who were superior to the rest in every way. These genetically modified people would contribute to society in ways unimaginable to the general populace. They would cement our rule over the planet. After years of research, they finally managed to produce the first batch of modified people via germline therapy, people who could bring out Extensions at will. It was a success. Egged on by their egos, they proceeded with eight more batches of modified human beings.
“However, disaster struck when a rift between the modified people and the normal people began to develop. Eventually, public resentment against the modified people rose to unprecedented levels and tensions ran high, with frequent minor skirmishes between the factions. Under such tremendous pressure, the government quaked at the thought of complete societal collapse and gave the order for the military to retrieve all genetically modified human beings. Word went around that they were all to be executed. With their backs against a brick wall, these people rebelled. With their Extensions, they were more than a match for the military then, considering that this happened over sixty years ago, when I was just a little kid. The normal people built and retreated behind the first of what you now know as the Eighteen Walls while we, the genetically modified ones, took over the cities they left behind, raising a society of our own from scratch.
“That would have been the end of it if not for your government, which heavily funded research into creating genetically modified human beings specially adapted for military purposes. They knew that since we were created from altering the genes in germline cells, we would be able to reproduce and pass on these genes to raise a nation of genetically modified people just like ourselves. Fear of an invasion began to gnaw at the edges of their minds, leading them to launch an attack on the communities of Savages based just outside the first wall they built. Unprepared to fight against our own kind, we stood no chance against the new generation of genetically modified people. They bore Extensions we had never seen before, Extensions like that of the girl from your squad. So we retreated and here we are.”
I stare at him. This is too much for me to take in. I’m not even certain I can trust this guy, even if he hasn’t harmed anyone from Squad 72 yet.
“Wait,” I stop h
im, trying to poke a hole in that history of his. “If you were the ones who retreated, then why was there a need to build seventeen more walls just to keep you out? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Indeed, the first wall was about protection. But the walls after that are about expansion. Have you ever noticed the huge distance between each wall? Does it even make sense to build a new wall instead of reinforcing the old one if the wall were solely meant for protection?”
Again, I can’t answer. A part of me wants to bust my way out of there while another part wants to believe him.
“Can I speak with my friends?” I ask, changing the topic.
“Not until I decide I can trust you,” he smiles wanly. “For all I know, you might just be looking for an opportunity to slaughter the lot of us and return to that accursed country like a dog to its master.”
“Then why keep me alive?” I challenge. “Why bother telling me all that?”
“You already know the answer, don’t you? I want you to join our side.”
“And why us?”
“Don’t get me wrong. We didn’t choose you on purpose. You simply happened to stumble into our little trap.”
“Yeah, sure. That’s sketchy as hell.”
“Maybe I should have explained this first,” he sighs. “I am the leader of the Reformation Movement, which aims to capture and convince brainwashed soldiers like you that you’re on the wrong side of this war. We have three active units at the moment and, of course, many dissenters. Just like pro-Savage organisations on your side. The long defunct AFFTP, for example.”
My heart nearly stops. My tongue catches in my mouth as I try to speak, resulting in the emanation of a deathly croak instead of coherent words. The vivid memories which rush through my mind are both nauseating and frightening. Their motionless feet. The letters tattooed across their bodies.
“Wait, wait,” I stammer, recovering my wits. “The AFFTP? Did you just say AFFTP? Pro Savage? What the hell are you saying?”