by Ruth Silver
Mason turned to look back at the three he'd brought with him. None of them said a word. His attention didn't stay on them for long as he cleared his throat, trying to sound calm. “This afternoon I think we should have a ceremony to remember her by.”
“Of course,” Joshua agreed. “That would be nice.”
Three unfamiliar faces stood outside the car. One woman and two men. Neither had introduced themselves to us. They seemed awkward and uncomfortable. The woman waited until we were done talking. “I'm Chloe, and this is Beckett and Asher,” she introduced them. “We're from Torv.”
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled politely, shaking their hands.
“We're sorry for your loss,” Chloe offered, giving a sad smile. I wondered if she'd met Margo at all in Torv. Mason swallowed the lump in his throat. “Chloe is a reproductive specialist. We invited her to Shadow to help Elsa in the lab.” I nodded, slowly beginning to understand why she'd been given an invitation.
“And Beckett and Asher?” I asked. I wasn't afraid of digging where I didn't belong.
Mason glanced at the two young men he'd brought along. They looked to be in their mid-twenties, not much older. “They're engineers. They study electronics and have hacked the power grid twice. With some tech we've found over the years through the Gravelands, I was hoping they might be able help us anticipate Cabal's next attack.”
Joshua grinned. “Oh we can do better than that since you've been gone.” He patted Mason's shoulder. “I'm happy to have their assistance.”
From the far end of the street, Elsa approached.
“You guys are back!” She smiled, throwing her arms around Mason. “You look good. I see you got a little sun, even in the middle of winter.” She must have been joking. They both looked pale and her face whitened when she saw the urn in the backseat. “Oh no.” The cheerful grin quickly faded. “Who—” She paused, unable to find the words as they caught in her throat.
Mason's brow furrowed as he tried to keep his emotions in check. “Jaxon's back in Torv. Margo—” He let out a heavy sigh as he reached for the urn from the backseat. “Didn't make it.” Mason didn't have to say anything more. Carrying the urn, he walked across the caked dirt towards Chancellor Collins’ office.
Elsa sighed, shifting on her feet. I could see the pain behind her eyes as she tried to focus. “We haven't properly met.” Elsa held out her hand as she introduced herself. “I'm Elsa.”
“Chloe.” She smiled weakly, shaking her hand. “I'm here to help go over your research with you,” Chloe admitted. “The boys told me back in Torv that a woman named Olivia is here. She's the last woman we've found capable of bearing a child.”
“That we know of,” I acknowledged. It was possible there were others out there like me, right? I was surprised they'd confided in these strangers about who I was, but I had to trust them. They wouldn't betray me, would they?
Chloe smiled weakly. “In Torv we've managed to help impregnate women without the government's knowledge. We've been at it for decades but there have been some complications…” Her words trailed off and she sighed. “The process does something to the mothers, causing hemorrhaging in seventy percent of cases and is almost always fatal for those mothers.”
“That's terrible,” I gasped. I couldn't imagine a woman signing up and knowingly risking her life in order to have a child.
Chloe frowned. “We've tried every inoculation and therapy we could think of to increase the chance of a successful pregnancy. The reality is we can't figure out where we're going wrong and we have no idea how the government has zero percent mortality.”
Elsa nodded. “We haven't even begun to look at DNA. Most of the tests and comparisons we've made in the lab are between reproductive scans that show no physical differences between Olivia and the women who can't conceive.”
“Well I'm here to help in any way I can,” Chloe offered. “I'm sure you have a lot of data that needs analyzing. I was hoping,” she glanced from Elsa to me, “that in return you might join me back in Torv to help with the pregnant women.”
Elsa paused, considering Chloe's request. “We'd be happy to try. Olivia would be a lifesaver if she came along.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow. “You're Olivia?” she asked, astonished. I hadn't properly introduced myself, and I shifted uncomfortably on my feet. I felt as though I was being scrutinized for not saying so sooner.
“I am,” I finally admitted, not entirely comfortable with this woman knowing who I was. I also didn't know how I could be of any help in Torv. Did they want me to join them as a human specimen that could offer a blood sample or a lab test at any time? I was more than just my genetics. Besides, there was no possible way I could help a dying woman in labor. The thought alone was terrifying and saddening that a mother would purposely give a child life knowing she wouldn't be there for her baby.
Elsa glanced at Joshua and then at me. She made sure Chloe couldn't hear the exchange. It was the first time she'd ever said anything to me without so much as moving her lips. Mindonsiphan? It was a single word, simple, and conveying so much it sent a shudder down my spine. I had no idea what she meant. Of course I knew what the procedure was and what Joshua and I had gone through, but in no way did I understand, or could even fathom, how my coming along would help. Mindonsiphan was administered to teenagers during rapid growth. I doubted the pregnant women were in their teens. Obviously, there were lots of changes going on with the pregnant women, but it seemed unlikely it would be safe for the baby. What did she think I could do to help? My training was in combat, not aiding in a labor.
Chloe glanced around oblivious to the silent conversation. “Do you mind showing me to my quarters? I could use a shower.”
Elsa led her towards the recruits’ building where Joshua and I had stayed when we'd first come into town. “I'll see you both later.” I waved goodbye and grabbed Joshua's hand, walking with him towards our home.
“That was interesting,” he whispered to me, keeping his voice down as we walked further from the city center towards home. Everyone from Torv had disappeared. I knew Mason had gone to see Chancellor Collins, but I hadn't paid much attention to the two strangers. I wondered where they had gone off to.
“I suppose it was.”
Joshua stopped walking and turned to stare at me. Feeling his hand jolted me back slightly when he stopped. I turned around. “What?” I was confused as to why he stopped moving.
“You don't find it odd that they're expecting us to help cure women who are dying?”
“I find everything here odd,” I remarked. “Shadow is nothing like I expected heading west would be.”
Joshua smiled. “What'd you think? It'd be like heading into the sunset together, living happily ever after?”
I raised a curious eyebrow. “I thought you'd never read any romance novels.”
He grinned, pulling me with him towards our home. “I never said that.” We'd lived in our new home for a few weeks with books lining the shelves. I shouldn't have been surprised he would have picked up one or two by now.
“Of course not.” I rolled my eyes, smiling as we headed inside our warm home. I curled up on the sofa, grabbing a book, and felt Joshua sliding in beside me, grabbing a blanket for us to share together.
Just before sunset the town of Shadow gathered to pay respects to Margo. The last funeral I'd witnessed had been my father’s. Many had died in Haven but none had been properly buried after the devastation. Same for Thena.
The sun had yet to set. It was perched in the sky, hanging in a delicate balance just above the water. I'd never walked this far south of Shadow. The journey on foot took over an hour and I knew we'd be walking back in the dark tonight. I didn't care. It was for Margo. She deserved a proper goodbye.
Standing before the beautiful lake, the sun falling over the horizon lit up the sky with shades of gold and red. The warm light spread across my cheeks as I felt the first tear. I listened as Chancellor Collins spoke first. He offered more than just condolen
ces but a speech of respect and honor. “She was one of us,” Collins spoke. “A soldier who fell on the battlefield in a time of war we had not waged upon ourselves. We must remember that even those who fight against our enemy may not be our friend.” I was glad Chloe, Beckett, and Asher hadn't been invited to the funeral. I wasn't sure how they'd take to Collins’ speech. He continued, “We pay our respects to Margo. We hail her as one of the great warriors. One of the first to accept Shadow as her home, and one of the last we ever wanted to say goodbye to. Margo was a good friend to many of us here, and an even better companion for most. Her infectious smile lit up a room. Her eagerness drove us all to succeed, to want to be better and do better. Not once did she ever give up. Not once did she ever doubt what we could do together, as a community. For her we lay down our lives. For her we seek justice and retribution towards a common enemy. Her death will not be in vain.”
He opened the urn as I reached for Joshua's hand. The wind whispered as the sun further set slowly below the horizon. “Goodbye,” I breathed, swallowing the pain as her ashes danced in the wind, offering her freedom.
Lying in bed that night, with my back to Joshua and his arm wrapped around me, I slid my hand into his. “Do you ever miss Genesis?” I asked quietly, unsure if he heard me. Today had been a trying day. With the funeral and the new members of Torv, I missed the familiar. It was nice to have Joshua's arms around me.
A moment passed before I could feel him shift against me. “I miss my parents,” he admitted. “You miss your mom, don't you?” I felt his breath tickle the back of my neck. He knew me too well.
“A lot,” I sighed. “Sometimes I wonder how she's doing without me there.” I knew from Rebecca that she was okay. I didn't know how much of that was truth, and how much had been to ease my mind while in Haven.
A quiet moment passed and I was certain Joshua didn't know what to say. “It's okay to miss her.”
“I know.” I wiped the corner of my eye before it had time to slip down my cheek. “I just wish she could have come with us.” I sighed, giving a soft laugh. “Maybe that's a terrible idea. She would have slowed us down or, worse, died in Haven. I should be relieved I know she's still alive.” As soon as I said it, I grimaced. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't be.” Joshua squeezed my hand. I knew he had to wonder if his mother had made it out alive before the attack on Haven. He'd never voiced his concerns but the fear had to be there. Watching his sister, Jacqueline, vanish in the smoke must not have been a happy memory for him either. Though he'd hardly known her, she was still his flesh and blood, his sister.
“I love you,” I breathed, rolling around to face him as I stayed curled in his embrace. His eyes were closed and I could feel the agony and pain radiating off him. Though he said nothing, I knew he hurt inside. I wanted desperately to take that pain away, make him feel better, but I didn't know how. Slowly I leaned in, dropping soft kisses to his cheek and his eyes. “It's okay,” I breathed, feeling his tears, pulling him tighter to me as my hands traveled along his back, holding him against me.
I knew nothing I could say or do would erase the pain he felt and the concern that had edged itself into him when we'd left Haven. All I could do was be there for him as we held on to hope that perhaps his mother was still alive.
CHAPTER 13
Early the next morning, I joined Elsa and Chloe in the science center. It wasn't my favorite place to go, considering they'd administered the Mindonsiphan to us there as recruits. But I wasn't afraid. After all that we'd been through, somehow, I felt stronger.
Joshua spent the morning with Mason, training out in the hanger. I had no idea what they were up to but figured if I needed to know, they'd invite me out there.
Sitting across from the girls, Chloe unboxed several instruments she'd brought with her. “What are those?” I asked curiously.
Chloe smiled, glancing at me. “They're hormone testing kits. We want to verify that you are something special.”
Her words made me uneasy. Did I want to know? Was it better not knowing? Although everyone assumed I was different, if I wasn't this would put an end to it. “How will this help?” I didn't understand the relevance.
“It may not.” Chloe was honest, brutally so. “It might not make any difference at all, but our doctors and scientists have been studying the human body and reproduction for generations. I have to believe you're different.”
“And if I'm not?” I muttered beneath my breath.
“Then I guess we're no worse off than before I got here.” Chloe smiled weakly. “I was like you once, young, curious; I lived in Genesis.”
That took me by surprise. “You did?”
Chloe's face was hard, the smile faded. “About fifteen years ago I was an assistant on a genetics team in Genesis. I suspect there was genetic engineering going on along with implantation. I didn't stay around long enough to be fully entrusted with information.”
“Why did you leave?” I couldn't fathom a reason she would want to leave and go through the hell Joshua and I had endured.
Chloe sighed, “I was from a different Genesis town, Genesis Beta. The rules were much the same where you grew up,” Chloe explained. “I had just turned twenty-one and already had a daughter. When my name was called at ‘The Day of the Chosen’ for the lottery, I was devastated that I would have to conceive a second child who would be given to the government. That night, before going to the medical center to begin the process, I fled with my daughter.”
“What about your husband?” I asked.
“He died protecting us,” she answered solemnly.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered, knowing it wasn't my fault but still feeling terrible for Chloe.
“Don't be.” She shook her head. “It was awful,” she admitted. “But my daughter, Zarrah, knows freedom. Something I could never have given her without his help.” She turned her attention to the kit, pulling the tubes out. “I'm going to need a blood sample from you, if that's okay.”
“Yeah, sure.” I nodded, watching as Elsa grabbed a vial and needle along with a rubber band to draw blood. I turned away. Elsa was good though: I barely felt the needle as she pricked me. I couldn't say the same about Sydney when she'd taken my blood. A moment later she filled the vial and gave me a small cloth to hold against my broken skin.
“Do you need my help with anything?” I offered, wanting to be of assistance. I still didn't fully understand what they were doing with my blood but if it could help save lives, I was willing to try anything.
Chloe glanced at me. “We'll run the tests. It may be a few hours before we have any results. You're free to go.”
“I'll be outside if you need me.” I gestured, heading out of the building and into the cool winter air. The weather here was much more bearable considering I'd lived in Genesis most of my life. The winters in Genesis were brutal and matched in intensity by its scorching summers. My mother used to tell me the intense weather was a result of our destruction on the planet hundreds of years ago, and that we were paying the price for it. Shadow hardly seemed affected in the same way and I wondered how that could be possible.
Stepping out into the cool winter air, I wrapped my arms around myself as I glanced around. I saw Chancellor Collins coming my way and he gave me a brief wave and called out to me, “Olivia.” With a heavy sigh I walked over, approaching him. I had no idea what he wanted. “How are you doing?” he asked as I stood before him. He stood tall, looming over me as I kept my arms around my body.
“Okay, I guess.”
“I wanted to talk to you about Torv and the guests we brought into town.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You told me once, we don't have guests here.”
“Usually, we don't,” he acknowledged with a weak nod. “But obviously times change. We brought in Adelaide, Madeline, Taron, and Preston from Thena. Come with me.” He gestured, escorting me into the building I was all too familiar with. It was where we held our weekly meetings and where our test of honesty had taken place. To
this day I still felt a chill as I stepped into the foyer.
I followed him inside and into his office. I glanced around at the furniture, nearly untouched. The couch I'd sat on hadn't moved an inch. I'm not sure why I thought it would have. I walked over towards the sunlight, staring out the dirty window. “Why am I here?” I asked.
Chancellor Collins sighed. “I wanted your opinion on our newest recruits.”
“Is that what you're calling them?” I scoffed. “They are staying where Joshua and I stayed.” I nodded slowly. “Do you plan on doing the same procedure—Mindonsiphan—and requiring them to undergo the same training that we had?” I was appalled at the notion that they brought back a handful of allies only to kidnap and torment them.
“Hardly.” Chancellor Collins shook his head. “I hoped you could provide some insight, seeing as how you've met Chloe?”
I shrugged. “She seems all right.” I didn't know what he expected. I wasn't capable of reading someone's mind. I could only share thoughts; it was completely different. “Chloe seems plenty knowledgeable.”
The Chancellor took a seat as I remained by the window. “They are an interesting community, Torv. Just hours on foot from the government, yet untouched.”
“You don't trust them?” I asked. “If that's the case then why did you let them come here?” It made no sense to me.
The Chancellor sat in his chair, his hands folded together as he considered his words. “I trust they believe they're doing what is in the best interest of the rebel alliance back east.”
I walked from the window towards the couch, plopping myself down. “You think they have different motives?” I tried to make sense of this new information.
“I can't be certain about any of their motives without further information from their own council. Yet, not a single member from their council was willing to join them on the trip here. I find that bewildering.” He paused for a long moment. “Did you hear the news?”