Elements (The Biodome Chronicles series Book 2)

by Sundin, Jesikah

  His visit with Leaf and Ember ended with Coal relinquishing the Fire Element position to Ember, who had acted as First Representative in their home since fifteen. His presence in New Eden would be sparse, a purgatory existence that, so far, suited him.

  Memories of the day dissipated as he and Michael passed through The Door to Hanley’s impatient look, and Coal clenched his jaw. This man was the source of so much anguish. Coal longed for the day when the world knew the famed Gamemaster was the ultimate pretender, the master of illusions.

  “The Director of Mars Operations at NASA is eager to meet you,” Hanley said to Coal. “Remember your job?”

  “To guard your daughter?” Coal asked with a lopsided grin. Hanley responded with a bored look. “The liaison who speaks on behalf of the Martians, present and future? Yes, I have not forgotten my new role.”

  Hanley offered a humored smirk. “You are a dragon among men, Coal.”

  A few moments later, Hanley, Michael and Coal walked into a large meeting room and Coal flashed a charming smile. The scientists launched into their meeting with gusto soon after and Coal eagerly faded behind his thoughts.

  He pulled out the rag gingerly stuffed into his pocket and opened up a fold. A golden willow oak leaf stared back at him. Oaklee had not noticed when he tucked it inside her father’s token for Fillion to have. Somehow, he knew the Son of Eden would appreciate the sentiment. With a sigh, he placed the rag back into his pocket and then fingered the black ribbon tied to his wrist.

  Rosa set a cup of water on the table before Coal. “Thank you,” he said, looking her direction. She placed a mug of black coffee before a NASA official, but her lips pulled into a fluid smile with Coal’s courtesy.

  “The reports from New Eden Biospherics & Research show exciting breakthroughs. I am impressed with the results of the T.R.U.S.T. study,” the Director of Mars Operations said to Hanley, acknowledging Dr. Nichols with a single nod. Coal attempted to appear natural and shifted in his seat. “What is the future for the human experiments?”

  Dr. Nichols’ eyes flitted to Coal’s, her face tensing in subtle ways, guarded and remorseful.

  “Human property laws allow a wide range of possibilities.” Hanley leaned back in the leather chair with a casual smile. Coal’s mind stilled as he attempted to process Hanley’s comment. Human property? Who...? With a nonchalant look Coal’s way, as if reading his thoughts, Hanley said, “The future of the lab-owned test subjects is, at present, to remain a tight-knit colony.”

  Coal’s mouth fell open and he tried to recover as eyes moved his direction. His generation was the human property? Owned? He shifted his eyes to Dr. Nichols, begging for reassurance that he heard incorrectly. But she had physically withdrawn into a cocoon, similar to when learning of Joel’s passing. Words screamed from his gut and turned to sawdust in his mouth. Never had he felt so humiliated. So debased. The plan for Lynden to make him appear fully human and desirable, and questions about being a product of his culture, suddenly took on new meaning—and his heart shattered.

  “Coal Hansen?” the Director asked.

  He swallowed against the pain. “Yes, sir?”

  “NASA is eager to study your kind, Mr. Hansen.”

  Coal flinched with the non-emotional, belittling tone and lowered his eyes. “Thank you, sir.”

  “Your epigenetic imprint is already altered from living unconfined and interacting with Earth. But your colony is uncompromised.”

  “I do not follow, sir.”

  “NASA astronauts, who live in scientific habitats on Mars for short cycles, are programmed for Earth and will always be Earth-connected.” The Director offered a polite smile. “After studying your kind, we’ll know if human experimentation in the T.R.U.S.T. study has psychologically engineered DNA capable of fully detaching from Earth.”

  Coal blinked back the growing anger. “Detach from Earth?”

  “New Eden Biospherics & Research may have unlocked the key to cultivating a Martian race.”

  Heat swirled and writhed in Coal’s veins as shame burned his skin. Still, he would not allow another human to look down upon him or those in New Eden as nothing more than ideas and theories to manipulate and exploit. With a charming smile, he lifted his eyes. “I am happy to assist you in understanding my people and my world. Now, if you will excuse me.” Coal stood and stared at Hanley briefly before intentionally meeting the eyes of every person seated at the conference table. Dr. Nichols stared into her cup of tea, gripping the handle. “This is New Eden’s mandatory hour of rest, and I find some habits are harder to break than others.”

  He pushed out of the room and stormed down the hallway. Once in his room he collapsed onto his bed. “I am a dragon among men,” he whispered to the darkness. One day, Hanley would understand such prophetic words. The residents of New Eden were not products of science. They were human beings with beating hearts and souls filled with dreams. In the meantime, as much as he hated this, Coal needed to contain his fire until he could ascertain Fillion’s position and plans.

  “Boo!”

  Ignis lifted from his black box and materialized next to the bed. “Hello, Coal. You seem upset.”

  “Yes, I am bothered. I have a question.”

  “Of course.”

  “What are human property laws? And what legal rights do human property have?”

  Ignis began to talk and Coal closed his eyes and listened, each breath more painful than the last. The holographic man moved from one subject to another. ...

  “Human property are not allowed to marry free humans, and any offspring resulting from their coupling revert to the owning laboratory. This preserves any dysfunction in engineered genetics from integrating with uncontaminated DNA...”

  “I have heard enough,” Coal said. “I wish to be alone now. My apologies, Ignis. I shall call upon you later.”

  “I hope you feel better, Coal.” With a wave, the hologram disappeared and the drone whirred back into its box.

  Seconds ticked by and his room dissolved into the nightmare of his raging mind. He needed to move. Springing to a stand, Coal left his apartment and briskly walked down the hallways, though the various control rooms, and exited the lab. Outside, he lifted his eyes to the fading afternoon sky and the still invisible stars.

  Did Lynden gaze upon the same sunset?

  How many in New Eden looked upon their mosaic evening sky this moment?

  Did his father know that he would sire slaves for science?

  He could not imagine so. From Coal’s discussions with Leaf, the first generation were stumped by their singularity in signing The Code. A sharp pang gripped Coal’s chest. This is why Coal was not to be trusted in New Eden alone. Hanley knew Coal would learn of his generation’s reality.

  A cool breeze brushed along his flushed skin. He whispered his wish to the hidden stars, allowing the wind to carry his heart’s desire to the heavenlies. The pomegranate tree in the courtyard rustled, the rushing sound moving through Coal as if the very breath of life. The song broke into chorus with another gust and a couple leaves broke free to dance in the approaching night.

  He refused to be the brown fish belly up in the corner, or the blue fish gasping for air. Coal pivoted on his heel and returned to the lab and to the keepers responsible for his survival. “I am awesome.”

  Hacker Terminology

  Anime Terminology

  Additional Definitions

  Translations

  Elements of Your Life Blog Fun with Readers

  Selected Bibliography

  About the Author

  Read THE CODE at

  www.jesikahsundin.com

  Before Leaving

  Did you enjoy ELEMENTS, book two in “The Biodome Chronicles?”

  If so, PLEASE consider leaving a short review.

  Reviews greatly affect an author’s career and are a wonderful way to show your support.

  THANK YOU!

  AUTHOR NOTES

  Oh, my goodness! You’re readi
ng my author notes! Does this mean my characters did their job and you enjoyed their story? THANK YOU dear reader for giving my book series a chance. *bows to you* I am honored by the time you gifted my novel, time that could have been spent in the company of an entirely different cast and world. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

  Torrent reader much? If so, hello! Pleased to meet you. Soon after LEGACY was published, I was blown away by the sheer number of torrent links that cropped up all over the interwebs. As you know, Fillion and Mack approve of the Open Source community *wink, wink* Since you were bold enough to download a pirated copy, I am going to be bold in return. Please leave my novels a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Neither site requires purchase in order to rate and review products. Reviews are like currency to authors and this is a great way to pay it forward and support an artist. Thank you <3

  Phew! What a process. Writing ELEMENTS was a looooooong journey. I set off empowered by conquering the newbie learning curve after writing LEGACY, completely ignorant of how much work and angst goes into the making of a second novel. It’s kind of like going from one child to two. You start questioning things, like is it possible to love this one as much as the first? How do I manage my time equally between both projects? It was awkward at the beginning and I, in all my melodramatic glory, had some downright epic tantrums. Eventually, a rhythm was established, life carried on, and I had to laugh at myself. And yes, I do love this novel as much as the first. How could I have ever thought differently? ELEMENTS had demanded a different set of rules and TLC than LEGACY. But that’s OK. I learned to have grace for myself and enjoy the ride. And, wow, what a ride it was!

  For those who patiently waited for ELEMENTS to finish, even when I took nine months longer than anticipated, thank you. I finished because I’m richly blessed to have a supportive team that “gets me.” They accept all my quirks. They forgive me when I space out in a conversation. Roll their eyes privately instead of in front of me when I ramble on-and-on-and-on-and-on about my story. Or when I spam their inboxes about my story. Sigh. I’m bad. They don’t tell me to get a life. Or to have anxiety over real-people issues for once. Instead, they ask with excitement, “Is it almost done yet?” Or say, “Hurry up! I want to read it!” Half the time I know they’re just being polite because I’ve been rambling on-and-on-and-on-and-on. How did I get so lucky? I’m deeply humbled by their unconditional support, encouragement, and love.

  Cue the credits!

  FAMILY

  Myles Sundin: Husband, grantor of dreams-come-true, Technology Guru, and the BEST negative lead/bad boy character I’ve ever fallen in love with. Truly. None compare to you.

  Myles, Colin and Violette Sundin: Pride-and-Joy x 3, infinite wells of inspiration, my biggest fans, and the best sources of giggles ever. I really do have giggly children.

  Dennis, Adriel Nicole ... ahem ... Nicki, Penny, Bryan, and Myles Jr.: Thank you for you everything <3 I could make a list, but it would be infinitely long. There is absolutely no way I could have written both books without each of you. I have the best family ever! Special shout out to Toby, Amy, Katie, Connie, Erik, Brandy, Kristin, Dirk, Cory, Jordan, Logan, Corinne, Kathryn, Darla, Debbie, Donna, Al, and––ACK!––I’m sure I’m forgetting someone. Sorry!

  FRIENDS (who made this project a reality):

  Melissa Slager: Beloved friend to the two-decade power, best writing partner ever, Editor Extraordinaire, and inventor of Five Happies *clears throat* For book two, mine are: 1) Seabrook; 2) Apple Pie Moonshine in Neah Bay; 3) Hugo House; 4) Novel inspired coffee mugs; 5) #sugarpacket. And, on that last happy note: A word is a portal to a thought or just a word, so choose wisely #sugarpacket

  Tracy Campbell: Fellow Nathan Fillion and Firefly fangirl friend, The Queen of “maybe this is an opportunity,” Wednesday work partner, a coffee addict after my own heart, my introvert soul-sista (hamster bubble!), and the mother of Morgan, life-long best friend of my boys. Oh, and BTW, “I’ll never see you again!” *waves dramatically*

  Jennifer Newsom: My fellow Vulcan curly-haired, fair-skinned, freckled friend who fangirls over the shade as much as me, workout buddy, *flails small arms like a T-Rex*, epic science nerd girl and grammarian, coffee talk pal, my Typesetter-in-Shining-Armor (swoons!), and the mother of Olivia, best friend of my boys.

  Katie Kent: Book-lover-movie-watching-music-listening-deep-talk-and-lots-of-giggles friend, a Searcher of Truth, Outlander fangirl and bearer of pocket Jamie Fraser (movie nights are not the same without him, btw), Spinner-Weaver-Knitter Mage of the Highest Order (it’s magic to me!), Helpless Romantic *heart sigh* and one of my biggest promoters.

  Timna Lansel, Jill Reasoner, Jocelyn Skinner, and Corrina Lance: You ladies rock! This entire year, each of you have brought me words of encouragement exactly when I needed it, or hugs, or coffee, or chocolate, or all of the above. I cannot express how grateful I am for your continual friendship and your support. I heart you! And, as a side note, I find your laughter infectious. Each of you. When you laugh, I have to laugh, too. Can’t help it.

  AUTHOR FRIENDS

  CeeCee James (Ghost No More series), Selah Tay-Song (Dreams of QaiMaj series), Amanda June Hagarty (Little Lacey on Wattpad), Rob Slater (A Deserted Lands series), Joannah Miley (The Immortal Game), Mike Hartner (The Eternity Series), Mati Raine (Archipelago), Artis Fricbergs (The Muskokans), and Shannon L. Reagan (The GearMaker’s Locket): I owe so much to each of you. Thank you for the writing community; the endless support; encouragement and feedback; the hand-holding when I walked around in a newbie fog; the many giggles; conference and book event memories; and our partnership. Authordom is complete with each of you by my side!

  READER FRIENDS

  To all my readers: Thank youuuuuuu! I love, LOVE, love interacting with you online. #ReadersRock

  Jessica Jett, Hannah Miller, Andra “Anzu” Perju, Heather Padgett, and Becky (from Goodreads): Thank you for making this the best two years of my life! Your kind words of encouragement and fellow fangirling over all things books, music, and video games carried me through book two. I write for readers––no, friends––like you <3 Mwah!

  BETA READERS (aka Team Jesikah)

  Barbara Simonds, Ryan Peterson, Hannah Miller, Penny Sundin, Katie Kent, Jennifer Newsom, Jocelyn Skinner, and Selah Tay-Song: Thank you for polishing up my story and making me shine. I appreciate your bravery and willingness to be real and truthful with me. Because of your gracious service, readers everywhere will have a richer reading experience. THANK YOU!

  MY COMMUNITY

  Amalia Chitulescu: You are AMAZING. I love working with you! Ahem ...*bends on one knee* Would you be my forever Cover Artist? Thank you for lending your talent to clothe another one of my novels. The linden tree, stone bridge, biodome panes, and medieval Fillion are beautiful! Your digital illustrations truly are a form of magic...

  Kiffer Brown and Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media: I am proud and honored to be part of the Chanticleer Family. Thank you for always making me part of the writing and conference scene!

  Uppercase Bookshop (Snohomish, Wash.): Leah and Cheryl, you two are amazing! Thank you for displaying my book poster in your front window for as many months as you did, including me in your author events, and for all the great conversations. I LOVE volunteering in your bookstore whenever my schedule allows. My heart skips a beat every time I peruse your scifi and fantasy section. And––sorry, not done gushing yet––the new store location is beautiful!

  Main Street Books (Monroe, Wash.): Emily, thank you sooooooo much for translating Fillion, Lynden, and Mack’s language into the beautiful Anime language of Japanese. My family LOVES perusing your selection of Manga. And I always enjoy coming in and chatting up all things Les Mis and books with you. Thank you for being an epic part of this journey! Arigatou gozaimasu!

  Village Books and Cozy Corner Books (Bellingham, Wash.): Bellingham seems to be where are all the writing magic happens in my life. Thank you for making me a part of your reader community!

 
Life is Good Cottage at Seabrook (Seabrook, Wash.): This cottage contains muses––I am fully convinced! ELEMENTS was completed within your walls, a feat that had taken nearly seven months to do. But within a few short days, I whipped out several chapters (I think four or five?). That has never happened before in my writing career. Besides being magic for writers (and probably other artists), your location, nestled against the woods and by the sea, was exactly what my soul needed for rest and rejuvenation. All the hearts go to you, Life is Good Cottage!

  Leo Todd Website Design & Marketing: I loooooove my website. Thank you SO much for all the hard work and creativity involved in getting my info out there on the interwebs. I truly appreciate all that you have done for me and my family.

  The Nest (Woodinville, Wash.): Beth Fetty, you’re my hero. Thank you for coming to my rescue last summer and giving Violette a fun and awesome place to play while I was in the heat of writing. She still talks about Frozen camp <3 The Nest Drop and Play Center is simply the best! Your love and care for my children this past decade has sustained me through many hardships and times of renewal. Hugs & Kisses!

  Jennifer Cook and Claire Lalande: Claire, thank you SO much for translating Leaf and Willow’s language into the beautiful, romantic language of French. The Middles Ages comes alive in the biodomes with your help. Jennifer, your continual, unwavering support of The Biodome Chronicles through FrogskinU means the world to me <3 I appreciate all the communications between Claire and I, too. Merci beaucoup!