Altered Humans

by Darrell Bain

  “What do they want to do with us?"

  “Send you to the wall like all revolutionaries. Seriously, there's a bounty on your heads, dead or alive. And of course there are a few altered humans who are wanted too. Not just to kick out of the cities but to be shot on sight."

  Gary put an arm around Maria in an unconscious gesture of protection.

  “Maria?” Gary asked, fearing the answer.

  “Yeah, they got her picture from somewhere.” Jake poured another shot and sat down across from them beside Lea.

  “I guess we better leave then. No use you getting into trouble for harboring us."

  Jake waved his hand at them. “Forget it. Besides, I'll have to leave here before long myself. I won't be able to afford the rent."

  “Why not?"

  He grinned lop-sidedly, causing the wrinkles on one side of his tanned face to form little lines and furrows. “Because in less than two weeks I'm going to be out of a job just like the rest of you. They're going to close the Dallas Spaceport and when that happens, I'm gone. My usual gig was hauling special passengers and freight from the space port here to the east and west coasts. Those Philadelphia bigwigs were an exception. Besides, I can't see much point in even going back for the last few flights. They've stopped paying a lot of federal employees, and those working for the spaceport here are among them."

  “What will you do?"

  “I guess I can get a job working on the barricades, and after that in a factory somewhere. There's too many floater pilots already standing in line for jobs."

  “Maybe we could find a truck,” Lea suggested.

  Jake rubbed his chin. “Hmm. You know, that's something to think about, but right now, I have two questions: who's hungry and who can cook? I'm tired of those concentrates."

  They all were hungry but it turned out that only Lea had much experience with real cooking.

  “I knew there was some good reason for all this. Let's see what I have handy here that won't bite back."

  Jake rummaged through his pantry shelves and found enough packages of irradiated food to keep Lea busy. While she busied herself in the kitchen alcove, he turned the holovision set back on.

  This time, Gary and Maria watched the slightly updated news all the way through. Toward the end of the program, he had to hold Maria as she trembled violently when it showed a young woman altered in much the same fashion as herself being chased down and raped and killed by a mob, along with her companion, a cat that she tried desperately to protect before being overwhelmed. There were no city police in evidence, though the camera panned to a gray government van that was parked with its occupants simply watching and making no effort to intervene. Gary knew that this was done purposely in order to impart an effective legality to the mob's actions.

  “Turn the damned thing off!” Lea shouted from the kitchen.

  Jake complied. “Sorry kids. It looks like the programs are starting early. The pendulum has swung against anyone who is different now, and we're on the wrong side of the fence. I wish I could help somehow.” He was beginning to get an idea of how this might be possible, but didn't want to say anything yet.

  “You've done enough for us already,” Gary said.

  “Yeah? Let me tell you something. My first girl friend was altered. She caught so much flack about it from so-called normal humans that she wound up killing herself. I've hated the anti-genetic crowd ever since. I'll tell you something else too. You can bet that the very people who are responsible for these new programs were either born with long life and disease resistant genes or had them inserted after they were grown. They're as altered as Maria or Lea are, just in different ways. Acceptable ways, so to speak. Damn, I hate bigots and hypocrites worse than inept aircraft mechanics. I could almost wish I had tried for shuttle training instead of becoming a bus driver."

  “Why didn't you?” Maria asked curiously. Opportunities to do different things were still something she could only imagine.

  “Too confining. I like the wide open spaces.” He glanced at his thumbnail watch. “By the way, wake Booger up. There's someone that will be arriving in a few minutes he needs to meet."

  As if on cue, a sound very much like a bark came from the door leading to the converter room and garage. Booger Bear came awake instantly and jumped from Maria's lap. He landed on the carpet and stood crouched and alert.

  “Easy, Booger,” Gary said, suspecting what was coming.

  An almost full grown, obviously enhanced dog with German Shepherd in its ancestry padded into the room and directly over to Jake, ignoring everyone else, including the cat.

  Jake ruffled the dog's fur and accepted a face lick. He turned the dog around to face the others. “Folks, this is Pluto. My neighbor watches him while I'm gone.” He annunciated the humans’ names and the cat's slowly and clearly, pointing to each one as he did. “Pluto, say hello."

  “Hello humans. Hello cat,” the dog said. It kept its mouth open after speaking with tongue lolling as if it were grinning at the reaction of the humans, and especially that of Booger Bear. His experiences with the canine species to date hadn't been very happy ones and he was wary.

  The humans spoke to the dog. Booger Bear very cautiously crept forward until he was close. Pluto reached with his tongue and licked the cat's nose, surprising him. He jumped back to a round of laughter. He looked around to Gary for advice. “Good dog?"

  “Yep, he's a good dog, Booger. Be nice."

  “Okay,” his pet said, dubious but willing. His human had never steered him wrong yet.

  The dog and cat soon went over to a corner of the den and began the process of getting acquainted.

  Jake gave his attention to the others once he saw that the pets would get along all right. “Now you know another reason why I'm so upset. What you saw on the holo could happen to me and Pluto just as well.” He sniffed the air. “Lea, honey, is that steak I smell? If it is, me and Pluto will probably want to keep you."

  * * * *

  Lea hadn't stinted on the steak and both the pets got some too. Afterward, there was real coffee from fresh ground beans, a luxury most people couldn't afford.

  “There's a pipeline for coffee and other stuff among floater pilots,” Jake told them, “and between the space jockeys and us. We trade things back and forth. The coffee is the one thing I'm really going to miss."

  “It's great,” Gary said, trying to relax and enjoy the moment. It was hard to do without worrying about the future. He and Maria needed new clothes and other sundries and a place to hide out that wouldn't threaten Jake's safety. And transportation to wherever he decided they could find a refuge. And they needed all these things while a price was on their heads, preventing them from going out in public. He hated to ask, but he knew he needed another big favor from Jake.

  “Jake, I wonder if you and Lea would do something for us tomorrow. We need to buy some things but I hate to risk going out in public until I can come up with some way to do it without getting us mobbed like that poor woman we saw on the news."

  “I've already been thinking about it, old buddy. Tell us what you need and what sizes and Lea and I will go shopping tomorrow while you two stay here and make nice to each other and our furry friends. We'll drop the rental car off while we're at it."

  “I've been meaning to ask about the car,” Lea said. “Isn't it going to give us away?"

  “No, I put it in my brother's name."

  “Seems like that wouldn't help much. They can trace us through your brother."

  “I guess they could if I had a brother, but I don't. My car and house are in his name, too."

  Gary began fishing for some more of his dwindling supply of gold to pay for his requests, but Jake saw what he was up to and told him to keep his money.

  “I've got plenty. I've seen this coming for some time and been saving against the day. If we can keep you two out of sight for a while, the hoorah may die down, at least so far as you being on the wanted list is concerned. But I don't even want to think
what's going to happen to all the altered humans in the country, not to mention their pets. There are millions of altered humans by now and most of the changes are fairly apparent, like Maria. Lea could probably stay concealed for a while, but only until it gets so bad they start making people strip."

  “Do you really think it will go that far?"

  “Trust me Gary. Pilots don't have much to do while in flight except read or watch recordings, and I do a lot of reading. It's not only going to be terrible for altered humans, but think of all the refugees we already have. That problem will only get worse as conditions deteriorate and the big cities start barring them from entering. Most of those people will die, except for the ones having a trade or occupation that's desperately needed to keep the cities going. Millions upon millions of people are going to die, just like they did in Russia and China when those countries imploded, and like it's beginning to happen in India and Europe. Within a decade or so the whole world is going to revert to city states, enclaves, so to speak, with air or sea and river transportation the only means of communication and trade. The more I think about it, the more I'm sort of glad I won't have a job. I can start planning for survival for me and Pluto now instead of later. The rest of you are welcome to stay with me while we get organized. And don't worry about being a burden. Anyone who isn't scared to use a gun is going to be welcome in my world. That's going to be the only way to survive outside the city before long—and inside the cities for that matter if you're not among the aristocracy.” He paused and grimaced. “Sorry for the speech but that's the way I see it. Now how about we each have a big brandy with our coffee and then head for bed. And don't worry about the hot water for your showers or the sauna; there's plenty."

  * * *

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Lea snuggled up to Jake, wriggling her hips as the bed carried on a continual gentle massage that adjusted automatically to her contours. She emitted a little sound of pleasurable contentment. “Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but I'm curious. Where do you keep your other women?"

  Jake kissed the top of her head and admired her long golden body. “Too bad you had to remove the color from your hands and face."

  “Yeah, but it attracted too much attention and I'm damn sure not a sun worshiper like my parents. And in case you're wondering where all my men are, I don't have any. As soon as I take my clothes off, most men treat me like some exotic animal or an erotic freak instead of a woman. As soon as I sense that, I move on. In the meantime, you're avoiding my question."

  “I decided I liked dogs better than women until you came along."

  “Sure you did. Hey, if you don't want to talk, ignore me. I can't help being curious though. There's no sign of another woman having been here and I can promise that it isn't because you're not a good lover."

  “Compliments will get you anywhere. It's really pretty simple. After my first love suicided I stayed away from relationships for a long time. I always tortured myself with wondering what I could have done to prevent it. By the time I came out of the funk I started flying, and I've been more or less on the go ever since."

  “That didn't keep you from bringing me home."

  “No. I'll confess, I have girl friends other places, but I've never kept one for long. Not many women will put up with my cynicism for more than a few weeks. And besides, women are looking for someone to stay home and protect them these days. I couldn't do that while I was flying. I did take an option to buy this place just in case though. I picked it for a permanent home if I ever decided to settle down, but I never wanted to bring anyone here in the meantime. You're the first."

  “I'm honored love, but I don't have any illusions about how special I am. Why me?"

  “Sometimes things just work out like this. I'm not sorry. Are you?"

  “No. Not if you'll just lay back and let me show you how much I like your old cynical body.” Lea began kissing her way down the hard muscles of his chest and abdomen, taking her time and gradually working lower and lower.

  Later, Jake poured them another brandy from the bottle he had brought to the bedroom with him. “This stuff is getting hard to find,” he said. “Enjoy it."

  “I am. And you, too."

  “Good. Now about tomorrow. Get the sizes for the kids so we can buy them some clothes and whatever else they need first thing tomorrow. After that I'm going to try to do something else for them."

  “What's that?"

  “I got to thinking. Moon City needs geneticists. I've got some contacts here, so before the spaceport closes, I'm going to try to see if they'll take him."

  “He won't leave without Maria or Booger."

  “I know. That's going to be a real sticking point, but I still want to try. Wild dogs would be cracking my bones for marrow by now if you guys hadn't come along."

  * * * *

  In the other bedroom Maria and Gary had already made love. Now they were relaxing in the sauna with hot water surging waist deep around them. Gary sat on one of the underwater ledges with Maria between his legs and her hands resting on his knees. His hands were covering each of her breasts, moving in a slow, sensual rhythm that had her purring almost like Booger Bear after filling himself with liver.

  “Mmm. That feels so nice. You're a good lover. And a good man. I didn't know anyone like you even existed."

  “I'm sorry you had to go through what you did sweetheart. I can't imagine how you managed to turn out as sweet as you are now.” And it was true, he thought. The longer they were together the more she opened up to him, both in mind and body. Her emotions and attitudes now were like water from a broken dam being released to swirl around and envelop him with all the love and attention that had been inherent in her nature but never given the chance to mature.

  “It's all right now, and I'd do it all over again to be with you and Booger."

  “I'll try to deserve that. Are you ready to get out of the water? I'm getting crinkled."

  “Umm. Ready for that and other things. Honestly, I feel like a cat in heat; I can't get enough of you."

  When Maria was finally satiated and had dropped off to sleep, Gary worried some more. He hoped Jake could come up with an idea for long term survival. He certainly hadn't been able to think of one.

  * * * *

  “Just relax and enjoy yourself kids,” Jake told them the next morning. “But don't answer the door. We'll be back as soon as we can."

  Maria hugged both of them before they left and said a quiet thanks to Jake.

  “It's okay kitten. Be good now. Things will work out for us. Just wait and see."

  After dropping the rental car off, and while on the way to the nearest shopping mall, Jake began to have another idea. It wasn't a real long term solution but it might insure their survival until turmoil in the cities settled down. Of course it would only work so long as the interstate highways stayed open. Even so, he would have to make the deal quickly. He didn't know how long their deception at the airport terminal would hold up. Certainly no longer than it took for the officials in Sacramento to discover that his erstwhile passengers were overdue and begin backtracking. When they couldn't find a record of the three owners of the computers Lea had purloined at any of the medical centers of the city, he expected someone to come looking for him. It would take a while before they traced him to his home, but it was inevitable that they would eventually find him.

  “How would you like to go on the road again?” He asked.

  “Are you serious? I can't afford a new truck. And you know insurers don't handle the little guys like me any more, so I can't make a claim for the one I lost. I'm broke, Jake. Totally."

  “Not to worry. If I work it right I think I can swap my option on the house for a freight hauler. You'd have to teach me how to drive one of the things though. I'm used to going up and down, not longways and sideways."

  Lea laughed merrily and pulled him close. “You got it, love."

  * * * *

  The mall was crowded with shoppers, out to stock up on f
ood and other essential supplies after listening to all the changes in store for the country—as if the transformation had not already been occurring for years. Now though, it was official and the people were scared. Those who chose to think could figure out that there were going to be hard times ahead, and that many people were going to die, including a lot of normals along with the overtly altered.

  While Jake was shopping for the others, he decided to stock up on some items for himself, including ammunition, concentrated rations and clothes and footwear made of long lasting materials. Nor did he stint on the same goods for the others, buying as much for them as he did for himself. The section dealing in weapons he left alone. The crowd there was impossible; he expected it to break into fights at any moment. Besides, he had enough guns at home. It took three trips, with both of them pushing carts to the secure parking area before he was satisfied, and it took a long time to pay for all the goods. Some clerks were missing from their positions and the computers were being overloaded with credit checks and overdrafts. He paid with gold he had taken from his safe before leaving but even that took time. It was well past noon before they got away and his big car rode two inches lower than when they had arrived.

  After stopping at a drive-through for a meal, he headed for the spaceport.

  “Where are we going now?” Lea asked, seeing that they weren't heading back to his house.

  “To the spaceport. I could have called, but this is best done in person and I don't have to risk a busybody FedRat listening in."

  “What's at the spaceport?"

  “Some help for Gary and Maria maybe. I want you to stay with the car while I go in and talk to a man I know."

  “What kind of man?"

  “One who handles immigration to the Moon."

  “Oh."

  They drove past the airport, which appeared to be busier than usual with floaters landing and departing. There was more traffic on the road, as well as refugees walking along the shoulders with rucksacks and bundles on their shoulders. Lea noticed that many of them consisted of several women and children with only one man in the group. She knew that was an increasingly common phenomenon. As parts of the countryside were deserted, many men died while trying to protect their families, either from feral enhanced animals or from other humans scavenging on their misery. It left an imbalance in the normal male/female ratio. That was going to happen even inside the cities she thought, and wondered how that would influence future society, given that there was already an imbalance because of more parents selecting boys rather than girls.