by Robert Brown
“So that only leaves North and South America?”
“Yes. The Canadians are splitting up along similar lines as ourselves, humans to the coasts and mutants to the interior. Central and South America have been largely kept in check by their werewolf populations. They have protected the vampires during the day which blocked humans from starting the fires and the bloodshed we experienced after the haze.”
“Does The Angel or her people know about the blood substitute?”
“I doubt there are many things we know of which she isn’t also aware. Before Dr. Usachova left to live with the vampires, she told me The Angel’s powers increased after the haze, and she wasn’t sure what her limits were or if she had any.”
Despite the engrossing nature of the European footage on the screens before them, while looking around, the sound has been muted from the feeds and all eyes seem in transfixed attention to the discussion between former President Thomas and President Harlow.
Nodding his head at the suggestion, “Do you know how I can contact her?”
Before Harlow is able to respond, the phone at the conference table begins to ring. President Harlow looks at James and shrugs. “It’s probably for you. We really don’t know the extent of her powers.”
Hesitantly, James Thomas picks up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hello, President Thomas.”
“Hello, Cora. Are you aware of what is happening in Europe?”
“I know what they are doing, and it is unfortunate. We gave our allies in Europe the process requirements for cloning human blood, and they have determined their own path forward. Only England is handling the situation in the same manner we have currently chosen.”
“I’m sorry for not supporting your people, Cora. I know my decisions were wrong. I want to thank you for not making the rest of humanity suffer for my mistakes.”
“I am aware it causes uncertainty for humans that my kind have such powers and abilities. I hope once our territories are more clearly defined we can begin working together as separate groups. I always had the personal belief that regardless of the form it takes, we share the long-term goal of the continued survival of the human race.”
“I am no longer the president, but I will do what I can as a representative to work between our two groups for continued cooperation and understanding.”
“Thank you, President Thomas. You should contact Representative Cavanaugh from the New Oregon Territory. He has some ideas about what might work for our two groups to help the children in your territories that endure Shatterbones. Things can be done to prevent them from becoming problems for you.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Our Future
Seven Months Post Haze
Oregon Territory
The floor is littered with bodies. The difficulty of making it across the large room without stepping on someone’s arm or tripping over a torso is compounded by the darkness. Holding a small flashlight, Cora’s father traverses the treacherous landscape in a desperate attempt to get to the bathroom.
Cora delivered her baby, Grace, earlier. The timing of her delivery and the sun rising trapped her personal guard as well as those friends that came by to support her. The sun shutters were closed to seal the home’s windows, and the vampires eventually fell asleep in the living room.
Robert and his wife, Tanya, are spending the day in the downstairs office while Cora is sleeping in their room with her baby. The birth was a joyous affair with Grace being a healthy and extremely vocal baby girl.
Giving him a small shock, the door opens when he reaches for the handle and he receives a smile from Dr. Usachova.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Taylor, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine. I forgot there were other people in the house that weren’t asleep.”
“Could I speak with you and your wife after you’re done?”
“Sure. Just head into the office; Tanya is awake and I’ll be there shortly.”
Laughter greets Robert’s ears as he opens the door. His wife and the doctor are having some sort of entertaining discussion.
“Did you check on the kids?”
“Yes, they’re still playing outside. Claw Water and the others are with them.”
“Claw Water.” Tanya shakes her head. “I was barely willing to let my children play with a stranger’s dog before The Shattering, and now they are being protected by werewolves. What happened to our world?”
Patting her leg as he sits down, he smiles. “I still don’t trust most people’s pets. I think the fact they were monkeys helps, but being able to speak with them makes the greatest difference to me. I need the ability to communicate to build trust.”
The doctor smiles at their interaction and takes their words as everything else she hears into her overall understanding of what is happening. All things in this new world are data and she no longer leaves her research mode.
“I wanted to speak with you about Grace, the rest of your children, and what I have been able to discover these last few months.”
“Is everything okay?” The apprehensive look on the new grandparent’s faces betray the high level of their concern.
“Don’t worry, your children are fine, and I’m sure Grace is as well. They are all healthy, but there are some physiological changes we discovered, and we have to check Grace to see what variance she may have. There is obviously a difference in genetic orientation between humans and the vampires. Vampire gestation is forty-eight weeks, not forty like regular humans for example.
“Longevity is one of the areas we are studying. We need DNA samples from you, your children, and Grace. What we are hoping to discover or determine is if changes have been written into the genetic code to alter lifespan.”
“You think the vampires might live forever?”
“It is a possibility based on tales from history.”
“Of course, we’ll give you anything you need for your research. When do you think you will have an answer?”
“That is the difficult part of research. What I am looking at are the ends of chromosomes called telomeres. They slowly diminish over time as the cells of the body replicate, and it is believed they are the reason people grow old. Unfortunately, it will take at least ten years to make any measurable determination of telomere length.”
“Hell, in ten years we’ll probably be able to see with our own eyes if they are going to live forever.”
“Yes, well there is a chance that the vampires won’t appear to age externally but will still be aging at the cellular level. That is why research and data are so important as opposed to observation…”
A buzzer on the desk rings.
“Three vehicles have stopped at the fence, armed humans are riding on the outside of two of them.”
Now it is Dr. Usachova’s turn to look alarmed, but Robert and Tanya seem relieved at the news.
Smiling, Tanya presses the intercom button. “We’ll be right out.”
“You should come with us, Tatyana; it’s probably Grace’s other grandparents.”
*
Smiles, hugs, and surprised looks are shared by the Taylors when Greg and Evelyn Cavanaugh exit their vehicle carrying a new baby of their own.
“This is Lilly.” Smiling, Evelyn holds her tiny infant for the assembly to see.
“I didn’t even know you were pregnant! Did you?” Robert questions his wife who shakes her head in reply.
“She was a surprise for us as well.” Greg smiles proudly. “There were so many things happening at the time, Evelyn didn’t realize how she was feeling was due to a pregnancy and not the haze going away.”
“So you became pregnant before the haze lifted?”
“Evelyn, Greg, this is Dr. Usachova. She used to…”
“Work for the president. Yes, I’m familiar with the name. Hello, I’m glad to finally meet you.” Greg’s handshake is enthusiastic to say the least.
“Greg has been wanting to meet with you to discuss research proposals
on how to deal with future mutations in human territories,” Evelyn offers. “Greg was in congress representing Oregon and is running for governor of the new Oregon Territory.”
“I would be happy to speak with you. Anything we can do to minimize problems would be helpful.”
A scream of pain from the side of the house has humans and werewolves running across the yard. Rounding the corner, Robert and Tanya are faced with a heartbreaking horror of their daughter, Elizabeth, writhing on the ground in agony. Her bones are snapping and her skin is distorting in unnatural angles as their support structures break.
“Claw Water, please get her inside. She can’t be in the sunlight once the change is complete.” Turning to Dr. Usachova and Greg Cavanaugh, “If you want to work together to minimize problems, figure out a way to keep the children safe when they change during the day. There has to be some type of test that tells us when the change is going to happen.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Shatter Research Center Four
Nine Years Post Haze
Washington State
Evelyn is filled with motherly anxiety. In the seven years that the program has been in operation, there have been few fatalities. Few fatalities but still some, so not a perfect track record. All she can think when looking at Lilly is that her daughter is diminutive in scale compared to other girls her age. She is only four feet tall and fifty-five pounds. Of course, Evelyn is only five feet tall herself so she shouldn’t expect her daughter to be at the same height as other children her age, at least that is what the doctors always tell her.
Your daughter will hit her true growth potential once she reaches puberty. Doctor Gregory kept reminding her over these last few weeks. Still, she is so small that the person she will be paired up with could pick her up and break her in half if they want. But she has been assured that isn’t how any of the fatalities occurred. There were genetic anomalies in the children that prevented their pubescent change from completing its cycle, it caused them to grow weak and the adults they were paired with took the opportunity to kill them.
She is worried that Lilly might be one of those few because of her size but her genetic make-up is normal. If she didn’t test normal, Lilly would not have been allowed to stay at home with her parents for the extra year. Most girls are taken to institutes at age seven and boys at eight. They arrive two years before they are supposed to hit puberty. The only exceptions are children like Lilly who have exceptionally wealthy parents and can afford the medical screens four times a day and security staff.
Evelyn stares at Lilly who is sitting across from her in the limousine. Lilly looks up from what she is reading and smiles at her mother briefly before seeming to return to her book. The ride is lonely and quiet without her husband, and she turns her gaze to one of the security vehicles driving beside the limo and the machine gun mounted soldier riding in the back.
“Are you okay, Mom?”
The soft voice of her daughter pulls her back to the present and away from her fears for a moment.
“I’m just going to miss you, sweetie.”
“And you’re afraid I’m going to get hurt?”
“Yes. I’m afraid for you.”
Evelyn begins to cry.
“I’m afraid too, Mom. I’ve watched the videos and I know what to expect, but I’m still nervous that the person they’ll pair me with will hurt me. That’s why dad didn’t come.”
“No, Lilly,” her mom says with an attempt at being sincere. “Your father is our territorial governor, he had to go to Washington today.”
“I love you, Mom, but you and Dad need to coordinate your lies better. I’m almost nine, and he tells me a lot of things that he sees at the institutions. He tells me things you wish he would keep from me.”
“What did he tell you?”
“He told me he’s seen too many children turn with their puberty guides and couldn’t bear to watch me go through it. Last night, he told me he loved me and that he made sure everything was in place for my arrival, but he couldn’t come with and asked me to forgive him.”
Evelyn is quiet for a moment, just nodding at what her daughter told her.
Puberty guides is the term used for criminals that are sentenced to be locked in rooms with children before they are about to mutate. The system was set up to control unwanted deaths or destruction in the human territories resulting from a child reaching puberty and going through The Shattering. Usually, only the largest and strongest individuals are paired with the children to ensure enough blood is present right after the change.
“Your father is in charge of institute oversight. He has seen things that…well, your father is a good man and loves you very much. As strong as he is, he has two weaknesses, you and me.”
Lilly smiles.
“He isn’t afraid you will get hurt or he would be with us. He wants to remember you as his little girl.”
“He promised he would pick me up from the institution when Shatterbones is done.”
“Please don’t use that word, Lilly.” Evelyn shivers as memories of her first exposure to the change at puberty are brought back. It unnerves her that today’s children have adopted the term Shatterbones to describe what they will be going through.
Try as she might to remain composed for her daughter, Evelyn starts shivering and tears begin to stream from her eyes.
Forgetting her seatbelt, Lilly tries to stand up to cross to her mother’s seat and give her a hug. “I’m sorry,” she says before the seatbelt alarm rings auto-locking the limousines breaks and sending the security team into action.
The two security trucks next to the limo break and the teams jump out. Before Evelyn can protest, she is pulled from the car and Doctor Gregory is next to Lilly checking her blood.
Evelyn walks up to Sergeant Conner and slaps him in the face.
“Did I press my button?”
“No, ma’am.”
“No, I didn’t! You told me your men were trained. If they can’t follow simple instructions, how am I supposed to feel safe?”
“Your husband changed our orders, ma’am.”
Evelyn lowers her head, realizing she made the mistake. Of course her husband would do something like that. She should have rechecked with Conner after they left the house. She regains her anger and looks back at the sergeant.
“I don’t care if my husband is the governor. Right now, you are transporting a mother and her child. She was only trying to give me a hug, that’s what triggered the breaks and the alarm. Doctor Gregory will remain in the limo with us for the rest of the trip, and if my button isn’t pressed, you will not let your men touch me. Do you understand?”
“Yes ma’am. It won’t happen again, ma’am.”
Evelyn walks back to the car where the doctor nods his approval before she gets back inside. This time, Lilly’s eyes are filled with tears.
“I’m so sorry, Lilly. You know what they told you about staying seated while the car is moving.”
Evelyn gives her daughter a long hug, and the journey continues once Doctor Gregory enters the cabin and sits next to Lilly.
*
The security trucks and limousine stop outside the main gate. Large black letters attached to the white wall proclaim Washington Shatter Research Center 4. Doctor Gregory checks Lilly’s blood one more time before he steps out to begin the check in procedure.
This institute is a new facility. It was finished three years ago and started taking its first adolescents a year later. Most institutes are remodeled prisons, but this one is completely new and was designed in part as a research facility and also as a more comfortable place for the region’s wealthiest children to spend The Shattering years.
“You’re lucky to be here, Lilly. I’ve seen the pictures of the other institutes, and while they do their best to make the children comfortable, there is only so much interaction that can take place once you children are introduced to your puberty guides. Your room will be the same size as the one at our house.”
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“Do they make the guide stay in the room with me once Shatterbones…once The Shattering begins?”
“I don’t think they would be able to take the guide out.”
“They have to leave eventually, don’t they? I mean, I don’t want them sleeping in the room with me.”
Evelyn shudders and closes her eyes knowing the videos they prepared for children are happy versions of what really takes place. The scripted movies are designed to give the children going to the institutes some understanding of what is in store, but not enough information to frighten them. Lilly doesn’t understand that she won’t want her guide to leave her side once The Shattering begins.
“They will remove your guide if he isn’t to your liking.”
Doctor Gregory returns to the car and asks Evelyn to step out.
“Lilly, your mom and I will have to walk in while the institute doctors check the vehicle and drive it in. Do you need anything?”
“Will you go far?”
“No, we will be walking right outside the car and you can see your mother through the window.”
“Okay. Can I get one more hug?”
Evelyn steps forward to hug Lilly one last time, but the doctor puts his hand out and shakes his head. Evelyn slaps his hand out of the way and gives him that special look reserved for men when they do something extremely stupid. She leans in and gives her daughter one last hug. When she closes the car door, Lilly watches as her mom’s finger starts wagging in the doctor’s face. The lights surrounding the institute click on to illuminate the scene as dusk approaches.
*
Evelyn and Doctor Steiner are walking through a pale white corridor to the viewing room which overlooks Lilly’s room.
“I am amazed you and your husband were able to keep Lilly with you for so long. Her tests show she could begin her cycle at any time.”
