Luke stood silent. There was no use replying because he was certain Conway knew he had no answer to the question. He placed a hand on her shoulder.
“I suggest we find Maya and ask her that question. If it’s the last thing we do, we’re going to make her find a solution to the children’s problems, all right?”
He met Conway’s deadly stare, forcing his gaze to remain steady. She shrugged off his hand and stormed out.
The kids watched with amused eyes, perhaps not fully understanding the danger Maya had exposed them to. The moment Conway disappeared; they reverted to their horseplay, chasing each other, daring one another to lift the table higher. Luke watched for a while and then he turned too.
It would soon be night and the children would have to sleep. There were new sleeping bags in the vault. He started towards granny’s bedroom and stopped.
“I need to fetch sleeping bags. I can use your new strength. Who wants to come and help me?”
He was surprised that all the children crowded around him. He picked the ten biggest of them and headed down the narrow stairs. The kids followed in a single file.
The white vault light shined through the entrance. When he entered, Conway sat on the floor, her back against the wall, her damp-looking hair hanging over her face. Her eyes were closed. Luke led the kids to the sleeping bag section. He gave three of the buckled-up bundles to each kid.
“I want the camouflage ones,” Sarah said.
“You can have any you want. Just go back to the others, Sarah. You’re the leader. Make sure the smallest ones get theirs first, OK?”
“OK, Luke.” She shot her mother a glance and led the kids up the stairs.
Luke sat beside Conway, making sure he kept a respectful distance between them. The hard shapes of equipment bit comfortably into his back as he leaned on a large bag. He surveyed Conway from the corners of his eyes.
Faint lines showed around her mouth. The lines might have been etched by a former facility for joviality, the same easy smiling that Sarah has. But that would have been a long time ago as now, on her tanned skin, they looked like the lines of approaching age. He nudged her gently.
“Major, I suspect that you’ve deactivated your longevity treatment.”
“She was still for a while, and then the deep blue eyes showed through slits.
“All resistance members have normal lifespans. We believe longevity should occur naturally rather than by medical treatment. There’s no need to stay alive forever, anyway. But you’re not here for philosophy lessons, I suspect.”
Luke chuckled. “No. I want to apologize for being the cause of whatever Maya did to Sarah and the other kids.”
“If that’s all, you may go. I need some time alone.”
“That’s not all. Do you miss Mark?”
Conway sat up. “How’s that your business?”
“We must work as a team from now on. That’s the only way we’re going to make it to Maya and force her to treat the children.”
Conway took a long breath and let it out slowly. “Listen, private. I didn’t pick my rank from the ground, you understand? I’m not on your team, and I won’t let you stop me from getting Maya as you did before. I’m going after her alone, so get out of my face.”
Luke sat for a minute longer. She didn’t even look at him. “I guess I can use my time better by putting the kids to sleep,” he said, turning his back on her. He reminded himself to be vigilant. He wasn’t about to let Conway go off on her own. Maya stuck her finger in his eyes first. As far as he was concerned, getting Maya was his birthright. “See you later,” he said.
CHAPTER 25 ATONEMENT WITH THE FATHER
A chill breeze swayed the trees, making his newly exposed skin bunch up around the pores. Luke rubbed his arm to keep himself warm. The short hair stubble scraped his palm. So soon after using the depilatory, he was already growing hairy again. He stopped in mid-movement, turning his head slowly to pinpoint the direction of the subtle sound. It came again, faint, below-normal hearing range, but unmistakable.
He moves away from where he leaned against the glide car that brought them from Maya’s facility. In one swift lunge, he reached the only window that could be unbarred. He wasn’t surprised at the rifle muzzle poking out. He snatched the gun, mistakenly pulling Conway with it. She tumbled on the ground at his feet. He stepped back too late, Conway’s fist jabbing into the pit of his stomach, and then a stiff knife hand-chopped into his throat, followed by a glancing blow to the point of his chin.
“Ouch!” Conway winced, shaking her hand. “You nearly broke my hand.”
Luke held the rifle away, out of the reach of the enraged woman. “I can’t remember inviting you to attack me. But where were you going at this time?”
“Get out of my way!” Conway grabbed at the rifle and missed. “Give me my rifle.”
“It may be your rifle, but any ammo you have must be from my stock. I was left in charge of this facility.”
“Resistance facility, Private.”
“I keep telling you I’m not a private.”
“I’m not a private.” Conway mimicked Luke’s hoarsening voice. ‘You’re not a private, right? We’ll soon see about that.” She leaned against the wall and slid to her haunches. “I was going to look for Maya.”
Luke sat beside her, still keeping the rifle away from her. “I thought we’re a team, Conway.” She said nothing, so he went on,” Don’t let your anger control you.”
“You can feel cool, but I’m not. Maya destroyed Mark. Now she’s going to destroy Sarah and the other kids. I must stop her so she can’t do that to anyone anymore.”
“True, but don’t let your anger control your thinking. If Maya dies, the children are doomed.’
Conway remained silent for a while. “You’re right, but we have to act fast. What do we do now?”
“That’s a difficult question because we have all the kids to look out for. If we die, their fates will be sealed forever.”
Conway chuckled. “I get it now. So, it’s either we keep Maya alive for long enough, or we ensure we don’t die for long enough, right?”
“It makes a kind of weird sense, but we’re going after Maya.’ Luke stood and offered his hand. “I have an idea.”
He helped Conway in through the window. He entered after her with some difficulty because of his bulk. He followed her through the house, past the snoring kids, into the vault. He stopped before the exoskeleton section. “Here’s my great idea.”
“They’re just dumb things without a human controller.”
“Not really. Granny told me these have inbuilt artificial intelligence. I think if we can program them, we can set them up to guard the place and feed the kids until we return. If we do.”
“That isn’t a bad idea. I know a little programming. How many of these things do you have?”
“The record says 349, 7 unserviceable.”
“That’s enough to invade a state, but we have to institute a failsafe, just in case we don’t return.”
“Great idea, although I don’t like to think of myself as expendable.” Luke squinted at a small glass sphere Conway extracted from her waist belt. “What’s that?”
“A beacon. If I smash this glass ball, it means there’s an existential risk to humanity. The head of the resistance will arrive here by the fastest possible means.”
“Nice. So, who's the head of the resistance?”
“Someone you don’t want to meet. Like you, he was the subject of an experiment, by a rogue scientist. The experiment failed, now General Sharpe exists only to destroy people like Maya.”
“Whoa! Stop it; you know we don’t want Maya destroyed until she makes an antidote for the kids. That reminds me. Don’t you resistance people have scientists who can help the children? That way we don’t need to worry about Maya’s life.”
Conway shook her head. “Unfortunately, there’s none. The only extant scientific organization is the one run by Maya. The single-handedly revived advanced
science. Some say she came across a buried database. There’s nowhere else where we can get scientists of her caliber.”
Luke pointed at the glass Conway held between her thumb and forefinger. “Which means you should secure that vial. We don’t want some crazy General hunting Maya down.”
“OK, but let’s see how we can get one of these exoskeletons to guard this beacon and activate it when there’s a danger to the children. Do you have a keyboard?”
Luke fetched one from a locker and handed it over to her.
“Show me the latest exo you have.”
Thirty minutes of search brought them to a heavy electric exoskeleton. Luke’s finger trailed over its battle-worn metal. “This is a breacher, specially made for breaking into bunkers and other fortified habitations.”
Conway inspected it. She used a screwdriver to open a small plate Luke hadn’t seen. She plugged the keyboard and typed carefully, her tongue showing pink between her teeth. She glanced at Luke.
“I think it's fine now. Let’s just see what it can do.” She turned on the exoskeleton and placed the glass vial in its cupped palm. “It needs to hold it more firmly.”
She typed into the keyboard again, darting glances at the closing fingers. Then she typed furiously. Luke jumped forward by the glass shattered into smithereens, the pieces showering on the floor.
Conway slapped her forehead. “Oh no!”
She hurled her equipment on the floor and dashed up the stairs.
CHAPTER 26
Conway pounded up the steps, Luke close behind her. The door hardly opened fully before she slipped out.
Luke found her standing way off from the house, her hands shielding her eyes as she scanned the horizon. He stood next to her. “What’s happening?”
She didn’t need to answer. He could feel the dull vibration of a sonic boom. He was familiar with the sound of occasional crafts passing above. The silver speck of a needle-sharp craft slowed right above, high up in the clouds. The boom died to a low rumbling, the craft descending rapidly. In a few seconds, it flopped back into the air and settled on the ground on long stilt-like legs. The air above it shimmered like a mirage from the hotness of the craft’s body.
Conway leaned forward as a large hole appeared on the side of the craft. Then a figure stood in the doorway. “Holy shit. Holy shit.”
“What?” Luke exclaimed as the figure dropped fifteen feet to the ground. It landed with supreme agility and headed their way with a long, slow stride, a shiny metal ball hovering in the air after it.
“Holy shit!” Conway said repeatedly. Then she hurried forward, came to rigid attention, and saluted so hard Luke thought her arm would fly off. “Morning, General.”
“Tell me there’s a good reason why you set off the beacon. This is the first time in fifteen years someone did that.”
The raspy, sibilant whisper wasn’t what Luke expected. He also didn’t expect that the man’s mouth remained immobile when he spoke. His voice came from a small spherical drone hovering just above his misshapen head, probably connected through brain waves. His head was a mass of scars, bits of wire and metal places holding it together in places.
Conway nodded too eagerly. “It was a mistake. I cracked the beacon when I fell.”
“That’s impossible,” the loud whisper came again. “It’s designed not to break by accident. It requires more force than ten human beings can exert so that the element of an accidental breakage is largely removed. But if you’re telling the truth you’re demoted to Private for conduct prejudicial to operational efficiency.”
“Oh no!” Luke stepped forward. “You don’t have to demote her for saying the truth…”
“And who are you?”
“I’m Luke.” He refused to lower his eyes from the cold black eyes focusing on him.
The eyes broke from his gaze, traveling down his body to his feet. He felt uneasy as he wore only the elastic pants, and neither shirt nor shoes.”
General Sharpe nodded. “Interesting, very interesting.” He turned his gaze to Conway. “Major, I think a lot more is happening here than you’re telling me. Your boyfriend seems strange to me. I can only guess about genetic modification. And there’s only one person with the knowledge and equipment to do that. Someone I’ve been looking for, for a decade. I may not dismiss you from service if you tell me where she is.”
Conway stepped back, her fists tightly balled at her sides. She looked like Sarah when she was angry in class, and on the verge of a senseless outburst.
“General Sharpe, I think we should go inside the house. Conway lost her husband recently and she isn’t in good mental shape now. I will explain everything to you over a cup of tea.”
‘Take a good look at me. I don’t need tea to keep me warm. My anger at Maya is enough for the hottest of days. But I’ll oblige you and Major Conway, as long as you get to the point straight away.”
With that, they went into the house, the general bringing up the rear. The kids were all awake when they entered. Sarah dolled meat soup and vegetables into plates for each of the kids. Sharpe stared hard at them as if he’d never seen children before. He nodded in their general direction.
“Those kids are bigger than their ages.”
Luke said nothing. He noted that the bigger kids followed the General with their eyes and pointed at him behind his back. He gestured to Conway and Luke to sit, and then he lowered himself into the seat opposite them. It was obvious that he made sure he sat between them and the door.
An awkward silence ensued Sarah came in with two bowls of food, a metal spoon clicking against the side of each plate. She gave the food to Conway and Luke.
“Pork stew, the only thing I know how to cook.’
Conway sprang to her feet as Sharpe’s fingers closed around Sarah's wrist.
“Sit.” Sharpe stared hard at Conway until the chair squeaked with her weight. “That’s so much better.” He looked over Sarah carefully until he found the injection spot. He nodded repeatedly. “Major, I said you aren’t telling me everything.”
Conway covered her face with her hands, sobbing. Luke wanted to hit the General for making her cry. Instead, he watched Conway. Her shoulder heaved for a long time. When she calmed down, she narrated all that happened.
Sharpe’s countenance remained fixed. It wasn’t certain if he was an unfeeling bastard or that the little emotions he had couldn’t push through the heavily scarred face. From the beginning of Conway’s story to the end, he listened with a deadpan face, his drone bobbing in its levitation above him. When Conway stopped crying Sharpe stood.
“I’m going after Maya.”
Luke sprang to his feet. He knew he must find a way to stop the General from killing Maya, at least prematurely. “What makes you think you’re going after Maya alone?”
Maya sniffed and stood. “I guess that makes the three of us.” She wiped her nose and gave a weak smile.”
Luke was horrified that Sharpe may kill Maya, dooming the kids, but he could do nothing now. “Let’s go,” he said.
“Sit down, Private, and listen.”
Luke wanted to argue that he wasn’t a Private, but listening had never killed anyone. He reminded himself to ask Conway in private why they didn’t tell Sharp that they wanted to get Maya to treat the kids. He sank into the seat, waiting for General Sharpe to finish speaking.
CHAPTER 27
General Sharpe sat back for the first time. “Luke, you know nothing about what you face. Things are not the way you see them. Even if you go after Maya and succeed in killing her, you’re doomed already. I’m the only person to survive Maya’s experiment, using my methods, so join the resistance, or grow into a beast.”
“Whoa! Hold it there, general.” Luke sat straight. “One moment you tell me I’m done for, the next you tell me that I must have faith in you.”
“I don’t know when I said all that, what I know is that the fate of humanity rests on a precipice, and Maya is about to tip over. But that’s just a bit of it.
I must tell you now that, although Maya seems all-powerful, she’s only the arrowhead of a greater, more evil force. She works for an organization that wants to colonize space with humans.”
Conway stood. “This is unacceptable. Why has no one told me of this? How can I do my best for an organization that keeps secrets from its loyal members? I mean I risk my life every day for the resistance.”
Luke looked sharply at Sharpe to see his reaction. The General closed his eyes for a second and went on speaking.
“As I was saying, Maya works for an organization she doesn’t know exists.”
“There’s no such thing!” Conway said.
Sharpe chuckled mirthlessly. “Conway, you have been complaining about not being told everything, so I’m surprised that you object to the existence of a secret organization. If you want to retain your seniority, sit and let me conclude.”
Luke let out his breath gently as Conway sat on the edge of the chair. She seemed ready to fly at Sharpe at the slightest provocation. He needed to distract her. “General, you said you can heal me?”
“Exactly, Luke. Without me, you’ll become a beast, like many of Maya’s subjects. Is that what you want?”
“Of course, I don’t want to lose my humanity. What do you want from me? You want me to join the resistance, but Conway has been calling me a Private. Isn’t that enough?”
“Conway was doing her job as a good officer should do. Every resistance officer is required to recruit the best candidates they come across, but that’s not the issue. The issue is that Maya isn’t working for herself as she made you believe. She doesn’t know she works for an ancient organization.”
“Ancient organization?” Luke cocked his head to listen closer.
“Yes and their purpose isn’t to enhance human bodies with animal parts. Of what use would be that? Their true and undisclosed purpose is to create a space-faring species of hardy humans that can survive in space.
MARK OF THE EARTHWALKER: Evolution Protocol Page 9