Return

by Corrie Brundage

  Turning abruptly, he left the platform and began making his way through the light crowd that had gathered at the base of the platform. I stood up, squared my shoulders, and prepared myself for my talk with Rory.

  “Come on, Lulu, come with me.” My voice was stern, and she obeyed.

  “I’ll be back at our house soon. I’ve got to talk to Rory,” I explained to my group, and their wide eyes revealed their surprise that I had such access to a powerful Council member. Not explaining it any further, Lulu and I made our way toward Rory and his retinue, and when he saw us, he ordered the Officers to back off. They reacted with an almost military speed, snapping to attention.

  “Mina, just who I was lookin’ for. I’ll be takin ye and yer wee bairn to the separate half-morph camps. We can talk on the way. There’s quite a lot ye need to know.” He began to walk away at a brisk clip, and I lengthened my stride to keep up. Lulu struggled to match the adults’ pace. I felt the dread in my belly grow once again, knowing what Rory would be telling me wouldn’t be welcome news.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Alyssa

  The nerds at the Facility were jostling our cages onto a train like we were some kind of inanimate cargo. I growled a little at each researcher that came close to my iron hovel. The fury was alive and kicking inside me, but I knew enough to keep it under control. They’d hit me with more sedation if they thought I was a threat, and Jack had made it clear to all us half-morphs we would be allies to Originals. They wanted us to fight alongside them once the Travelers arrived, and Jack was raring to go. Most of the fury I felt was directed at the aliens, too. They’d done something to our DNA, the fiber of our beings, to make us into these monsters. And while the power surging through my body was intoxicating, I knew I wouldn’t want to be in this form for the rest of my life. Those damn Travelers had gone and screwed around with my body, and it felt like, well, misogyny. I’d always battled sexism in my first life, and for some reason I saw this as an attack on my personhood as a woman in this new body. I knew that wasn’t the case; male clones were now half-morphs too. But still, the rage I felt didn’t need a logical explanation. I just wanted my life back, even though that life had been difficult, to say the least. Compared to this cage, the Eros District was looking pretty good.

  The nerds had gotten ahold of some machinery that was lifting our cages and packing them onto another machine that resembled stuff I’d seen on construction sites in my original life. Every time I’d walk past construction workers at their sites they’d whistle after me and make comments about my legs. That made me even angrier, remembering that bullshit, and I growled again, the low rumble resonating against the steel bars of my cage. One of the researchers was standing nearby and hustled over to check my monitor. And here came the sedation, but not before I saw Jack align the tendons of his body in such a way that clearly conveyed the message I needed to better control myself. I didn’t mind that he’d sort of assumed the position of the leader of the half-morphs, because I trusted him more than anyone else on this planet. My admiration for him was still present even in this misshapen body. I cringed at the thought that he was seeing me looking like a monster. I shifted my gaze away from him and down at the floor of my cage as the sleepiness overcame me, and didn’t really notice when we were loaded on the train. There was a docking platform just outside the Facility, so we didn’t have to be paraded through the city. I sensed the population of Origin had diminished greatly and recalled a researcher commenting on how people had begun a mass exodus out to the camps in the forest. They must be assembling Originals out there, like some kind of army, I mused.

  The redhead, Eva, had been heatedly discussing what was going on in our half-morph bodies on a cellular level when another nerd had informed her the movement had begun. It all sounded overly dramatic. But if those aliens were on their way back, and we half-morphs would be fighting them, I guessed it would be a pretty dramatic scene. My own safety wasn’t an issue. I’d died once, and if I was about to again, well it wasn’t that big of a deal. At some point on the train I became more aware of my surroundings, but I couldn’t see out the windows. We were speeding along at the same rate the trains always moved at, but I could smell the changes in the air that signaled we were approaching the edges of the forest. I briefly wondered how they’d transport us out there and what kind of camp they had installed for us freaks. They’d be wanting to keep us away from all the normal people, that much was obvious.

  We were stacked on top of one another like crates, and the other half-morphs were giving off the scent of fear. They knew what we were going toward, and although they were just as powerful as I was, they were scared for their lives. Some of them had families and jobs they liked. I supposed not having anything to lose was a benefit when facing the potential for war and felt self-satisfied. I located Jack among the cages in the dim light, which was still too bright for my preternatural eyes, and he was calmly staring ahead, his body language making it clear he was in charge and not afraid. He was thinking of his family, no doubt. He had a good reason to fight. A stab of jealousy hit my chest, and a low grumble issued forth from my mouth. I was hungry, too, and whatever they were feeding us intravenously wasn’t sufficing. I longed to rip into flesh, preferably alien flesh. I was curious as to what it would taste like.

  The train began to slow, and I smelled the dank earth of a forest that had recently been dug up and changed in some fundamental way. I rose to all fours, preparing myself for any threat that would show itself once the train doors opened. But all that greeted us were more nerds and their muscle in the form of Obedience Officers. Those idiots would do anything they were ordered to do, so I dismissed them. I never had much patience for people who couldn’t think for themselves.

  The jostling of the cages being unloaded by more weird machinery was a distraction from the heat of my hunger and rage, and I watched Jack closely for cues. He was telling all of us to remain calm and that we would be in a camp all our own soon enough.

  “Wait for instructions,” was his main message, in the tilt of his elongated head and the set of his powerful shoulders. I nodded in his direction, and he saw the movement. His eyes were surrounded by bony protuberances, but they were still that enchanting brown that could melt even his worst enemy’s heart. Once our cages were loaded onto the flat beds of a fleet of shiny, smooth-edged trucks, we moved along a path that had been razed mere days ago. A few bird calls reminded me this was the jungle, and the longing to race through it, hunting, overcame my limbs and my legs began to twitch of their own accord. I whimpered my desire to be free and running through the greenery, but the cage’s bars ensured that never happened. The jostling of the trucks caused some of the other half-morphs to lay low in their cages, but I kept my snout pressed to the bars so I could see all I could. I’d been locked up in that damn sterile warehouse for too long, and the scents were incredibly enticing. The trees began to thin more and more, and I could smell humans off in the distance, but far enough away that we wouldn’t be any threat. We reached the main clearing, and it was just empty, open space. Not even a coating of grass remained; it was just dirt and mud. There were canopies erected around the perimeter, and we’d be hauled under their protection from the rain. I snorted. This was no four-star hotel, that was for sure. I longed for my apartment, my soft bed, and fragrant candles.

  More jostling as we were unloaded, and some time passed as we were situated under the tents. I kept my eyes on Jack the whole time, his message never changing. “Stay calm, don’t give them reason to sedate you. Wait for instruction.” He was good as a leader, but I wasn’t surprised. He was good at anything he did. I was placed next to a half-morph who was cowering at the back of his cage, so I ignored him and gazed out at the clearing. My prison didn’t allow me to look up at the sky, but I longed to see it. I wanted to see the alien threat arrive, and the thought made my blood boil. Literally. My monitor beeped, showing a rise in my body temperature. A nerd showed up; they’d been ubiquitous throughout the train r
ide, and she looked into my cage with some concern. Out here, things wouldn’t be refrigerated, so we stood a risk of getting too overheated and too sick to be of any use, but perhaps our engineered bodies would acclimate soon. Eva had mentioned this concern to a fellow nerd, and I’d overheard. In the meantime I needed to calm down so I wouldn’t burn up. Jack noted my distress, and I saw him rearrange his body in a comforting manner. It was soothing, this connection to other half-morphs. Being aware of it wasn’t something I’d experienced as an Eater, and for the first time in my life I felt connected to other people. Well, we weren’t people just now, but still. The connection was welcome. The nerd adjusted my monitor, and a fluid in my IV began to inject a sort of cooling serum. At least, it felt like a fluid that was causing me to get colder. I slumped in relief, giving up on looking around any more. There was nothing I could do for now, and I might as well sleep.

  Time passed, but I wasn’t aware of how much. Then the scent of familiar humans reached my nose, and I jerked my head up to see Jack on all fours, at attention. It was his family, and one other human I thought I recognized, approaching. They were still about half a mile away, but Jack was quivering in anticipation. My heart broke a little more at his unbridled joy. Soon he’d be seeing the people he loved most, and what did I have? Shaking my head to clear it of these thoughts, I got close to the bars and waited. They’d have information, that much I knew, and I wanted to hear everything they’d be discussing. It would be plans for our future. The nerds at the Facility might never figure out how to reverse the genetic mutation that had caused us to half-morph, but other humans would have a clear purpose for us. My enlarged heart began to speed up as they got closer, and Jack was whining a little in the back of his throat. His agitation was clear. The other half-morphs began to perk up too, watching our de facto leader get excited. And there, entering the clearing on foot, was Jack’s wife and child, and the Origin Council leader. Rory something. Their heads were close together, intent in their conversation, but Jack’s wife looked distracted, as if she wasn’t listening any more. The little girl was just as aware of what they were saying as the Obedience Officers who followed closely, acting as bodyguards. Then she seemed to be linking her mind up to some of the other half-morphs, because they were communicating their conversation to the rest of us. Once she saw her father in the cage, she broke away from her mother and ran toward him. Her mother called after her, but didn’t seem overly concerned. And then her big, gray eyes met Jack’s, and the love there seemed to engulf the whole world. But the fear was strong, and I knew what she would tell us wouldn’t be pleasant. Goddamn it, I thought.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Mina

  “Rory, you’re going to have to explain yourself again,” I said, thoroughly irritated and terrified, wildly vacillating between the emotions. Lulu was reaching her hands out to let them trail along the foliage that remained intact on our way to the half-morph camp. We were in an open-top car that sort of resembled the one I drove into the observation station every day. But since this one had no roof and stood taller, it felt like a Jeep, and I’d spent many hours jostling around rusty off-road vehicles in my former life. This was sleeker and practically silent. The retinue of Obedience Officers that followed Rory fit in with us easily.

  “I’ll take ye to the half-morph camp, ye’ll meet with yer husband and explain to him what I’ve just told ye, and then tomorrow morning ye’re to give a speech to the entire Original population that’s made it out to the camps.”

  I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of this request. Me, a public speaker? What made him think anyone would want to hear the news from me? The Travelers were set to arrive in only three days’ time, and they’d apparently sent out a message to Earth that had been received by Zeke, the scientist I’d met in the clearing five years ago. He was on his way to our camps once again, and I wondered who else from that original band of ragtag rebels would be showing up.

  “Please tell me again what the Traveler’s message was. Because I can’t seem to follow their intentions.” I truly was confused, but Rory had told me in a matter-of-fact manner that could have been a reading of a grocery list. He sighed, and turned around in his seat to look at me directly. The Obedience Officer seated next to him kept stealing wary glances at me, as if I wasn’t to be trusted around the politician.

  “They said if all people of Earth destroy our new weapons technology and swear to an oath of worldwide peace, they’ll leave us be. But we don’t believe them for one second. They’re tryin’ to catch us off guard, and we’re not as stupid as they think we are.” He had grown fierce once more, and Lulu turned her attention from the trees passing us by to look at him with growing curiosity.

  “Lulu, try to count as many species of birds as you can, ok?” I offered this game in the hopes she wasn’t privy to the adult problems being forced onto her young shoulders. But she complied, and I returned my attention to Rory again.

  “They could be telling the truth. I know you’re raring for a war with the Travelers. I know your whole family is coming from the Highlands of Two to back you up.” He’d told me his entire village would be arriving to form a sort of warrior’s tribe, and I was both curious and afraid of what they’d be like. If they were anything like Rory …

  “We’re not giving up our weapons. They know what we’ve developed might be able to stand up to them and they’re scared. Trying to take us out of the equation of advanced civilizations currently present in the universe. Zeke explained it all to me, and I believe him.” I sighed, knowing that Rory was anything if not loyal, and if one of his trusted advisors told him something, he believed it to be true. It didn’t seem we’d be escaping a conflict this time around.

  “And you want me to prepare all the half-morphs for this upcoming fight that you’re absolutely certain is going to happen?” I had placed a hand on Lulu’s head at this thought, wanting to protect her from all the horror that might be coming, and knowing I couldn’t.

  “Ye’ll tell em, and then ye’ll be a mascot for the Originals, like we discussed the other day.” I shook my head again, fed up with Rory’s logic.

  “And if I say no? If I take my family and we go someplace remote, on some other Continent … what then?” I wasn’t threatening, not exactly, but the appeal was there.

  “The Travelers are coming to the entire planet, not just the city of Origin. They’d eventually find ye. There’s nowhere to hide. Accept yer duty, woman.” His voice had roughened, and I sensed he was getting as fed up with me as I was with him. Lulu glanced away from her game to look at my face, but I was far off in my thoughts. The jeep-car was slowing, and we were approaching another massive clearing where all the trees and foliage had been eradicated to make way for large tents. My sharp eyes could make out numerous cages, and I recognized them from the warehouse at the Facility. We were nearing Jack, and my heart began to pick up its pace. He was here, and if anything, we could be a family again for a few moments.

  “Lulu, Daddy is nearby. We’ll see what he has to say, ok?” she nodded, leaning in close to me now. I looked at Rory, not wanting to give my answer just yet. I’d confer with my husband first before deciding anything. The car stopped, and the Officer driving it jumped over the side quickly to open the door for Rory. He lumbered out, his hulking frame rocking the car slightly. Lulu easily climbed down, looking toward the campground. But she waited for me, not running off on her own. We had to walk a little ways, but I could see the heads of the half-morphs already turning to watch us. They must smell us, I realized. I kept my mind closed off so that I didn’t accidentally link up with any of theirs. The lack of trees and other greenery allowed the sun to beat down on the canopies we were approaching, and the humidity was sweltering. I wondered how the half-morphs were faring out here. I worried about Jack, and that worry was starting to overwhelm me. The dust of the dry earth was kicked up by our feet, and things had grown silent as if in anticipation. Rory stayed close to Lulu and me, his small entourage hovering nearby. Rory
was attempting to ask me some more questions, but I had tuned him out. He and his Obedience Officers seemed to tense up around the half-morphs, although the cages were reinforced.

  As we got closer I began counting the numbers along the sides of the cages. They were in order, and we had a ways to go before we reached Jack’s. Lulu was slowing down to peer in at the creatures, and a few times she giggled. She was connecting her mind to theirs, it seemed, and Rory had noticed this. He made no comment, however, and after long moments we reached Jack’s cage. His was out in front, and there were others stacked behind his under the tent. It was cooler there, at least. He was alert, having sensed our approach. Lulu broke away from my side and rushed ahead to Jack’s cage, and I called after her, but I was unconcerned. I followed behind, and crouched next to Lulu, twining my fingers around the bars while leaning in close. The scent of him was gamey, something I’d never smelled before. But it wasn’t off-putting. To me, it was almost alluring. I immediately docked into his mind, and began to convey everything Rory had told me. He listened, not questioning me yet. His eyes were taking me in, and watching as Lulu pressed her face to the cage alongside mine. I felt his love, and his unconditional acceptance. I hated telling him any of the things I was being forced to relay.

  “They’ll be here in a few days, Jack. And you’re to fight. There’s no other option. But if I could get you out of here, secretly, we could take Lulu and disappear. Maybe to our cove, to the coast of Mexico. That little village is out of the way, we could be safe. I don’t care that you’re a half-morph, and eventually they’d find a cure at a Facility, after the Travelers left …” I knew everything I was conveying to him was a hopeless fantasy. I saw in his eyes that he didn’t believe a word of it. Then his first question came to me.