Chapter 33
Da watched from above, as the scientist left the experimental lab. His baby girl was there, in an incubator, tubes running from the machine, around and inside, sticking out of the infant's nose, attached to a tiny foot; needles leading in to feed her, who knew what? Drugs?
I have to stop this! No more! But, I have to prevent them from coming in while I do it...need some kind of distraction...
He left his sentry position.
My little belly bump can't be worse off, while I go away to create the diversion that will save her life.
He slunk down the corridors leading away; hiding in corners and doorways when gowned, masked experimenters passed him, near inches away. They never even noticed him.
Da sought something, anything he could use; he knew not what at the moment. Then, there it was: the forbidden closet!
So often, Loni had cautioned Da, warned him never to go into one of these, and if he ever did so, he must never touch the things inside.
Loni had said, the chemicals, and cleaning agents inside had been brought across by the returning Physicians, stolen from the world from which Lydia and Gem came. These elements were poisonous, caused fumes, smoke, and...fire, if they were spilled together. Loni had been burned by such an acid; that was why he had no ears.
This would create the perfect diversion!
As Da entered, closed the door behind him, pulled the cord to light the overhead bulb, and tentatively gazed about, he thought on what else Loni had said: to take precautions...always!
All three walls were covered in shelving, from floor to ceiling, and each ledge was filled with appropriated contraband: towels and sheets; gowns and gloves; blankets; tubing, needles, and many more instruments Da could not identify, but at the moment, he sought only one specific thing.
And there, at the very top, he saw them!
They were piled high, all in disarray, as if thrown at random, no one caring about neatness.
Paper masks! They were meant to fit over the nose, and mouth, to protect against smell...and fumes...and things that were bad for you.
But Da couldn't reach them.
Then he spied the stool, hidden there beneath the bottom shelf, on the middle wall. He pulled it out, moved it over beneath the side wall, and mounted it, not realizing he must first lock the supports. He reached, barely caught what he was after, before he over balanced, and...fell, the whole unstable unit toppling on top of him.
For a second Da lay there, not hurt, but listening. No sound in the hallway.
At least he had his mask to cover his face!
As he stood, he hardly noticed the mess he had made; Da simply left the paper coverings strewn about him. He was too intent, and in a hurry, to get this business done.
After donning his hard won mask, Da searched around for what would fulfill what he really needed.
Deep in a far corner, where the shelves were more firmly fixed, Da found what he sought: a metal scrubbing bucket and mop, and...the canisters, boxes, and bottles of cleaning agents.
Now, for the next step!
He removed the mop; there was no need for that. Next he took down every bottle with liquid in it, and went to work.
What he wanted was enough smoke...or fumes, to fill the halls, and cause a panic among those working in this sector. If it was confined to one closet, it would take them awhile to determined where the odor, and smoke, came from. It would give him the time to set his small one free from the incubator.
Da emptied each bottle, one at a time, into the aluminum pail. Each seemed to run so slow, gurgling forth at a snail's pace. He became impatient, even before he had all of the first batch poured in. First bleach, then ammonia...and anything else available.
He could almost hear Loni scolding him in his head, even though he knew, Loni knew nothing of what Da was doing.
"Slow down," it seemed to say. "Plenty of time. When you rush, you make a mistake."
How many times had Loni said just that?
One after the other, Da watched the bottles empty.
He needed something to make it smoke; perhaps this canister? It read: Drano. And that did it! With a small puff of an explosion, the smoke started filling the air.
Da could smell it now, even through his mask. It was time to get out of there!
At least the fumes were rising; up toward the vent in the ceiling. But, the smoke was making it impossible to see; filling the small room, seeping under the door to the outside.
Can't stay! All done! This should do!
Da kicked the pail, and turned to the door. He didn't notice the splash, as the pail slid away. Acid splattered, on the floor, the paper face masks...and ignited a tiny spark against one.
Da opened the door carefully, peered hesitantly around the doorframe. All was clear; the corridor empty. He closed the door behind him, and fled.
But...with the small breeze created by the closing door, a draft fanned the small spark. The paper mask burst into flame, lighting the others. Not soon after, the room became a roaring inferno; before Da had even reached the other end of the hall.
Oblivious to what was developing behind him, Da pulled off his mask, tossed it away, and headed out, once again, to the experimental lab...and to the rescue.
****
The crying of a faint, panicked voice in his head brought Loni to full consciousness. Beside him, Gem woke with a start, at the same instant.
"Where is the baby?" she telepathed to him. "Does Lydia have her?"
But, when together they looked over to Lydia's mat, she was sleeping soundly, dead to the world. Next, their eyes went to Scar's corner.
He was gone!
As one, they shot to their feet.
Like tracking dogs, it wasn't hard for the pair to follow the mental print of their daughter. Her thoughts were basic, infantile...to be expected. She should not have even been in the position to call out to them. All the wee one demanded was: milk; her bottom dry; and a less uncomfortable, confining space.
Her cries were audible, as they neared her.
They were appalled at where, and how, she'd been hidden.
She screamed her indignation, as they lifted the rock roof from her cave. With obvious anger, Loni flung away the rocks of the ring surrounding their treasure.
He knew who had imprisoned the child; the why did not matter!
Gem, lifted the infant gently, cuddling her against her chest. Then baring her leaking breast, the mother nursed her child on the spot.
****
Da crept into the experimental lab, fearful of being detected. Warning sirens were sounding everywhere; apparently the distraction had worked, as no attendant was in evidence.
He went first to the incubator, to gaze lovingly at his belly bump. She was so small; tiny little toes and fingers, but...all there; the mouth sucking one thumb.
But, no time to dawdle.
Let's get this done!
Da moved to a nearby row of shelves. He'd seen what they contained when watching from above: diapers, towels and washcloths; a sort of wrapper thing that fit around your chest, tied at the back...or front, as you chose, so you could carry the infant from place to place. He had seen it used at other times.
He donned the wrapper carry-thing, tied it so his burden would be in front, then grabbed a diaper, and made for the incubator, again.
First thing, Da pulled the electrical plug powering the machine, and then all the tubes leading into it. The insistent beeping, that started the minute he unplugged, was drowned by the loud and persistent warning sirens. But now, he knew, he needed to hurry, before someone noticed and came.
He lifted the lid on the tiny bed; quickly removed the needle and tubing from her foot. As he pulled the tube from the baby's nose, she gagged, and went limp; the thumb she had been sucking lay abandoned beside her open gasping mouth. A moment later, she appeared not to be breathing at all, but Da had no time to think of that. All he wanted was to get her free.
Loni will fix her, if
I can't. He couldn't fix Lydia...but, Gem did. She will fix my baby bump!
And Da thought no more about it.
He diapered the tiny bottom, glad the sides of the garment stuck to each other. He lifted, ever so carefully, and slid the wee creature inside his chest pack.
Then Da turned, and ran like the Hydra was chasing him.
****
When Scar rose to the top of the ladder, the empty sack hanging from his neck, prepared to carry the blue infant baby away with him, he found she was already back with her parents.
Finding an empty, and destroyed cairn, he knew immediately what had happened, and when he went back to the campsite to claim her, Scar found the baby, he felt had been given to him, asleep in Gem's arms.
It annoyed him, but he could wait.
He returned to his sleep pad, to lay down, but Loni would have none of it. At first sight of Scar, Loni shot to his feet. The wrath emanating from both the telepaths was palpable.
In a second, before Scar could sit, Loni had crossed the center of the camp area, and floored him with one solid punch, direct on his jaw.
To this point, Loni had never been aggressive or violent with Scar; his self control was ever at the forefront; patience never absent...until the perceived injury to his tiny, helpless infant. It was evident, this was Loni's breaking point; where he drew the line.
The blow had hit hard, with all the anger and frustration, building since Gem's kidnapping, behind it; even Loni had been unaware of this evidence of a seething loathing, smoldering beneath the surface.
As Scar struggled to regain his senses, he clearly understood the irate words in his head.
"Never, are you EVER to touch that baby again! Do you hear me? NEVER! You get away from here; stay away...until you learn! This is our child! No one takes it from us! It is not Galar's; not yours! Ours!"
With that said, Loni turned. His temper cooled, even as he returned to his mate.
But Scar didn't know that.
All the one armed twin knew was, he was no longer welcome. But...how many times had Galar said the same words? He would go away now...Galar always took him back again later...
But, I'll get even...just you wait.
Scar rose shakily to his feet, turned, picked up, and slung, his knapsack onto his back. Then, with evident temper, he stomped toward the ladder leading down.
And as Scar disappeared, had he looked up, instead of down, he might have seen Da...descending from above, a listless soft bundle in a pouch around his chest.
Chapter34
Loni was watching the ladder; he wanted no more surprises. He expected Scar to come back with a weapon, and attack. What he was unprepared for was to see Da, first his legs, and belly, then the small lifeless burden wrapped around his middle, and finally, the despondent expression on the dark one's features; Da coughing uncontrollably, as he stepped out into their camp grounds.
His patience gone, Loni sent the thought more sharply than he planned.
"What have you done, Da? What have you got there?"
Loni went quickly into the simple one's mind, and knew in an instant the conditions surrounding. He relaxed somewhat, as he realized there would not be chase given for some time, if at all.
"She won't breathe!" Da thought with panic. "I think she is dead."
"Your baby?" Loni questioned. "This one is Lydia's?"
Da nodded; tears in his pleading eyes.
****
During the ruckus with Scar, Lydia had feigned sleep. No amount of disorder penetrated much into her listless depression. Her babies were both gone; the one back with its father; the second, the Physicians had murdered.
What reason do I have to take any interest in what is going on about me?
Lydia knew, something had happened with Gem's little girl. When the pair returned, Loni was so protective, shadowing Gem and her infant, as if all in the world about them were their enemies.
But Gem has HER baby! It isn't dead!
Lydia knew it was alive; she could hear it suckling noisily at Gem's breast.
She couldn't help it; she felt jealous. As much as Gem was willing to share, that little one did not replace the one Lydia had lost.
She remained quiet through all the following disturbance; the ensuing fight between Loni and Scar, not reacting, whether in sympathy to either or not; remaining immobile, but listening, though she was not privy to the telepathic message Loni projected. Lydia was actually relieved, when the one armed man stormed away in anger.
Scar had always elicited a feeling of unease in her.
In the ensuing silence that followed, after the man left, Lydia had almost drifted off to sleep again. When Da came down the upward ladder, from the nursery area, situated to the left and above the falls, she started awake. He was gasping for breath, coughing , as if he'd been in a smoke filled room...or crying, or maybe both. Da was moaning and groaning over the bundle in his arms.
Lydia hadn't seen him since before Gem's baby was delivered, but in her emotionless state, she felt little enthusiasm at his return; nor sympathy. She remained docile, as if slumbering, on their pad.
As no words were spoken aloud, she had to figure out what was transpiring. It took her awhile to realized, they were fussing over a second infant.
Da brought another baby? Why?
And then that sixth sense kicked in, her mother sense, and it brought her shooting to a sitting position on her bed. Without being told, Lydia understood...Da had found her little one, and...brought it home to her.
Before they reached her sleeping place, Lydia was beside the men, guiding them toward it. As Da clumsily tried to undo the wrapper around his burden, she was impatiently fighting against him, forcing away the cloth, to reveal the limp form within. Expressing verbally, Lydia gave stuttering voice to all the others were feeling.
"Oh, oh; my tiny, little one; my dear, precious baby. Where, oh where, did you find it?"
It would not have mattered if the child was really the one aborted from her womb; it could have been any child. She would have taken it in trade of the one missing. But, Lydia knew, beyond a doubt...this was her infant!
The golden brown color of the skin; a cross between Da's dark, and her own white. The doll-like face, resembling her child left behind, even to the bow-shaped lips; the dark hair. Oh, there was no disputing it...THIS WAS HER BABY! She recognized it.
When it was finally free, Lydia snatched the minute creature up in her arms, cuddled it against her bosom, but...it remained limp and unresponsive.
Why is it so still?
As realization hit her, Lydia cried out in anguish.
"W...why? Why? W...would you bring me a dead baby?"
Her tone was so filled with remorse; hopeless agony, it smote the hearts of those who heard. Even in mind thought, the rending accusation came across as rebuke.
And though Lydia clearly heard Loni's thoughts telling her otherwise, she refused to believe, or to take his comfort.
Then, Gem joined them, clutching her own new born, as if she feared to leave it alone on the other mat, less it be stolen. Gem tried to force Lydia to trade infants, so she could do what was necessary, as she had done, not so long ago, for the mother.
But Lydia was not about to give up what had just been returned to her. She had her baby back; they were not taking it away again!
****
Gem gave her wee one to its father. She would have to do the healing without Loni's energy support.
With her hands finally free, she fought Lydia for the other child. The woman was strong, and desperate, not understanding that they meant to help. Her unreasoning fear was all that filled her mind. Da attempted to help, but to no avail.
At risk to his own child, one handed, Loni endeavored to pull the dying baby from Lydia's grasp. As a last resort, he mentally slugged her. Lydia dropped in her tracks, in a dead faint.
And Gem was free to heal.
****
Lydia opened her eyes to the uncomfortable pinching, dra
wing of a suckling infant at her breast...and a throbbing headache.
She was laying on her mat, the baby cradled against her. Da sat at her back, hovering protectively, as if he dared not leave his family out of his sight. Loni crouched on one knee, in front of Lydia, while Gem stood a ways behind him, once more holding her own infant, and nursing, also.
When Loni noticed Lydia was awake, with an apparent throbbing headache, which he had caused, he reached gently forward, touching her temple.
Immediately, all discomfort vanished; Lydia breathed a sigh of relief, settled back. The world seemed less chaotic, now.
As she pondered the events that had gone before; those she remembered, Lydia realized what Gem had done for her baby, and how she, Lydia, had been preventing the implementation of such needed healing. Ashamed, thankful, and overwhelmed, she began to cry.
"It's okay, Lydia...all okay, now," Gem's crooning voice in her head attempted to soothe. "We are all okay, now."
But Lydia could not stem the flow of tears; tears of gratefulness...and relief...and overpowering appreciation...for this second chance at motherhood.
But then, as other actuality swarmed in, doubts pushed away happiness.
"How will we hide the little ones?" she asked with dread, brushing frustratingly at her remaining tears. "How will we keep them secret from the overseers and the Physicians? The babies are...female!"
Chapter 35
As he climbed away, Scar's smoldering wrath exploded; if he'd had two arms, he would have been throwing things. He descended away, far down deep, passing the garden level; the cattle pens; the chicken coops; the breeding pens for meat sources: pigs; goats; dogs, even cats. Down into the bowels, he went past the vats of manure, used for fertilizer on the gardens; the recyclers ...to the very guts of the huge domes.
Yes, there was more than one dome, all connected beneath the abandoned surface world, in the honeycombed caverns, that had existed for centuries, before they were used in this way. Like ants, his ancestors had burrowed beneath, to build a safe haven against nuclear war, and the resulting poisonous atmosphere they had created. The system had one flaw; if something drastic were to happen, down in the lower regions of one dome...an explosion, perhaps, the interconnection between all, would bring about a chain reaction, destroying the lot, perhaps even the entire planet.
Monsters Among Us (Deception Series Book 1) Page 15
