The Harvest (Book 2): Eve of Man

by Anne Ferretti

  “So you were a Marine?” Kyle asked.

  “Still am.”

  “Ed let me borrow that book, Africa Rising. Pretty impressive.”

  Austin groaned. He was going to have a talk with Ed about all this sharing. It was embarrassing to say the least and the most. Austin never would have agreed to do the story if his teammates hadn’t insisted. And the photo was never supposed to make it into the book. It had compromised his safety and that of his team. He remembered sitting at the kitchen table holding the book, groaning over that picture. Roxanne had sat on his lap, kissed his cheek and told him not to worry.

  “No one can touch you. I won’t let them.”

  That’s what she’d said. I won’t let them. Of course he didn’t think anything of it back then. She was his wife and being protective, was saying things a wife is supposed to say. How many other instances had he missed for not paying attention to his wife? He had a hunch there had been many.

  “That was a long time ago,” Austin remarked to himself as much as to Kyle.

  “Still impressive.”

  “What about you? What were you doing before you went to Germany?” Austin asked, eager to change the subject.

  Kyle smiled. It was a bitter sweet smile. They’d been living right here in Colorado for about a year when he’d decided to join the Army. He wasn’t cut out for college and couldn’t go on living off his mother.

  “What about your father?” Austin asked.

  “He died in a plane crash when I was five,” Kyle replied. “One of those small two prop jobs. They never found his body.”

  “And your mom?” Austin asked, unable to resist hearing about her.

  “My mom,” Kyle paused. “My mom was great. She had this way about her that always let you know where you stood. She never sugar coated things, but you knew she loved you. Anyway, right before I left for Germany she was diagnosed with cancer. I wasn’t going to go, but she insisted. Grace said she died in Cheyenne.”

  Austin felt guilt upon hearing this, upon finding out Kyle’s life hadn’t been picture perfect and because he felt a small sense of joy or relief that his mother had suffered some. It was a jackass thing to feel and think, but it was there and Austin wasn’t one to apologize for having honest feelings.

  “What about you?” Kyle was asking.

  “Me?”

  “Yeah. What about your mom?”

  “She split right before my fifth birthday. Never heard from her again.” The words sounded as bitter as they tasted.

  “Ah man, sorry to hear that.”

  “Doesn’t matter anymore.” Austin replied and, until meeting Kyle, this had been true.

  “No I guess it doesn’t.”

  The two men stood inside the barn door, the younger leaning against the jamb, the older standing arms crossed, both staring out at the blank white landscape. Kyle hit the bottle, taking a long draw this time. He’d hit the halfway mark, but felt no number than when he’d first opened the bottle and asked himself why he kept trying. No amount of alcohol would make this thing any easier.

  He glanced at Austin, curious at what made him tick. He knew guys like him back in Cologne. Rock solid no matter what kind of shit salad they got tossed into. Loyal and honest to a fault. Although, Kyle couldn’t help thinking something about Austin was different, almost supernatural. A mental image of Austin with a large S on his chest and a red cape billowing out behind him came to mind. Yet that didn’t quite fit. Superman was clean cut, wholesome. Austin was dark, maybe even a bit menacing, more like Batman or The Hulk.

  Austin found his brother’s ponderings amusing, having never considered himself a superhero of any kind. “We best get inside. The Svan will be patrolling soon.” Austin grabbed the handle on the barn door. The smaller suns had faded into the gray. Soon blackness would fall heavy on the land. The night still belonged to the Svan. Austin often heard them. They usually patrolled in pairs, out looking for stragglers, out protecting the land. Humans had nowhere left to hide, their home no longer belonged to them.

  23 Brothers

  A musical mobile twirled small brown bears dressed in pink satin tutu’s and pink satin ballet slippers above a sleeping baby Gisela, who was now a week old. The happy little tune plinked away as she slept unaware of the world she’d been born into. Next to her in separate cribs Anne’s twin girls, Valerie and Kathryn, also slept.

  Kyle stood looking down at his niece feeling elated, yet incredibly sad and scared. Grace had gone into labor two weeks early thus postponing their trip to Germany. Looking at Gisela, Kyle couldn’t fathom leaving her behind, unprotected. Having gone through the agony of losing his family once already he didn’t want to do it again. But, and this was a big but, Will and Ada might be alive. How could he turn his back on them? In either case, whatever he decided to do, he would feel like he’d abandoned those he cared about most.

  The door to the nursery opened. “Can I come in?” Austin asked in a hushed voice.

  Kyle waved him in. Austin walked over to the bassinette and took a long gaze at his niece. It was already evident she would have dark hair and a darker complexion than Grace and Kyle. He wasn’t sure if that came from the Reynolds’ side or from the baby’s father who had similar features. Not that it mattered. He loved her all the same and again questioned his decision on not telling Kyle they were brothers. Austin tapped Kyle’s arm and motioned for him to come out into the hall. Kyle nodded and followed Austin to the door, looking back one last time before leaving.

  “What’s up big man?”

  Big man, big brother. It would be so easy. Austin rubbed his face and sighed. “I wanted to talk to you about Germany.”

  Kyle’s face fell a little. “Yeah I know. Time is running out. We need to get going, I know. It’s so hard to leave her behind.” He tilted his head towards the door.

  “Which is why I’m going without you,” Austin said. “Luke and I are leaving in the morning, but I need a little more information about the facility where the science lab’s located.”

  “Aw man. I can’t let you do that. It’s not your responsibility,” Kyle argued although his heart wasn’t in it.

  “It’s ok Kyle. I understand how you feel,” Austin assured him. “You’ll be distracted the entire time and that’s a quick and easy way to get killed. Luke and I got this. It’ll be good for Luke anyway.”

  “Is he ok. I mean can you trust him to have your back?” Kyle worried about Luke’s mental state more than he did his own.

  “He’s fine. A little stir crazed from being cooped up down here, but that’s all. Madison’s death was really hard on him.” Austin let it go at that, knowing Luke’s issues ran much deeper. Taking him along to Germany was more to get him away from the bunker than Austin needing someone to watch his back. He had Eve to look out for him. Or at least he hoped so. She’d been gone two weeks now and he was beginning to worry. Caleb assured him she was fine and would be back soon. Austin had no reason to doubt his son, but all the same couldn’t shake the nagging feeling something was wrong.

  Kyle accepted Austin’s offer, thankful to have that burden off his shoulders. “I owe you big time.”

  “No you don’t,” Austin assured him. “You’d do the same for me.”

  Kyle nodded in agreement. He was glad it was Austin going and hoped he had success. He hadn’t known him long, but he liked and trusted him, as if they’d been close friends, even like brothers.

  Austin turned his head to hide a smile in hearing Kyle’s thoughts. Maybe one day when all of this was over he would tell him and Grace the truth. Maybe one day they could live as a family. His smile faltered as he pictured this. No point in daydreaming about a life he would most likely never have. The future was impossible to guess but didn’t seem to promise good things.

  They went to the command center, where Luke joined them to discuss details of the trip. It was the first time Austin saw a light in Luke’s eyes and an uptick in his mood. Maybe he was doing the right thing by taking him along. />
  ***

  The next morning around four o’clock Luke and Austin, along with Caleb and Zack, met again in the command center. Zack was the only person who knew they were leaving. Austin didn’t want a big send off. The less witnesses the better. The plan was to leave at 5:30 am, putting them in Cologne around 2:30 pm. They had no idea if a time differential still existed around the planet, or if everyone was now on the same day and night pattern controlled by the Adita. Arriving in the middle of the afternoon seemed like the best way to go at it.

  The plan was to search for Will and Ada in Cologne first. The question of other survivors had come up, and after a long tense discussion they agreed to only bring Will and Ada back to the bunker. Ed had argued they were picking and choosing lives. Austin stood his ground. The bunker was a safe place where they all got along, but every person they brought into their group threatened that balance. In the end Ed went along with the plan, although it left a sick feeling in his stomach.

  Austin assured him they would help anyone they found. They would teach them how to survive, to avoid the Svan. Chances were if they survived the purge, the Svan didn’t want them, but they wouldn’t hesitate to kill them either.

  “So how are we getting there?” Luke asked.

  “Through space.”

  Luke groaned. “God that hurts. And how? Eve?”

  “No.”

  “Then who?”

  “Me,” Caleb answered.

  Luke turned at the sound of Caleb’s voice, having forgotten the boy was present. He looked back to Austin. “You sure about this man?”

  “I’m perfectly capable of transporting you both,” Caleb answered.

  “It’s fine Luke. He can handle more than you and I put together,” Austin added. “And we’ll need him to help us find Kyle’s friends.”

  Luke’s expression said loud and clear he had his doubts, but he said no more. The boy was better than the mother.

  Austin checked his watch. It was time to go. They donned backpacks and weapons.

  “I feel like I’m always sayin’ goodbye to you or be careful or some shit. Like I’m your wife or something,” Zack joked.

  “We’ll be back man. Walk in the park,” Austin replied and believed it. “You take care of everyone. Don’t take any chances. Don’t let anyone else down here.”

  “Yeah, I won’t.”

  Zack held out his hand to Austin, who surprised him by grabbing Zack into a bear hug.

  “See you soon,” Austin laughed.

  Austin and Luke joined hands with Caleb. The air around them swirled, shimmered and they vanished from the room. Zack shook his head. He still couldn’t get used to the whole space travel thing and often felt he was living out some drug induced fantasy. Or maybe he’d ended up in a mental institution where he was catatonic around the clock and this was his mind’s way of dealing with shit. Zack pondered various scenarios as he took his usual walk around the bunker checking that everything was in working order.

  Along the way a random thought stopped him. What if he had killed the ole man like he planned and his mind had slipped down the rabbit hole? Zack shook his head. No way. He wouldn’t lose it over that douche bag. Over his mom yeah. Colin definitely, but not the old bastard. Certain he wasn’t insane, Zack opened the door to his suite, and closed it. Since Madison’s death, being alone wasn’t something he looked forward to anymore. Maybe Jenny would be up soon.

  Thoughts of his daughter helped temper the grief and many hours went by thinking about her. He’d already decided to name her Madison and hoped for her sake she looked like her mother rather than him. If he’d known Eve was going to do her voodoo on the baby’s genetics, he would have requested this in advance. Considering the possibilities of what changing her DNA might offer, was as nerve racking as it was exciting. What their scientists could have come up with if they had that capability. A super human race?

  Zack paused. But wasn’t Agra after that very thing? A superior race of Adita? Although their methods to achieve this were not favorable to man, he couldn’t in all honesty fault them. If humans could have altered DNA they would have used questionable and even unscrupulous methods to accomplish the task. The government would have stepped in and fucked it all up anyway. With this thought and many others tossing about, Zack opened the door to the diner and was surprised to find Charlie sitting at the counter sipping on a cup of coffee.

  Charlie spun around looking like a deer caught in headlights. “Zack!”

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

  She laughed, sounding nervous and insecure. “I was zoned out, you know, thinking about stuff.” Charlie turned back to the counter and set her cup down. She didn’t know why, but she always felt like an idiot around Zack and wished Colin hadn’t told her about him being a genius.

  Zack walked around the counter and poured a cup of coffee. He topped Charlie’s off. “You’re up early.”

  “I couldn’t sleep.” She sipped on her coffee, avoiding looking directly at Zack. “Do you have anything I can take? You know to help me sleep?”

  Zack frowned. “What’s wrong Charlie?”

  About to raise her mug again, she paused mid-way and lowered it back to the counter. She clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking.

  “You can talk to me Charlie. I’m good at keeping secrets.” He reached out to her, but stopped short of touching her hand.

  A tear fell on the counter. She wiped her face, angry at herself for crying. Angry at herself for not being strong, like the other girls. They’d all suffered at the hands of her father. They’d all suffered, but for her the ordeal had been different.

  Zack waited and watched while Charlie fought her silent battle for control, handing her a napkin to blow her nose.

  “Is it Colin? Cuz I’ll thump the little twerp if he’s treating you badly,” Zack offered in a joking manner, all the while hoping it wasn’t Colin causing her problems.

  Charlie shook her head and couldn’t hold back a tiny smile. The Londergan brothers, when they were together, always made her laugh. Aaron would have liked them. Thinking of her brother took away her joy and the tears threatened again.

  Zack reached out, this time taking her hand. “Life ain’t easy Charlie, trust me I know.”

  Charlie raised her head. “I’m sorry about Madison. I know you miss her. I still miss my brother.”

  “Yeah, it hurts like hell. Makes me want to beat the crap out of something. Won’t bring her back, but sure would make me feel a hell of lot better.”

  A full smile graced Charlie’s face. “Don’t you have a punching bag somewhere?”

  “You know what? I don’t. I’ll have to put that on my shopping list.” He pretended to look for paper and pen. “A punching bag. Perfect.”

  “You’re funny.”

  “A real clown right?”

  “No. You make me laugh. Let’s me forget about...about the past. About my father.” She sobered on this comment. Just saying it out loud caused a panicky feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. Her father was why she couldn’t sleep, why she was afraid to close her eyes. Chase, the beatings, the other men, these she could forget, but not her father. Those memories were embedded too deep.

  Zack watched the emotions play out on her face and knew the damage was caused by something more than they had imagined. His stomach turned at the thought. “You want to know something I’ve never told anyone?” Zack asked. Charlie turned to him, nodding. “I was going to kill my old man. Yep. When I was seventeen I planned to blast him with his own shotgun, but someone beat me to it. And you know what? I was pissed off that I didn’t get the chance. I wanted to kill him so bad, it was all I thought about. And then he was dead. When I saw him there, in his coffin, I wanted to punch him in the face. Instead I stole his ring.” Zack pulled a chain out from under his shirt. A ruby pinky ring hung from the chain. “The mob gave him this after he became a made guy. He prized this ring over everything.” Zack took the chain off. “Here, you wear t
his. I don’t need it anymore.” He placed the chain over Charlie’s head. “He can’t ever hurt you again Charlie. You remember that ok?”

  Charlie held the ring in her hand rolling it around watching the ruby sparkle in the light. “Thank you Zack.”

  Zack came around the counter. “One day you’ll be able to take it off. I promise.” He hugged Charlie, shocked to feel she was not much more than skin and bones. “Is my cooking that bad?”

  Charlie laughed and hugged Zack tighter. He held her close, hoping he helped her, hoping he wouldn’t find her in a pool of her own blood, like his mother.

  24 Germany

  The streets of Cologne were empty save the bodies displayed in the same macabre fashion they’d come so accustomed to seeing. They made their way towards the center of town where Will’s building was located. As expected the place was deserted. They roamed the halls looking for anyone or anything. For Austin it was like having déjà vu. Memories of base headquarters flashed through his mind. After leaving the building they found a vehicle with a full tank of gas and an engine that cranked. They headed out of town towards the mountains. After two hours of driving the base of the mountain loomed ahead. The entrance of the facility was hidden behind a snow drift. A sign above the entrance hung haphazard, ready to fall at any moment. Caleb used his abilities to clear a path through the snow.

  Austin tried the door. It was locked. The door was made of heavy steel, so he pounded with his fist. They waited. Caleb offered to open the door, but Austin wanted to try things the old fashioned way first, so as not to scare anyone who might be holed up inside. After several minutes and several attempts at pounding, Austin stepped aside.

  “You sure people are inside?” Austin asked Caleb.

  “Positive. Can’t you hear their hearts beating?”

  Austin dropped his head and listened. He heard them. One, two, three distinct beating hearts. The third was beating faster than the others and the breathing seemed short and fast. He listened closer, heard them debating on answering the door. He heard a woman’s voice and then a man’s voice. The third person remained silent other than the rapid breathing.