by F. Habib
‘They almost blew my freakin’ arm off.’ Soke’s face split into a grin.
Perun released him and Soke rolled his shoulder back and forth, before giving Perun a long look. ‘Well, he’s a hell of a band-aid, Chief.’
Perun spun back to Beth. Staring at her huddled form, he seemed ready for a fight and was pissed that she wasn’t. He glanced down at the kid, who raised knowing eyes to his father. Perun looked away and rubbed his forehead.
‘Well at least the extraction was a success,’ he said to no one in particular. He glanced at Decker, ‘At least the information was good. The source must have ranked high to get to their radar. We wouldn’t have stood a chance with less time.’
Beth slowly raised her head, as though any sudden move might send it rolling across the cabin. ‘Bazir. The slimy bastard…no wonder.’ She whispered into the middle distance.
‘You’re defending him? Beth, how could…’ Perun looked at Decker, at the kid, back at Beth. ‘I don’t understand what happened between you. Clearly it was something genetic, but you don’t know what you’ve done. He’s going to hunt us down. He doesn’t stop.’
‘Genetic,’ Beth repeated dumbly. She tilted her head a fraction, ‘Genetic?’ she quizzed the empty seat in front of her.
‘Yes, of course genetic. The separation was tearing your cells, the DNA, apart. Not sure I’d have been able to hold you together on my own.’ Perun glanced at the kid. ‘You did an amazing job. How did you know what to do? I’ve never felt that sort of tearing before.’
The kid shrugged and with a long sigh sat back in his seat. ‘At least she’s safe. The development should be back on track.’
Decker frowned. Did I miss something?
‘Development? What development?’ He peered at Beth. Was she going to change?
‘You know…grow.’
‘Grow? Your mother is going to grow? Into what?’ He straightened.
Perun and Galen turned irritated frowns on Decker so identical he nearly laughed.
‘Not Beth. The baby.’ Perun explained.
‘Baby?’ Surprise pushed Decker back into his seat.
Beth slowly turned an inscrutable gaze on Perun.
‘What…baby?’ She whispered.
All eyes flew to her.
At their silence her body straightened and she dropped her legs. She grabbed the kid by the shoulders.
‘What baby?’ Her voice, calm and soft, didn’t match the rest of her. Oh, oh. Looks like trouble.
‘You don’t know there’s a baby inside you?’ The kid wriggled.
Beth staggered back, crashing into the seat opposite like she’d been shot. She stared open-mouthed from the kid to Perun and back.
‘It’s not possible. It’s impossible. It’s a lie. Why would you tell such a lie?’ Horror crept over her delicate features. Decker wasn’t sure if she was going to faint or fight.
‘What do you mean impossible? You had sex with Khoen, didn’t you?’ Perun frowned at her.
‘He always took precautions. We were very careful. And it’s only been a couple of weeks…’
‘Two weeks?’ Perun looked at the kid. ‘The foetus is more than that. I’d say closer to a month.’ He turned back to Beth, as if expecting her to explain the anomaly.
She shook her head, ‘It’s a mistake. You’re wrong. You can be wrong, you know. This can’t happen to me again. I won’t let it.’ Decker listened as her voice crept away from shock to anger, her face flushed pink. It seemed fight would win out.
‘I noticed it after my finger surgery,’ the kid offered. ‘That was about four weeks wasn’t it mum?’
‘What?’
Beth staggered and braced her legs to balance like a drunken marionette. ‘What!’ Her voice had jumped ten decibels. The kid raised his palms defensively.
‘You noticed a baby inside me and you didn’t mention it?’ She looked torn between laughter and murder.
‘I thought you knew. I…I thought you were keeping it a surprise for me.’ Galen finished lamely, eyes on the floor.
‘A surprise? What are you talking about, Galen? A surprise is a box of chocolates, a new toy, a trip to Disneyland – not a baby!’ Beth’s yell choked off.
‘Stop shouting at him. He’s just a lonely little boy who was hoping for a sibling. Can’t you see that?’ Perun growled at her. ‘Anyway, how did you get pregnant four weeks ago? Any visiting angels in the night?’
‘What? Don’t be stupid.’ Beth clutched her forehead, squeezing her eyes tight shut. ‘When they took Galen for his surgery, they must have drugged me and done some sort of artificial insemination. It’s the only way. Khoen must have ordered it, after Galen’s powers were confirmed. He wanted to see what would happen if he had a child too.’ Beth covered her face with trembling hand. ‘God, I’m such a fool. Why me? He could have chosen anyone. Why does this keep happening to me? It’s not normal is it?’ She turned desperate eyes to Perun.
He dropped his gaze. ‘Well, no. I mean yes, of course pregnancy is a possibility every time there’s an opportunity, but…I have to confess I think there’s more to it. When we first…um, met…I felt it. I didn’t understand it fully at the time, but I knew there was something about you and me. Something in you attracted me very strongly. Later, when I found out you were pregnant, I wasn’t surprised. I think Khoen felt it too; also, why would he change the formula? What if he had a baby with another woman and the child had no powers? It makes sense to use your genes. Perhaps you have a genetic signature or key.’
Beth squinted at Perun like he was hard to see. Is her vision failing? She looks like she should be lying down. Decker stood up and stepped towards her.
‘Ma’am, I suggest you sit down before you fall down. You’ve suffered a colossal shock physically and emotionally in the last thirty minutes. Can we agree to sit down for this chat?’
She spun at him like a cat spitting bullets, ‘And who, the fuck, are you?’ She jabbed a shaking finger at his nose.
‘Commander Decker. We were assigned to extract you and the boy after the intel came in of your location. You must have friends in high places; the order came from high up. A Major Milne, I believe.’
Beth jerked back like she’d been burned. ‘Milne? Mimi’s dad.’ She slumped deflated into a seat. ‘Shit. Wait till she hears about this…’
Beth covered her face with clenched fists. A low groan spun Decker round to the kid. He was clutching his chest. Now what? Jesus, we land in a few minutes.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ he snapped at Perun who wrapped his arms around the boy.
‘Galen! It’s ok, Galen.’ Beth pushed past Decker like a bull. ‘I’m sorry I yelled. Calm down.’ She turned panicked eyes to Perun. ‘Help him. What’s wrong with him?’
‘That’s what I said.’ Decker quipped under his breath.
‘I don’t know. He’s in fear…terror.’ Perun rubbed his own chest with a wince. He looked about the cabin, clearly confused. He lay the kid down and stumbled to the window. His head flicked left, then right. He whipped round and jumped to the opposite window. ‘It’s below. Something’s happening.’ Decker pushed in next to him. He saw islands flashing past, they were skirting the Indonesian shoreline. He saw nothing.
‘The animals. They’re running. Fast. Something’s coming. Look! What’s happening?’
Then Decker saw it. The water was retreating over freshly exposed rocks and sand, stretching back like a big yawn. What the hell? He grabbed the headset.
‘Driver, see below. The sea. What’s happening?’
‘Roger the visual, chief. No idea, out.’
‘Tsunami.’ Soke interjected flatly from over Decker’s shoulder. ‘Any minute now.’ He sat back down.
‘Oh no. No, no, no, no!’ Perun banged his head against the glass as they watched a surge of water swell towards the shore. He froze and then spun towards the kid. ‘It’s the fear - the animals. When it hits the people…we have to get him out of here now!’ He sprang back to where Beth was c
radling the kid’s head in her lap. Decker grabbed the headset.
‘Driver, let’s get our feet wet, Warp One. Over.’
‘Roger that. Out.’
The chopper banked sharply sending its passengers sliding to one side as it head out to sea. The kid was foaming at the mouth, his eyes fixed wide on the ceiling.
‘Oh my God, Liam, do something!’ Beth sobbed, pressing her crumpled face to the kid’s. Liam? Decker mentally flicked through the files. Oh yeah. He sat watching closely. Perun pressed his hands on the kid’s chest, but not much seemed to change.
‘I can’t control the fear. It’s not mine or his to control. It’s too much, too many people. I feel it, but for him it’s much, much worse. All I can do is control his symptoms a little - heart rate, breathing. I can’t take away the pain.’ For a second Decker thought Perun was going to cry, but then his pretty face smoothed out, like he’d hit the calm switch. Decker’s gaze flicked out of the window to the receding shore. Those poor bastards.
‘I’m going to kill him for this. Just so you know - I’m going to kill him.’ Decker turned back to Perun. He seemed to be talking to the kid.
‘Who exactly are you going to kill?’ Decker said.
‘Who do you think?’ He snapped. ‘Khoen. This is beyond anything I could imagine.’
‘Khoen? You think he did this? That’s ridiculous!’ Beth hissed under her breath.
‘Of course he did this. What, you think it’s a coincidence? We snatch you and his baby out from under his nose and minutes later there is a massive tsunami in the vicinity? Are you joking?’
‘Look. I know he’s…mental, but that makes no sense. We’re in a helicopter. Not on the land and if we were, a tsunami would kill us - which he doesn’t want. If he’d wanted to kill us, he’d have crashed the helicopter. Do you think he couldn’t have done that? And how would he make a tsunami? He controls metal, Liam. Not water.’
‘Tsunamis come from earthquakes. The plates are full of metals. Maybe he can shift them.’
‘Oh, purleese. Give me a break. You’re determined to make everything his fault! He might be the bad guy, but it doesn’t make him responsible for every shitty thing that happens. Hold on to logic Liam. It’s the only way we’re going to make it through this madness. ’
With a slice of her palm she made it clear the conversation was over. She wiped at her wet cheeks and looked down at the kid. He seemed to be easing off the torture train. She stroked his dark hair back off his face and his eyes drifted shut. Decker heard a crackle in his ear.
‘Zero two from Mother, over.’
‘Roger that. Out.’
This was going to be interesting. He still couldn’t get a handle on these people. They had superpowers, but were fragile as flesh. He took in the huddle; the strange little family. He touched the tattoo in the crook of his elbow. They were down, but he knew this game was just getting started.
Chapter Seventeen
Colorado, USA
‘Here on level twenty-two are your quarters. Galen’s room is across the hall and there’s a kitchen and bathroom further down the corridor. Perun will be one floor up. Some of the other female researchers live on this level too, but they’re over on a parallel corridor, so it’s unlikely you’ll be disturbed. Levels fifteen up to four house the lab complex, though a recreation lounge occupies most of level twelve where you have the Mess hall. Most people head there on their breaks and hang out when they can. There’s not much of a social agenda, but I try to squeeze in a little 8-Ball from time to time.’ Their guide’s grin faltered as he took in the dour faces of the freshly delivered pair.
Beth passed her gaze around the sparse whitewashed room. The last four days had been a blur of pain, travel and then more pain.
I wonder if we’ll ever live in a house again; ever be anything other than lab rats, forced to conduct our own trials. Exhaustion robbed her of the will to care. Her bag dropped from limp fingers and she trudged towards the bedroom. Galen steadied her as the floor shifted beneath her feet.
His recovery on Diego Garcia had paralleled the subsidence of the tsunami. By day two his fever had disappeared, though she hadn’t seen him smile since. Not that there was much to smile about.
No celebration marked their rescue.
They’d been shepherded through medicals and informed of their fate. Consigned to an underground military research centre in the Rockies where they would be protected from Khoen and could complete their work. Beth’s pregnancy could be monitored and the baby delivered safely.
The two lab rats had said little. She didn’t need Galen to verify the lie. It was a new prison, with new guards. These ones just hid their demons better. It soon became clear that Liam, or Perun as everyone called him, was going to be joining them – lab rat number three…or was it four if you counted baby in? Certainly everyone appeared to be counting baby in. Beth had forbidden her mind to go near the subject.
The time difference to Colorado was crushing her. Perun and Galen weren’t the least bit affected; the sight of them drained her further. The fits of tearing DNA were less frequent, but Galen refused to leave her for more than a few minutes at a time. Whatever it was, it apparently wasn’t quantum entanglement. The boys would have to figure it out. Beth was convinced sixty-five rounds with the world heavyweight champion would be easier.
At least I might be successfully killed off. If I could just die, it might not hurt so much.
She crawled onto the narrow bunk and lay down gingerly on her stomach. She stared at the wall, frightened to shut her eyes. Every time she did, her mind exploded with visions of Khoen splintered into a billion fragments, no Galen to save him. Galen’s small hand pressed between her shoulder blades and Beth sighed in gratitude. The heat spread through her spine to her head, her mind filled with white noise, her eyes closed.
*
‘Ah, there you are! Lordy, what a miserable place this is. You fit right in honey B. I didn’t think you could look worse than the last time I saw you, yet here you are, achieving the impossible.’
Beth’s whole being sang at the sight and sound of her friend. She’d spent the last week moving from her bed to the medical lab for endless tests. Mimi swamped her in a tight hug, released her and smacked her hard on the butt.
‘Ow!’ She complained. ‘Don’t beat me. I’ve been thoroughly thrashed already.’
‘Beat you? Darlin’, I’m just getting started. I have a gift for you, my fertile friend.’ Mimi whipped out a bag and scattered every conceivable form of contraception across the breakfast table. ‘Now, I’ll walk you through each item. This here is called a condom.’ She waved a square packet under Beth’s nose and raised a perfectly plucked brow.
‘Ok, ok.’ Beth laughed, the snickers from the other diners heating her cheeks. ‘I can’t believe you’re here. They said you were coming, but you’re actually here. I missed you so much and thought about you often. I’m sorry I scared you. I kept meaning to call…honestly!’ She cringed under Mimi’s skeptical look. ‘I…just, things kept cropping up,’ she finished weakly, resting her head on Mimi’s shoulder.
‘Oh, so I heard. I mean seriously, do you actually have a grain of sense inside that big brain of yours? How do you manage to locate the biggest freaks on the planet and procreate instantly, producing more freaks? Oh, hi Galen. No offence.’ She bent to kiss Galen’s cheek. ‘Jeez, you smell like cookies and so handsome. Just like your deceitful daddy.’
‘Hi, Mimi.’ Perun smiled widely at her.
Sour, she flicked two fingers from her eyes to his and back, ‘Just because you brought her back, doesn’t mean you’re in the clear, mister mendacious. I’m here now, and I’ve got my eye on you.’
‘How long are you staying? Say you’ll stay for a while. There’s so much to tell you. I need someone I can trust,’ Beth pleaded.
‘Well, we certainly can’t trust your judgment. You have the wisdom of a cat on crack, so I’m locked in for a while.’ She looked around at the little group. ‘I
hear we’ve got a debrief with the full team on level five at zero nine hundred hours,’ her gaze flicked to her watch, ‘looks like you have four more minutes to chow down…what is that?’ She peered at the half-eaten omelette on Beth’s plate.
‘Who are you?’ Beth laughed uncertainly, ‘zero nine hundred?’
‘Man, I’d forgotten the food.’ She grimaced at Beth, then shrugged. ‘You know I grew up in the military. Actually, my linguistics have always kept me tied to the Mothership.’
‘Um…what?’ She knew Mimi spoke countless languages.
‘From time to time I get to do Uncle Sam a favour. They don’t understand a lot of the stuff they listen to and their translation programs don’t always cut the mustard. Sometimes they hit on remote dialects or a mishmash of languages that they can’t decipher. Multilingual people will usually meld their languages quite naturally. That’s when I step in. I’m far better at untangling the meaning than any program.’ Mimi glanced at her watch, ‘let’s walk and talk, honey. Punctuality is a big thing around here.’ The boys followed them out of the dining hall to the bank of lifts.
‘How many languages do you speak?’ Galen asked.
‘Too many to remember. After about thirty-five, not much seems unfamiliar. The key is to master the ancient languages as best you can. That makes everything else easier.’
She groaned, dropped her chin to her chest, ‘Just remembered the crack-of-midnight starts to the day around here.’ She turned fierce eyes on Beth, ‘I want to see some quick results on this research stuff of yours, B. I have a life to get back to, you know. I cannot be holed up here forever like you.’
‘What do you mean, forever? We’re leaving as soon as we can.’ In the lift, Mimi scanned her pass, jabbed at number five and studied the panel of buttons intently. Beth grabbed her arm, and spun her round, forcing the boys backwards.
‘We’re going to leave here, Mimi. Soon. Why are you looking like that?’ Beth’s voice rose enough to bring Galen’s hand to hers.
‘I don’t think you understand the profundity of the problem you’re facing. You’re pregnant, again, with a baby you didn’t plan for, who is likely to bring with it a shed load of problems none of us - and by that I mean Planet Earth - are prepared for. You have a psychotic lover who is trying to kill you and anyone in the way, a son who is going to be poked, prodded and tested for years to come; then there’s your ex-lover who is apparently, now ready to come in from the cold, to be a guinea pig alongside his son. None of you know what you’re dealing with. I mean, I’m on the inside, a normal non-freak human being born into the system and I have strict protocols that I will have to adhere to till I’m dead. Of course, I also know a few work-arounds, but you guys…basically, you’re screwed. They will never, and I mean never, let you go. Right now, I see no deal you can cut. The risk of letting you loose out there?’ Mimi jabbed her finger skyward, ‘the risk of public exposure, or worse you become an enemy, is about a zillion times greater than the government, any and all governments, will ever accept.’