Seeds of War

by Fisher, Rachel

  Sara looked momentarily surprised by the question, and then gave a shy nod. “I haven’t even really told Sean that,” she admitted, in the tiniest voice imaginable. “I think I really want to learn to Seek for me. To be honest, if there was any job in Eden I could have one day, I would want it to be Seeker. Before you came, Fi, there were no female security or Seekers at all. I didn’t think I could be one. But now…” her voice trailed off again, and her hands wrung in her lap. Sean tilted his head, his face a mix of confusion and amused curiosity.

  “I thought so!” Fi smacked the chair back. “So, Sean, you thought you had a sweet, beautiful, simple girl who would wait patiently for your return from the Seeks, huh?” Sara looked chagrined, but Fi chided her. “Don’t be so scared to express yourself, Sara. You’ll need to be tougher than that if you want to be a Seeker.”

  Sean took Sara’s hands. “Are you sure, Sara? Do you really want to be a Seeker?”

  Sara ducked her head. “I was afraid to tell you that I thought it would be exciting. I didn’t know if you’d approve.”

  He took a deep breath before shooting a fake glare at Fi. “You’ve corrupted her. She’s spent too much time learning how to be a wild woman from you.”

  Fi stuck out her tongue. “I did no such thing. If Sara wants to be a wild woman it’s because she wants it herself.” Sara nodded, clearly warming to the idea of expressing her desires. “It will be a lot of work, Sara,” Fi warned, her tone growing serious. “You’ll have to learn hand-to-hand combat and self-defense techniques, you‘ll have to learn to use some weaponry, and you’ll have to push your body to be in excellent shape. You have to be able to run at your top speed for a sustained period, in case you are pursued on foot. And with every Seek you have to accept the risk that you or someone you love may not come back.”

  Throughout Fi’s small speech Sara listened, her eyes intense. “I really do want to go with Sean, to experience it all and see what he does,” she said. “But I also want to push myself and experience these things for myself. I’m tired of hiding.” Sara let go of Sean’s hand and stood. Offering her hand to Fi, she said, “If you’re willing to help me, I’m ready to learn.”

  Fi was amused and impressed at the same time. Sara’s resolve was sweet. Fi remembered the way that she herself had bowed to her father with similar resolve. But, Sara’s innocence was also dangerous. Fi sighed. Even though she loved Seeking herself, she didn’t wish it on anyone else, least of all her dear friend.

  Still, she thought, as she sized her up, if she wants it badly enough, maybe it’s meant to be. Despite being younger than Fi, Sara was at least six inches taller and twenty pounds heavier. If she worked on her strength, she could be formidable. Yes, perhaps Sara knew best what she could do. Fi stood and grabbed Sara’s wrist. She used her free hand to close Sara’s hand over her own wrist in the characteristic greeting of the Seekers.

  “The first thing you need to learn is how to shake on things. This is your first lesson as a Seeker.” Sara’s face lit up. “It’s also by far the easiest lesson you’ll have.”

  “Understood.” Sara reworked her face into a serious expression.

  “Uh, oh, Sean.” Fi flashed an evil grin. “I think you may have a Seeker on your hands.” Sara laughed happily and turned back to lean down and hug Sean. Over her shoulder, Fi could see Sean’s mouth twist into a wry smile.

  “I don’t know whether to thank you, or kick your ass for giving in,” he said.

  “You’ve got reason to do both,” Fi chuckled, as she headed for the door. Sean and Sara would need some privacy now that this decision had been made. She was sure that Sean would be sharing a lot more details about Topside. She turned before she left. “So tomorrow, Sara, after school. Meet us in the main rec pod.”

  “Us?” Sara looked confused.

  “As in me, Sean, and Asher.” Sara inhaled at the mention of Asher, much to Fi’s amusement. “Asher is the only one truly qualified to teach you.” Fi knew that including Asher would intimidate Sara. People might look at Sean and Fi and fail to see the warrior inside, but no one was confused about Asher. Even Gary deferred to him at times, and Gary was a former Green Beret. Everyone knew that training with Asher was training in the big leagues.

  Sensing Sara’s sudden nerves, she added, “Don’t worry, Sean and I will help you train. Besides, I think you could be a great Seeker.” Sara beamed, and Fi chuckled as the door slid shut behind her. Can’t stop a girl when she’s determined.

  The Human Repository

  ----------- Fi ------------

  The next morning Fi returned to the Skillman pod to take Kiara to school.

  After their long search for Eden, the Skillmans had been kind enough to offer to take Kiara once they arrived. Lucy knew that Fi needed a break, just for a little while. The plan was for Fi to take her back once she and Asher married. It worked out well, since little Zoe Skillman was Kiara’s best friend. Still, Fi tried to be her mother as much as she could, taking her to and from school, tucking her in at night, and attending all of her events.

  She glanced down at the ring on her finger. It was so weird being this mix of things all the time. On the one hand, she just wanted to Seek, and hang out with her friends, and on the other, being Kiara’s mother seemed like the most important job in the world. And then the next day, being Asher’s wife seemed like the priority, though that was still an obligation to come. At least when she finally turned seventeen and married, it would all come together. Wife to Asher, mother to Kiara, Eden colonist…maybe there would be less tugging in every direction. At least she hoped so.

  Fi arrived and slid the door open. “Hello? Kiara, are you ready for school?”

  “Hey, Fi,” Rachel Skillman smiled as she strolled into the kitchen adjoining the living room, still dressed in her pajamas. “I don’t have class until this afternoon, or I’d come with you.” She rummaged in a drawer, looking for something to eat. Colonists didn’t have meals in their pods, but they were allowed to keep snacks.

  “Ooh! Rach, do you have anything we can munch for breakfast? I’m not sure we’ll have time to get it on the way.”

  Rachel held up an empty bag of granola crumbs. “Nope.” She made a face. “I guess I’m going to have to shower up and head to the cafeteria.” She turned and waved at Fi with a yawn. “See you later, Fi.”

  “Bye, Rach.” Fi looked at the time. Where were those girls? “Kiara! Come on, baby, we’re gonna be late.”

  Kiara’s bouncing form appeared in the doorway with Zoe close behind. She threw herself at Fi for her morning hug. “That’s one!” she crowed, as she counted down the five hugs Fi promised her each day. Her violet eyes glowed as she pointed to her hair, which was a pulled back into a single, clean, French braid. “Look, Fi, I taught Zoe.”

  Fi had Kiara turn her beautiful blue-black head of hair so that she could pretend to examine Zoe’s work. “This is very good work, Zoe,” Fi concluded, and the little girl clapped her hands.

  “See,” Kiara said. “I told you that you did a good job, Zo.”

  “I didn’t even know how to braid hair when I was six, Zoe,” Fi said, giving the little girl a high-five. “Good job. Ok, girls, grab your things so we can get going.”

  “Wait up,” Sean called, as he and Sara drifted into the room.

  “Hey, Sean. Are you actually going to grace us with your presence at school today?” Fi joked.

  “Nope,” he grinned wickedly. “But Sara is. She’ll go with you girls.”

  “Sean, where’s your sense of duty?” Fi feigned shock. “Don’t you feel like being a repository today?”

  Sean choked, and Sara covered a smile. “That’s good, Fi,” Sean said. “I like that.”

  When Fi first began attending school in Eden, she’d failed to notice the motto painted above the school pod complex. Later when Sara pointed it out, she felt incredibly unobservant, for a so-called science-y type. It read, “It is the duty of every citizen of Eden to strive to be as educated as possible, to
serve as a living repository of human history and accomplishment.”

  Though she’d realized that education was taken seriously in Eden, the motto had definitely driven the idea home. There once were billions of us, it said. Now there are only a few to remember it all. At times the motto was inspirational, but more often it felt like a burden. As if dragging oneself to school hadn’t been hard enough in the old days, Fi thought, all you needed was the added pressure of the species depending on you to make it really fun. She knew that deriding the motto was a little low, but somehow she couldn’t help it. Besides, she was annoyed that Sean was still skipping so much school while she was being dutiful.

  “So what is so important that you have to miss the magic that is Language Lab?” she pressed, suddenly interested.

  “I’m going to the Forge to pick up the staff.”

  Fi gasped and clapped her hands together. “It’s done? Oh, that is cool! You’re right. That’s worth it.” She waved him toward the door like a queen. “You may go.”

  “I’ll send all the guys at the Forge your love, Fi,” he joked as he left.

  Fi rolled her eyes. “The Forge” was Eden’s nickname for the section of pods devoted to all things engineering. An outsider would probably have thought all of Eden’s nicknames and jargon were strange, but Fi knew first hand that being trapped in an underground colony with only three hundred other people could get very boring, very fast. Eventually everything had a nickname, abbreviation, or acronym. The Forge wasn’t even such a stretch, since they had an actual forge in the metallurgy section.

  Overall, the Forge was a study in barely controlled chaos, with parts and tools strewn from end to end. When its researchers weren’t welding things together, they were blowing them apart. They’d been working for the last month on a synthetic version of the wooden fighting staff known in Tai Chi as the “gun.” If it was suitable, Asher wanted all of the security team members to have one. With ammunition for their firearms growing more precious every day, an alternative weapon was a good back-up plan.

  Even though wooden staffs could have been cut from the forest Topside, the one the Forge was making would be much more maneuverable and portable. Plus, it gave the Forge nerds an excuse to test a new material. Sean said they were making the staff as a prototype for a super-light, durable windmill blade. Something about powering fuel cells, she thought absently.

  “So, shall we get out of here before we miss Lab entirely?” Sara prompted, drawing her from her daydreams.

  Fi nodded and the older girls led the way quietly, while their little shadows chattered. They hit the tunnel ringing the central field pod. Ever since their first arrival, this amazing room had never failed to take Fi’s breath away. Created within a giant natural cavern punctuated by creamy stalagmites and stalactites, the central field pod was where the majority of Eden’s crops were grown in large, concentric rings. Stalks of corn and wheat reached upwards between rows of lush lettuces, tomatoes, peppers, and squashes. Green and brown scents filled the air, bringing a welcome breath of freshness to their concrete burrow. Clad in his pristine white lab coat, Louis stood out amidst the explosion of color.

  “Hey, let’s see if we can get breakfast and a shortcut at the same time,” Fi said.

  She descended the metal stairs leading from the suspended walkway to the dark, rich soil. The girls clattered down behind her and wound past sunflowers and burgeoning strawberries to the center, where everyone’s single favorite “resident” of Eden was planted.

  “Louis!” Fi called.

  He was aglow in a soft, bluish light, illuminated by the glittering shaft of daylight that their mirror array drew down from the surface. His focus had been on the leaves of the robust apple tree that dominated the little spotlight, but he waved when he heard Fi’s voice.

  “What can I do for you this morning, Fi, seeing as you don’t seem to be playing hooky from school.” His smiled tugged at his long, coarse beard.

  “No, no hooky today.” She turned to the apple tree, which the colonists had affectionately named “Eve” the day she’d been planted at the center of these fields. “Since we’re running late for school, I was wondering if we could take our breakfast direct from the source.”

  Louis freed a hanging apple with a flick of his wrist. “Of course, Fi. But are you sure you didn’t just come down here to soak up a little of Eve’s sunlight? I feel like I always find you here, basking away with her. I’m surprised you haven’t grown roots.”

  “Is it wrong to love both Eve and her sunshine?” Fi said wistfully, as she handed out the apples.

  Louis turned to the others. “You all know that you need to…”

  “…Save the seeds.” The girls interrupted in unison. It was the mantra of Eden. Even Zoe knew it by now.

  Louis startled, and then smiled. “Good. We need those to make it back to the lab.”

  “I’ll make sure, Louis,” Fi assured him. “Thanks so much. We really gotta go.” She waved as she took a huge bite of apple and hurried on.

  Daggers

  --------- Fi ----------

  Shouts of laughter filled the rec pod as Eden’s elementary school children flowed onto the playground. Fi sat on the sidelines of the training group, cooling down from her last sparring session with Sara. Sean sat beside her, equally sweated from his work with the Forge’s ultra-light staff. By now, the Seekers had six of them, and there was frequent controversy over who got to use them, though Sean’s was definitely his own. Even so, despite the awesomeness of their new toy, it was not what had both Fi and Sean mesmerized.

  They sat in silence as they watched Sara training with Asher. It was amazing, Fi thought, that watching Sara train was nearly as entertaining as sparring with her. It had been nearly a month since Sara had begun her training, and no one could have predicted…well, no one could have predicted Sara.

  “Again!” Sara insisted as a weary Asher shook his head. She’d temporarily stopped attending school to focus on her training, and they’d been at this for eight hours a day for weeks. Sara was covered in bruises from head to toe, but she would never be the one to call the end of the session. It reminded Fi of how hard she’d worked with Sensei Bob. How each bruise had become like a badge of honor to her, like a symbol of her transformation.

  Asher’s fist just missed Sara’s stomach and Fi reflexively peeked at Sean. His face was calm. Good. At least he’d stopped flinching out of his skin every time that Sara took a punch. Though now she couldn’t tell if he’d adjusted, or was just too stunned to react anymore.

  Once again, Asher and Sara circled each other. Asher hadn’t yet started Sara on fighting armed attackers. Instead he focused on hand combat fundamentals. Not that he was any less deadly without his sword, Fi mused. Asher’s fist flew and Sara deflected him, and then kicked at his lower legs. Dodging, he spun to land a kick to her back and she ducked and swept her leg. He jumped over her attack, landed lightly and whirled to face her. They were back to square one.

  “Good!” Asher said. “Use my attack to open up your offensive options.” Spinning, he launched a back kick at her chest and she caught his leg and ripped upward hard. Wham! Asher hit the mat face-first. Sean gasped, and Fi stifled a laugh. Sara whirled to Sean and Fi, panting, her face a twist of triumph and shock.

  Asher sat up and set his arms on his knees. Shaking his head, he grinned at Sara. “Give a guy a hand?”

  She helped him stand and then threw her hands over her head. “Yes, yes, yes!”

  “Just like you,” Asher mouthed over Sara’s head, and it was Fi’s turn to grin. Sean nodded beside her and she gave him a little shove.

  “You’re doing very well, Sara.” Asher said gently. “Not unlike someone else I know. I think it’s time to let Gary know that you’re at least ready to go out on a Seek with Sean.”

  Sara jumped in the air and whooped. Her excitement was contagious, and Fi and Sean leapt up to give her high-fives.

  “All right, Sara,” Asher said. “I’m beat, and I�
��m calling the session, ok?”

  Disappointed, Sara nodded, and then her face brightened. “I’ll go put in some miles on the treadmill then.” Fi and Asher exchanged a tired glance.

  Sean looked equally tired, but he pasted a smile on his face. “I’ll go with you,” he offered, and Sara beamed. There was no missing Sean’s visceral reaction to Sara’s beauty. Not that anyone would blame him, Fi thought. Sara was amazing right now. Despite her bruises and her sweat-drenched clothing, she was like an Amazon princess. Tall, strong, flushed, and happy, the gorgeous smile was the cherry on top. Fi chuckled to herself. Sean was just a sugar cube in the rain.

  “You do that,” Asher joked. “Fi?”

  Normally, Fi would have opted to put in miles on the treadmill as well, especially with their first Seek on the horizon. But she was feeling a little tired and she wanted to talk to Asher about Sara’s progress. “I’m with you,” she decided.

  Sara and Sean said their goodbyes and trotted off toward the treadmills while Fi and Asher headed for his pod. Though she’d intended to put it more tactfully, the question at the front of her mind tumbled out. “So Ash, are we going to talk about the fact that Sara is completely crazy?”

  Asher swallowed a laugh. “Agreed,” he remarked over his shoulder, as they walked single-file. “She’s tough and fast and physical and smart. She pushes herself to the limit and beyond every session. And she relishes the fight.” He paused as they reached his community pod and made their way to his personal pod, waving at a few colonists in the common room on the way. As he slid his door closed behind him, Fi kicked off her shoes and sighed.

  “You first,” Asher said, holding out a towel.

  Fi opened his cabinets and pulled out a change of clothes. She also retrieved her engagement ring from the pocket of her cargo pants and slipped it back onto her finger. She never would have imagined when she first started wearing it that she’d notice it at all. But now when it wasn’t there she always felt…off somehow. “Be right back,” she sang, as she danced out the door toward the showers.