Genesis Rising

by Eliza Green

  Laura, you’re next. It was Serena.

  I’m not going.

  The hell you’re not. Clement.

  That girl has guts, said Margaux.

  Serena, still at the gates, visibly strained with the effort to keep the men turned away from the entrance. Why not?

  Laura felt bad for wasting her time. You need to go, Serena. I have unfinished business here. I’ll be fine.

  Serena squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated harder. No, I’ll stay with you.

  Laura shouted out. No! All of you, I’ll be fine. Hetty will keep me safe.

  Hetty mouthed at her, ‘What’s going on?’

  Laura held up her hand. Serena, go now, before more vehicles come.

  The leader of District Three released her hold on the men with a huff and dashed through the gates. The guards shook their heads, dazed and confused, then turned back to the gate.

  Hetty said, ‘What do you hope to achieve when you find him?’

  Laura had no idea. ‘I don’t know, but something’s off about this setup and I need to find out what.’

  The underground leader began the trek back inside the city. ‘Come on, the safe house is where we need to be. Then you’re going to tell me how I can help you.’

  A gentle pressure against Laura’s mind caused her to turn round. An angry Clement was staring at her.

  She gasped at the tall figure. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’

  ‘Being an idiot like you.’

  She gritted her teeth. She hadn’t planned on staying when they’d set off for the gates. But now, she’d wanted to assume the risk alone.

  ‘I take it you’re going to look for Harvey?’ said Clement.

  ‘How do you know?’

  He smirked. ‘I’ve been your friend long enough to know your bad habits.’

  His irritation manifested as a prickle along her skin. Despite the feeling, she was glad for the familiar company.

  They arrived back at the safe house. The living room seemed smaller without the other Indigenes there, even though Clement towered over everyone else.

  They stood in a loose circle, looking lost as to what to do next.

  Laura stared at Clement; she couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid as to follow her.

  ‘Don’t worry about me,’ Clement said. ‘I’ve played both sides before. If they capture me, I know how to fake working for the other team.’

  Laura collapsed on Hetty’s worn sofa. Hetty and Clement hovered over her.

  She looked up at the pair. ‘What?’

  ‘What’s your plan?’ asked an anxious looking Hetty. ‘I assume you’ve given it some thought?’

  ‘I have no clue.’

  The underground leader busied herself with the powerless DPads. Her team disappeared into the kitchen. Laura heard pots and pans rattling softly. She assumed everyone was on edge.

  Clement sat on the sofa next to Laura, even though Indigenes preferred to stand. She appreciated the effort he was making to calm her.

  His height dwarfed the size of the sofa. ‘We get close to Harvey, then what?’

  Laura shrugged. ‘I ask him what he’s up to.’

  ‘And he takes you prisoner. Uses you as bait to bring Bill here.’ He shook his head. ‘Think smarter.’

  ‘I’m working off limited options here.’ She huffed. ‘I don’t even know where he will go.’

  Hetty looked up from the DPads. ‘He returns to the city twice a day, sometimes more frequently. The second his men gain consciousness at the docking station, they’ll radio it in.’

  Clement fixed his blue eyes on her—eyes that had the annoying habit of seeing into her soul. Instead of comforting her, the intensity made her more nervous.

  ‘Stop looking at me like that. I don’t know what to do yet.’

  But Clement was unperturbed. ‘Yes, you do. You’re wearing it.’

  Laura grazed the neurosensor with her fingers. ‘You mean talk to his ghost?’

  ‘Why not?’

  She had done it once before, while with Harvey in his lab. His ghost had been chatty then. She could do this. She could read him a second time.

  Hetty folded her arms, looking interested. ‘What’s talking to his ghost mean? How does it work?’

  ‘I have the ability to see a person’s lies manifest in a ghostlike form. I can sometimes talk to them. I did it with two Indigenes before, and once with Harvey. But it doesn’t feel natural yet.’

  Hetty nodded at her. ‘Why not practise on me?’

  Laura looked at Clement, who nodded. ‘It can’t hurt.’

  She got to her feet and concentrated on Hetty, feeling immediate resistance. The woman’s thoughts were not easily accessible. She tried again, but they had a band around them too tight for her to release.

  ‘I can’t.’

  Clement grabbed her hands. ‘You can. You’re just not used to trying with a human subject. Their bands are tighter. Their minds more closed off than ours.’

  ‘Hey!’ Hetty protested.

  ‘Sorry, but they are.’

  Laura shook off her doubts and tried again.

  ‘Tell me an untruth.’

  Hetty paused. ‘Uh, I’m a Libra?’

  ‘Something deeper.’

  ‘Okay... My, uh, mother and I had a great relationship.’

  A shimmer of a shadow peeked out from behind Hetty. She tried talking to it.

  ‘Hello?’

  The shadow pulled back, making Hetty smile. ‘That was weird. I felt it. I felt you inside my head.’

  ‘What was it like?’

  ‘A quick pressure.’

  ‘That could be an issue,’ said Clement. ‘We don’t want Harvey to get an inkling that someone is trying to read his thoughts.’

  ‘It was fleeting,’ said Hetty. ‘I only mentioned it because I knew what you were doing.’

  ‘The ghost didn’t stick around long enough,’ said Laura.

  ‘Don’t be discouraged,’ said Hetty. ‘I’m not the easiest person to get to know. My thoughts are private. No good if that’s what gives you success at reading them, how open a person is.’

  ‘Harvey is a closed book.’

  ‘I’m not sure about that,’ said Hetty. ‘He wants people to know some things about him. Maybe that’s what you should focus on—the arrogant side of him.’

  Clement smiled. ‘That could work. If you can gain the trust of the ghost, it might tell you more.’

  ‘Like betray his secrets?’

  ‘Or his weaknesses.’

  Hetty lifted her hands. ‘Why not? People blab each other’s secrets all the time. Those who are closed books pretend they don’t want people to know them, but they’re dying to make a connection.’

  ‘So I make a connection with his ghost?’

  The woman smiled. ‘Exactly.’

  Laura could do this. If she could dissect Harvey, discover his weaknesses, she might get inside his head long enough to learn his true plans for Jameson, and for this world.

  25

  It took Marcus hours to get his bearings. Without a compass, he had to guess the location of the Conditioned’s caves. He’d walked towards a mountainous area that looked similar to theirs, but it didn’t end up having the familiar boundary wall around it.

  He cursed himself for not taking a vehicle. At night, everything looked the same. It didn’t help that he was starving.

  Marcus stumbled along in the dark, for how long he didn’t know. A different set of mountains looked more promising and he spotted the familiar ring of boulders marking out the territory. Too tired to celebrate his victory, he hauled himself over the top and down the other side, to a section lower than the road.

  The Conditioned had screens inside their caves, and Marcus knew it wouldn’t be long before they saw him. While the idea of siding with these freaks gave him chills, it was a preferable option to the docking station right now, or to asking the Indigen
es for help. At least the Conditioned looked more human than not. He could pretend he was negotiating with real people, not genetic misfits.

  The way was as dark as the rocky landscape had been, and he couldn’t see shit. A noise sounded close by and a shivering Marcus stopped dead.

  Might as well wait for them to come to him.

  Two tall figures appeared before him, like a pair of shadowy ghosts. His skin tingled with fresh fear. He’d forgotten how menacing they looked, even with their closer-to-human appearance.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ one growled.

  Marcus lifted his chin. ‘I need to speak to your leader.’

  ‘You can speak to us.’

  He had no time for this shit. He hadn’t come all this way to speak to a lower ranking officer.

  Marcus walked on. One of the Conditioned darted in front of him and stopped him with his hand. Pain radiated through his chest.

  It was like hitting a brick wall.

  ‘I have information that I’ll only tell your leader,’ he said.

  The Conditioned removed his hand. ‘You can tell us.’

  He wasn’t falling for that trick. He wanted sanctuary inside, not to be left out in the middle of nowhere. He wanted to be safe and away from Harvey’s retribution when he discovered he’d abandoned his post.

  ‘No way, your leader or nothing.’

  The Conditioned lifted Marcus off the ground and carried him back to the boundary wall.

  Marcus squirmed in his iron grip. ‘Hey! What are you doing?’

  ‘You won’t speak to us, then you have no business being on our land.’

  He wriggled some more. ‘Okay, okay. Put me down. I’ll talk.’

  The Conditioned male did; Marcus rubbed pain out of his arm where the male had held on too tight. He didn’t remember them being that strong before. Although, they hadn’t been as rough with him the last time he’d been here.

  He released a hard breath and eyed the male, whom he didn’t recognise. ‘Look, I’ve come from New Tokyo.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘That’s where Harvey is? Harvey Buchanan?’

  Did he really have to spell it out for them?

  The male regarded him warily. ‘What has Harvey got to do with us?’

  ‘A lot, apparently. He’s looking for Jameson. You know, that doctor who used to help out the Elite?’ He drawled, ‘Well, it’s only a matter of time before he comes lookin’ for you.’

  The lead male tipped his chin. ‘We can protect ourselves.’

  Marcus snorted. ‘You think you can, but Harvey’s got Indigenes on side. If he wants Jameson, he’ll come here looking for him—in all places, if you know what I mean.’

  ‘The doctor is not here.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter if he is...’ Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. These Conditioned were a real bunch of idiots. ‘Look, trust me when I say he’ll come asking.’

  ‘So why exactly are you here?’

  ‘Because I know too much. I can be your ticket out of this.’

  The male frowned. Although, he had no eyebrows, and Marcus couldn’t be sure he had.

  ‘Out of what?’

  ‘Out of Harvey coming here and destroying your caves because you wouldn’t help him.’

  ‘And how do you expect to help us?’

  Marcus shuffled closer, keen to distance himself from the boundary wall and get closer to the caves. ‘I know Harvey well. I know his habits. Plus, I helped you once before, got you inside the Indigenes’ caves.’

  ‘That was the Elite you helped, not us.’

  ‘Same difference,’ Marcus muttered.

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘I said it’s different now. I’m different. Harvey wants something from you. This time you won’t survive.’

  The Conditioned pair straightened up, but only the leader spoke. ‘Are you threatening us?’

  ‘No.’ He held his hands up. ‘I’m just saying for when Harvey comes—and he will—I can get you ready.’

  ‘And what do you want in exchange for your help?’

  Marcus checked over his shoulder. ‘Your protection. From whatever the fuck’s coming next.’

  The Conditioned turned and walked towards the caves. When Marcus didn’t follow, the lead male said over his shoulder, ‘You coming?’

  His heart thundered in his chest. He could navigate this world without Harvey, without Enzo Agostini consistently in his head telling him he was useless. Without his old pal Carl, who’d sold him down the river quicker than he changed underpants. No, Marcus would survive this alone.

  The caves were as he remembered: stuffy, small and filled with too many freaks. But he forced a smile and stood inside their inner sanctum. It had a bunch of screens to the left. If they offered him refuge, he would take it.

  He looked around. They all looked the same to him. Tall, pale skin, no hair he could see. He had no idea who was in charge.

  ‘So can I meet your leader? I mean your new one. I know your other one is dead. Sorry for your loss and all that.’

  The Conditioned male who had spoken to him outside turned and said, ‘You’re talking to him.’

  ‘Oh, right, great.’ His anger boiled at the deception. ‘So, er, what do you do in here all day?’

  The male stared at him. ‘Take in refugees, apparently. I’m not sure when we became a safe haven for you.’

  Marcus chuckled. ‘Ironic, I know.’

  One of the Conditioned at the screens turned and said, ‘We’ve got company outside.’

  The leader glared at Marcus. ‘You bring someone with you?’

  ‘No, I swear. It’s just me.’

  Marcus checked the screens, not seeing much except darkness.

  The Conditioned at the screen said, ‘It’s Bill Taggart.’

  That dipshit.

  Marcus gritted his teeth. ‘Probably best if he doesn’t see me.’

  The leader cocked his head slightly. ‘And why is that?’

  ‘Because I escaped his prison after I helped the Elite and he’ll only try to put me back there. If he does that, you don’t get my help.’

  The leader nodded to another on the platform at the back of the sanctum. He jumped down and dragged Marcus up a set of stairs to it, then behind a white privacy screen, and finally into a dark, dank tunnel.

  He pointed at a spot. ‘Stay there.’

  Marcus shivered. He preferred the bright room to this cold and dark nightmare.

  When the Conditioned left to get their newest guest, Marcus pressed his face up to the gap between the privacy screen and the wall, and waited.

  26

  In Hetty’s living room, Laura sat on her shaking hands. Hetty and her team knew Harvey’s movements in and out of the city and had eyes on him. But waiting was making her nervous.

  Buchanan had left the docking station right before Bill had rescued Ben, but he hadn’t been back for hours. She wondered where he’d gone. She worried he’d been watching Bill, seeing where he might go. It made her sick to think her husband might be in danger.

  Clement was sitting beside her, looking big and awkward inside a house that had seen better days. She sensed the unnatural position was to make her more comfortable.

  His eyes shifted, like he was over-thinking a problem.

  ‘Are you okay?’ she asked him.

  ‘What?’ He looked at her and blinked. ‘Yes. I haven’t been inside a house or an apartment for a long time. It feels strange, yet oddly familiar.’

  Clement had been altered in the same way Serena had. His life as an Indigene had begun eight years ago.

  ‘Do you remember much about your old life?’

  Clement nodded. ‘But it also feels like that life happened to someone else.’

  Hetty was listening at the door to the kitchen, her arms folded.

  ‘What’s it like, your new Indigene life?’ she asked.

  Clement looked u
p at her and drew in a quick breath. ‘Peaceful, uncomplicated.’ He flicked his gaze to Laura. ‘For the most part.’

  The Indigenes hadn’t had an easy run of it, but she sensed Clement wasn’t talking about the last eight years and the peace treaty.

  ‘If you had the choice to become human again, would you take it?’ said Hetty.

  Clement studied his hands, which were larger than regular human ones. ‘I was given the option six months ago to take up the genetic reversal treatment, and for a while it seemed like a good idea.’

  ‘But you didn’t,’ said Laura.

  Clement smiled. ‘While in some ways it would have been less complicated to become human, I think I was destined to become an Indigene, as crazy as that sounds.’

  Laura touched his hand. ‘It’s not crazy. I get it.’

  She’d been straddling both lives. The more she accepted her Indigene side, the more natural it felt, as if her evolution were what the future of humanity could become. As if, with enough time, the Indigenes could evolve into the natural and dominant human species and shed their human past.

  Hetty uncrossed her arms and waved one hand around the room. ‘I’ve been human forever. This secrecy has been my life for several years now. There’s nothing easy about it, trust me.’

  ‘But you have been asked to watch the Indigenes mostly, no?’ said Clement.

  ‘At first, and only the troublemakers, but that was mostly under the older rules of the regime,’ said Hetty. ‘Then Bill became more interested in the activities of the men and women who appeared to be isolating themselves from society.’

  ‘Like the Conditioned and the Elite?’

  ‘Yeah, just like them, but worse people than that.’

  Laura realised she’d never once asked about the specific work the operatives did. ‘How are they worse?’

  Hetty sat down on a second threadbare sofa opposite them. ‘They’re mostly your Harvey types, but more aggressive and less strategic. Pockets of society are always trying to start something up. We’ve thwarted several weak attempts at a takeover in the last year alone. This is the first time something has stuck.’

  ‘You mean the renegades have been preparing to take over the cities for a while?’ That was the first she’d heard of it. ‘I thought it was a spur-of-the-moment thing.’