by Eliza Green
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GENESIS WAR
The Genesis Series, Book 3
By
Eliza Green
Copyright © 2014 Eliza Green
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Content Editor: Averill Buchanan
Proofreader: Mary McCauley
Cover Design: Deranged Doctor Design
This book was previously published as Crimson Dawn: Exilon 5 Book Three in 2014.
This book is also available in print
www.elizagreenbooks.com
1
October 2163, Exilon 5
Stephen pushed open the hatch that covered one of many tunnel entrances leading out to the stony wasteland beyond New London. The dirty metal hatch blended in with the landscape, hidden behind a cluster of large rocks.
Stephen stayed behind a rock and watched both the military in the distance and his intended target. The wolf headed towards the bait Stephen had left to lure it away from the military.
As he stood up his foot scuffed some loose rubble. The wolf stopped and raised its head. Stephen could smell its fear. But to his relief it moved again towards the trap. Serena shifted closer to Stephen’s side. She growled low as her hunting instincts kicked in.
The military waited in the dark expanse. Ever since Anton had returned with the bomb that had destroyed part of their tunnels, the military had increased their patrols. Stephen could make their shapes out as they leaned against their vehicles. Their aura colours of greens and blues matched their relaxed attitude.
‘They don’t know we’re here,’ he said to Serena. ‘We have time.’
Serena looked at him, then at the military. ‘Can you hear them this far out?’
His eyes snapped back to the young wolf inching closer to the bait. It sniffed at the edge of the rocks. Its immaturity worked to Stephen’s advantage. The adult biodome animals would never get his close to one of his traps.
The military said something that caught Stephen’s attention. ‘We’ll have to be quick. They’re thinking about making a move.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I can hear them. They’ve spotted the wolf.’
Serena shook her head. ‘All I hear is a collective mumbling. Nothing they say is clear.’
Her inability to hear well troubled him. All Indigenes had the ability. He switched his focus back to the wolf again. Pierre needed this kill.
Stephen ran the minute the wolf began tugging at the piece of meat staked into the ground. Before the wolf could turn its head, Stephen stood before it, his eyes focused on the blood dripping from the animal’s mouth. The wolf shifted towards him just as an out-of-breath Serena caught up with him. He could hear her erratic thoughts that pulled her mind in different directions.
‘Are you okay?’ He kept his eyes on the cagey wolf.
‘I’m fine. Why?’ She had adopted the stance that all Indigenes did when they hunted—one leg pitched in front of the other, head straining forward, back low, arms poised to snatch.
The young wolf growled.
‘Are you worried about something?’ He adopted the same pose, crouching low until his fingertips almost touched the ground.
She shook her head and he straightened up, sensing her worry. The air displaced around him as the wolf lunged at Serena.
The force of the animal knocked her to the ground. Serena screamed. The animal pinned her shoulder down. It snarled through a mouthful of Indigene flesh.
‘Come on, you’re stronger than it,’ said Stephen. ‘You can take it.’
She screamed again. ‘Get it off me.’
He could watch no longer than a few seconds. The muscles in his arms strained as he lifted the wolf up by the scruff and snapped its neck. Stephen unclamped its mouth from Serena’s shoulder and she fell back to the ground. The glistening teeth marks on her shoulder instantly healed.
He threw the dead wolf over his shoulder just as Serena scrambled to her feet. ‘I can’t believe that just happened.’ She grinned and wiped the dirt from her dark hunting clothes.
‘Come on. We have to go.’
Serena looked around her. ‘How far away are they?’
‘Not far. They’re getting into their vehicles.’
He took off, running as fast as he could with Serena close on his heels.
‘Can you make it with that thing on your shoulder?’ she asked, panting.
‘I think so.’ His legs strained with the extra weight. ‘Run up ahead and open the entrance. I won’t have time to stop.’
Serena raced towards the cluster of rocks and the hidden entrance. She opened the metal hatch and stood back.
When he was within range he threw the wolf through the hatch. His momentum carried him over a large rock and through the opening, to land on his kill. Serena pulled the hatch closed, securing it with metal bars on the inside.
‘That was close.’
Stephen brushed himself down and hauled the wolf with its mouth frozen mid-snarl through the tunnel. Serena followed.
‘What happened back there?’ he said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘The scream. It came from you.’
‘No, it didn’t.’
‘When the wolf lunged, you screamed.’
‘It took me by surprise,’ she said.
The entrance to their district loomed, constructed from the impervious omega rock. Genetic scanners above the door verified them as Indigenes. The door slid back into the rock face.
‘Can you manage from here?’ Serena said once the door had closed behind them. She removed her air filtration device.
Stephen nodded, doing the same.
‘Then I’ll talk to you later.’
She moved through the tunnel with poise and grace, then vanished from sight at the first bend. He dragged the dead animal through the cold, low-lit tunnel. The smell of fresh blood made his stomach rumble, but it wouldn’t stay fresh for long. He needed Gabriel’s help, the visiting elder from District Eight.
He sensed him close by and found him in a tunnel near to the core of District Three. Gabriel’s wife, Margaux, was with him along with three males. Margaux’s wild eyes searched the space. Stephen had sensed an unfocused mind from her when she’d arrived. Gabriel argued with one of the males. When he heard Pierre’s name mentioned, his anger flared.
‘He’s not well,’ said Gabriel. ‘He needs time to come to terms with Elise’s death. Have some patience, please.’
‘You’re not the elder here, and tell your wife to keep her nose out of my thoughts.’ The male rubbed his temple. ‘I can feel her poking around. It gives me the creeps.’
Margaux concentrated on the male before turning her attention to his friends. They shook their heads as if trying to dislodge something. Margaux smirked.
‘Margaux, please.’ Gabriel touched her arm and she dropped her intense gaze.
‘You’re no fun,’ she said.
‘I have every right to be here,’ said Gabriel to the male. ‘Until Pierre is well enough to govern this district again, I am the presiding elder.
Is that clear?’
‘You and your crazy wife are not welcome here.’ The male walked away and his friends fell into line behind him.
Gabriel ground his fist into his eyes. It was not the first confrontation to happen since his arrival. Three short weeks had passed since Elise, Pierre’s wife, had been killed by Anton after he’d returned from Earth with an additional personality he still harboured. Following Elise’s funeral, Pierre had locked himself in Council Chambers and had refused to come out. Uncertain whispers of what would happen accompanied the daily confusion in the district.
Other districts had been asked to help bring order to District Three. When Gabriel and Margaux, the elders from District Eight, showed up, Gabriel came with a message from the other districts: “We will not help. Pierre has betrayed our trust by keeping our true origin a secret.”
Pierre’s actions had harmed their democratic society. Stephen had no idea how to help Gabriel unite a district that was falling apart without Pierre.
He dropped the wolf at Gabriel’s feet.
‘I see you managed to get one?’ said Gabriel.
‘Wasn’t easy. The military are watching.’
The visiting elder, taller than Stephen and of a sturdier build, nodded. At the age of one hundred and seven, Gabriel was thirteen years younger than Pierre. It was hoped his more youthful energy would help calm the unrest in the district.
Margaux clucked her tongue. ‘Pierre doesn’t need that.’ She kicked the dead wolf. ‘He needs something else.’
‘What does she mean?’ Stephen still couldn’t figure Margaux out.
Gabriel half smiled. ‘Just ignore her. I love my wife, but she can be a little eccentric. The Indigenes find her too difficult to handle and the Evolvers stay away. They’re well used to her in our district, but here, they haven’t taken to her.’
Stephen nodded to the dead animal. ‘Can you bring some to Pierre?’
Gabriel hoisted the animal onto his shoulder. ‘I’ll pick the choicest cuts. And if he doesn’t eat it, I’ll ram it down his scrawny throat. Then I’ll kick him out of his Chambers and take up residence there, so I can have some peace.’
Stephen smiled. He confessed to liking Gabriel’s way with words. Gabriel had always seemed so unlike the other Indigenes. But with context, Stephen now understood the difference: Gabriel spoke like a human.
‘Just one other thing,’ said Stephen.
Gabriel looked back.
‘It’s about Serena.’
Margaux poked and prodded his thoughts—just like Elise used to do.
‘The female from District Eight?’
Stephen nodded. ‘I need you to meet her.’
‘I’ve tried but she’s always too busy to meet. Maybe when things calm down.’
‘No, you must meet her soon.’
Gabriel frowned. ‘What’s the rush?’
‘I’m worried Serena isn’t who she says she is.’
2
Stephen entered the core of District Three, a large open space with vaulted ceilings—the place where Anton had returned just a few weeks before. A low light illuminated the area, powered by a solar power feed collected from the surface. The air was cool and dry.
Groups of Indigenes gathered and discussed just one thing: Pierre. Gabriel was doing his best to restore order, but Stephen could sense the mounting loss of faith in Pierre’s ability to lead.
The Indigenes gave off a hostile vibe as he walked through the space. Many adopted a defensive stance as their ghostly shadows cast on the walls. Then there were the unsmiling glanced as he passed. He ignored other nastier thoughts about Anton and stopped at a section of wall with alcoves. The alcoves were used to teach the Evolvers, but with classes over for the morning, all except one were empty.
A vision jabbed him with what felt like a needle behind the eyes. He came up behind Serena who stared at a drawing on the wall. He stood back from her and waited for his pain to recede. The visions had become a regular intrusion. He had hoped that after three weeks, he’d have managed them by now.
Serena continued to study the drawings she’d scrawled for him over two weeks ago. ‘I still can’t believe I drew this. How did I know how to explain your visions to you?’
For the past few weeks, they’d worked together on a strategy to deal with Stephen’s new ability—to predict the future through visions. Serena had sketched for Stephen how his visions worked so he could gain control.
He stared at the swirling black circle that she’d drawn with charcoal. It represented the vision moving towards him. Sweeps of yellow limonite jutted out from the black, to represent his mind breaking apart the mass to reveal the vision. She had drawn a second ball of black, more dense than the first, to show Stephen how the vision looked when he tried to fight it. Then she had increased the size of the circle to show him what caused him pain.
Stephen focused on the drawings, not on Serena. As fascinated as he was with her, he confessed to knowing very little about her origin. She had arrived in District Three the same time as Anton had returned. She claimed to be from District Eight, but Serena had not tried to return to her district once in the last three weeks. Her differences to other Indigenes worried him, not least her inability to master telepathy. Nor could she sense his ability to access her private thoughts.
If Serena really was an Indigene, she was a poor one.
The last time he’d tuned into her mind was two days ago. He’d seen several strange images that looked more like Laura O’Halloran’s memories than that of an Indigene’s. Serena stood in an apartment. A picture of a woman and a child was set on the mantelpiece. In a separate image, a human woman he didn’t recognise examined her reflection in a shiny lab instrument. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. There were vague similarities between the human and Serena. Had Serena been a scientist in District Eight? She’d never mentioned anything about it.
Gabriel would help to identify her. As soon as Serena made time to meet him.
Stephen’s head tingled when Serena attempted to probe his mind. Her efforts were ineffective, unpractised. He could easily hide his thoughts from her.
‘What’s wrong, Stephen?’ She turned around. Her azure-coloured eyes set his heart to beat faster.
‘What do you mean?’
‘You’ve been acting strange for the last couple of days. Now you hide your thoughts from me. I need to know what you’re thinking.’
His head grew light and it took all his strength not to blurt out this thoughts. Serena’s influence over him was powerful. ‘I’m just worried about my visions. I should be able to control them. The pain I get before they disappear is severe.’
He pushed down his feelings for Serena, because his attraction to her was more than just chemistry. She controlled him—he could feel it—the way his visions controlled his mind. But when he was with her, the pain halved and anything felt possible.
Serena gave him a quick smile. Then a vacant look in her eyes replaced the intensity from before. She exited the alcove and Stephen followed after her through the core. The males in the vicinity snapped to attention when she passed them. Stephen pushed down his jealousy as soon as he caught glimpses of their thoughts.
She entered the tunnel and Stephen sped up to keep pace with her. Her bare feet skimmed the hewn floor of the tunnel. Her movements were graceful and light as though she had no care in the world. But she did. Everything about her pointed to danger.
Where did you come from, Serena? He’d wanted to ask her for weeks, but was afraid to in case she disappeared.
He slowed his pace, frustrated with his inability to say what was on his mind.
Serena surprised him by slowing down. Then she linked arms with him.
‘Come on.’
‘Where are we going?’
‘Wait and see.’
As soon as he got going, she unlinked her arm and picked up the pace again. He caught up with her and grabbed her hand—a move she allowed. She even squeezed his hand in response.
<
br /> ‘Where did you come from?’ He wished he could stuff the words back in.
‘From District Eight.’ Serena frowned ‘I told you.’
Yes, she had said as much. ‘Why are you here with me?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Every male in this district wants to get close to you. Why do you spend your time with me?’
Serena smiled. ‘I feel at ease with you. I don’t feel that way with the other males. I sense what they want and it scares me.’
‘How do you know I don’t want the same thing?’
‘I don’t.’ Her smile faded. ‘But there are things I know and things that confuse me.’
‘What are you confused about?’ Stephen recalled the images in her head.
She stopped walking. ‘I like that you don’t complicate things. I need that right now.’
Stephen felt a pressure in his head along with a sudden urge to drop the subject. So he did. ‘How long before I gain control of my visions?’
‘Soon. You shouldn’t try rushing it.’
They resumed their fast walk. The omicron rock that formed the tunnel walls vibrated. Stephen felt it rattle his brain.
‘I wanted to try something,’ said Serena. ‘It might or might not work.’
‘Try what?’
She didn’t answer him. Instead she led him to one of the tranquillity caves and looked up at the entrance. ‘This place is strange, as if everything I think and feel is enhanced here.’
Stephen nodded. ‘The gamma rock has amplifying properties. It’s why they built the caves here. The Nexus works best with gamma rock.’
Serena grabbed both his hands. ‘The pain in your head is just your envisioning ability strengthening. Being close to the gamma rock might help you to control your visions—let them through. The more you fight them, the more they hurt you.’
‘Makes sense when you say it, but in practice...’ A sharp pain in his head cut him off.
He hadn’t had many full-blown visions recently, only partials that he’d deflected on his own. But the vision trying to manifest now felt stronger than the rest. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the emerging vision encased in a tight black ball. The hard black casing surrounding it broke apart, sending shockwaves through his skull and brain. When enough of the casing fell away along with the pain, he opened his eyes. The vision manifested on its own, with no effort from him.