So much she had lost over the years; the combined defeats flooded over her like a drowning deluge: sorrow; heartache; helplessness; bitterness, and finally overwhelming anger.
What right did they have to do this to us?
Without realizing where she was going, Gemma had climbed as high as she could. The thunder of rushing water came to her ears, and at just that moment, she came out upon a bare girder which formed a bench-like seat over a roaring fall of water. The stream cascaded down at least a thousand feet, to crash into a river-like holding pond, where it was forced between rows and rows of fruit bearing trees.
She caught her breath at the sight before her, backed up, and sat on the natural seat behind. It was then Gemma realized her true position. Here was the very top of the huge dome; she could touch the girders above.
There IS no way out!
Defeated at last, her sorrow resurfaced.
No one was there to see or hear; why care?
And Gemma, at last, wept.
****
Pure terror hit the pit of Loni's stomach; tingles of fear fled through his limbs.
His mat was empty!
Da pushed past him to get in the door, his arms laden with fruit, he'd picked fresh from the trees, to give to his new companion. She still lay asleep where he had left her. The younger man scampered across to the far corner, bounced down on the soft padding, dropping the small, juicy, purple balls, and waking her in the process. Instantly aware Da had brought food, she grabbed for one rolling by, put it to her mouth, and hungrily bit into it. She smiled at her benefactor, the juice running down her chin. Da reached out to hug her, the two falling to the mat with energetic abandonment.
Neither of the pair noticed Loni's shocked, rigid, frozen stance at the door.
I've already lost her! Did Galar take her?
Moaning, Loni moved to his own empty mat, dropped his burden of luscious fruit carefully on the padding. He had selected the produce with such care: the ripest; the firmest; the juiciest.
Her first meal...and, all for nothing.
She had gone away before he could offer it.
Loni sighed; sat down, uncertain what to do.
Where did she go? Why...did she run?
Loni reached out for her mind, but she was nowhere near. He had made the mistake of teaching her to close out other minds, and that included him. They were yet too unfamiliar for her to trust him.
Where are you, little one? Why do you hide from me? I never meant to hurt you.
But the thought struck him:
Did Galar?
Loni went to searching for his adversary; his challenging nemesis. He had never liked looking into the mind of this malevolent boyhood opponent, yet today, he deliberately went in.
And drew back in disappointment. Galar was still asleep. He knew nothing about this.
That means she fled of her own accord. She is fleeing from me...Or did she simply awaken, and go searching for me?
Loni didn't think so. He had seen enough of her thoughts to know she feared him. He would have to win her trust...or die trying.
Catching up a handful of plums, and a peach, Loni filled the pockets of his coveralls, and stood up. Mentally, he reassured Da, that he'd be back soon. Da paid him little mind; he was busy with his new friend.
Loni went out again, determined to find what he had so carelessly lost.
The cameras! The video from them! They will guide me!
For once in his life, Loni did not object to the constant surveillance of the overseers.
But...he could not find her in any of the present live footage. That could only mean one thing. She was the one place where there was no camera...his favorite place to hide when he wanted alone time...far atop the giant waterfall!
****
He found her sobbing uncontrollably. Suddenly, he was beside her, dropping to the bench, slipping his arm about her shoulders, drawing her against him, offering comfort.
It had been such a long time since Gemma had felt a hug, she couldn't resist. Her tears wouldn't stop flowing; her body insisted on shaking erratically, and his shoulder felt so good. She melded into the softness of him, and simply cried.
He waited, patiently, and when finally the moisture came to a slow trickle, he offered her a peach.
Chapter 17
"Why the tears?" he asked. "I never meant you hurt."
"But others of your kind have manhandled and scarred me..."
"I did not..."
She changed the subject. "What is your name? It can't be Flaw, as I've heard them say?"
Loni laughed. "They think I cannot understand...my mother used to call me, Loni. What are you called?"
"Gemma..."
"May I call you, Gem? To me you will always be a gem. I call you that because I see in you a gentle, compassionate, kind spirit."
She made an ugly face, and for a long time was silent. When at last she spoke to his mind, she was attempting an apology.
"I'm not much of a gem right now. I'm bitter, and angry...and want revenge. I am resentful, and I hate all your kind!"
"Believe me when I say, it will do you no good. To hold the past hurts as your weapons will harm only you. I have had much experience in that battle."
Tears formed in her eyes again. He bent forward and gently kissed her forehead. She drew back, as if burned.
"Don't! I never agreed to your stupid ceremony!"
He leaned back once more, and offered reassurance.
"Nor did I...but, I did choose you, out of the pair choice I was given."
She frowned.
"I did not choose the other one..."
"I never wanted to come here! What right do your people have to do these things to us?"
Saddened, he nodded. "No right," he agreed. "No man has the right to subjugate a woman... or anyone, for that matter."
"But they do it! Right here!"
"True. Those that do, are creatures of little morals, and even less intelligence..."
"If you truly feel that way, how can you live with things the way they are? Do you realize the things that are going on?"
Loni had no answer for his ignorance. He of all men should have picked up on this.
"Until now, I did not know," he meekly excused. "Also...it has been engrained in all of us, from an early age, to accept the rule of those who lead us. We know no other way..."
"That's no excuse!" she fired back. "So...now that you do know what is going on, what will you do about it?"
Loni thought a moment.
"I know what I will not do," he declared finally. "I will not be guilty of inflicting my own belief system upon others...if I can influence society for the better, I will do my best to do so."
"Oh...in other words, you'll do nothing, and things will stay the same, until something happens to affect you personally."
Somehow, her words brought him shame. To have her so disapprove of him cut deeply. He dropped his eyes; closed his mind to her, feeling hurt.
"You aren't any different from the people on the land; always at war with those they find different; either eliminate them, or purge the world of their unacceptable view point. And...if they seem inferior, why just keep them out of sight, treat them like animals...don't give them any rights!"
Loni frowned.
She is really angry. Need to turn her thoughts to something more pleasant.
"You and I...maybe, we can be the example...to affect change?"
Gemma sighed. "I'm sorry...you've suffered, too."
****
He took her by the hand, and as they meandered back to his sleep room, Loni detoured past the nurseries, birthing accommodation, and delivery rooms. They were still in the rafters above, where they could see, but not be noticed; hear and watch.
The nursery was a squalling mass of infants in tub-like cradles, men, and some sort of robot, tending them.
"Where are the women? Their mothers?"
"Mother and child are separated shortly after birth. They
fear the women will get attached."
"And, why wouldn't they want that?"
Loni attempted to side track her; he knew where she would go with the information.
"My mother and I used to play up here." He motioned to the girders above them, the catwalks running everywhere. "We hid each time they came to separate the babies from their mothers...until I got too big..."
"I saw...what happened," she softly sympathized.
Loni rushed on, to avoid remembering.
"The women are placed in another holding room, fed well...they pump their breasts, so the newborn have milk..."
"Why don't they just let them nurse? Do they even get to hold them?"
Loni shook his head sadly. "Not unless...they can hide with their baby, as my mother did."
"Why!" exploded Gem.
"They want them bred again as soon as possible."
"Pigs!" declared Gemma with disgust. "They are not cattle."
Loni had never thought of it like that. He had always enjoyed the sight of the tiny infants, longed to hold one in his arms. They seemed so helpless at that stage. Now that he looked at it closer...they did belong with the woman who birthed them.
****
Loni realized Gem was fighting back tears. To avoid letting them fall, her eyes went to the roof above them. She swallowed back moisture, and fired a question.
"How come the pressure of the ocean doesn't crush us?"
He looked at her puzzled, unable to hide his confusion.
Whatever is she talking about?
Then he saw the memory in her mind; the entry into their society.
Loni laughed.
"We are not under water. We are only beneath the surface. You must have gone through a jump portal."
"You mean...that door of light?"
He nodded. "I have never seen one, but, yes, that is what it would look like."
"I didn't know we had progressed that far. I thought that was just a theory they were working on. Scientists have actually made a teleportation device?"
Loni shrugged. "How should I know? I am a mere worker drone..."
"Are you a robot? You said, drone."
"I am real; flesh and blood...they are forever taking my blood for..."
He grew silent, as he realized, what they were using his gift for.
But Gem was on another track again, with more questions.
"You have two races in this dome. Can you tell me how that came about?"
Loni shrugged again. "All I know, is my mother told me, she was the only descendant left of the original females of her kind. She said, the world then, was a different place, then it is now..."
"Was she an alien?"
"She was humanoid, same as you, or I. But..." He considered for a moment. "Back then, the men of our peoples feared what their women could do. It seems they had powers...mind powers. To prevent the spreading; what the males considered to be a defect, the women were..."
"...kill what they don't understand!" broke in Gemma with a growl. "Typical!"
Loni sighed. "You really must learn to control your judgmental out bursts. It will get you into trouble..."
"What more can they take from me, eh? They can't blind me, or...deafen me, as they've done you. They can take my life, but right now...it doesn't mean much the way it is."
"Ah, Gem...so bitter. Yet, beneath, when you have worked it all through, you will be a caring woman, again."
She shook her head in disagreement, and he read her private thought:
He has such confidence in me. Wish I could really be the person he sees.
Oh God; what am I becoming.
He gently squeezed her hand, to reassure.
Chapter 18
Entering the door of the sleep-room first, attracted by the ecstatic sounds emanating from the far corner, Gem looked over, and gave a shocked gasp. Da was atop Lydia, both moving in a familiar rhythm she hadn't indulged in for over ten years.
"Oh, gosh," she declared, turning away embarrassed. "They are making love..."
Loni grinned boyishly, and led her to his mat. When seated, she demanded, in a forced whisper.
"Sure didn't take him long. She's married with a baby back home! Do you know that?"
"All Da understands is that she's been given to him. He's an innocent, following his emotions and urges."
"And so, he just forced her?"
"I don't think so. It looks like, she was quite willing..."
The noises from the other side had quieted. The pair lay side-by-side recovering.
"Does he realize, he is being watched?" Gem challenged.
Loni looked up to the ceiling, at the plainly visible video camera, and for the first time, Loni swore. He moved to his feet rapidly, and to the other mat.
"Da," he said in the boy's mind. "Time we went to work."
And Da obeyed without question. Both men brought along their partners.
It was not permitted for anyone to go idle.
****
She noticed, the first empty showers against the wall were spraying constant hot water. Steam filled the large common shower room, and at first, Gemma thought they were alone.
She felt grungy all over from hauling the bags of wood chips to be spread beneath the flowering trees of the landscape. Her hands were filthy; nails black with dirt from the soil of the garden; weeding out the unwanted plants peeking through.
A shower was most welcome! Even if it must be shared in the presence of these two men. After all, they had first come to them, naked as a newborn.
Following Lydia's uninhibited example, Gemma quickly shed her filthy shift.
But, why is Loni so tense?
Even Da acted as if something were wrong; his whole attitude anxious.
It's as if the two expect to have to defend themselves...or fight for the showers.
It was then Gemma became aware, there were others in the shadowed steam. They were coming from all sides, dozens of naked men, creeping upon the four, surrounding them, their minds curious...and lustful.
Gemma shivered.
Loni's mind-voice came through loud and clear, to all three of his companions: "Da, stay in front of the girls. Let them have first turn at the showers. We protect!"
"'kay," Da thought, and obediently moved to shield Lydia.
"Gem, you and Lydia move back under the water. We will keep them from touching you..."
Lydia whimpered fearfully; she had suddenly realized the precariousness of the situation. Gemma put her arm about the younger girl, and led her under the flowing water.
For a second, the women drew in their breath with shock, as the heat scalded over their bare shoulders, but each quickly adapted.
"Soap is on the ledge behind you," offered Loni.
As the sizzling water cascaded over her dirty curls, Gemma was aware of the frustrated grunts of those confronting Da and Loni. Like animals fighting at a feeding trough, the aggressors shoved at Loni, whose mind was as busy as his hands.
Gem watched as he made suggestions, distracting and turning the enemy away, one at a time. Amazingly, the two boys were gaining the upper hand, though outnumbered ten to one.
She kept her shower short. Even the dirt beneath her fingernails, was disposed of rapidly by the driving hot spray.
"There are towels and clean coveralls on a shelf to the right," Loni revealed, anticipating their readiness. "Hurry and dress. Once you are covered, they will lose interest."
Without question, Loni was leader of the group. He seemed to know what to do; they all trusted, and obeyed, without questioning.
"Now, you, Da...take your shower."
Gem shook her head in disgust, wondering:
Is this how it will always be? Fighting for every private moment. How can we live like this?
"It will only be for tonight," Loni answered in thought. "They are already moving away. When you are clothed, the novelty quickly wears off."
But Gem still felt exposed; she wanted this over with, as soon as possibl
e.
"You, go shower," she ordered, taking over. "I saw what you did to keep them at bay. I can implant suggestions, just as you did..."
Loni laughed, delighted. "You learn fast," he marveled, obeying a little reluctantly.
When, at last, they were all clean, Gem gave a relieved sigh. She had never been a public person, especially where bathing was concerned.
On the way back to the men's quarters, they passed an unmanned fruit stand; Loni and Da simply grabbed what they wanted for their supper, and the girls followed suit.
They were all weary enough to head for bed directly after, surrendering immediately to exhausted slumber, each girl cuddled up, backed up into the arms of their partner. There were no objections this night; even from Gemma.
Chapter 19
Loni started awake. He had almost forgotten he had a sleeping companion; it was that comfortable with her.
In his arms, Gem had suddenly gone tense, as if for a second, she had stopped breathing. Now, she was struggling desperately for breath, gasping for great gulps of air, unable to pull them in quickly enough, as if her lungs were paralyzed.
Loni could feel her two hearts pounding out of sync, warring with each other; getting in each other's way. One was beating too slow, while the other, impacted by the first, fought to compensate.
He was next aware of excruciating pain, shooting from shoulder to shoulder, across her back. To add to this agony, the pressure spread across the front to her chest, and up the side of her neck.
From the way she was fighting it, this apparently was not the first time it had happened. She continued to thrash about, fighting the rebellion of her body, until the phenomenon should ease. But, Loni knew, without help, it would not end well. Gem's new hearts were about to cease, altogether.
He had immediately realized what was causing her dilemma: the physicians had failed to bring her second organ into union with its partner, so the two would not be constantly striking together. Perhaps, it had been an oversight, or maybe, purposeful; he couldn't be the judge, but now that she had been placed among the flawed, medical aid would be withheld...unless, it was to prolong a pregnancy.
****
The pain in her chest, and lack of oxygen, had driven Gemma to abrupt consciousness; the awareness of the man at her back, rudely brought to the forefront, as he circled her front with his arms.
Monsters Among Us (Deception Series Book 1) Page 8
