Chase looked relieved.
‘Okay?’ Mercy replied hesitantly.
‘Senator Arjun requested that we alert your Sanctuary about the mutation. Not the Prime.’
‘Excuse me?’ Sobriety hit Mercy with a thud.
‘Senator Arjun, for some time now, has argued for open diplomacy with your country. As I’ve shared before, his party, the Purists, believe hybrid technology goes against nature. They have a minority in the Senate, and he needs alliances – like your government. He refers to you as untainted bloodlines. He believes he can build his influence here at home with a broader international coalition.’
‘I don’t know what to say…’ Mercy’s voice trailed off in astonishment. No words came that could express her growing anger. How dare the Senator assume she would be any part of a plan to eradicate people like Chase and Joan.
Joan spoke earnestly. ‘The Prime finally agreed, but with restrictions. The invitation would be for you alone, giving her a chance to introduce you to the Chimeras, and hopefully build an ally. You can now understand why Senator Arjun is so keen to meet you and why I’ve held back.’
‘So, the Prime doesn’t want me here at all. That’s what you’re saying?’
‘No, that’s not what I’m saying. The Prime genuinely believes you can help us find a cure, but has made it clear to Chase and me, we’re to keep you out of our politics. The mutation of FossilFlu cast doubt on the hybrid program and gave Arjun the impetus he needed to raise enough votes and force the Prime’s hand. Her hesitation was about protecting us, the Chimeras.’
‘War is coming. You’re in danger.’ The avian man’s words rang in her head. A chill shook her shoulders. She had an urge to tell Chase and Joan about the avian man and his haunting message, but something held her back. ‘Trust no one.’
Chase tried to reassure her. ‘It doesn’t matter now. We just wanted you to understand and to trust us. You and me, what we’re doing here, working together to stop FossilFlu, that’s the important thing. We’re scientists, not politicians.’
Mercy remained silent, contemplative.
Chase glanced down at the table. ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t have told you.’
‘No, I’m glad you did,’ Mercy finally acknowledged, giving Chase the answer he wanted. ‘You’re right. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is the cure.’
Desperate to break the sour mood, Chase smiled and slapped a paw on the table. ‘Let’s move this conversation on, shall we? I’d like you to see the Orchard before we call it a night. Will you join us for one drink?’
Joan looked annoyed. ‘Chase, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.’
‘What’s the Orchard?’ Mercy welcomed the change of conversation.
‘Sort of an evening club,’ he explained.
‘It’s a competition bar,’ Joan told Mercy in a warning tone. ‘Hybrids challenge each other to physical matches, using their animal skills to outmanoeuvre their opponent. The clubs are frowned upon by most.’
‘It’s one of the only places where being more than a human is better,’ Chase argued, his tone full of bravado and alpha positioning.
Joan shook her head in disparagement.
‘Okay,’ he conceded, ‘It’s not exactly a diplomatic destination, but it’s harmless fun.’
Mercy understood. He wanted her to be a part of his life, if only for a night. ‘Joan, with your permission?’ she asked.
‘You’re a free person here, Mercy, not our prisoner. We will do as you like,’ Joan sounded sincere. ‘However, I am responsible for your safety, and I thought it best to explain what you’re getting into.’
Chase chimed in, ‘Ambassador Joan doesn’t like going to fight clubs. Most humans and C2s don’t,’ he smirked accusingly. ‘But I bet she’s been to a few,’ he teased.
Joan spoke with stern eyes, ‘This is not about me.’
‘Very well, then,’ Chase claimed his victory. ‘I’ll call a drone.’
CHAPTER TWENTY
A tin sign swung on a metal arm with the words THE ORCHARD cut through. In small print below it said: All Hybrids Welcome. Waiting underneath the invitation, Chimeras of every make queued impatiently to get in.
Chase walked to the front of the line with no apology and spoke to the doorman, a massive burly bear-man hybrid, who immediately ushered the three of them in ahead of the annoyed onlookers.
They stepped through the dark entrance and found themselves on a circular balcony overlooking a pit. Neon strobe lights wove through the crowds of Chimeras stacked layers deep up to the balcony’s edge. Syncopated hypnotic rhythms pulsed through the air as mechanical drumbeats punched up from the metal floor. Gyrating crowds of human bodies with animal parts, dressed in digital bodysuits with oscillating colours, danced on the pit floor.
‘I’ve had a table arranged. We’re over here,’ Chase shouted over the music, guiding Mercy and Joan to a private box seat at the edge of the balcony. ‘I’ll grab us drinks,’ he shouted again and disappeared down the stairs.
Mercy felt the eyes of the room uncomfortably on her as they sat in the exclusive area. ‘Are we being watched?’ she asked, leaning close to Joan so as not to have to scream.
‘We are. The Pure and High-Cs don’t usually come here. Not when the entertainment starts,’ answered Joan.
A sudden intense drum roll silenced the crowd. The room went black, and a single spotlight burst on a doorway in the pit. A wolf-man hybrid emerged, pumping his paw-hands in the air. Tufts of grey fur smuggled their way out of the sleeves of his sparkling red bodysuit. Naked from throat to navel, his muscular chest and rippled abdomen were on display.
The crowds erupted in cheers. The wolf climbed into one of two cages hanging in the pit, carried forward by the hoots and jeers of his audience.
‘Hooowl!’ He roared in a fevered pitch to the audiences dancing around his cage, delighted as they barked in return.
Chase reappeared. ‘Just in time,’ he whispered, handing the drinks over and sitting next to Mercy.
‘Ladies, gentlemen, and…well the rest of you – ANIMALS!’ trumpeted an invisible voice from the speakers, causing excitement to flare up and ripple through the room.
With a thud, a black-suited and top-hatted feline hybrid landed onto the central podium elevated between two cages in the middle of the pit. Stretching his Cheshire cat smile and arms wide the ringmaster sang out, ‘Tonight, for your entertainment, we have the ever-popular Predator versus Prey.’
The crowd roared and pumped their fists into the air, chanting, ‘Kill! Kill! Kill!’
Mercy glanced at Chase with startled eyes.
‘Welcome, please, to my right, the dancing wolf from district two, Rameses,’ bellowed the cat-man.
The wolf-man climbed into one of the cages and vigorously shook the bars, growled, and curled his lips, exposing large menacing canines.
The audience egged him on. ‘Predator! Predator! Predator!’
‘And to my left,’ the ringmaster waved an arm as a spotlight snapped onto the second cage, ‘Welcome the Trojan horse, the thoroughbred from district five, Adelaide!’
The body of the woman who now stepped out into the spotlight was more horse than human; her swollen glutes and thick thighs balanced on stick-thin shins and hooves separated into five appendages like toes. Her straight, coarse, black hair hung in a ponytail past her waist. Her human skull stretched long and thin, spreading her eyes wide so that they were nearly on her temples.
As the cage door closed her in, she fiercely bobbed her head at the wolf-man, letting loose a neigh and a whinny, slamming her hoof toes on the metal floor.
Mercy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ‘Chase? I’m not sure…’
Chase raised his hand, ‘Wait,’ he said calmly with a knowing grin, reassuring her.
A loud clack started the chains rolling up, lifting the cages off t
he ground.
The ringmaster addressed the two contestants. ‘You know the rules. A wound ends the set; a kill ends the match. When the bell rings, time is up. The winner becomes…’ he raised a golden crown high into the air as the audience finished his sentence, ‘…THE KING OF THE JUNGLE!’ The cat whirled around and sprang off his platform into the darkness. His voice sang out over the speakers: ‘READY…TO…RUMBLE…IN…THE…JUNGLE!’
Enormous shafts of light shot up through the metal cages, swallowing the wolf and horse into a golden halo.
‘Prey gets the first choice,’ announced the ringmaster.
The horse-woman yelled, ‘Savannah,’ to crowd cheers.
The contestants suddenly transported into a holographic semi-arid desert plain but in different locations.
Chase smiled broadly at Mercy. ‘You see, it’s only virtual. We may be more animal than human, but we aren’t savages,’ he laughed.
Mercy’s shoulders fell as she dropped slowly back into her chair and smiled.
The wolf-man stood in tall waving grass under a bright blue sky, facing the open flatlands that stretched beyond the border of his hiding place. In the distance, the horse-woman came into sight, running towards a large body of water (extra points gained for stocking up on supplies during a game). A palpable stillness hung over the audience in anticipation.
Slowly, the wolf-man started to slink through the grass, gradually picking up pace, his eyes locked on his prey. Faster he ran, lighter on foot, until he broke free from his hiding place at full speed. Breathing heavily, pushing hard, he raced to cut the horse-woman off from her water source. She ran faster than him, in a full gallop, but quicker to tire. As she slowed, he closed in, cut her off. She slid to a dramatic stop, dust clouds rolling up around her feet.
‘Bring it on!’ she shouted to the audience’s delight.
Her long black mane swayed from side to side as she pawed at the ground with her virtual hooves replacing her human feet. The wolf leapt an impossible height into the air. The horse spun around and bolted in the opposite direction. The slap of the wolf’s body crashing down onto her backend caused howls and hoots from the audience. His virtual claws sunk into her flesh and blood let, squirting outside the virtual boundaries onto delighted onlookers. It all seemed over when suddenly she retaliated with a forceful backward kick, striking him in the groin, sending him flying in the direction he charged.
The men in the audience grimaced, the women cheered. Mercy, captivated, leapt upward in her seat at the blow.
The savannah suddenly evaporated, leaving both contenders licking their virtual wounds. ‘Round one, tie,’ shouted the ringmaster over the loudspeaker. ‘Round two, Predator’s call.’
The wolf-man danced in one spot, jumping up and down, ready for another go. ‘Mountains!’ he cried out, fists pumping in the air.
The floor below the cage swarmed with bodies cheering him on. The competitors appeared in a virtual alpine forest. The wolf crouched high on a rock looking down on the tree-covered canopy. The horse landed in the valley below him, lush grasses peppered with pastel wildflowers. She quickly ate as much grass as she could for extra points. The wolf wasted no time on extra points, hungry for the kill. His howl sent virtual birds scattering up from the trees. The horse-woman spun round in his direction. Her trot turned into a canter and then a full gallop; veins popped out of her skin, moist with sweat, breathing heavily and loud as she raced towards his voice. The wolf sprung off his perch, bounded over boulders and through trees, breaking branches and slicing a path through the thick, dense undergrowth of the forest to meet her head-on.
Mercy clutched the arms of her chair. Chase, eyes locked on the action, reached out and found her hand. She accepted blindly, squeezing his knuckles white.
The competitors screeched to halt as they came face to face, readied for a battle. Just as the wolf lept into the air, Mercy’s PVA suddenly vibrated, startling her into a scream and jump. Chase and Joan looked bewildered. Mercy nervously laughed, pointed to her wristband, and excused herself.
Mercy, unable to break through the crowds near the front door, found the back entrance to the club. A dark blue light hanging overhead lit a vacant alley. Boisterous sounds of revellers on the streets nearby echoed along the brick walls.
‘Hope, please go into silent mode.’ A cryptic series of vibrations resonated from the wristband, deep into her bones, up her arm, and tapped her ear bone, creating a voice inside her head.
‘Doctor Mercy.’
‘Yes?’
‘Lab PVA has reported results that warranted contacting you based on your instructions.’
‘Yes, Hope. What’s the result?’
‘Your hypothesis returned a ninety-eight percent probability that mutation FFv1 genome did not evolve organically.’
Mercy went pale and shook her head in disbelief. A sudden fear squeezed her heart. She had to get rid of the study, remove her name from any association with the discovery until she knew who to trust. ‘Hope, delete files from my database.’
‘Complete,’ Hope confirmed.
Mercy plotted. She would change the study criteria, so the results were not evident. Plan in place, she had to convince Chase to let her back into the secure unit.
‘Doctor, I have other news on your health. Is this a good time?’
‘My health? Yes, continue.’ An instant thought of catching the virus froze her.
‘Your daily medical scan revealed a zygote in the first cleavage. I can arrange further medical examination if you would like?’
Mercy blinked, shook her head, and fell back into a lean against the wall. ‘Repeat that, Hope,’ she commanded.
‘You’re pregnant.’
‘No,’ she repeated over and over again, in a shocked barely heard voice.
‘Doctor, all fertilisations are required to be reported to the Population Control Centre. Would you like me to do that now?’
‘Wait, no!’ Mercy cried, unsure of her next move.
‘However, you have the right to withhold reporting your pregnancy until the zygote attaches to the uterus.’
‘You could have told me that first,’ she replied angrily. ‘Yes, please, withhold.’
‘Very well. I will let you know when attachment has taken place.’
Random and rapid thoughts crippled Mercy. She thought of Chase and his reaction. She wondered what her hybrid child would look like. She thought of terminating the pregnancy before anyone found out. Unable to move from the alley, slumped against the wall, she kept shaking her head in disbelief.
Without notice, a sudden abrupt wind pricked her face, drawing her gaze upward. A blanket of black feathers engulfed her, muffled her shriek of terror. A sharp pain shot through her body as a razor-like claw sunk into her left shoulder, paralysing her arm. Another claw pried Hope from her wrist, tearing her thin underarm flesh; drops of blood stained the alley floor. Both shoulders under its grip, her entire body went limp. Slowly, her feet dangled, helpless, over the rapidly receding ground. A deep sleep seized her as she fainted.
Joan grabbed Chase’s arm and rushed for the exit.
‘What?’ He whirled out of his chair and ran behind her.
‘It’s Mercy; her PVA has been removed.’
The large metal door at the entrance of the Orchard swung open with a bang, slamming into the back wall. The ally was empty.
‘I’ll check the street,’ yelled Chase, already panicked.
Joan moved in the opposite direction. She spotted something on the ground. Bending down on one knee, she picked up Mercy’s PVA.
‘Chase, over here,’ she called him back.
‘Why would she take that off?’ His voice became more and more desperate.
Chase grabbed the bracelet from Joan and brought the soft metal ring close to his nose, smelling for her. His nose pointed upward; his nostrils flar
ed. Her scent was on the air. But where? He bent down and drew close to the pool of dried blood on the ground. He sniffed at it like a hound. ‘It’s Mercy’s blood for sure. She’s been taken!’
Joan summoned her PVA. ‘Call Doctor Mercy’s virtual assistant.’
Hope answered from Joan’s wristband. ‘Hello, Ambassador Joan. How may I help?’
‘Hope, override privacy protocol. What’s the last record you had with Mercy before you were removed?’
‘We reviewed lab results, discussed her health report and then she was interrupted by someone in the alley. Her heart rate was significantly elevated. She screamed. I was removed from her wrist by force. That’s when I alerted you, Ambassador.’
‘Then what?’ bellowed Chase impatiently.
‘My scans showed her being lifted into the air directly over our current location. Exactly three minutes and twenty-four seconds later, she was outside my scanning bandwidth.’
‘I’ve got to report this to the Prime,’ continued Joan, already thinking of next steps. ‘Chase, I’m aware of your relationship with Mercy.’ She confronted him boldly.
He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, ‘And? You think I had something to do with this?’
‘No, of course not. But I need to know, is there anything unusual about Mercy’s movements or her actions over the last few days?’
‘Not that I know. Other than…’ Chase’s voice trailed off, uncertain.
Mercy’s stories about being visited by an avian hybrid, and now being flown away – he began to add the pieces together.
‘Chase, other than what?’ Joan commanded.
‘She told me she had been visited a few times by a young avian-girl hybrid. I told her it was impossible. Avian hybrids don’t exist. Right?’
His question should have been rhetorical. To his surprise, Joan deflected.
‘We need to get back now.’
‘I’m going after her!’ He was defiant, peering into the dark sky as if she were still there, in reach.
‘No, you’re not. You have no idea what’s going on. You’re coming back with me. I’ll send a search party out immediately. I want to know more about this encounter she’s been having.’
Children of the Miracle Page 10
