Elements (The Biodome Chronicles series Book 2)

by Sundin, Jesikah

  “I hate you!” he shouted at Hanley. Fillion stood on unsteady legs, made more so by the chains. Every muscle in his body tensed and his face contorted in rage and grief. “Did you hear me? You sick, twisted bastard. I hate you!”

  “Think of all you could do for them, Fillion.”

  Hanley rose from his chair and walked toward where he stood. Perhaps to others, Hanley appeared gracious and sympathetic this moment. The pathological liar didn’t fool him, though.

  “You really are the perfect solution.”

  “Perfect solution for what?! What are you going to do to them?” Fillion’s eyes widened. “Holy shit, what am I going to do to them?”

  “You’re bonded to the community. They trust you, Son of Eden. What is the story? Oh, yes. A man of magic, one who will save them from the evils of the Outside world.” Hanley offered a kind smile. “You are predictable, Fillion, from your overactive mind to your bleeding heart.” Hanley paused and the smile widened. “Did you perchance discover what was real?”

  Another intense pain stabbed Fillion, weakening his body, and he started to fall over. Arms wrapped around him and held him up. But Fillion pushed the person away, screaming to leave him alone. He just wanted to fall and keep falling and shatter into a million pieces.

  “The poison may still cause hysteria and paranoia,” he heard Hanley say to those in the room. “His PTSD triggers have not been repressed either. He needs sedation.”

  Another pair of hands touched him and Fillion fought back, knocking over a chair. Shouts echoed off the walls as people rushed into the room. Fillion was thrown to the ground. Through the haze of faces and voices, Fillion locked eyes with Hanley. A sharp prick in his upper arm made Fillion wince and he snapped his attention to the woman leaning over him. She started to speak but he couldn’t hear a single word over his own screaming. Fillion thrashed, fighting the sensations until a heaviness settled over him and the room undulated with the faintest movement.

  “I think we have reached an agreement,” Hanley’s soothed from above. Fillion opened his eyes to the fuzzy image of his father, the features of Hanley’s face eclipsed by a bright light overhead. Nevertheless, he knew the smile didn’t reach Hanley’s eyes. It never did. “I expect you to fulfill your end of the bargain.” His dad angled his head away. “Michael, I need PR. We have an announcement to make. Leaf still with medical?”

  Fillion turned his head and stared at the whitewashed walls through the arms holding him down. The world dimmed and Fillion fell into the dark atmosphere of his head. The black air didn’t possess expectations. It absorbed everything and reflected nothing. His body hovered over reality until it blurred into the shadows of his mind. Death was welcome, and he surrendered to the throbbing ache in his heart.

  “You will make an excellent Gamemaster one day,” Hanley whispered in his ear. “But do not ever forget that this game is over only when I say so.”

  Everything went black.

  ***

  Biosphere 2 was built in 1991, to see if man could build a contained environment which they could live in, without the aid of the outside world. It was bringing the dream of seeing new worlds to Earth, taking the first steps towards a future in which humans could expand onto new planets and new frontiers; and to this day it is still a picture of science fiction brought to life. Biosphere 2 did something incredible at that time—it showed us that we had no idea what we were doing. Not enough oxygen, not enough food ... they couldn’t do what they set out to do, and for some this was a disappointment and a failure. This stance, however, is based on a misunderstanding of the scientific method. No scientist always gets the results that they want, but an experiment is not a failure if something new can be learned.

  — AB Raschke (aka Waitingforrain28), “Biosphere 2: Bringing Science Fiction to Life,” pathofthenightborn.wordpress.com, October 18, 2012 *

  ***

  Tuesday, November 17, 2054

  New Eden Township, Salton Sea, California

  Eight weeks had passed since Coal last found her in this position. Oaklee lay upon her stomach, ankles crossed with feet swaying back and forth through the air. A willow oak leaf twirled in her hand. Something always had to spin in her fingers. Coal smiled as memories of their times together came flooding back. He leaned against a tree across the forest path from her; she was oblivious to him. Her focus was riveted on Laurel, who ran and jumped with the other children by The Waters.

  Unlike the adults who were rebuilding the village—and trust—after the Great Fire, the children were building dreams, fighting battles forged from their imaginations, and laughing. They were not as wary of the strangers as their older counterparts, or so he was told at the lab. The world for these younger ones was simple and beautiful.

  Scientists and psychologists now lived inside New Eden. The second wave of colonists had arrived. The community welcomed the new residents, he was told. Many still suffered trauma from the events that unfolded three weeks prior. Most, however, had recovered with renewed vigor to remain an enclosed community.

  The new colonists marveled over the children of New Eden. The youngest generations were like faerie creatures to them, embodying antiquated ideas and lifestyles that seemed more like myth and lore to the Outside culture. Coal worried that N.E.T. would rush to introduce technology. But the Outsiders were far too enamored with the children to introduce anything that could ruin the magic. The rest of planet Earth was locked into a system where even children were part of a corporate machine that groomed their minds to be complacent workers and co-dependent upon technology. But not here.

  Coal did not need to see Oaklee’s face to know she watched with wistful longing. He felt it, too. Especially when a bio-breeze disturbed the trees and set the leaves to dancing. The green and gold offerings spiraled their ballet through the air, much to the delight of the children. Oaklee’s legs stilled as she watched the leaves, her feet poised in the air, a fern ring gracing one ankle.

  “To be young and carefree again.”

  Startled by his voice, Oaklee flew to a sitting position and clutched the long, golden leaf to her chest. The fright on her face dissolved to astonishment as she found his eyes. Time slowed and he visibly noticed the moment when air returned to her lungs. It was followed by the fountain of tears that usually accompanied such moments. She studied his hair, then traveled to his piercings, followed by his clothing, and lastly his eyes once more.

  Pushing off the tree, he made eye contact with Michael, who stood a few trees down the path, a required escort for “safety” reasons. Although Coal understood the larger message—he was not be trusted alone in New Eden—he was grateful for the gift of spending a day with family.

  “Please stop looking at me so, My Lady. I shall not shatter, no more made of glass than you,” Coal teased. She rolled her eyes and hid a giggle behind her hand. He smiled playfully to hide his nerves. “I am still the same, see?”

  “You are most certainly not the same,” she finally said, wiping away an errant tear. The musical sound of her voice stilled his heart for a moment.

  “No?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “Drat.”

  “But neither am I.”

  They stared at one another for several seconds until Oaklee patted a patch of earth next to where she sat. He lowered himself to the ground and plucked a piece of grass, spinning it between his fingers. The silence stretched between them, and strangely, he did not mind. For weeks he had dreaded this moment. Even now his stomach was a jumbled mess of sensations. Still, she was his friend, and had promised to remain his friend even as he departed New Eden after foisting himself upon her.

  “Coal,” Oaklee said, shy, uncertain. She looked away and fumbled with a strand of hair, twisting and unraveling the golden threads upon her finger. “I am ashamed of the names I called you. I have carried such tremendous guilt since your departure. You are not a stupid man, nor insensitive.” A bashful smile lifted a corner of her mouth as she cast him a mischievous look. “Although I might ar
gue you are impetuous and perhaps a fool at times.”

  He laughed and her smile grew wider. How he had missed the radiance that glowed from her countenance when earning such smiles. But his heart no longer turned such exchanges into promises or longings. “I am every bit a fool, which consequently makes me rather stupid and insensitive some moments. You were not wrong about me.”

  “You do not resent me?” she asked, her tone dubious. “I shamed you before the community with false accusations. How do I even begin to apologize for such behavior?”

  He whispered, “I could never resent you.” Coal chanced a look at her. “Your heart was broken and your suffering made me feel so helpless. I could not save you, could not rescue you from the pain, nor make it right. Most of all, I feared I would fail to protect you.” He cleared his throat and looked away. “It is I who apologizes for forcing your heart in a direction you never desired to go. I was dishonorable and ungentlemanly.”

  “Coal—”

  “I love you, Oaklee. You are my heart.” She lowered her head with a becoming blush. “But I am not in love with you. You are my dearest friend.”

  Her head whipped up and her mouth parted. Then, she threw herself into his arms. Coal nearly fell back with the force, a rather unexpected feat considering her small size compared to his. Oaklee buried her face into his shoulder and wept, and he held her. This is what she needed so many weeks ago and he had failed her. Her forgiveness was humbling and he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her tighter against him. The breeze rustled the leaves once more and golden leaves fell all around them, landing with whispers of new beginnings. It was their fate, their destiny, their endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

  A cheer from the children brought them back to the moment, and she slowly pulled away from him. Her gaze touched upon his hair and piercings once more, offering a shy smile. “The look suits you. Very handsome, actually.”

  “Are you suggesting I was not before?”

  She scoffed with playful irritation. “Begging for more compliments are we?”

  “Never would I dream of such a socially outlandish thing to do.”

  “No, you are class and charm itself.”

  “Naturally.”

  Oaklee noticed Michael and her brows drew together in that subtle way of hers once more. “I have seen him before.”

  “Yeah, he is Hanley’s personal assistant and managing scientist at N.E.T. I enjoy his company at the lab, where I reside now.”

  She tilted her head as her eyes questioned him. “Did you enjoy your travels and adventures?”

  “Mostly.” Coal watched the blade of grass spin in his fingers. The carbon residue was now a memory, much as his former life. He shot a quick look at Michael and whispered, “I am not allowed to return to New Eden. Although, I did wish to remain in the Outside world.” He flicked a glance her way to watch her reaction, but she merely appeared as though that was not surprising news. “I have bargained some freedoms for myself. I may visit the community twice a month, or for communal feasts or ceremonies, should I choose. But always under the supervision of someone from N.E.T.”

  Oaklee nibbled on her lower lip a few seconds, then fell back upon the leaf-littered grass with a sigh, her arms tumbling to her side as long, golden hair spilled all around her. With a single look, she issued an invitation for Coal to join her and he tossed the blade as he eased down into a bed of grass and leaves. They turned their faces, noses inches from each other, and smiled.

  “Now,” she whispered, “Tell me everything. From the very beginning. I especially wish to know of Mack and Lynden.” Oaklee said her name with softness, as if she knew his secret already.

  “What if someone comes upon us in the grass in such a scandalous position?”

  “I do not fear New Eden’s mob mentality,” she whispered, a catch in her voice. Coal did not know how to reply, deciding instead to smile his understanding. Oaklee gave him a slight push. “If you only have one day, you shall have to begin quickly for I do not think I can wait until your next visit for any details you fail to provide.”

  He laughed and her face relaxed, as if memorizing him. To her credit, she treated him as if he had not changed, although he knew he looked drastically different. “Well, when I arrived in Seattle, it had begun to rain...” He continued to share how he met Lynden and Mack, how he earned his nicknames Farm Boy and Mr. Awesome. Oaklee smiled and laughed; tears formed when he shared of fears and hardships; her face grew tense as he described cage fighting and the underground.

  As she listened, his heart stuttered. This is what life was like before expectations to marry, before Joel had died, before they ever dreamed that one day they would become intimately acquainted with the Outside world—become intimately acquainted with the Nichols family.

  “Lynden seems rather spirited,” Oaklee said when he finished.

  “Yes, she is fond of surprises.” He rolled to his side and supported his head with bended elbow. His pulse throbbed in his chest, the rhythm uncomfortable. Nevertheless, Coal gathered courage and whispered, “I am in love with her.”

  Tears glistened in Oaklee’s eyes and she cupped his cheek. “She is a lucky woman to have your heart, Coal Hansen.”

  “Yes,” Coal said with a small smile. “She is.”

  Oaklee laughed and rolled to her back, groaning when the mirth subsided. “You are such a rascal.”

  “At your service, My Lady.” He dipped his head with a charming grin. He fell to his back and they watched the leaves fall, both blissfully enveloped by the companionable silence.

  “Coal,” she began again, hesitant. “When you see Fillion, please tell him that his Grandpa Corlan’s chest was damaged by the fire as well as most of the contents.” She moved her hand into a pocket and pulled out a stained rag mottled with dark spots and burnt edges. “Please give this to him?”

  He took the rag from her hand and drew a quiet breath upon recognizing the embroidered oak tree. “Shall I deliver a message with your token, My Lady?”

  “Tell him to guard it well.”

  “Coal, sorry to interrupt.” Michael approached with a friendly smile directed at Oaklee. “We need to get back. Meeting with NASA.”

  Oaklee moved to stand and Coal quickly rose and offered her his hand. “I shall see you soon,” he said. He tucked her father’s token into his pocket.

  “Yes, be not a stranger, Son of Fire.”

  She flashed him an impish look and he shook his head with a grin. With her hand in his, he bowed, meeting her eyes before he rose. With a final look, he pivoted on his heel and strode down the path with Michael.

  Earlier he had visited his home and spent time with his father and step-mother. He had new appreciation and respect for his father, despite not being included in the Techsmith Guild. In a way, the exclusion no longer mattered to Coal. The Outside world had fashioned such an education, and Coal found he no longer cared for the reasons his father had in not including him. Their time together would be different now, and he did not desire wedges to come between them. His family had temporarily moved closer to the North Cave near the Watsons as they rebuilt The Forge and their home, along with other trade buildings in the village.

  After catching up with his father, Coal had romped around with Blaze and listened to Corona share her many adventures with Laurel. His younger siblings touched his lip ring with curiosity. Corona marveled at the faux plugs in his ears, declaring her desire for pierced ears. This speech ended with her promise that she would wear any jewelry and baubles he wished to bring her from the Outside world.

  How could he refuse a lady such a request?

  His favorite moment, however, was when Blaze asked, very serious-like, if Coal’s hair was burned in the Great Fire, which made Coal laugh. Coal explained that the Outsiders used magic to infuse fire into his hair. Blaze’s small mouth parted with wonder and he stared at Coal’s hair as if the strands might spark into a flame at any moment. Coal tousled the four-year-old’s hair. “Just wai
t until you are known as the Son of Fire.”

  Before he visited his parents and siblings, and long before he sought out Oaklee, he spoke with Leaf and Ember. The media buzzed endlessly with the discovery that the Watson children were miraculously alive and heirs to a great fortune. Hanley fairly glowed with the positive press, using the Watsons to deflect, for the moment at least, investigations and human rights charges cropping up in the media. Leaf had visited the lab on several occasions since the Great Fire. The world still believed that a human rights hacktivist group temporarily shut down New Eden.

  But Coal knew the truth.

  He had watched from a window two weeks prior when Fillion was escorted to a police car for transport to a juvenile correctional facility, and possibly prison once he aged out of that system. Fillion was under further investigation for his role in the fires that stopped time, the moment when the past met the future. The rumors within the lab ran rampant. However, Coal knew no such findings would be made. Hanley avoided negative press for his family.

  Timothy was removed the day of the Great Fire and, according to rumors, institutionalized for mental instability. Coal was unsure if this was Fillion’s doing or Hanley’s, but either way, it kept Hanley’s identity hidden. Skylar showed signs of bereavement, as did his sisters. Regardless, the Son of Wind joined the rebuilding of the village. For their part, Windy and Gale brought food and water to the workers. But their mother took to her bed. Brianna and Ember visited daily, Leaf shared with Coal.

  The men responsible for aiding Timothy and assaulting Leaf were sentenced to kneel an entire night in The Rows to ponder the lives and sacrifices made by all in the community, to reconnect with the value of life and loss. Following Mass, they each confessed their wrongdoings and honorably asked for New Eden’s forgiveness, which was granted—but not without an honor price. Leaf asked for a show of good faith to regain their reputation and trust among their peers. Unanimously, the guilty had volunteered their labor to rebuild what was burned, to perform most of the grunt tasks, and to work clear through the hour of rest each day until completion. According to the Son of Earth, this appeased all and New Eden took her first step toward healing.