Botanicaust

by Linsey, Tam

The forty Gallery chairs had already filled with curious spectators vying to see the trial in person rather than on the vid screens at home. In the front row, Bats raised two fingers in greeting as he caught Tula’s eye. Another of her converts sat next to him, nodding slightly. Scattered throughout the room, she saw scores of familiar faces. At the back wall next to other Enforcers, Mo stood with his hands clasped in front of him. His face was immobile as stone.

  Last night had turned out better than she expected with him. But he was hurting, and she couldn’t make him better. She was stunned when he wanted to support her plea to the Board. Filling the room with her successful converts had been his idea. While they would not be allowed an official say in the outcome, their show of support might sway the Board in her favor. He’d spent most of the night rallying as many allies as he could. Guilt soured her stomach that he insisted on helping her.

  The only missing key was Eily. The girl had disappeared in the chaos at the Holdout, and at the time, Tula had been glad. But now she needed her. And she worried for the child. Was she being treated fairly by the Old Order? Was she reverting to cannibal ways?

  Most of all, would the Board believe Tula’s claims against Vitus and the Fosselites without physical proof of a reversion who hadn’t been euthanized?

  At one end of the wide, oval Council table, Vitus sat in his assigned seat, conversing in whispers to cronies who came and went. Every now and then, he shot her a look, nostrils flared and lip curled. His bloodshot eyes made her shudder, and solidified her certainty of his participation in the Fosselite experiments.

  With or without Eily, Tula was determined to make him pay.

  Thankfully, Levi was alive. Mo brought word on that. Vitus had tried to initiate euthanization on Levi immediately, but Arnica put a hold on all Conversion Department activity until after the hearing.

  On the hour, Councilman Roben called the hearing to order. The nuvoplast ceiling dimmed, and a large vid screen at the back of the room flashed to life. Tula’s heart rate accelerated at the sight of Dr. Rice’s dark face and blood-red eyes. The Gallery buzzed loudly with excitement for a moment, then hushed as Roben cracked his gavel.

  “Dr. Macoby, we’ve been asked by the Fosselites to extradite you on the murder of Dr. Edward Kaneka. In light of our own multiple grievances against you, and your past exemplary service to the Protectorate, we have decided to hold the trial here.” The Councilman sat stiff in his chair, his hands folded across his lap.

  Dr. Rice’s voice ricocheted through the room, “Councilman, I repeat my protest.” A tech adjusted the volume as the doctor continued. “This woman is guilty of a heinous crime against our foremost expert on telomerase. In the interest of trade relations, we demand you turn her over to us at once.”

  “We must first complete our own investigation, as we already discussed. You are present at this trial only out of respect for our trade relationship.” Roben turned to Tula. “Now, Dr. Macoby, you are accused by the Protectorate of releasing a prisoner from Confinement without permission and of stealing and destroying Protectorate property in the form of one skimmer. We have testimony and evidence these actions were committed willingly and believe they are evidence of your reversion. What do you have to say?”

  Tula stood, resisting the urge to fiddle with her necklaces. “Sir, I do not deny my actions were voluntary. I do deny the accusation of reversion.”

  “On what grounds?”

  “The man I rescued from Confinement was not — is not — a cannibal.” She resisted the habit of calling Levi by name. Mo had pointed out that any hint of her origins or of anything other than a professional relationship with Levi might be used against her. “I believed he came from a people who survived the Botanicaust without resorting to cannibalism, which I have now proven to be correct. At Councilwoman Arnica’s request, I was working to discover his origins while he was interred here. However, before I was able to gather this information, Dr. Dedecus scheduled the subject for euthanization.”

  “Sir, I object.” Vitus’s voice rose from the Council table. “We have video footage of this man attacking Dr. Macoby, which is grounds for immediate euthanization, and she failed to report the incident.”

  “Is this true?” Roben addressed one of the attendants behind him.

  “Sir,” Tula interjected. “Levi — the man I rescued — did attempt to free himself from his cell, at one point. He does not speak any of the Cannibal dialects, and was frightened and confused. You would probably attempt to escape such a situation, as well. But he is a peaceful man, and ceased his attack when I managed to communicate safety to him. He did not hurt me, and I did not feel the need to submit a report in this situation.”

  “So, the man was to be euthanized. And rather than go through proper channels, you helped him escape.”

  “I have attempted to avert the euthanization of prisoners before without success. Because of the unique nature of this subject, I could not risk failure. I felt the need to make a physical protest of the Protectorate policy of euthanization.” This was part of the plan she and Mo had worked out last night. If freeing Levi was a conscious protest rather than an act of passion, there might be a chance she could avert the reversion charges. And hopefully change conversion policy.

  Vitus sputtered. “If Dr. Macoby truly intended her actions to be a political statement, she would have returned home after releasing the prisoner.”

  Dr. Rice chimed in from the vid speakers. “When Dr. Macoby arrived at our doors, she did not request we contact the Protectorate. In fact, she asked us not to, which made her a reversion by your own definition, and ineligible for Protectorate amnesty. I again request extradition on charges of murder.”

  The gallery buzzed in anger.

  “Dr. Dedecus, Dr. Rice, please.” Councilman Roben hushed the room with his gavel. “You will get a turn for your request.”

  Tula drew steady breaths to calm herself. “I would like to address the Fosselite charges of murder at this time, if I may.” Without waiting for permission, Tula continued. “While I was inside the Fosselite compound, I discovered several Haldanians who had been condemned as reversions and sentenced to euthanization. Only they were never given the “peaceful” death our Conversion Department promised. They were traded as experimental longevity subjects. Fosselites are harvesting them for drugs, torturing them with excessive doses of ultraviolet radiation prior to chemical extraction. They attempted to do the same to me.”

  More noise among the gallery, and several people had to be subdued by Enforcers.

  Vitus rose from his seat. “I protest! This weed — this woman is obviously a reversion. She is subverting this trial from the matter at hand.”

  “We have a contract with your thumb print and a retinal scan agreeing to experimentation, Dr. Macoby.” Dr. Rice’s voice was deceptively calm over the speakers.

  “And what about the other “test” subjects? There is a child convert at the Holdout. Eily. She was a twin supposedly euthanized on Dr. Dedecus’s orders six months ago. You’ll find her match in the DNA records.”

  “Lies! Can’t you see she set this all up?” Vitus blustered, fine beads of sweat breaking out over his chlorotic skin. “This weed had access to euthanization records. She ran to the Fosselites, knowing she would soon be discovered. But they saw through your deceitful nature.”

  “The red of your eyes, Dr. Dedecus, reminds me of my time with the Fosselites. Did you know Dr. Kaneka told me your T-cells had become non-selective? That your ripening was accelerating in spite of your treatments?”

  “My affliction is none of your concern. I was born with it, as my documentation will attest.”

  “Will your documentation also detail the special treatments you’ve been receiving? Perhaps we ought to take blood samples to look for foreign genetics.”

  “I don’t have to stand for this.” He wobbled and settled ungracefully back into his seat.

  “Dr. Kaneka told me about your “deal” — as he strapped me to a table and i
nserted experimental fungi into my bloodstream. I always wondered why someone who hates converts would work in the Conversion Department. Now, I know it’s so you have access to test subjects.”

  Councilwoman Arnica tapped her stylus against a gamma pad on the table. “Dr. Dedecus, I sympathize with your condition. But these are serious charges.”

  “You’re going to let that weed invade my privacy? Dr. Rice, tell them how ludicrous all this is.”

  “I warned you about allowing her to give testimony, Vitus.” Dr. Rice’s eyes settled on Tula. “We will offer fourteen units of telomerase if you hand her over to us now.”

  The gallery exploded with outcries.

  “Order! Order!” Councilman Roben’s gavel cracked uselessly against the table.

  Vitus’s outrage echoed through the crowd. “I am a citizen! A natural born Haldanian! That weed is lying! She’s obviously reverted. Why didn’t she come back to the Protectorate after releasing the prisoner? Ask her that!”

  Several Board members argued with each other, while Dr. Rice’s voice rose above the noise in the room as if she had access to the speaker volume herself. “Our offer is merely a courtesy for your cooperation. This woman is in possession of our intellectual property. We have a contract.”

  Tula’s heart hammered so hard, the world seemed to expand and contract with each beat. “My retinal image and thumb print were obtained without my permission. Without a signature, the contract means nothing.”

  Roben made a signal to the tech controlling the vid stream. “Dr. Rice, I’m afraid we have to sever communication until we have sorted things out over here.” The screen went dark. The ceiling cleared to allow full sunlight into the room once again.

  After the gallery emptied, Tula sat at the large table with the rest of the Board — minus Vitus, who had fainted during his vehement protests. While he was at Med Ops, they would take blood samples and prove he had been part of the experiments. Several Enforcers guarded the doors against the crowd shouting outside.

  “Dr. Macoby, we will hear the rest of your testimony now. Your state of reversion has yet to be determined, and Dr. Dedecus made a valid point. Why did you not return to the Protectorate after releasing the prisoner?”

  “Councilman, I did not attempt to return to the Protectorate because I had reason to believe I would not be given a fair trial.” Mo had told her to reveal his part in warning her, but she could not bring herself to drag him into this by name. “Burn Operation policy flashes first and looks for survivors later. And I knew there was a chance I’d be considered a reversion. I am a convert. I believe in photosynthesis. I believe in peace. But I also believe our way is not as peaceful as we claim.”

  She met each of the council members in the eye, going back to Arnica before she continued.

  “Councilwoman, you set me on a path when you asked me to establish communication with Levi — the subject I freed. My discoveries in the Reaches confirm the existence of a non-cannibal race. There may be more. Yet we attacked them and killed several without offering to parley. Burn procedure does not include talk. If we truly want peace, our Burn procedures have to change. And so will our conversion policies.”

  “How do we know they are as peaceful as you claim?” The council member next to Vitus’s vacant seat asked. A live vid feed from one of the cells in Confinement appeared on the surface of the table. Brother John sat propped against the bars with one of the children sleeping curled in his lap.

  Tula swallowed, the lump in her throat making her voice thick. “You don’t. But how can you expect to receive peace if you open with violence?”

  “If we delay to give every roving band a chance to talk, we’ll have no Burn Operatives left.”

  Several of the Board members nodded agreement.

  Arnica scrolled through her gamma pad. “The prisoner you freed tested positive for the F508 mutation, and it appears that every child currently in Confinement suffers from cystic fibrosis.” The image on the tabletop shifted to show Josef in a bed in Med Ops, surrounded by tubes and monitors. “I’m not sure we have a viable community here.”

  Prickles broke out all over Tula’s skin. “The particular population sample in Confinement is not a true representation of their genetics. The group selected for transport had just exited the medical building when the dusters arrived.”

  “But it does make them less useful to us.”

  She jerked her head to glare at the man who’d spoken. “Is the Protectorate mission to give everyone photosynthetic skin, or to facilitate peace?”

  Several Board members huffed, and several and nodded slowly.

  “The F508 mutation is treatable.” She didn’t mention Levi’s people would refuse genetic modification. “The prisoners currently in Confinement should be released back to their homes. They are no threat to anyone, and have found the means to survive without resorting to violence. We can teach them about conversion without imprisoning them.”

  Roben pursed his lips and brought up a map on the table’s surface. “We could establish a base there. Expand our patrols into the Reaches.”

  “What if we heal one of the children as a show of good will?” Arnica said.

  “No!” Tula’s voice rose louder than she intended. The Board looked at her like she was about to spring, and several Enforcers stepped toward the center of the room. “I mean, perhaps we should withhold treatment as an incentive to convert.”

  As much as she would like to see the children cured, she knew the action would only make the Holdout more resistant to conversion. The Board would not respect the spiritual nature of Old Order beliefs. At best she could hold off enforced conversion and pray the Protectorate would accept the position of the Old Order given enough time.

  “Good idea, Dr. Macoby. Children have always made the best converts.”

  Levi paced the bars of his cell, boots echoing against the paved floor. Thank God, this time he wasn’t naked. Also unlike before, he would speak to the technicians in halting Haldanian every time they delivered the protein drinks. “The children need more.” “Can have another blanket?” “When can talk Tula?”

  The Blattvolk always responded to his requests. Except when he asked for Tula. Then they just scoffed and walked away.

  “Your Blattvolk betrayed us.” Brother John spoke from the cell next to him. The child in his care slumbered on the cot. They’d been prisoners about two days, by Levi’s guess. The Blattvolk assured him Josef was fine, although they refused to allow him to see his son. Brother John was the only Brother or Sister who would talk to him, and only to insist on Tula’s duplicity.

  “No, she’s a prisoner, like us.” Levi couldn’t look at him. After seeing her embrace the Blattvolk man, he wasn’t so sure. “You don’t know her like I do.”

  “Aye.” The single word held all the reprimand needed to make Levi flush crimson. Once again, caught in carnal knowledge of a woman. She’d never accepted his marriage proposal. He’d assumed she needed time to get used to being back among her people. Had she known the Blattvolk would come all along?

  Movement at the stairs drew his attention. A group of Blattvolk entered the room. Official-looking Blattvolk, with jewelry like that Vitus fellow wore. None of them looked like Vitus, though. Among them stood Tula, the nakedness of her breasts barely hidden by a swath of necklaces. Levi’s heart leapt along with his groin and he flushed again. Why had God given women such power over him?

  The rest of the Old Order rose, gathering children against them, watching the Blattvolk warily. Levi moved to the bars closest to the visitors.

  Tula glanced at him, her face impassive. Cold dread settled into Levi’s soul. Speaking to the entire room, Tula used Levi’s language. “The Protectorate would like to offer peace between our people.”

  After a few heartbeats of silence, Brother John spoke. “They’ll leave us in peace?”

  “They’ll leave your people in peace in return for … occupancy rights.”

  Unsure he’d heard correctly, Lev
i asked, “Occupancy?” He longed for her to make eye contact. To silently reassure him things were going to be all right.

  But she continued to address the group as a whole. “They want to establish a Protectorate Burn around your Holdout. To expand their territories. The Protectorate will offer protection from the cannibals. And any of your people who choose to convert will also be eligible for DNA repair.” She shot a look to the children and then to Brother John.

  “It is against the Ordnung.” The muscles of Brother John’s jaw bulged.

  “They’ll force no one to convert. The terms are quite reasonable.” Tula’s brows pinched a little in worry. She met Levi’s gaze directly for the first time. “If you don’t agree, they’ll do what they want.”

  He knew what she meant. Full conversion or death.

  Brother John sighed in submission. “We have to return to the Holdout. To consider the Scriptures and vote in unity.”

  She nodded and said something to the other Blattvolk. Then she turned back to John. “They’ll give you three days to decide.”

  They turned and disappeared up the stairs without looking back.

  The autumn sun heated Tula’s dark lab coat across her shoulders, while the exposed skin of her arms tightened in the coolness of the breeze outside Confinement. A duster waited on the pad, loaded with dignitaries seeking a trip to the archaic settlement called the Holdout. A Protectorate Liaison building had been erected almost overnight, and Haldanians were clamoring to visit.

  Tula would not be going.

  She had to maintain her distance from Levi, although she served as a translator between the Protectorate and the Elders at the Holdout. There were those on the Board who wanted to force the issue of conversion, and she could not allow her perceived impartiality to be compromised.

  Instead, she kissed Eily and then released her to board the duster. They’d located the child walking along the fence, and Burn Ops brought her in for examination. Thank God testing proved her free of foreign fungi or other Fosselite manipulations. But her existence had cemented the verdict against Vitus and the Fosselites.