by Eliza Green
Stephen’s eyes flashed to the door when he heard three sets of footsteps approaching the Council Chambers.
He took one last deep breath and waited. Bill Taggart appeared first, followed by Laura O’Halloran. The boy trailed behind. He was taller and more sullen than Stephen remembered. All three wore gel masks in the thin, tunnel air that suited the Indigenes most.
Stephen walked over to Bill and gave his friend a hug.
‘You nervous?’ Bill whispered by his ear.
‘I don’t know why.’
‘You and me both. I almost left the docking station before he arrived. Laura had to talk me into staying.’
Stephen chuckled, feeling his own load lighten. He hugged Laura next. ‘I’m glad you’re here.’
‘That’s what Bill said to me earlier.’
Stephen pulled back. ‘He knows what he’s talking about.’
Laura smiled.
Can’t put this off forever, said Serena.
He dropped the delay tactics and zeroed in on the boy who leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, doing his best not to look at him.
But Stephen sensed his curiosity.
‘Hello,’ he said.
Ben glanced at him. ‘Hey.’
‘Do you remember me?’
Ben kept his gaze elsewhere. ‘Yeah.’
The reply lacked emotion, but Stephen felt the hidden anticipation, excitement and anger that rolled off Ben in waves.
‘Do you want to sit down?’
Stephen pointed to the table and chairs that he’d had put in specially. Humans preferred to sit—unlike Indigenes.
Ben folded his arms. ‘Nah, I’m okay here.’
A fuzzy feeling came over Stephen’s thoughts. He looked up at Serena to see her concentrating on Ben.
‘Stop it,’ said Ben, his eyes cutting to her. Serena blinked once and Stephen felt her influence drop away. ‘I know what it feels like to have one of you in my head.’
‘Sorry, I was just trying to help,’ said Serena.
She wasn’t used to opposition; humans found her hard to resist. But Ben appeared to be a good match for her. He wondered if the boy could help Serena sharpen her skills. It had been a long time since she’d met a challenging opponent.
The boy pushed off from the wall and walked over to the bookshelves. His fingers grazed the covers of two hardback books on Earth’s history.
Serena joined him but kept a small distance. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you.’
‘It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen him,’ Ben said to Serena, nodding to Stephen. ‘I need to process what I feel on my own, not have you fix it. That’s what got me into this mess in the first place. I thought I needed others to fix my problems, but I had the power to do it all along.’
Ben looked around the room. Bill and Laura’s silence, their anticipation of how the boy would react, made the atmosphere tense and awkward. Stephen both sensed and saw Ben’s hesitation. It manifested as a yellowish grey aura.
‘How about we leave these two to talk?’ Serena suggested.
Stephen sensed that Laura battled against her abilities. They flowed more freely in the district. He had felt for some time that she could influence like Serena—though not to the same degree. But he could no longer read her thoughts, not since he had treated her for her Seasonal Affective Disorder. It had ignited a change on a cellular level within her, though Laura still refused to accept that she was part Indigene.
A hesitant Bill didn’t move until Laura steered him out of the room. Bill still had questions for the boy—either that or he sought the same forgiveness that Stephen did.
When just he and Ben remained, Stephen closed the heavy, oak door that sealed the soundproofed room. Pierre had held many secret discussions here that had only led to mistrust within District Three. After his death, Serena and Stephen had adopted an open door policy. But not today. Today, this discussion would remain private.
Stephen sat at the table and a nervous-looking Ben did the same.
‘I never thought I’d get the chance to speak with you again,’ said Stephen. ‘You must have questions for me.’
‘Are you responsible for getting me passage off Earth?’
‘Partly. Bill had a lot to do with that.’
‘Well, that makes us even.’
Stephen sat back, surprised. ‘You’re forgiving me, just like that?’
Ben folded his arms, but his wariness dropped a little. ‘Isobel told me I was the reason you changed your mind about humans. Is that true?’
‘Yes. You were the catalyst. I didn’t know what you were. We called you Surface Creatures. Then you revealed that you were human.’
‘I don’t understand. Why was that such a big deal?’
‘Because we are also human, but we hadn’t used the term for what we thought was centuries.’ Stephen leaned forward. ‘The term Indigenes had stuck over the years. Though, given our origin, and the fact that our species had only really existed for fifty years, it’s possible the Indigene name was just a memory implant.’
‘So you changed your mind about humans because of my revelation?’
Stephen smiled and shook his head. That wasn’t even close. ‘You must have sensed my wariness of you at the time. Our meeting was just a mission to gather information on your species. We had minimal success with other humans. Most were aggressive towards us.’
‘Then you met me...’
‘You were innocent. A blank slate. You called me a friend without even knowing anything about me. That had not been my experience of your species up to that point.’ Stephen shifted in his seat; he would never get used to sitting. ‘Do you know why I met you the second time?’
Ben shrugged and clasped his hands. ‘Because I hadn’t given you the answer you wanted?’
Stephen laughed, just as Ben frowned. ‘You were astute back then. I see you haven’t lost that.’
‘I may have only been eight, but I knew stuff. My life was complicated then and it is now. Difference is I know better.’
Stephen stood up and paced, relieved to be out of the confines of the chair. ‘I met with you again because your innocence intrigued me. You reminded me of our young. Less developed mentally than our Evolvers, but innocent like they are. I saw my young self in you. Curious. Caring. Trusting. Truth was I didn’t like the comparison.’
Ben’s eyes tracked his movements. ‘Why?’
‘You reminded me of me, and even though we looked different it pained me to admit we were the same underneath. We were ready to fight you humans, which made us no better than humans. It began to feel like we were at war with ourselves.’
Ben concentrated on his clasped hands. ‘I was so excited when I met you. I was really into spy stories at the time. Did I tell you that?’ Stephen shook his head and Ben smiled. ‘I thought you were a spy.’
Stephen remembered. ‘You asked me if I knew your mother.’
‘Yeah, stupid kid stuff.’ Ben’s aura had a tinge of red to it. ‘I needn’t have worried so much. She didn’t care about me. Don’t feel bad for what happened. I brought it on myself.’
Stephen stopped pacing. ‘Why do you think that? None of it was your fault.’
‘I had silly notions that my father would return one day, and he would rescue me from my mother. She wasn’t exactly parent of the year. But my father never came and nobody questioned my mother’s lack of parenting skills. Then I met you. I not only found a father figure, but a friend. You were interested in what I had to say. I don’t blame you, only me. If I had heeded the only advice my mother ever gave me, which was to never talk to strangers, we wouldn’t have met.’
‘Well, I’m glad you ignored her advice. I’m not sure how things would have played out had I not discovered the true name of your species—and ours.’ The red in Ben’s aura deepened. Stephen changed the subject. ‘How’s Isobel?’
Ben smiled and his aura switched to green. ‘She’s helping to integrate the Indigenes into life on Earth. They do
n’t need masks like the humans do. It’s weird, but Earth is the perfect place for them.’
Stephen laughed at a very old memory. ‘I said the same thing when my friend Anton and I arrived on Earth for the first time.’
‘Huh, ironic.’
‘Ironic indeed. Are you pleased to be home?’
‘Maybe... I was born on this planet. But Earth had become my home.’ A grey colour overshadowed the green. ‘But my family is dead now.’ Ben looked around the chambers. ‘Your home is nice and all, but I’d rather live up there, in the sunshine. I’ve had enough of dark places to last a lifetime.’
‘Agreed. You can’t breathe the air down here anyway. The surface is safer. Laura has arranged special accommodation for you. It’s a place that helps young men and women to adjust to life on Exilon 5 and to find work, or continue their education. Whatever’s required.’
‘And that’s where I’ll live?’
‘Yes.’ Stephen sensed the boy’s hesitation. ‘You don’t approve? It will give you more freedom than you had on Earth.’
‘I had a chance to help when I was there. I would like to be useful to whatever cause you need here. I helped to bring down the criminals.’ Ben’s aura glowed orange, showing his pride. ‘Use me, or I’ll disappear.’
He gestured for Ben to stand. ‘It’s late so you’ll spend the night here.’
Ben tapped his mask. ‘Do I have to wear this all night?’
Stephen shook his head and opened the door. ‘We have created special rooms for such occasions. The insignia rock can draw air from the surface. You will be comfortable.’
‘Then you’ll find something for me to do?’
To give him no purpose on Exilon 5 would be a worse fate than to have left him on Earth.
‘I’ll speak to Serena and Laura. No promises.’
5
This feeling of contrition surprised Bill. He normally did what pleased him, only answering to the people who mattered most. In the early days it had been his first wife, Isla. But since he’d met Laura and Stephen, a gnawing need for self-improvement followed him like a shadow. His stomach clenched as he waited alongside Laura and Serena for Stephen and Ben to finish their talk.
He kept quiet over how much Ben’s lack of interest in him bothered him. Nor had the boy offered thanks to Bill for rescuing him from that hellhole called Earth—a description that Jenny Waterson used often to describe his former home.
Bill shook his head. Why should Ben thank him? Hadn’t his actions extradited him to Earth in the first place?
A kiss from Laura on his cheek snapped him out of his melancholy.
‘Stop it,’ she said.
He looked at her. ‘Stop what?’
‘You’ve gone to that pessimistic place of yours.’
He tried to look cool. ‘No, I haven’t.’
‘Even Serena can sense it, but she’s too polite to say anything.’
Serena looked somewhere else.
‘I know when you’re working yourself up in knots.’
Bill huffed out a breath. ‘It’s your fault, you know.’
Laura’s eyes grew large. ‘Mine, how?’
‘You made me care about more than just me.’
The Council Chamber door opened before she could answer, but the smile on her face was all the reply he needed. Bill focused on Ben and braced for an irate teenager. It surprised him to find a calm one. Stephen joined Serena and they pressed their foreheads together.
Serena pulled away and spoke to Ben. ‘It’s late. I’ll show you to your quarters.’
Ben nodded, holding on tight to his satchel. ‘Got anything to eat?’
Serena looked unsure and glanced at Laura.
‘I think I can rustle up something,’ said Laura. ‘I’ll follow you shortly.’
When Ben had left with Serena, Stephen returned to the Council Chambers. Bill and Laura followed him inside to see the Indigene stood in the middle of the room. He turned to face them.
‘How did it go?’ said Bill.
He may not have Stephen’s ability to sense moods or see them in colours, but his profiler past taught him how to read body language. The lack of tension in his friend’s shoulders said it had gone well.
‘I never thought I’d have this chance to put things right,’ said Stephen. ‘What a coincidence that Isobel ended up with his adopted grandfather. We couldn’t have planned that better if we’d tried.’
‘A fucking miracle if you ask me.’ Bill ran a hand over the three-day stubble on his face. The arrival of this day, this moment, had dominated his thoughts. ‘I nearly chickened out of meeting him in the docking station.’
Stephen nodded. ‘I sensed your edginess when you brought him here. He didn’t have the worst life on Earth. From what he told me his guardian, Albert Lee, was a very kind man.’
Bill walked over to the table and sat down in a chair. ‘Dead now?’
‘Yes and his step brother. Both killed by the faction overseeing their neighbourhood. Ben’s all alone now and very eager to help out our cause.’
Laura stood next to the bookshelves. She rarely sat down, unless they were at home—a side effect of her rapid change into an Indigene before having that change reversed.
‘You still need to talk to him, Bill,’ said Laura. ‘He may have forgiven Stephen but I sensed he’s unsure about you.’
‘You should use your detection skill more,’ said Stephen.
Laura shifted, as if uncomfortable. She rarely used her Indigene skills around people except for a trusted few, including Bill. Laura had regained her human appearance and kept her ability to detect dishonesty in others. The combination made her the perfect candidate to become Bill’s chief communication officer.
‘I agree with Stephen,’ said Bill. ‘I don’t understand why you keep it hidden. In the last eight years you used it, what, half a dozen times, and only when I’ve insisted.’
Laura crossed her arms. ‘It feels as if I’m being deceptive. The people I use it on don’t know I can see their lies.’
Stephen smiled. ‘You get used to it, believe me. When it’s all you know, you work around the ethics of knowing more than others.’
‘Maybe.’ Laura didn’t sound convinced. ‘I mean, it’s not like I can influence people like Serena, or see the future like you. Or see the inner workings of tech without opening it, like Anton can. Or know what it means to be an empath, like Arianna. You all have very important skills.’
‘You’ve developed a supercharged sixth sense—a heightened perception of deception that none of us have,’ said Stephen. ‘It’s an extension of who you were as a human.’
Laura huffed. ‘If I had that skill when I was just an office worker in the Earth Security Centre, I might have saved myself a lot of grief.’
‘It was your ability to see past my appearance that led me to trust you,’ said Stephen.
‘And me,’ added Bill.
Laura rolled her eyes. ‘Great. I’ve got the power of trust.’
‘Don’t give up on your ability. The more you use it the more it will make sense,’ said Stephen.
‘Maybe.’
Laura’s head whipped round at a speed that used to alarm Bill. She stared at the door and Bill knew she’d heard something.
‘Do you hear that?’ said Stephen. ‘Sounds like a low rumble.’
Laura smiled. ‘That’s the sound of a hungry teenager. I’d better go before he starts to eat the dirt off the floor.’
She left Bill and Stephen alone.
Stephen joined Bill at the table. ‘She could be even more useful if she stops fighting her Indigene side.’
Bill couldn’t agree more. But any time he brought the subject up, Laura shut the discussion down. ‘It’s no use either of us telling her how useful her deception skill is. She has to experience it.’
‘Laura’s feelings about her being an imposter are potent. Serena senses that better than I can.’
‘Do the other Indigenes feel that way about her?’
‘Some do. They still fight their origin. That’s natural.’ Stephen stood up, restless. He picked a book off the shelf and studied the spine. ‘But we’ve got bigger problems to deal with.’
Bill nodded. ‘Like the genetically superior humans?’
After the peace treaty agreement, the board members had arrived from Earth with two hundred selected humans, dozens of Earth doctors and data detailing new genetic practices from their study of the Indigenes. Five years of experimentation had followed and the numbers had whittled down to just one hundred. Bill had established the new numbers through ITF monitoring and Tanya’s own confirmation. During that time, Tanya had continued to preside over ITF matters and the peace treaty. Three years ago, the group had relocated to a set of caves in a mountainous range. Their genetic experiments to improve the code in a select few appeared to change them physically. Tanya Li had aged significantly and showed no further interest in protecting the treaty. Her lack of interest had allowed rogue elements on both the Indigene and human sides to test the strength of that accord.
‘When they arrived on this planet, we didn’t interfere with their plans.’ Stephen returned the book to the shelf. ‘Their activities were of no concern to us. The treaty gave us what we wanted: the freedom to hunt without persecution. But in the last few months I’ve detected an increased presence outside the caves they rarely left before. That makes the Indigenes uneasy and it has led some to attack humans.’
The attacks were a problem; they violated the treaty.
‘I don’t know why the GS live in isolation or why they built that environ,’ said Bill. ‘I haven’t spoken to Tanya since she relocated to the caves.’
Stephen had reported back on the movements of the GS while out hunting. A prediction had hit him three months before it happened: He’d seen them build the environ, covered in white tarpaulin, located two miles from the caves. Stephen had no answers for Bill as to why they’d built it.
Bill continued. ‘In the last few days, my team has reported a small drain of power from New London’s solar station. It appears the GS have infiltrated the feed by running a cable from the base station to the city.’