Once upon a time he’d experienced flooding. It was after torrential rains dumped six inches of water in less than twenty-four hours down on parts of Colorado. Mass flooding affected several places in central Colorado and Governor Parks had declared a state of emergency. Zack had done his part to help out those in need by sending boats, supplies, food and as much marijuana as anyone might want in such desperate times. Not surprising to Zack, he sold out all stock in the flood’s first week. In desperate times he knew alcohol and drug sales went through the roof. That he’d been high through most of it hadn’t inhibited his ability to grasp basic economics.
After three weeks went by, many places had remained under water. He and some buddies decided it a good idea to stock up and tour the flooded areas by boat. In the beginning it was fun. Avoiding the law was easy, selling the pot was easy, making money was easy. In the end Zack gave away his supplies, playing it off as being a Good Samaritan, as buying his way into heaven. The truth of it, which he wouldn’t have shared with any of his so called friends back then, was he had a conscience. The desperation on the faces of the people who had lost everything bothered him deeply. He’d gone back the next day and the next, trying to help in any way he could. He’d even rented out an entire hotel, paying for families to stay for as long as it took.
During those days he remembered coming home, taking off his clothes and falling into the bed exhausted. The next morning he would pick up his clothes from the floor and the smell of the flood water would bowl him over. He’d thrown the clothes in the garbage. Not even Tide Extra Duty could do the job on that smell. A week or so later, he could still smell the stench of the flood waters, as if it was somehow ingrained in every pore. As awful as that had been, it paled in comparison to what Eve presented to him. In his clothes, in his nose, the stench of the water remained. A damp stinking odor that clung to him, much the same as the feelings of desolation clung to his mind.
Zack opened his eyes, bracing for the horrid sight, relieved to see they were back in the diner. “I can’t do that to my daughter,” he said, although he couldn’t help thinking they were simply trading one impending death for another. A lesser evil? Maybe so. A quicker death? Maybe not.
“It’s the right decision Zack,” Austin said. “You’ll be safe on Paru. You have my word.”
Zack chuckled, a half amused, half sarcastic little laugh. “I’m not worried about you keeping your word. You I get. You’re human. We think alike. The Adita not so much. The Elders? Haven’t a clue. So, while I appreciate your word and know you’ll honor it come death do us part, forgive me if it doesn’t provide much in the way of assurance.”
With that being said and nothing more to decide, Austin called Ed, Jenny, Colin and Charlie to the diner at which time Eve changed back into Roxanne. Three of the four reacted in much the same way as Zack; at first fear and concern and then arriving at the same conclusion. Charlie, who sat next to Roxanne hugging her arm, couldn’t have been more excited about leaving the planet, starting new, meeting the Elders. Again Austin felt that twinge of concern for Charlie’s delicate mental state, for where her mind had settled. Upon hearing his thoughts, Roxanne reached out and touched his hand. A small unnoticed gesture, a touch that conveyed much and justified his concerns. Austin’s hand went to rubbing his head. Charlie’s problems would have to be addressed soon.
The next group was called to the diner, and they went through the same process, having the same reactions. When the news about Caleb was shared the girls were beside themselves with worry and tears were shed. Austin assured them Caleb was being well taken care of and that Agra’s intentions were not to harm his son.
Two hours later all of the residents were present and marinating on the Elder’s offer. As was expected, convincing them to trust the Elders, to accept their deal, was the more difficult sale. In the end, the promise of life much as what they had been accustomed to pre-aliens clinched the deal. Unlike asking them to offer up their veins on demand, the decision to become improved versions of themselves seemed to be a no brainer for everyone. After all questions and concerns were exhausted, votes were cast on each. In each vote the group arrived at the unanimous decision of yes.
30 Change
Change never comes in neatly wrapped packages with specific directions on the best way to handle. For the bunker’s residents, preparing to move was filled with anxiety, doubts and one question after another. The full blown realization of where they were going was sinking in hard and fast. They knew Paru wasn’t an industrialized planet. They wouldn’t have factories or corporations to work in, supermarkets to buy food, malls to shop at, and no electronics, so where would their necessities come from? For Austin to say the Elders would provide for them meant little to anyone, including on occasion, Austin. The Elders hadn’t volunteered specifics and he hadn’t asked for them. He’d witnessed their power to move and create, to build and destroy and was basing his trust on this knowledge.
Not all worries were of the same enormity in regards to consequences. For the girls, simple things like clothing and make up, as well as more complicated things, like tampons and razors were topics of concern. How much could they take? How long would things last? What happened when they ran out? Could they come back? The questions never ended, with one leading into another.
Jenny, who had stepped into Madison’s shoes as den mother, took the brunt of the girl’s questions. She did her best to keep everyone calm, but each unanswered question caused their anxiety levels to increase. At one point, while discussing the possibility of no indoor plumbing on Paru, she thought the girls would stage a mutiny. The fault wasn’t theirs, and over the past week, for reasons of her own, she didn’t feel as confident they were doing the right thing. She’d held it together while in front of the girls, but at night she fell exhausted into Ed’s arms.
On the day of the move Jenny chose quiet over pandemonium. She, with Ryan’s help, sat in their living room neatly folding clothes and placing them into suitcases. On the outside she smiled and laughed with her son. On the inside she was in knots. Each time she thought about going back to Paru, panic reared its ugly head, threatening to overwhelm her. Ed had asked about her time in the warehouse, but she’d lied, telling him she couldn’t remember anything before opening her eyes and seeing Roxanne standing over her.
But she remembered everything, from the very start, from the day the Svan came for her and Ryan. She could recall each minute detail of that morning when she walked into the kitchen and saw the Svan for the first time. She’d been holding a tray of mugs filled with hot chocolate, which she’d hurled at the hulking beast as it moved towards Ryan. Her only thought was for protecting her son, but the Svan moved too swiftly. One moment Ryan was there, the next he was gone, and then they’d come for her. She’d screamed for Ed. She’d heard him banging on the door and then the window, trying to get inside.
For a while everything was dark and quiet, almost peaceful, almost as if the entire experience had been a nightmare. When she awoke, she’d quickly understood the nightmare was beginning in earnest. The tubes stuck in her body, the Adita watching over them at first, then leaving them alone, to slowly die. Lying naked on that table, not feeling anything, not able to speak, only able to watch the life draining from her body. Somehow, even though surrounded by death, she’d held onto her will to live. Her strength came from Ryan, from knowing he lived. And from Ed, her pillar. She knew they were alive, that her son was alive and he dreamed of her.
All of this remained vivid in her memories, not to be shared with Ed, not now. Maybe later she could tell him, when she felt certain he could handle it, but for now she must think of Madison and Zack’s baby. Jenny’s hand went to her stomach, where a small bump could already be felt. Soon they would have to make the announcement to the others, but that worry would have to wait until after the move.
***
On the other end of the bunker, Zack dealt with concerns of his own in regards to the move, a primary worry being medicine. He�
�d made a trip to the Colorado Springs drug store, stocking up on everything and anything he thought might be needed in the future. To his surprise, Austin had gone with him. Not for any other reason than to spend some time with Zack before they left for Paru. That Austin wanted to spend time with him made Zack laugh, thinking back to when the captain had first arrived at the bunker. A dumb kid who sold pot for a living had been Austin’s opinion of him. Zack had tried hard to impress him, without making it too obvious it mattered to him what Austin thought. Funny they should end up as close as they were, but life was funny that way. For a fleeting moment Zack thought about Madison, but chased it away. Counting boxes of aspirin and wondering how long their supplies would last was a safer place to be.
Planning a move for eighteen people was logistically more challenging than keeping pot inventory up to date in a few stores. CVS or Walgreens didn’t exist on Paru and, despite Austin telling him not to worry, he worried. Worrying had never been his thing, a fact his mom would have attested to and explained being due to his inability to take responsibility, for anything. How times had changed. No shortage of things he’d taken responsibility for these days, and worried over plenty. The bottle of Jack had taken a back seat to a bottle of Rolaids, which he chewed on like candy. The chalky little tablets would be ineffective against what he knew was an ulcer in the making.
“Things have changed mom. Boy have they changed,” Zack said, talking out loud to keep from hearing his own thoughts.
***
In the teen quarters, the noise and activity caused a buzz like a disturbed beehive. Out in the common area suitcases were propped open on the floor, clothes spilling over, leaving little room to walk. Every available space was covered with someone’s things; the couches, tables, desks, nothing was spared. A madhouse of sorts fed by their nervousness over what was to come.
Sue and Jane helped McKenna pack her things, while Anne and Grace fussed over which baby toys to take. In a corner, away from the noise, Charlie sat folding her clothes and placing them in her suitcase. The move didn’t bother her. She couldn’t wait to leave Earth and start over. She wasn’t worried about the Elders either. They wouldn’t harm anyone, especially not her. She was Eve’s special friend and soon she was going to be like her. The others could become improved versions of themselves, but not her, she was going to be better than everyone. Eve had said she’d think it over and let her know today. Nothing mattered more to her, more than becoming someone else, more than shedding her body for a new one, for one her father hadn’t touched. Yes, she thought, new and fresh and clean. She glanced at her watch. Only a few more minutes and she would know her fate. Please, please, please say yes, she silently begged, thinking that if Eve heard her, she’d know how much it meant and couldn’t say no.
“Charlie!” Anne said for the third time.
Charlie looked up. “Uh, sorry.” She pulled her ear buds out. “What’s wrong?”
“Do you have room in your suitcase for this?” Anne held a stuffed bunny rabbit out to her.
Charlie reached for it. “Sure.”
“You ok?” Anne asked, observing Charlie closely. The captain had asked her to keep an eye on Charlie, to let him know if she was acting strange. A hard thing to determine since Charlie was kind of odd and withdrawn anyway.
Charlie smiled, an empty sort of smile that held no joy. “I’m ok. You ok?”
“Yeah,” Anne replied and, after a moment of hesitation, turned away. She didn’t have time to babysit a teenager; she had two real babies who needed her attention. Still, Austin seemed more than concerned and she couldn’t, in good conscience, blow him off after all he’d done for them. She turned back, but Charlie was no longer there. Anne looked all around the room. No Charlie. Her shoulders dropped. Should she alert the captain? Was Charlie acting strange or just being Charlie? She wrung her hands together trying to decide.
“Anne, the girls are up.” Grace called from the door. “Do you want help feeding?” And with the call of motherhood, Anne forgot all about Charlie.
***
The barn was empty when Charlie arrived, so she walked around looking in the stalls, waiting, and hoping. She paused at the door, running her finger along the metal bars. Replacements for the locks her father’s men had destroyed trying to find her. A smile played on her lips. She’d outsmarted them. Each and every last one. She’d escaped and made them look stupid. Her only regret was not being able to see her father’s face when they told him his prize possession was gone. When she’d heard that the captain had shot her father in the head, she’d wished it had been her pulling the trigger.
“Hey Charlie.”
She spun around almost falling over. “Austin. What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same, but I already know why you’re here.”
“You do?” She regarded him with suspicion. Had Anne said something to him? Had Colin?
“Eve told me about your request.”
Charlie balked. “She told you.” Eve had betrayed her? How could she have told the captain? It was their secret, no one had to know. From behind Austin, Charlie saw Eve step out of the shadows. Tears filled her eyes, spilling over and down her cheeks.
“Please don’t be upset,” Austin said, stepping closer to her, wanting to take her in his arms, to make her pain go away. “She only wanted to protect you.”
Charlie shook her head. “You don’t understand. No one understands.”
Austin took her hand in his. “I do understand Charlie. I understand what he did to you. I understand that you can’t forget no matter how hard you try, no matter how much time you spend cleaning. You can never clean the memories away.”
“How’d you know about the cleaning?”
“Colin made a remark, nothing much. And when Eve told me what you asked of her, I put two and two together. But it’s ok. It’s going to be ok.”
She shook her head. “Does that mean you won’t do it?” she asked Eve.
“I thought it would be nice to have you be like me, to have a friend Charlie, but we can be friends as we are now. You don’t want to be like me.”
“But I do want to be like you.” Charlie walked up to Eve. “I want to be stronger than everyone. I want to not care about anything or anyone.”
“Is that what you think being Adita means? Is that what you think of me?” Eve asked, knowing it was exactly what the girl thought and perhaps on some level it bothered Eve because it was true.
Charlie searched Eve’s eyes, but only saw her panicked expression reflected back. “You promised you would change me. You promised!” She pulled up her sleeve and tore off a bandage wrapped around her wrist, revealing a fresh wound. “Here, I’m offering myself to you. Take my blood, take it all,” she begged. “I’d rather die than live another day as his daughter.”
Eve took Charlie by the shoulders and pulled her close. “You are no longer his daughter, you are mine,” she whispered in Charlie’s ear. “But not as an Adita, not that way.” Eve stepped back and placed her hand on top of Charlie’s head. “This will hurt.” And with that she passed a bolt of energy through Charlie’s body. Her entire body glowed, she screamed and fainted. Austin caught her as she fell. He laid her on the ground, cradling her head. Eve came to stand next to him.
“Will she remember this happened?” he asked.
“No. The pain of her father will no longer be her curse to carry. She is whole again. She is better.”
Austin smoother Charlie’s hair from her face. “Is everything set?”
“Yes. We should leave directly after sending them to Paru. You have much to learn and we have many places to visit.”
“Do you foresee any major problems? Any real resistance?”
Eve glanced over at him and said, “With your species, there’s always resistance to logic when it does not meet expectations or fit neatly into preconceived notions. However, the proper motivation can subdue even the most stubborn of humans.”
***
Charlie op
ened her eyes feeling disoriented. She stared at the ceiling trying to get her bearings. She was lying on a bed in someone’s room, but couldn’t remember how she came to be there or whose room she was in. The door stood ajar and she could hear the other girls talking. She’d been packing. That’s right, she thought, and she’d been tired, so tired, but she wasn’t any longer. In fact she felt great, but that wasn’t all, something more had changed.
Anne knocked and stuck her head inside. “Are you feeling better?”
Charlie swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I feel great. I guess I was really tired.” She smiled at Anne. A genuine smile.
Anne smiled back. She couldn’t help noticing Charlie seemed different, brighter maybe. As if her dark cloud had blown away. Whatever the reason, Anne was glad. “So everyone’s meeting in the diner in five. Last minute instructions I guess.”
“Ok. I’m coming.”
***
The noise in the diner was a subdued murmur, as everyone waited for Austin to arrive. They sat in the booths, or at the counter, talking in voices above a whisper. Zack stood behind the counter, leaning over across from Ryan, who was working a bowl of cereal to the bottom. Every now and then Zack’s eye wandered over to the booth where Jenny sat with Barbara and some of the other girls. He didn’t gaze for long, not wanting Ed to catch him watching her, worrying over her and his baby growing inside of her. The whole surrogate pregnancy thing bothered Ed more than he let on.
The Harvest (Book 2): Eve of Man Page 33