by Linsey, Tam
Every blister on her body cried out as he lowered her into the tepid water. Whimpering, she buried her face against his chest. After the initial shock, she laid back, allowing the water to swirl around her ears and rinse the grime from her hair. The sulfurous, wet smell of the pond reminded her of a protein drink gone bad.
She stared past him to the pale sky leached of color by the sunset, but not yet dark. The first and brightest stars glimmered like jewels and she thought of Vitus. Was he still searching? She couldn’t believe Mo had been ordered to kill her. Her entire life had been destroyed in the wink of an eye. Where could she go? Live in the sun forever?
Without the nuvoplast housing, she’d have to acclimate to a perpetual high. Burn Operatives did it, but UV storms drove them back to the city. Plus, they received yearly telomerase treatments to regenerate the damage to their organs. She no longer had a city. And Levi was as alien to her as she was to him.
She tilted her head farther back into the water to let the pool hide her tears.
As he had many times over the last three days, Levi climbed the rock bluff next to the pond to scan the surrounding desert for cannibals or Blattvolk. The sunrise bloomed red, bathing the desert the color of blood. To the east, the pond grew boggy, the vegetation thick, and past that, a dry creek bed led away, probably an outlet for an overfilled pool in the rainy season. Several hunks of rock and boulders jutted from the nearby desert floor, several larger than the rock he stood on. Along the northern plain, in front of the mountains in the horizon, a line of rough greenery snaked a path from west to east.
Green meant water. Was that line the river where he’d been captured? He thought perhaps the jagged teeth of the ruins he had passed through could be seen on the other side of the trees.
He stared at the shadows across the plain. So far the view was clear of people. But cannibals hid better than he beneath the blanket with Tula. He cringed at the memory. Focus on survival.
While Tula healed, he wove himself coarse clothing from cattail fibers, and a wide hat to keep the sun off. Other plants — any plants — seemed to cause Tula pain, so he left her the robe and blanket. But she often didn’t want to cover herself, and only wore the robe during the sun’s high points. He’d finally accepted that, as a plant, she had to expose her skin to sunlight for food. The fact she didn’t have to eat made him jealous as he gnawed on cattail roots and pulled insect legs from between his teeth. What he wouldn’t give for a tender pork loin.
But her nakedness was a thing between them. His lustful thoughts over her exposed curves caused him to spend more time away from her than with her. They spoke in simple gestures and one word sentences full of deeper meanings, often misunderstood. She pressed him to talk, learning words in his language more quickly than he learned hers.
Josef’s plight pressed on him, but he couldn’t leave Tula helpless. The time had come to form a plan, and he dreaded the outcome. What if she expected to come with him? He couldn’t tell her no. Yet he had no place for her in his world.
He looked west to the mountains. The Fosselites were there. With the cure for Josef. Levi had no idea what to expect when he found them. If he could find them. The salt trader sometimes talked of the men-in-the-mountain, claiming they could cure all ills. The trader was the reason Levi sought the strange scientists who had supposedly lived through the Botanicaust. Did they consider the Blattvolk abominations? If Tula were with him, would they agree to see him?
Unable to resist, he crossed to the opposite edge of the bluff to peek down at the camp. Although he couldn’t see her through the lean-to roof, he imagined Tula sleeping, robe draped over her for warmth in the harsh night. He’d lain awake many times, knowing she was shivering as he shivered, knowing if they shared body heat, they could both sleep. But he would not open that door again. He didn’t trust himself to bundle with her when he dreamed of her every night and every day.
With a sigh, he slowly clambered down the rock face to the pool. He rounded the bluff to see Tula emerge from the canopy and stretch, backlit by the early sunlight. The flat plane of her stomach rose in perfect symmetry with her breasts. He itched as much for a pencil as he did to feel the softness of those breasts. Thank God she continued to wear the short skirt covering her hips and thighs.
Pulling the brim of his hat low over his eyes to keep his gaze off her, he gathered the basket he’d made to carry the water bottles and sat on a small boulder at the pool’s edge. As she did every morning, she joined him, inching her bare feet in the water. Here on the rock she chose not to wear her rubbery plastic sandals. Her little green toes spread like leaves beneath the water.
She smiled at him, and his heart flipped. If only she wasn’t marked. Everything about her was grace and beauty. Except her jade skin. Exotic as that was, it labeled her off limits. The scabs from her blisters left small, lighter colored patches of skin where they fell off, but the mottling didn’t make her any less beautiful. She was different to begin with.
“Tula,” he said. “Levi go.” He made a walking motion with two fingers and pointed into the distance.
A crease appeared between her brows. She nodded slowly.
He wished he could express his fears. He steepled his fingers against his mouth.
“Tula okay you go.” Her lips curved into a smile. She put a hand to the sky, then the water, then the shelter. But he didn’t think the reassurance she radiated was honest.
“Do you have anywhere to go? Any friends?” He pointed out across the horizon without actually looking.
She followed his arm and her eyes widened. Raising a trembling arm, she pointed to the sky. “Duster!”
Haldanian Protectorate
“You can’t be serious!” Vitus slammed the gamma pad onto the Councilwoman’s desk. Morning sunlight glinted from the privacy screen across the street, shooting a beam straight into Vitus’s eyes and forcing him to sit in the visitor seat.
The Councilwoman didn’t flinch. “Dr. Dedecus, the Board is simply avoiding making any irreversible errors in judgment. Hymo has a very important point, regardless of his vested interest as her lover. Dr. Macoby has been the recipient of valuable training which shouldn’t be wasted if she has not reverted.”
“He’s a convert weed himself. Probably helped her escape. He should have been removed from the operation the moment the search began.”
“We would not allow her full access to Conversion Department facilities until we were sure she was not a threat to security. And, in the unlikely event we were to reinstate her full clearance, you would be required to abide by our decision.”
“Listen to me, Councilwoman.” He rose halfway from the seat, and lowered again as the glare from across the street hit his face. “I oversee the Conversion Team and their prisoners. I personally know the difficulty in achieving conversion with these mongrels. Being a doctor does not make Tula any less of a convert. And converts revert. Even with remediation, she’s a liability to the Protectorate.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.” Arnica dropped her attention to the gamma pad on her desk in dismissal.
Vitus sucked a fuming breath and stormed out of the room. How could a native Haldanian be so blind? Even if reassigned to scrub protein vats or work the mines, Tula knew too much about Protectorate policy to be allowed to live.
He left a message at the Department, and then headed to the special lab at Med Ops. Unlike those convert weeds, he’d earned the resources for his treatments. He’d hoped the previous procedure would take permanent hold, but instead, his ripening had accelerated. Probably because of all this extra stress. His remission could only be a matter of time. One of these days his chloroplasts would live forever.
And if Tula came back, he’d be sure she never got more than a convert deserved again.
The Reaches
The craft came in fast from the other side of the bluff. Tula had no time to think. They both scrambled to their feet and Levi grabbed her hand, tugging her into the lake. Up to their chests in
water, they crouched in a stand of spiky green and brown foliage while the duster circled the lake. As Tula’s bare feet sank into the muddy bottom, the craft hovered over the camp on silent lifters.
Imaginary blisters tingled across Tula’s skin as plants brushed familiarly against her limbs. She wanted to thrash the stalks away, but fought to remain calm. She’d been so careful to avoid contact until now. What would happen to her in this vegetative soup of water? All her childhood lessons about plants came to mind. Every muscle in her body quivered, but she didn’t move. Any noise or movement might give them away.
“This is the Haldanian Protectorate. Come out with your hands up.” Without a beat to allow compliance, a spout of flame engulfed the lean-to. Amidst bits of airborne plant matter and glowing ash, the craft settled onto the stone next to the water. Two Burn Operatives hopped out and Tula gasped.
Mo.
He wore full Burn gear, goggles and sturdy boots, his wide loincloth hugged the tight muscles of his sun-darkened legs. Black hair spiked around his head in a sooty mess as he jogged to the settling embers of the shelter.
The other Operative scanned the lake, the fire-tongue at the end of his gun flickering. Tula flinched. His eyes scoured the foliage. Behind him, Mo kicked at the ashes of the lean-to.
Mo called out. “Hold.”
“You don’t want to flash this?” The other Operative shot a gust into a stand of tamarisk. The crisscrossing branches popped and exploded in the intense heat.
“I said hold!” Mo’s voice rose over the roar from the gun. He walked back to the duster.
Once Mo disappeared inside, the other Operative drew closer to the edge of the burning tamarisk. His hungry gaze said it all. He was ready to flash everything. Tula cowered in the water, no longer conscious of the plant life brushing her skin.
A hiss from the duster, and Mo’s voice came over the com speaker. “Tula, answer me if you can. The Board has approved your safe extrication. I know you’re out there! Please respond.”
Tula sucked a sharp breath. Mo was here to save her. She didn’t have to live her life — or die miserably — in the desert. Her legs were so weak, she could barely support herself, even buoyed by water. A gentle pressure around her bicep reminded her Levi was right behind her. He needed a translation. She looked at him, her relieved smile fading to distress. What about Levi? They might be here to save her, but that didn’t mean he was safe.
She glanced out between the stalks. The heat from the burning tamarisk caused the foliage to sway violently. She glimpsed the other Operative arguing with Mo. His voice reached out over the lake again, this time without the amplification of the com. “If you can’t answer me try to give a sign. We have orders to start flashing the place if you don’t respond.”
She knew how things worked. If she was offered asylum, they’d still eliminate Levi. She looked back at her companion. Levi snapped stalks, looking over each one carefully. His attention darted to the duster with every cracking twig. Burning tamarisk roared to the right. The Operatives continued to argue at the water’s edge. She didn’t have much time.
Save yourself.
Did she want to go back to the way things were? The instinct was strong.
Levi pushed a length of brown stalk into her hand. She looked between it and him and shook her head. What was he doing? She glanced to the Operatives.
She couldn’t abandon Levi. Not after everything they’d been through. A lump formed low in her throat, her voice pressing to get out. But her mouth remained clamped shut.
Mo raised his flame gun.
They started flashing the other stand of tamarisk, sending burning fronds crackling skyward. Bits of fluff on the tops of Tula’s stand of weeds caught fire. Flames crept down the dry stalks toward her head. Levi put a stem to his lips and she saw the straw was hollow. Placing the end into the water, he blew bubbles, his gaze on her. Lips still around the end of the straw, he tilted the straw into the air and ducked beneath the surface.
He wanted to hide under the water.
She tested air through her straw. She had to suck, but she could breathe. A gust of hot air fanned through the weeds, and Tula saw the other Burn Operative grinning as he aimed his gun in their direction. This wouldn’t work. If they stayed here, the straws would be reduced to ash.
If she called out, then Levi could potentially swim away. She’d watched him dive into the depths of the lake many times. He was an excellent swimmer. With the straw to breathe, he could wait out the burn operation. And if she turned herself in, maybe they’d finish flashing all that much sooner.
She heard a whoosh of flame just before it singed the back of her hair. Levi grabbed her around the waist and launched backward into the water. Water filled her nose. She struggled, panic filling her as Levi’s powerful kicking carried them past the weeds, deeper into the lake.
He released his grip and she flailed and sputtered. Her head broke the surface — a single gasp of air, and under again. She scrabbled at his leg as she sank, but couldn’t find a grip.
In the city, she’d never learned to swim. Now, she clawed the water, biting the straw as if it were a lifeline, but only sucked in more water. Above her, the sunlight filtering through the lake backlit Levi’s treading feet.
The slimy caress of weeds grappled her legs. Water burned her eyes. The light on the surface grew dimmer. Her feet hit the bottom. Thank God. She pushed off, reaching for the light, straw forgotten. Levi’s legs drew closer. She could almost touch him. Almost. She strained upward. Her momentum slowed. She thrashed, stretching for the surface as the light once again drew away.
Her flailing twisted her end over end. Unable to right herself, she ended up head down facing weeds. Lungs about to burst, a tiny scream of bubbles escaped her lips. I’m going to die. No matter how she struggled, the surface remained out of reach. Her grasping hands shoved at weeds, tearing them from their roots, and the water buoyed her like a bit of flotsam. Through the swaying mass of leaves, she couldn’t find bottom. Sparks of light flashed around the edges of her vision.
Levi tread water, sucking painfully small draughts of air through the straw. Orange light flickered through the water from all angles, and the fire’s muted roar vibrated beneath the surface. Hopefully the noise covered their initial splashing. Did these Blattvolk truly intend to destroy everything in sight? Just to keep him from escaping?
He kicked harder to keep his head from hitting the surface. Treading water at this level was difficult, and he wondered how Tula was doing. He glanced about, but didn’t see her. The pool wasn’t large enough for her to be out of his sight. Had she turned herself in? The idea curdled his stomach. The air through the straw drew even tighter. A shadow at his feet caught his attention. He glanced down and saw Tula’s face rise toward him, straining toward the light, then in wide-eyed terror, sink.
She can’t swim.
Panic filled him. Why had he assumed she could swim? His throat and lungs ached from straining for breath, but he sucked hard on the straw one more time and then dove. She floundered upside down among the weeds, muck from the bottom drifting around her. An explosion of bubbles erupted from her mouth at the same moment her eyes met his. He watched the involuntary intake of water as her body demanded air.
When he reached her, she clamped her arms around his neck in a death-lock. His legs churned water and he pried at her arms with one hand as he tried to propel them toward what he hoped was the safety of the bulrushes. His vision blurred as she choked off the blood supply to his head. Trying to remain calm himself, he seized her face in one hand to turn her to look at him. Her eyes rolled back into her head and fluttered closed.
Grasping her wrist, he powered toward the edge of the pond. No time to worry about being seen. Darkness clouded his vision as he battled the compulsion to take a breath.
His toes churned the muddy bottom as his head shot above the surface. Air burst from his lungs, and the sudden influx of air seared his throat. Debris littered the top of the water, and
Tula floated beside him, face down. He lifted her head above water and bobbed closer to shore, gasping in the charred air.
Between the blackened stalks of water-soaked bulrushes, the shoreline crackled with orange light. Ash filtered down like snow. Black smoke obliterated the blue sky.
A voice from shore called a command that sounded like, “Let’s go!” Levi froze. A knifing cramp between his ribs doubled him over, but he held tight to Tula’s limp body, keeping her head up. Was she breathing? Even above the surface, the air seemed sparse.
A clatter came from the rocks and he squinted against the smoke. The resinous scent from the tamarisk singed his eyes. Through the debris-strewn light, a shadow rose and circled once, stirring the flames higher. He hoped he and Tula blended into the floating debris.
Once the duster disappeared, Levi gasped and choked, pulling Tula into the shallows.
The submerged stalks of the rushes made forward movement difficult. Once his footing felt secure, he paused to put his ear to Tula’s mouth, but didn’t feel air movement.
Gripping her upper arms, he hauled up on the stony beach where their shelter had once stood. He pounded her back, instinctively cupping his hand to apply percussion treatment, as he had for Josef as a baby. Water burgeoned from her mouth and nose, but still no breath.
Her heart beat feebly at the vein in her neck. Although his own lungs burned for want of oxygen, he lowered his mouth to hers and blew. As he gave her breath, his head spun and his pulse quickened. A tingle outlined his lips, crept up behind his eyes and into his ears.
She inhaled and her eyes rolled about as if searching. Her breasts rose and fell with life. He dropped back onto an elbow, flooded with relief, his eyes trained on her pink nipples. This would be a great view to draw. A wave of dizziness swamped him. How could he think such a thing in this situation?
She coughed to release more water from deep inside her lungs, curling toward him on her side. “Levi?” she croaked.