“I know what’s happening with the half-morphs, lass, and I’m truly sorry. I know ye must remember a time when I thought they were the enemy, but the rest of the Council no longer feels that way.” Rory was placating me now, and that made me feel even more frightened. He was rarely kind, and so his reason for calling me was likely dire. I moved farther into the kitchen so Lulu wouldn’t overhear, but I could see her little head over the edge of the couch, and she was attentive.
“I don’t know if ye remember Zeke, from the rebel camp five years ago …” Rory was asking me if I recalled the guy who had been out in the little clearing, preparing to launch a nuclear warhead at the Travelers’ spacecraft.
“How could I forget? Everyone thought that because I was a clone I’d be some kind of traitor. But I just think they were scared and trying to protect their loved ones. Why do you ask?” I didn’t want to know, and remembering my time out in that camp in the forests was not my favorite pastime.
“He’s at a Facility on Continent Two, back to astrophysics. He’s been there since our rebellion, working with his daughter Zandra.” I remembered her, too. She had been barely twenty years old when I’d met her. Rory continued, “They’ve kept their eyes on the skies. Knowing the Travelers could come back at any moment. With the recent fighting on Four, well, he’s been looking even more closely. And, Dr. Brice, I hate to break it to ye, but he thinks he’s seen a large number of spacecraft approaching our solar system. It’s too soon to tell, but he’s quite sure they’re Traveler craft.”
I couldn’t say I was surprised at this announcement, but the wave of fear that seeped through limbs and into my fingertips almost caused me to drop the communicator. I didn’t respond to Rory, but instead watched his face closely. He looked angry, but not afraid. That was reassuring.
“They’ve slowed down, so they won’t reach our planet for a time. That gives us a chance to organize people around the world, and here in Origin. I have sworn the Council to keep this quiet for a couple of days, until we can be sure they’re coming here. But I’m ordering some people out to the clearing again, only this time, it will be a much larger operation. Because, Dr. Brice, if we’re going to fight them off this time, for real, we’ll need far more people and firepower. The new weapons tech the Facility has been working on would give us a real chance.” He stopped at this bit of information, as if envisioning a war in his mind’s eye. He’d always chomped at the bit to get into a skirmish with the Travelers. He came from a village where the natural borns there had been swearing to fight the alien presence for centuries. But as usual, I was terrified at the notion of war with them. They were far more advanced than we were as a civilization. Who was to say they just wouldn’t aim a laser beam at the planet and annihilate it in one fell swoop?
“For all we know, they could eradicate us with a simple thought,” I said, my first words since hearing his bad news. “We don’t know much about them, we never did. The Director spoke for them, and she made it clear to me they wouldn’t be forgiving of humanity engaging in things like war again.”
“Well, that’s a big reason as te why I’m callin’ ye. Ye were there, on the craft. Ye spoke to that horrid woman, and what ye said likely saved our lives. So I need ye out in the camps. People will listen to ye, they’ll respect yer personal experience. Ye’d be a kind of mascot to keep morale up. If there’s a fight, that is …”
“Rory, my husband is in a cage in the Facility …” I faltered as a thought entered my mind. The half-morphs, the Travelers’ presence … maybe … I continued, realization dawning, “Rory, I’m starting to think the clones began morphing again because they somehow sensed the approach of the Travelers, maybe something got set off inside them when they got close. And did they ever go very far?” I was beginning to get angry, too, because my little family was in direct danger now. We all were.
“Zeke says that with their technology, they’d be able to zip right back to our part of the galaxy with no real effort, and he thinks they’ve been watching us, like the Director promised ye they would. But will ye come? To the camp?”
I shook my head, but not in negation. In disbelief. I had a five-year-old daughter and a half-morph husband, how could I be of any use to Rory’s cause?
“I’m not putting my daughter in direct danger, Rory, and she’s not leaving my side. And I can’t leave Jack in that cage; I had a hard enough time leaving him today. Also, most Originals don’t trust me, or Jack, or even my kid. What makes you think I’d somehow help if I showed up at the camp? What on Earth could you be planning to fight the Travelers with? And why would you want to?” I was breathing heavily now, the images of that sterile white room on board the spacecraft alive in my mind.
“We’ve got handheld gravitational disruptors that we can arm all the Originals with. And elsewhere around the world, people will be armed. The Facility has been planning for this exact thing to happen at some point, so we’re not bein’ caught with our pants down. Not entirely.”
“That still doesn’t answer the issue of my family, Rory.” I was impatient now, and dropped all formality.
“From what the Facility tells me, the half-morphs are not a danger to natural borns. And they are strong, and they are built to withstand some serious damage. I’ve spoken to yer friend and acclimation specialist, Eva. She told me in confidence that you can communicate with these half-morphs. Now, before ye get angry with her, it’s all to our benefit.” I felt a flash of anger and betrayal that Eva would sell me out so easily, but the situation did call for it. I quelled my exasperation as Rory continued, “We won’t be talkin’ about yer ability. Trust me on this. But, if ye can communicate to them all that they can help us, we can bring them all out to the camp and perhaps … use them. As a weapon.”
I began pacing the wooden floor of the living room, trying to keep my anger and fear from reaching Lulu. She had gotten up from the couch and was slowly approaching me, and I reached for her. She ran to my side and huddled there.
“Rory, you’re asking too much of me. You want me to go to the Facility and see if all the half-morphs there will fight for us? Things might not even come to a fight. Surely there are other clones around the world who have been morphing, too. I know they became Eaters last time, it wasn’t just here in Origin. Go find them, and bring them here. But don’t ask me to put my husband in the direct line of fire.”
“Think about it. Ye’d be helping yer people. And they are yer people now, Dr. Brice. I know it must be hard to be a clone and not feel like ye belong here, or anywhere for that matter. But we need ye. Get back to me as soon as ye’ve decided. And should you choose to help, I’ll be telling all Originals where to go in the camps. In two days’ time, I’m going live on camera and telling them what’s likely coming, and there will be a mass exodus to our camps. It won’t be like last time. This time, I think everyone will want to fight.”
With that, he logged off, and left me in silence. Lulu sensed I didn’t want to talk just yet. I rested my hand on top of her head and we stood in the living room for several moments, listening to the tinkling of water from the fountain. I somehow found my feet and urged Lulu back over to the couch. I sank down into it, never letting my hand leave Lulu’s body. She was a solid reminder that I needed to remain present in this world, with all its new troubles.
“Mommy?” She seemed very uncertain.
“It’s going to be ok.” I replied mechanically, on autopilot now. She rested her head against my shoulder, and we were quiet again. Then I began to think. I needed to take her to see Jack, that much I knew. I’d communicate with him while I was there. He needed to know what was going on. But the request from Rory was unacceptable. I was not going to urge my husband to fight on behalf of all Originals in some world war that might not even occur.
“What’s going on? You can tell me, I’m not a baby.” Lulu was right, she wasn’t ever a baby, even when she had been an infant. I felt I could tell her a little bit about what was going on, and what might happen, and know I
wouldn’t be terrifying to her. Another little girl wouldn’t be able to handle it, but I knew Lulu could. But first I needed to take her to see her father, and once there, I’d gauge his ability to cope with the new threat that was slowly coming closer to our planet.
“Let’s go see daddy,” I said, and Lulu cheered. I allowed myself a smile at her innocent exuberance.
We boarded a train about an hour later, after I’d wandered around the condo in a daze for a while until Lulu became impatient. On the train she pointed at interesting things out the window on our short trip to the Facility, and the passengers smiled at her inquisitiveness. They didn’t seem concerned with anything yet, and I wondered what the mood would be once Rory broke the news to all of Origin that the Travelers were returning and that the clones were half-morphing. It didn’t look good for any of us. We arrived at the Facility, and Lulu was entranced by the researchers hurrying in and out of the sprawling building. She’d been here before, but when she was younger. She wanted to emulate the scientists here, so the trip was a welcome distraction for her. I had to hope that seeing her father in his deformed state wouldn’t upset her.
Eva met us at the same hallway I’d been in earlier that day, although I hadn’t called her to tell her we were coming in. Rory must have done that, and I felt a stab of annoyance that she had so willingly given up my secret. She must have seen the frustration on my face, and interpreted it correctly, because she avoided my eyes while we walked down the hallway.
“Now, Lulu, I’m sure your mom has told you that the people in there don’t look like they usually do, but I need you to be brave, ok?” Eva was cajoling my daughter, and I allowed it. Lulu could always handle adults in her own fashion, and it was essentially what I’d said. Lulu nodded, her big eyes taking in all the sights of the Facility. The white walls, the skylights, bustling researchers, marble floors. It was elegant and intimidating and enthralling all at once.
“I take it you and Rory had quite the conversation,” I began, keeping Lulu from entering the warehouse for a moment. Eva looked guilty, but I began to feel bad for placing all the blame on her.
“When we go in there, and I communicate with my husband, I need to know that you’re not going to run and tell Rory what we discuss. I’ll tell you any and all relevant information, and then you can discuss it with Rory. But please wait for my time with my family to be over, ok?” My words were frosty, but my tone was softer. Eva was a good friend, and I had a feeling I’d be needing as many of those as possible in the days ahead. She nodded in agreement, and the doors whispered open to reveal the enormous holding room, all the cages still full of prone half-morphs. I watched Lulu closely, and her eyes had grown bigger, but she wasn’t afraid. She was fascinated. I felt puffed up with pride. My little scientist-in-the-making.
“Here, Lulu, take my hand, and we’ll go find your daddy.” She grasped my hand, but her head was swiveling back and forth to take in the sights. It was still frigid in here, and I was glad I’d made Lulu change into a warmer tunic set before we’d left the condo. Eva had quietly left our side, so that we could have privacy. We walked slowly over to the cage, which had acquired a number in the time I’d left it. Number 72. They weren’t calling him by his name, and that made me feel angry and sad. He wasn’t some science experiment gone wrong, he was the love of my lives. I kept my feelings to myself and urged Lulu to approach the bars. Jack was curled up on the floor, in almost the same spot he’d been when I’d left him. As if sensing our approach, he roused from his sedation, and I felt a jolt as his mind connected with mine. His eyes were dull but aware, and I sensed some of his pain had subsided. In its place was a type of power and strength no living thing on the planet had ever possessed, save maybe certain species of dinosaur. But even they wouldn’t have been capable of this level of awareness. I sucked in my breath at the sensation of power that I was able to share with Jack, and watched closely to see if Lulu would experience the same connection. A tear had tracked down her face at the sight of her father, and her little hand coiled around a bar of his cage. She was on her haunches, staring in at him, when I saw her doll-like visage light up in a smile.
“I can hear him, Mommy! Daddy has thoughts like the animals in the forest!” I felt a surging gratefulness for this, that she could communicate with her father in the midst of this cold, clinical setting.
“Tell him everything you want, he’ll be able to understand it all.” I urged. Although I couldn’t hear their conversation, as I operated on a different frequency somehow, I could tell by their expressions it was a joyous reunion. I looked over at the cage that held Alyssa, and saw her eyes were glued to the drama playing out, and I felt a sharp stab of jealousy. Tearing my eyes from the copper-haired half-morph, I settled down to meet Jack at eye level, too. I needed to start telling him what Rory had told me, and I sensed he would be able to cope with it now. The Facility had found a way to ease some of his pain, and his mind was clear.
“Lulu, your daddy and I need to talk now. So he needs to concentrate on me, for a little while. Ok?” She nodded reluctantly, trying to reach her diminutive fingers in through the bars to touch the fearsome figure of her father.
I locked eyes with him, and felt his love for me in that gaze. I let it wash over me for a moment, before I began to communicate my conversation with Rory. I didn’t sense any fear at the mention of the Travelers, instead a rising anger that seemed to consume his whole being. His distorted maw opened slightly as he began to pant, his claws clenching at the hard floor beneath him. I didn’t know how to calm him down, and looked around for a researcher to increase his dose of sedation through the machine monitoring him, but he stopped me.
“I don’t need sedation. I just can’t control my emotions like I could in human form. Being a half-morph means I just feel things more intensely. Don’t be afraid.” I slowly nodded at his thoughts, my eyes shifting to watch Lulu. She was looking around at all the other half-morphs, who were sitting up now to watch our exchange. Jack turned his head around to look at them, too, and they seemed to be in agreement over something.
“We can’t read each other’s minds, like you can.” Jack offered in explanation, “We can read body language in a way that may as well be telepathy. And they know what we’re talking about. They know the Travelers are coming back, and they know what Rory said to you.” I looked back at Alyssa, who was intently focused on Jack. The other half-morphs began to look unsettled and ferocious, teeth glinting and claws clicking. The sight was awe-inspiring. There was a regal bearing to their ferocity that seemed otherworldly, and I supposed it was.
“Kid, I speak for all the other half-morphs. And what we’re saying is, we’ll fight. Take us to the camps, and we’ll fight alongside all the Originals who want to defend their homes, and this planet. We’re your allies, and you and Lulu are my family. I’m not letting any damned aliens take that away.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I took Lulu home, in a daze. But she was thrilled to have seen her father, and to her, his disfigured body was something cool and unique that she could tell Caitlin about. I didn’t discourage her excitement; instead I tried to keep her occupied back at our condo. I cued up some games for her to play on my computer, admonishing her to use only the voice commands. I felt even more trepidation at the mind control features of our household appliances, knowing the Travelers were on their way back to Earth. It was their technology that Originals used, and now I trusted it even less. While Lulu sat on the carpet in front of the muted projection screen, I paced back and forth in front of the windows. I ordered them open, looked out at the city, which seemed serene for now, and then ordered the windows closed again. I did this several times before Lulu told me to stop. Waiting for Rory’s announcement to go out across all of Origin was putting me on tenterhooks. He wanted Jack and the half-morphs to fight, and they did as well. But what of Originals? Would they be as willing to put their lives at risk? They were largely untested as a people, never knowing war. The horror of the Eaters had been
short-lived. I doubted their fortitude. The tones of my communicator going off interrupted my thoughts, and Lulu looked up from her game. Elizabeth’s face appeared on the screen, and it was pale and serious.
“I’m just checking to see how your visit with Jack went. How is Lulu?” she asked, looking over my shoulder for my daughter. They had a special bond, and I could understand her concern.
“She handled it amazingly well, and I’m not surprised. We’re here in the condo waiting for Rory to make his announcement, but it will be a while. He said not till tomorrow, and then I expect all hell will break loose across the city.” I bit my lip after this, hoping my voice wasn’t creeping up toward hysteria, mindful of Lulu’s presence.
“I went out into the forest to check on Charlie and her community. Everything seems fine there. It was quiet, peaceful. They have no idea what’s coming, and I envy them their ignorance.” Elizabeth was sitting in one of her Spartan rooms, devoid of any warmth or decoration. I wasn’t surprised she’d gone out to the station though, knowing she took the well-being of our animal charges as seriously as I did.
“When this is over, we will be back there, Elizabeth. All of us. I have no doubts about that,” I said, but knew she could see the lie all over my face. I didn’t know any such thing.
“I gotta go. But call us if you and Lulu are going out to the camps. I noticed some construction going on nearby on my way into the station. I don’t know how they can keep any of this secret for much longer. I guess that’s why Rory is going on the air soon. But we’ll be there with you guys. And Jack,” She added, as if to assure me she hadn’t forgotten about my afflicted husband.
“Yeah, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing you out there. Keep your chin up, it’s going to be ok,” I finished. The look in Elizabeth’s eyes was that of a doomed woman, and I wagered I had the same look. We said our good-byes, and I turned my attention back to Lulu, who had been watching closely. She said nothing though, and I didn’t offer any explanation. I went to our food containment center and ordered the door to open so I could inspect what we had to eat. If I was keeping Lulu cooped up with me, I needed to keep both of us well fed. I saw some items I needed, and glanced at my daughter’s dark head bent over her computer game. She was quietly using voice commands, as per my instructions, and I thought about taking her with me to the store. I thought twice about that. Riding the train and being exposed to scrutiny wasn’t something I wanted to subject her to right now. Once the Originals started hearing more and more about the half-morphs, and my face being relatively recognizable in the city, we might encounter some hostility. I decided to leave her safely ensconced in our condo, with the windows closed. I didn’t think I was being paranoid.
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