by Luna Wolf
Tibby stands. "How dare you speak to me like that! I've heard you with the others. I think you fake your stutter for sympathy.”
My body grows hot as the rage begins to bubble in my stomach. "I'm not faking. I hate you. It's easier for me to talk to people I think need to shut up." I can't believe it. Why can't I do this with the guys, who I've become comfortable around?
She dives over the couch at me, sending us to the floor. "I hate you, too!"
I wrap my legs around her waist and gain the upper hand as I turn us over. My fist goes into her cheek. She growls and the children begin to cry. Her hand goes into my hair and she pulls.
I grab her arm and pin it down before hitting her again. Her lip splits open.
"You fucking bitch!" She brings her legs up and kicks me in my stomach, causing me to let go of her pinned arm. She uses it to punch me in my chin.
"What is happening out here?" Arrow comes out of his dorm as the others open their doors to crying kids and screaming women.
"Sweet, girl fight! Kick her ass, Squeaks!" Octavius moves to pick up Forrest and comfort him as he cries.
I recover from the kick the stomach and pull on her arm as she tries to get up. She falls forward and I ram my own knee up into her stomach. She gasps as the air leaves her. She falls back and stops. I let go of her, taking a step back, but still ready for her if she comes at me.
She stays where she is and wipes the blood from her mouth. "I give."
I let myself relax. "I'll go get the healing spray."
She shakes her head. "No."
I huff. "Fine."
I hold Forrest as Doctor Langsting stands before us. "In a few minutes, I'll take you to the ship that will fly you to Earth 2. Don't worry. The ship has been programed to handle everything. Have you girls decided on the group dynamics you'll have? I advise four men per woman and no cross over. We don't want to run the risk of half siblings. Though there should be enough genetic variation, that inbreeding won't be an issue for your off spring. We'll be sending another group behind you in the coming year. So, expect more people. When you land, we'll contact you weekly through your implants for updates. The A.I.s already there know you're coming and can help with exploring the planet."
He stares at all of us, expecting us to say something, but what does he want?
"Velma, who did you choose for your group dynamic?"
"Oc-octavius, K-king, Echo-ho, and Arrow." I wince as Arrow's name leaves my mouth. I still don't care for him. But the others get along with him and I don't want to possibly split them up if something happens on Earth 2 and we need to go with our groups alone.
Octavius claps. "Yes!"
I grin.
The doctor goes to Pansy and Rosie, who pick their people by going back and forth between them.
That leaves Vexus, Finn, Bach, and Herc for Tibby. Those poor guys. I wouldn't wish her on anyone.
"Excellent, I'll make note of everything. So we can estimate the types of children you may have together. Time to go to the ship. I'm sorry, but the A.I. babies must stay here."
I hold on tighter to Forrest. "Please let me take him."
"Yeah," Rosie joins in.
Pansy cries. "I can't live without Jem."
"I'm sorry, but they're only able to grow to this age. They'll eventually need maintenance, or they'll break down. It's not a good idea to take them with you when you're still learning how to survive Earth 2. They'll be reset and used for the groups that follow you."
Tears run freely down my cheeks. I hug Forrest to me. "I'm going to miss you terribly."
He holds me back, his little arms wrapped around my neck. "It's okay, Ma. This is what I'm programed for."
My eyes widen at the clear statement. I sob. Rosie and Pansy cry with their babies. While Ivy clings to Finn before reaching out for Vexus.
I kiss his cheek. "I'll always remember you." I hand him off to Octavius and Echo, who take their turns saying good bye to them.
"Come along then, we need to get you on the ship."
I wipe away the tears as Octavius reaches for my hand. I don't feel like I'm a coward anymore, but not knowing what Earth 2 has in store for us fills me with dread.
Chapter Nine
The Journey Begins
We stand in the cargo hold of the ship that will fly us to Earth 2. My eyes strain to take in all the multi-colored bins holding food, medical supplies, and clothes.
Dr. Langsting pats one of the red bins with FOOD stamped on the side. "There’s enough supplies here to last all of you two years. However, I strongly advise you to learn how to survive off the land. The sooner you implement that into the culture you'll be creating the easier survival will become. We'll be sending twice as much with the second group that'll be there next year."
There's a slight comfort to knowing we'll be somewhat taken care of, even if we're fighting for our lives everyday against things like flesh-eating plants and giant tentacle monsters.
The doctor sighs. "I know we've already gone over this, but I feel I still must stress the fact that you're not to touch any of the ship's controls. It'll get you to where you need to be in one piece if you leave it all alone."
Octavius hmphs. "Why were you looking at me while you said that? I have no plans to mess with anything. I'm more than willing to keep my hands to myself if it means getting away from this place for the rest of my life."
His words hit me in the gut. The rest of our lives. We will never see this planet again. We won't know what'll become of the normal humans, or fight in the army for the New World Order. We will never have to fear the government again. Though a tiny part of me wonders what would've become of me if I hadn't met Arrow and Echo that faithful second, most of me wants nothing more than to go to a new world with them and begin a life unlike any we were bred for.
"We should get you ready for launch." The doctor clears his throat as he leads us through a side door and into an expansive seating area, a chair for each of us waits at the ready with restraints to hold us in place for takeoff.
My heartbeat thunders in my ears. We've never had training for space travel. I know what to expect from the brief video they showed us a few days ago on what to expect, but another part of me can't help but worry that something will go wrong, and we'll die in a fiery death worse than what would've happened if the bus had crashed several weeks ago. I also know, however, that I can't get out of this, even if I want to.
I shuffle forward to take King's hand. His massive-size always fills me with a sense of security. As if he'll be able to saves us if something does happen to the ship before we get to Earth 2.
He glances down at me with a grin; his hand gives mine a small squeeze and some of my anxiety leaves my shoulders.
Dr. Langsting runs a hand through his salt-and-pepper curls. "Find a seat you would like, the chair will strap you in when it senses your weight. You'll be taking off in just a few more moments."
King leads me over to a set of five chairs. We let go of each other as we sit, and the chair light up with a blue-hue. Straps come from behind me and crisscross over my chest, lap, and calves, holding me in place. I grab King's hand again as Octavius settles into the seat to my other side. I hold my right hand out to him, and he takes it without a second's hesitation. Echo claims the seat next to Octavius.
I glance around for Arrow. Is he not going to sit with us? He stands off to the side with Dr. Langsting. They huddle close together, whispering to each other. Not for the first time, I can't help but wonder if he's truly the man's son, or if they just say he is, like an adopted thing from centuries ago.
Dr. Langsting pulls him into an awkward hug; Arrow stands a good head taller than the man. Arrow hugs him back, not afraid to show some type of affection for once.
Out of everyone in my group, Arrow and Echo remain a mystery to me. Both would rather stay quiet than talk. Maybe it’s just because I still stutter so much; they won't talk to me because I annoy them. At least I'm not as bad as I was when we first met.
He nods to us with a grim smile before heading out of the ship. Why does it feel like he regrets all of this?
"We will depart in sixty seconds," a robotic woman's voice carries throughout the ship.
Covers hide all the windows. I guess that's for the best with takeoff. I’d rather not be able to see us careening through the atmosphere into the vast blackness of space.
"Ten seconds until we depart. Please evacuate the area."
My grip on both King’s and Octavius's hands tightens. I close my eyes. I hate this.
Something rumbles under our feet.
"Five."
Octavius leans in toward my ear. "It'll be fine, Squeaks, I promise. But I'm pretty sure you're about to break my fingers. I kind of need them."
"Two."
I try to loosen my grip on him, but her counting doesn't help.
My stomach hits my spine as we takeoff and we’re thrown against the back of the chairs. I'm glad we have these restraints. My entire body hums with the pressure change.
Octavius lets out an excited yell. "This is fucking brilliant!"
The ship stabilizes as we leave Earth.
Her voice rings throughout the ship again. "Launch is complete. First warp-travel will begin in two hours. You are free to move around the ship. Meals can be made in the cafeteria. Follow the green arrows to its location."
The straps around my body release, returning to inside of the chair. My legs shake with tension from involuntarily holding myself so tight.
I let go of their hands so that they can stand if they want to. I plan to sit here for a second and grasp some semblance of calm.
Octavius gets to his feet and stretches. "That was great! Best take off I've ever had."
Arrow snorts. "It's the only take off you've ever had."
Octavius nods. "Yeah, thus it was the best, of course!"
King stands next. "I'm famished." He nudges me. "Do you want to go get second breakfast with me?"
My stomach flips at the thought of consuming even water. I shake my head. "I don't think my stomach can handle food right now."
"We'll go with you, mate." Bach, one of Tibby's guys, and Emerson, a guy the twins share, come to stand with him. Bach's amber hair stands on end from his face, and black slits permanently take the place of his pupils.
Emerson pats the tank that is his rock-hard stomach. "I could go for a third breakfast as well.”
I glance over my shoulder. Rose and Pansy stand as well, chatting with their partners. Tibby sits alone in her row of chairs, her legs pulled up to her chest as she looks at something on her implant's hologram screen. A picture of some kind. Tears drip from her chin.
A frown pulls at my lips. A part of me can't help but feel bad about this morning, even if she did need to be taken down a notch.
With shaking legs, I stand and wobble over to her. The picture is her with a man I've never seen before. His arms hold her from behind as she smiles.
Her green-blue eyes glance at me before she taps her implant, and the image fades. "What?"
"I apologize for this morning. Truce?" I hold my hand out to her.
She stares at it for a long while until I let it drop. "Just leave me alone. In fact, take my group. I'm not going to have sex with any of them."
My frown deepens. "They're stuck in this, too. How do you expect me to juggle four more partners? Not to mention, I don't have a connection with them."
"You're sweet. Of course, you'll learn to like them, just like you did with the guys you picked."
I sigh. "Please just try. Maybe you'll find all of this isn't as bad as it seems to you right now."
"I'm not going to stick around long enough to find out." She stands from her chair and walks away before I can ask what she means.
Dread curls itself around me as I watch her go to another set of chairs and sit down. She plans to kill herself, I can see it in her eyes.
I glance around for Finn or Vex, the only two that seem to give two damns about her.
Vex talks to Arrow, and Finn isn’t anywhere in sight. I go to the pure-white man with the black band around his neck. They stop talking as I step up to them.
Vex moves to excuse himself, guessing I need to speak with Arrow. I stop him with a touch of my hand on his wrist. “I think Tibby is going to try to commit suicide when we get to Earth 2. She told me to take her group. She was crying.”
Vex frowns before glancing over his shoulder at her. “Thank you for telling me, I’ll keep an eye on her with Finn. I'm almost certain she was in a relationship with someone before she was recruited for this project. She doesn't talk to any of us, I don't think, but she's constantly looking at things on her implant. Lots of pictures with her and some guy."
My heart constricts for her sake. I've never been in love, nor has there ever been anyone I couldn't live without in my sector. "Th-that's ter-terrible. I'd wa-want to di-die, too."
Vex nods and takes a step back from us. "I'm going to go see if she'll talk to me at all. I doubt it, but it's worth a shot. See if I can get her to see reason."
Arrow and I nod. Arrow clears his throat and bounces on the balls of his feet. "Let me know if you need help. Killing herself shouldn't be the answer to her problems."
Vex leaves us as I face Arrow. "What'll we d-do if she da-does it?"
He sighs. "I have no idea. We'll have an uneven number between three girls, who already have set partners. Doesn't seem fair to let some of them fall to the side, though. A life of abstinence shouldn't be forced on them when they didn't have a choice in this mission either."
"She doesn't want to have sex, either, though. Should we make her do that when she has no desire to? It would turn her group into a band of rapists."
He glance skims over me. "Can't that be said for you and the other girls as well?"
I shrug. "I can't fully speak for the twins, but I'm certain they're willing to do all of this. They haven't said anything to me about not wanting to participate.” My cheeks flare with heat. “I also think they've slept with a few of their guys already."
"I think that's the most you've ever said to me without stuttering."
The heat covers my face and slides down my neck. I want to hide, but manage to keep myself from going invisible. "I-It's g-getting a little e-easier."
Silence falls between us. I lick my lips. "Was Dr. Langsting really your fa-father?"
His grey eyes stare into mine until I glance away. Maybe I shouldn't have asked such a personal question when he and I aren't close.
"Yes, he was. He had an affair with another doctor. She became pregnant, but didn't want me. Dr. Langsting offered to take me with no responsibility from her. Per the course of all our conceptions, he took me from her and turned me into a hybrid for the artificial womb to accept me."
I push a lock of my iridescent, violet hair behind my ear. "What's it like knowing where you come from?"
He shrugs. "Not that much different than not knowing. I never met the woman, so I can kind of see both sides of the coin. After the affair, she transferred to the British Kingdom."
I nod. "Th-thank you for sharing with me."
A huff leaves him, and I take a step back. What did I do to piss him off this time? I'm never good enough in manners or personality for him, I swear.
He reaches out for my hand, pulling me back toward him. His grip lessens as he traces the lines on top of my fingers with his thumb. A tingle travels up my arm. Who knew he could be so gentle.
His stare meets mine again. "I'm sorry."
I tilt my head to the side. "Sorry for what?"
"I know I didn't make the greatest first impression on you, and I'm only in your group be
cause you didn't want to split up Echo and me. For which I'm grateful to you. I honestly don't know what I'd do without him. We've been friends for as far back as I can remember."
Something about the infliction in his voice perks something within me. Are Echo and him together? It would make sense. Homosexual relations are entirely natural and primal. There was no rule against being with someone at the compound, because until recently, everyone was sterile. So, no risk of producing strange off-spring.
"Let's start over then. Hi, my name is Velma." I move my hand in his grasp to shake it.
He grins. "Hi, Velma, you can call me Arrow. It's nice to meet you."
At least now we have something to build on. Maybe being with him for the rest of my life won't be that bad.
Chapter Ten
Daring
“Return to your seats. The first warp-travel will begin in three minutes.”
I tense at the woman’s voice. I don’t want to have my stomach plummet again. Everyone returns to the seating room. We all take our original places, and the straps come out of the chairs to wrap themselves like snakes around our bodies. I take King’s and Octavius’s hands again.
“Entering warp-travel, please do not leave your seat.”
I close my eyes. Like I could even if I want to; these straps aren’t going anywhere.
Bile rises in my throat as my stomach clenches and drops. My body tingles as my hands shake in the guys’ grasps. The ship hums with power.
Could it blow like a bomb? My lungs tighten. I can't breathe! We're going to die!
The hum fades away. "Warp-travel complete. We will enter another warp-travel in three hours. Please move about the ship."
The straps release me, and I draw in a breath. God, that was terrifying. A few stray tears run down my cheeks. I force myself to let go of their hands so they don't have to feel like they need to sit with me.
Octavius pulls me into a side hug. "Hey, it's okay. We survived. Nothing went wrong."
I bury my face into his neck. "I h-hate having t-t-to travel in th-these m-machines."
He stands, pulling me up with him. "This time I think you do need food. It'll help.
