by Eliza Green
He slipped the Buzz Gun out of his pocket and swivelled round. He pointed it everywhere, but could see nothing. A cool hand pushed the gun down.
‘Follow me,’ said Stephen.
32
District Three was a hotbed of chaos. Bill said nothing as he followed Stephen past injured Indigenes who were being treated for their wounds. They passed by an anxious Gabriel doing his best to calm the agitation in the tunnels.
‘They’ve just found out Pierre didn’t make it,’ said Stephen.
Gabriel said to one of the Indigenes, ‘It’s not my fault. And no, I won’t tell her what to do. Why can’t you accept her? I thought Indigenes were supposed to be more tolerant than humans.’
Stephen pointed to a skittish female. ‘That’s Margaux, Gabriel’s wife. She’s a little eccentric. The others don’t understand her.’
Gabriel glanced at Bill before asking Margaux to help him in the medical bay. They entered the room, the same one Stephen and Laura had been taken to after the explosion in the tunnel. The space no longer looked like a temporary arrangement, but more of a permanent feature for the Indigenes. Pierre and Anton lay on separate beds. Serena, conscious after her ordeal, worked alongside Leon to repair the damage to both Indigenes.
Bill frowned at the scene before him.
‘Yes, technically Pierre’s dead, but we want to make sure we’ve tried everything,’ said Stephen.
Serena injected something into Pierre’s heart.
‘She’s giving him epinephrine,’ said Stephen.
Anton was a different matter, as Bill could see. Machines helped his heart and lungs to work. Electrodes had been attached to the side of his head.
‘The electrodes will try to try to kick-start his brain once we’ve stabilised him.’
Bill remained silent as he observed the activity. He wanted to ask about Laura, but it felt wrong to given what had just happened. Part of him was scared to ask.
‘She makes a good nurse, don’t you think?’ said Stephen.
Bill watched Serena for a moment, a natural influencer, at ease in this environment. ‘Do you think she was a doctor in her human life? She seems to know her way around the facility.’
‘Perhaps, but I wasn’t talking about her.’
Bill frowned and looked around the room. His eyes stopped on a second female figure cloaked in white. She leaned over Anton, and readjusted the electrodes to the side of his head. He didn’t recognise her.
Then a thought almost made his heart stop. Could it be? No. He stepped forward without taking his eyes off the female. She couldn’t see him, not yet; she was more interested in the task at hand than him. But when he stepped into her peripheral vision, her head snapped round and she glared at him.
‘Laura?’ Bill was stuck for words. Her skin, no longer grey, had changed to a semi-translucent state. Her hair had almost gone. But he saw a new light in her eyes that hadn’t existed since he’d found her in her apartment. Did she even know who he was?
Serena gave Laura a nod and she stepped away from the table. She squinted at Bill as though she tried to place him. Bill’s hope vanished and he looked away. That was it, he had lost her. She no longer recognised him. Could she ever love a human in her current form? Would his weak human body ever be enough for her stronger, faster one?
‘Bill?’ Laura finally said. ‘Is that you?’
He grinned and looked back at her.
‘They tell me I have temporary amnesia. The memories come and go,’ she explained. ‘Shit, I didn’t know when I’d see you again.’
Serena stepped back from the table and ran a current through the electrodes attached to the side of Anton’s head. Anton’s body spasmed. Then Margaux placed a hand on Anton’s forehead and muttered something to him.
Laura looked back at the table. ‘I’m sorry. I’m a little busy here. It’s really good to see you.’ She smiled. ‘Can we talk a little later?’
Bill couldn’t keep the smile off his face. ‘Aye, love. Any time you want. I’m not going anywhere without you.’
Stephen motioned for him to walk outside.
‘We had to transform her to Indigene, not all the way, but enough that her body would accept the changes.’
‘How?’
‘As it turned out, Serena’s DNA stabilised her. Her thoughts are still very much human but her mind has regressed a little, which has given her amnesia. When things are quieter, we can look at reversing the effects of what I did to her.’ Stephen shook his head. ‘I had no idea the mutations in the copies of my genetic code would affect her like that.’
But Bill didn’t blame him. He touched Stephen’s arm. ‘She’s alive and for that I’ll be eternally grateful. Can the effect be reversed?’
‘With a little time, we should come up with a solution. But there’s just one thing I can’t figure out yet.’
‘What?’
‘Whether she wants to be changed back.’
Bill would support whatever choice she made. Laura was stuck with him.
‘What about Anton, will he make it?’
‘I don’t know.’ Stephen sighed. ‘It’s too early to tell.’
33
Mid November, 2163, Earth
Bill Taggart stood in the foyer of the World Government offices. The sickly smell of genetically modified lilies arranged on a central table hit him.
‘Yes, it was the CEO’s favourite flower,’ the receptionist said to a potential recruit. ‘We’re thinking of removing them, you know, to honour the dead.’ She spoke softly, but her words lacked any sincerity for the former CEO.
Bill paused in front of a mirror on the wall to straighten his grey tie and black suit jacket. He still mourned the innocent deaths on both sides and he wanted to remind the World Government board members of their actions.
He flashed his badge at the receptionist and entered the lift tucked in the corridor behind the reception desk. Three floors down the lift doors opened to a space where Bill endured a series of security checks. After, he knocked on the boardroom door at the end of the hall. A few seconds later, Tanya Li appeared.
‘Bill, we’ve been waiting on you. We were about to send out a search party,’ she said.
He slipped past her and looked around at the ten faces that used to be twelve with Gilchrist and Deighton. Two places were empty, the spots where they must have once sat. While Deighton’s misguided ways would not be missed, Bill didn’t think for one second he was alone in his thinking. The board members sat impassively and Bill tried to read their mood. He suddenly wished he had the power to read thoughts like the Indigenes could. What he was about to propose would not sit well with most of them.
Tanya returned to her seat at the head of the table and gestured for Bill to sit in Deighton’s old seat next to her. He sat down and tried to imagine what Deighton had seen from this exact vantage point. What had driven him to kill innocent people?
‘What happened to the Indigenes after we left Exilon 5?’ said Tanya.
Bill delivered a brief report of events: the deaths, the commotion in the districts, talk of an uprising. Then he repeated the demands of the Indigenes that included peace on Exilon 5. ‘They’ve also requested files on any Indigenes who wish to learn about their human pasts. Their requests are not unreasonable, considering we’ve done nothing but persecute them for their differences since their creation. Differences, I might point out, that we gave them.’
‘There’s just one problem, Bill. I still don’t know if I can trust them.’
‘Well, do you trust me?’ Tanya raised a brow at Bill. He rushed to add. ‘I mean, at one point, you must have considered me a loyal employee of the World Government. And now, well, my loyalties lie with the race that needs the most help. My ideals have not changed. I’ve no interest in destroying the human population, nor do I want to see the Indigenes punished for simply existing.’
‘The human population on Exilon 5 or those yet to transfer will not accept the Indigenes’ demands,’ said Tanya. ‘Mos
t people will not want them living so close to their back gardens. And if we provide them with a specific exclusion zone for hunting our animals, it will only attract them to the biodomes, on the edges of the cities.’
‘But what you’ve done up until now is much worse—keeping them hemmed in so they have no freedom at all,’ said Bill. ‘By giving them some rights, you will make them feel included as rightful citizens of Exilon 5.’
‘We must consider other matters too, like what to do with the people on Earth. As we’ve said before, we have a lot of money tied up in industries here.’
‘I have a suggestion—and you can thank Laura O’Halloran for it.’
‘I’m all ears.’ Tanya leaned back in her chair. The other board members mimicked her.
‘Split up the population. Select the people you want for transfer to Exilon 5 and leave the rest to live on Earth, but create breathable environments for them. Leave them with the tools to outlast the conditions and to rebuild Earth. Give them access to clean, renewable energy. Give them a fighting chance. Keep your ties to Earth—hell, make your money if you have to—but don’t cut them off.’
Tanya looked unconvinced as she leaned forward. ‘What you’re suggesting costs money, Bill. I don’t know if we can spare it, or if we can meet the Indigenes’ demands.’
Bill smiled. ‘It will cost you a fraction of what you’d spend transferring the entire population to Exilon 5. You can find a way. Prove you’re a better leader than Peter Cantwell.’
Tanya focused on a spot behind Bill. ‘Give us time to discuss this.’
Bill stood up to leave. ‘Oh, and I have one more thing to ask. This is a personal request.’
The meeting wrapped up fast after Bill made his request to the board members. Judging by the looks on their faces, what he’d asked for had shocked them. But they hadn’t said no. He made a hasty retreat so they could discuss it in more detail.
Back out in the foyer, he pressed the gel mask to his face and exited the building. He turned his collar up and grinned when he saw a smiling Laura, dressed in a heavy coat and hat, waiting for him.
She pushed off from the wall and linked arms with him. ‘Come on, I’m starving.’
They arrived at Cantaloupe near the old Georgetown University in the heart of Washington DC. Once inside, Laura removed her mask and hat.
Bill looked at her causing her to blush under his gaze. She touched the fuzz on her scalp that was starting to grow back. ‘I know, it looks strange,’ she said.
Bill smiled and stroked her cheek with his thumb. ‘You look beautiful to me.’
Her skin had lost its translucent appearance and she was looking like her old self. But Laura still suffered side effects that Stephen said might never go even after he reversed the alteration process—her sexual desire, for one. Bill wasn’t too put out when he heard that.
Laura ordered a steak—bloody and rare. Her craving for raw meat was another side effect of the reversal.
‘What did they say when you told them about your proposal for the Indigenes and the people on Earth?’ she asked once the waiter had taken their order.
‘I don’t know. But they’re thinking about it. I don’t see they have much choice. I’m hoping they reach that conclusion for themselves.’
‘And how did they react when you told them you wanted the role of CEO?’
‘A few jaws dropped, some eyes rolled.’ Bill smiled.
‘What was Tanya’s reaction?’
‘She said nothing, but she seemed the least shocked by the idea. I think she approves of my suggestion for the Indigenes, and of your suggestion for the people left behind on Earth. Whether she can convince the other board members of that, I don’t know.’
‘I get the impression she’s not a fan of the alteration programme.’
Bill grabbed one of Laura’s hands and kissed it. ‘You’re living proof that it’s not all that bad.’
Laura laughed and leaned closer. She pressed her lips to his. He closed his eyes to savour the taste and feel of her. He groaned when she pulled away too soon, but frowned when he saw the serious look on her face.
‘What is it, love?’
‘I never thanked you properly for saving my life when I was... not myself. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t found me that day.’
Bill leaned in close, trying to memorise every inch of her beautiful face. ‘I lost my wife because I stopped listening to my instincts. I was damned if I was going to lose you too.’ He leaned back in his chair and smiled. ‘Has your mother forgiven you yet for killing her cat?’
Laura grimaced. ‘Not one of my finer moments. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her, so I bought her a new kitten. This one seems to like me better than her other cat ever did.’
‘Just try not to eat this one.’
‘Rare steak only from now on.’ Laura shivered. ‘I’ll never forget the look of terror on the cat’s face. I wanted to stop, I really tried, but it was as if someone else made me do it.’ She sighed. ‘I’m sick of others controlling my life. I think it’s time to reclaim it and to write my own destiny. I want you to be part of that, Bill.’
‘Try and stop me.’
Laura lifted a glass of water to her lips. ‘You’ll never guess who called me today.’
‘Who?’
She swallowed some water. ‘Jenny Waterson. She’s hooked up with an underground movement who are watching the alteration programme.’
Bill nodded. ‘We need someone on the inside. Considering what’s happened so far, I’ve no idea what direction the World Government will take.’
‘You know, we still need to decide where you and I plan to live.’
‘Does it matter?’
‘No. I’d follow you anywhere, Bill.’
‘In that case, let’s see what job Tanya wants to offer me.’ He raised his coffee cup. ‘Here’s to a new chapter in our lives—hopefully a better one.’
Laura hit her water glass against Bill’s cup. ‘Here’s hoping the future is better for everyone.’
34
End January 2164, Exilon 5
In District Three’s Gathering Room, Gabriel, Stephen, Serena, Leon and Margaux stood on a raised platform in front of the fifty representatives that had gathered before them. A few new faces mixed with the old, representing other districts, not just their own. Gabriel had discussed it with Stephen and they agreed that the districts must work together more. Stephen searched the group for one particular face. When he couldn’t find her, he drew in a deep breath and addressed the representatives.
‘Bill Taggart has sent news of the World Government’s decision. They have agreed to give us access to exclusion zones where we can hunt without interference. There will be conditions attached.’
‘How do we know they’ll keep their promise?’ said one representative—one of the new faces.
‘Bill Taggart has evidence detailing our individual creations. He has threatened to make it public if his government reneges on their deal,’ said Stephen.
‘Will that be enough to keep them in line?’ said another representative.
‘I don’t know, but I don’t think they wish for the people on Earth to find out about our origin. It would cause huge disquiet among the humans. Bill thinks they’d question every termination, every disappearance, and wonder if their loved ones really did die or if they live on as Indigenes. There’s one other thing—they’ve agreed to give us the files for anyone who requests information on who they were as humans.’
The room fell silent for a moment, until one said, ‘Will the files contain the truth or more lies?’
‘That I can’t be sure of. We have to assume their willingness to cooperate is a sign of peace,’ said Stephen. ‘Think it over. Discuss it with your districts. Let the elders decide if they want their charges to know about their past.’
‘Is there the option to change back—into humans?’
The question surprised Stephen; he hadn’t considered it to be something the
Indigenes wanted. ‘Discuss it with your elders and if there’s enough support, the new elders here will bring it to Bill Taggart.’
‘There’s still the matter of leadership,’ said Leon. ‘Both elders are dead. We need new leaders for District Three.’
‘The tradition is to go with the eldest male and female in each district,’ said Gabriel. ‘That would be Sarah and Germaine. But I think we should break with that tradition. I propose for Stephen and Serena to become the new leaders of District Three.’ He raised his hand.
Stephen whispered, ‘What are you doing?’
‘What, you don’t think you’re up to it?’ said Gabriel. ‘You’ve more experience than the entire room combined. You have a good head on your shoulders. You direct others well. You and Serena work well together. I think it’s time this district had some fresh blood.’
Stephen glanced around the room while the representatives talked among each other. Margaux smiled and raised her hand. ‘I second it.’ Several others followed suit until most of the room was in agreement.
Stephen squeezed Serena’s hand. ‘What do you think? We can still reverse what they did to you—change you back into a human.’
‘This is the only life I can remember.’ She looked around the room. ‘I feel at ease here.’
‘You don’t seem too surprised at what’s being suggested.’
She flashed a smile at him. ‘Gabriel already told me about his plans. Besides, I thought you’d have seen it coming, what with your improving envisioning ability.’
He shook his head and smiled. ‘I wasn’t expecting an ambush.’ But something still bothered him as he turned to Gabriel. ‘I need a minute to speak with Serena alone. Can we take a short break?’