Sentients in the Maze

by Chogan Swan

  Two minutes later, he heard her pick up the pace. She passed him soon after, but Jonah stayed on her heels, drafting behind her. The temperature climbed as the morning changed to mid-day. Jonah kept his water tube busy and relished every bit of shade the trees along the creek could offer. He’d long ago realized that running behind Amber had its own reward. The view was mesmerizing; well worth the effort of keeping up with her. Jonah knew he’d need to be at least even when they hit the boulder field to have any chance of winning today.

  They left the track by the creek with him close enough to touch her. Together they dug into the trail that climbed to the boulder field bordering the escarpment. Jonah had spotted several opportunities in this section to take the lead when they’d scouted the course together. He was good at chugging up inclines, and he’d need to push her here; when they hit the boulders, she would make up a lot of ground.

  When they came to a short section that offered a choice between a high path and a low, Amber chose low, and Jonah surged forward on the higher path. He managed a clean pass where the paths reconnected and pushed harder, building a lead on the way to the boulder field. When Jonah reached the boulders, he’d created a gap of about thirty yards.

  He’d been using his water with care, knowing he couldn’t drink while running the boulder field. His supply had dwindled to about a pint.

  Blocks and boulders covered the slope to the cliff face for almost five hundred yards. The boulder field, strewn below the cliff by millennia of frost wedging, was Amber’s playground. But Jonah worked up the slope, finding efficient paths with the skills he’d built under Amber’s tutoring. She passed him, flowing over the obstacles like water. Jonah was fifty yards behind her when she reached the cliff.

  He smiled.

  So far, so good.

  He hadn’t expected to be this close. He was almost at the cliff, and then there were only two hundred feet to go… all of it vertical.

  A few moments later, he heard Amber call the ready signals to her belayer. When Jonah reached the cliff, Amber was already forty feet up the route on the right.

  Jonah finished the water in his pouch as he sat on a flat rock and slid from his beach runners to his climbing slippers. While tossing his Camelbak into the gear bag, he noticed Amber had left behind water. So, he drank it as he clipped his chalk bag around his waist. He could thank her later, even if she gave him hell for not suspecting a trap. The risk was worth it for the drink.

  Jonah tied a bowline around his waist, finishing the knot with a stopper.

  “On belay?” he said, tapping the switch on the microphone.

  The rope shortened while Jonah moved into position, doing a few moves to get started up the face while his belayer pulled in rope. Soon the excess slack disappeared.

  “That’s me,” he said.

  “Belay on,” came Jacksie’s voice through his headset.

  “Climbing,” said Jonah, dipping his hands into his chalk bag.

  “Climb on.”

  Now for the fun part.

  Jonah grinned and grabbed the holds that started the route and levered up to hook a heel over the ledge above him.

  The first part of the route had good holds. It was overhanging, but Jonah made good time, using dynamic swinging moves that propelled him up, pushing with his legs and using his arms to pivot in an arc through vertical space.

  A wide crack requiring strenuous layback moves slowed him until he reached the flat section with tiny far-apart holds. Jonah flowed up the wall, drawing on years of experience and training. Before he’d met Tiana, this part of the climb would have been one of the hardest climbs he’d ever done, a solid 5.12a difficulty at least. He focused on the wall, putting thoughts of the race out of his head. There was the rock, only the rock.

  When he finished the face section, Jonah came to a hands-free rest at a corner, paused and shook out his forearm muscles. He’d passed Amber, but she was still moving well. Now he’d come to the hardest part, a long backwards-hanging roof section. The roof featured tiny finger-pocket holds and awkward twisting foot placements. He knew he could make it go, but he’d done nothing as hard after an effort like the run to the cliff.

  At least he was out of the sun. The granite roof protected him and shared the coolth of its lingering memory of the night.

  Jonah dipped his hands in the chalk again.

  He pulled up the memory of the route ahead and reviewed the move sequence. An eidetic memory was useful for lots of things it turned out. After a deep breath, he crept out onto the route like a fly on a ceiling. Holds, tiny pockets and sloping bumps, all ticked by him as he worked to the end of the roof. Then he made a solid heel hook over the edge and reached for the blocky handhold that would end the torture. Jonah latched on and hauled his aching body up, but as he did, the block popped from its resting place in the cliff—like a champagne cork from a bottle.

  “Rock!” he yelled as the stone arced over his shoulder and accelerated toward the ground at thirty-two feet per second. Jonah slid off the cliff. His body pivoted where his heel hooked the edge, flipping him to swing upside down below the roof.

  Shit!

  A fall on the climbing section meant a sixty-second penalty or a twenty-foot backtrack. No way could he climb down that roof and up again. If he took the penalty, he might still win. Jonah righted himself and snagged the lip of the roof with his left hand, grabbing the hole created by the missing rock now clattering across the boulder field. He jerked his leg over the ledge and sped up the rest of the cliff while Jacksie struggled to keep the slack out of the belay line. When he reached the top, he sat next to Jacksie, breathing hard. “Off belay,” he said between gasps.

  “Belay off,” Jacksie said as he looked at his watch. “At ten fifty-two and twenty-one seconds.”

  “Welcome to the top of the world,” Austin said as he took up slack from Amber’s rope.

  Jacksie chuckled and hauled up the gear bag. Jonah shook out the cramps from his hands and moved to help him.

  Amber scrambled into view and up the slope to the summit. “Off belay,” she gasped. Sweat glistened on her body and drenched her halter and shorts. Where her clothes had been revealing before—they were now almost invisible.

  “At ten fifty-three and seventeen seconds,” said Jacksie.

  “Congratulations, Chief,” said Austin. “That makes you the winner by four seconds with Jonah’s fall penalty.”

  “Well done, Amber,” said Jonah.

  “Ain’t gonna be no rematch,” said Amber, imitating Apollo Creed.

  Jonah grinned. “Don’t want one,” he obliged her.

  Jacksie finished pulling up the gear bag and handed Jonah his pack then handed Amber hers. She took it, put the bite-nozzle in her mouth and sucked in, looking at him suspiciously when she found it empty.

  Jonah untied the bowline from his waist and walked over to Amber; he shaded her from the sun with his body and fanned her with his shirt. She grinned at him. “Too bad about the loose hold,” she said. “That roof climb you did was pretty fucking incredible, but don’t think I’ll let you off the hook.”

  “Will you tell me what the bet was now?” Jonah said.

  Amber turned to Austin and Jacksie. “Leave the drink cooler here, we’ll meet you back at the ranch.”

  Jonah followed Jacksie back to the ATVs and grabbed two of Tiana’s electrolyte drinks from the cooler. He scooped ice into his shirt, wrapped it into a bundle and put it on the back of his neck as he walked to Amber. They sat and looked out over the desert as they finished the drinks. Jonah pulled off his climbing slippers and wiggled his toes in the sunshine.

  Jacksie and Austin finished coiling the ropes, stowed them in their ATV’s locker and eased the four-wheeler down the trail on the back of the cliff.

  The sound of the motor faded. Jonah closed the bottle and said, “You should tell me your wish before you forget yourself and say something bossy. Then I could just say, ‘Your wish is my command’ and I’d be finished.”


  “Babies,” said Amber, “Six of them.”

  Jonah stared at her.

  “To be precise, I only want the sperm. I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

  “As a prize?”

  Amber turned to face him. “That’s right. Other than that, no obligations. That’s the way I want it, and why it had to be a prize, so you’d understand. I want an anonymous donor—nothing more.”

  Jonah took off his helmet and scratched his head. “I think we need to talk to Tiana.”

  Chapter 26 (Community)

  Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. — Margaret Mead

  When Jonah heard Amber turn the water off at the garden shower, he shut his laptop. He was past ready to clean off the dirt, sand and sweat from the morning’s race. Under the filtered shade of the patio awning, the air moving down from the mountains and across his body felt refreshing. Drips of water hit his back as Amber flicked it on him as she padded by, dripping wet and naked on her way to the house.

  “Hey Jonah,” she said from the doorway.

  Jonah looked up.

  “Can you do this?” Amber performed a shimmy, scattering water drops onto the tiles and giving Jonah a mesmerizing view of her assets in motion. She looked over her shoulder, batting her eyes.

  Jonah snorted. “You are so competitive… No, can you teach me?” he said.

  “I’d enjoy that.” She winked and stepped into the house.

  “Great, I might enjoy a second career in burlesque.”

  Her laughter tinkled behind her, filtering through the screen door.

  Jonah grabbed his towel and walked down the path to the shower.

  They called the bathhouse ‘the garden shower’ because the runoff went into a tank then irrigated the terraced vegetable and herb garden down the hill. The bathroom inside was also plumbed for conserving gray water, but everyone tried to use the two showers in the bathhouse as much as possible to make life easier. Camouflage mesh allowed enough sunlight through to kill mold and bacteria and kept it hidden from spying satellites. In fact, the entire living compound was invisible from above. The house, the patio, the showers, the garden and sheds were all either earth-bermed or covered by camo nets. Even the solar panels blended in with their matte, digital-camo glazing.

  Jonah worked the hand pump of the well for a few minutes to keep the water tank supplied then threw his shirt and shorts in the sink to soak.

  Under the showerhead, he let the sun-warmed water run over him for a few moments then shut off the flow. He worked the tea tree oil Dr. Bronner’s soap into a lather that cut through dirt and grime—but didn’t hurt the garden plants—before rinsing off.

  Finished, he wrapped his sarong around his waist, but didn’t bother drying off; in this weather he’d be dry before he reached the house. Jonah wrung the water from his workout clothes, hung them on the clothesline with Amber’s then walked back to the house, leaving his sandals by the door.

  Amber and Tiana were already seated at the kitchen table, Amber in fresh shorts and a halter-top. Tiana, as usual when at home with just the family, wore nothing. Jonah poured a glass of ice tea from the pitcher on the table and sat.

  Amber leaned forward, looking at Tiana. “Okay, I’ll start. Jonah seems to think you have a stake in his sperm. I’m just puzzled why we needed to consult with you after I won it as a prize. I thought I’d be taking him off the hook, with just enough of it for six children.”

  Jonah put his tea down. “Before we get to that, I have a question for you.”

  Amber turned her eyes from Tiana to him.

  “You said you didn’t want to outlive your children. Have you considered that by having children of your own with a long lifespan you’ll be putting them in the same position?” He leaned back. “I’ve been thinking about this since I found out you were connected to Tiana’s past. Maybe what’s needed isn’t just a family but a community.”

  “I’m listening,” Amber said, crossing her arms.

  Jonah nodded acknowledgement. “Thank you. Perhaps if the Earth had a small community with the lifespan and the talents to focus on long-term goals, it might have a better chance at survival. Then your children could have a future with their children too.”

  “You’re talking about a larger gene pool,” Amber said.

  Jonah nodded.

  Tiana stroked Amber’s arm with her tail. “I’ve given this some thought too. Jonah and I have discussed it. The community idea was Jonah’s, but I’ll help with making it happen.”

  “I like the idea, but need more information,” Amber said. “I assume I’m the only human female with a genetic long-lived heritage on earth. Jonah is in his late fifties, but he looks like he’s in his early twenties, so I know he’s a candidate. I suspect Max and Major are also fossils, they’ve slipped occasionally mentioning a personal experience with things only someone as old as me or older would remember. Are there others?”

  “One other male, that’s it.”

  Amber shook her head. “Unless you’ve done something fancy to our genes, that’s not enough to offer a viable gene pool.”

  “No,” Jonah agreed, “but it’s a place to start.”

  “If that’s what you want,” Tiana added.

  Amber nodded. “It is.”

  “Wait,” Jonah said. “Before you commit to this, consider the public backlash if this gets out. Everyone will demand a longer life. They’ll imagine it’s their right”

  Tiana shook her head. “The thing is, there’s no way anyone can prove a human cure for old age. I’m the treatment. We can conceal your true ages and maintain secrecy. If we’re careful and stay small, it’s not likely to cause a stir.”

  “Okay. As long as we’re considering the risk,” Jonah said.

  “Amber,” Tiana said, turning back. “When I first tasted your blood, I parsed your genetic code. The extra-long lifespan gene that developed through your parents is not something I could have engineered on my own. I can splice it into Jonah’s gene sequence so the children that come through the two of you won’t need altering. I can also splice it into your children’s genes from the other donors, which would give everyone in the new community an even playing field.”

  “Sure fine,” Amber said, making a moving on breaststroke motion. “I came to this meeting wondering if I’d have to fight for this, but now…. Anyway, until now, my idea was to collect enough sperm to ensure six kids then use in vitro fertilization and carry triplets two times. That would already be damned expensive even with my XYMBI health insurance."

  Amber nodded towards Jonah. "Obviously, your idea would go way past that in money and time, not that I didn’t inherit plenty from my parent’s and my grandfather. My grandfathers on both sides got rich when they were involved in that seafaring business of yours, Tiana. They built their own empires from it, but I can’t do this all on my own. It's not just the funds… as the only female in the gene pool, it goes past any reasonable amount of time for me to put up with being pregnant.”

  “The funds aren’t the issue here,” Tiana said. “I’m not willing to trust any of the available outside medical communities with this. Humanity has made advances in medicine, but their techniques are still crude. I also have problems with the way most are handling the business side of fertility. Most importantly, we can’t have any of the gene sequences in the public records.”

  Tiana took a swallow of her tea. “I’ll handle the in vitro procedures, Jerry can help, and XYMBI has medical facilities. We can hire women surrogates to carry the children, but raising them will be the biggest challenge. How many would you want to raise on your own?”

  “Ha! None,” said Amber. “I’d supervise a team of au pairs. If anyone else I trusted lived with me, it would be a plus, but even then, six at a time would be my limit.”

  Tiana nodded. “We might also consider allowing adoption by people close to us who already know about me. The Sacketts have some
resources for that, temporarily, but I hope to add them to the community and expand the gene pool. I’ll have to talk with them. Jerry and his wife Wendy want to adopt, so that’s another.”

  Amber took a deep breath as though preparing to jump into deep water. “Okay. When do we start?”

  “Getting a group of your eggs matured will take ten days. I can start that process whenever you’re ready,” Tiana said.

  “I’ve been ready.”

  Tiana nodded, stood and stepped over Amber’s leg to sit straddling her lap.

  “Hicky time again?” said Amber.

  Tiana nodded, lip quirking.

  Amber turned her head, exposing the pulse on her milk chocolate skin beneath the jaw.

  Tiana cradled her head with one hand and put her lips to Amber’s neck. Amber wrapped her arms around Tiana’s waist. “Thank you,” Amber whispered.

  Jonah shook his head in wonder.

  Never say never, right?

  It looked like he’d be part of that ‘fruitful and multiply’ thing again after all. Jonah scratched his head. There was room for another house on the rise north of the ranch....

  As he sat and watched Tiana and Amber, something began to bother him. At first, he thought it might be jealousy, but that idea drifted away. He slipped into meditation to track it down.

  When he opened his eyes, Tiana and Amber, finished with the hormone stimulant process were watching him. “The boys won’t smell like me will they?” he said.

  Tiana’s face remained unchanged, but he suspected the question had occurred to her already. “We’ll stick with girls for this time anyway,” she said.

  “Probably a good idea,” Jonah said.

  ~~~{Jonah}~~~

  The cool air of the October desert night drifted through the bedroom window along with the distant chorus of coyotes singing to each other. Jonah breathed deep, savoring the nearby blossoming mesquite. The singing woke him, but he wasn’t feeling tired or sleepy, so he didn’t mind.

  Tiana’s warm breath caressed his shoulder, her sleep undisturbed.