The Purlieu Experiment, Book 1

by Linda L Rigsbee

  Akira glanced up at Donte as he guided her in step with the music. “That romp you did with Rianne was amazing. What gene is it that helps you do that?”

  He looked confused. “Gene?”

  “You said the aves gene helped you tolerate the cold. What gives you such incredible balance?”

  He shrugged. “I have no idea. Some people simply have better coordination than others.”

  That was true, but Donte possessed superior skills. “What gene did the scientists use on the mascots assigned to Libertad?”

  “Oh.” He shrugged. “Feline, for night vision, I think.”

  She caught her breath. “Quade can see at night?”

  He laughed. “Kind of, and so can I. We don’t actually see in the dark, but our night vision is enhanced.”

  “Maybe that’s what makes you have such good balance, too.”

  He nodded. “Maybe…or stealth…or always landing on our feet. Who knows? How do you explain Rianne’s incredible balance?”

  He had a point. However, with Rianne, the mutation was involved. Come to think of it, that factor also included Donte – and Donica. The scientists may have had one thing in mind and achieved another. She glanced up at him again. “No wonder they didn’t want us to mix. No telling what they would wind up with.”

  The words that came out of her mouth sounded worse than the thought in her head. Donte probably didn’t want to be reminded that he had a mixture of animal genes in his beautiful body.

  The romp came to an end and she turned to face him. “Perhaps they were afraid of the power that might create.”

  He gazed down at her for a moment, as if giving that possibility due consideration. Finally he shrugged. “I suppose that is a possibility.”

  Quade joined them and reclaimed her for the last romp. She moved with him, thinking all the while of the grace of a cat. His lean body was powerful and lithe. When his warm hand on her waist became a paw, she pushed the image from her mind. The next thing she knew she’d be imagining whiskers out of the side of his nose.

  The celebration ended with people slowly drifting out. Quade left Akira, pausing beside Donica and speaking to her briefly before joining Donte, Rianne, Kenyon, Damian and Pieter. They all left the room together.

  Donica placed her hand on the inside of Chait’s elbow and he led her to Akira, his gaze so focused on her face that they nearly ran into a chair. Akira suppressed a smile as they joined her. Donica spoke to both of them.

  “Daddy asked me to show you to your rooms. If you’ll follow me now, we can get you settled in for the night.”

  She took them down a hallway that she explained led to another building. They passed a large room with tables and chairs - probably for dining - and descended a short flight of stairs to another hallway lined with doors. She opened a door into a small room with one bed and turned to Chait.

  “This is your room. They have brought your things here.”

  Chait said goodnight to them and entered the room. Donica continued down the hall with Akira and opened the next door.

  “This is your room. Donte has the room directly across from yours, so if you need anything, let him know. He should be along in a while.” With that, she left them for the evening.

  It was strange, being alone in a colony where so many people spoke other languages, and knowing only one that few people knew. And yet, the idea of going home in the morning didn’t provide the relief she expected. In spite of the voiced dislike for what their colony had done, she felt more accepted with these people than she did her own.

  Much later she heard Donte and Rianne talking in the hallway. They moved down the hallway and a door shut. Was Donte spending the night with Rianne? Akira didn’t expect she would need anything, but if she did, contacting Donte could get a bit awkward.

  Exhaustion finally caught up with her and she slept.

  CHAPTER 23

  After the celebration, Pieter invited Quade, Kenyon, Donte, Damian and Rianne to his office for a conference. Donte walked into the office with the thought on his mind that the two people most concerned with the topic were not invited.

  Once everyone was seated in his office, Pieter came directly to the purpose.

  “I invited you all here to discuss the situation with the captives in Lochfowk. Quade and I agree that it cannot be tolerated.” He glanced at Quade. “We don’t agree on punishment, but we have come to a mutual understanding.”

  He rolled his wheelchair around and sat at his desk, both elbows on the smooth wood surface. His gaze rested on every face except Donte’s. “I do not believe Lochfowk will release the captives unless they are forced to do so. I recommend that we send someone to escort Chait and Akira home and see that the captives are released.”

  Donte didn’t agree with Pieter. He was certain that Lochfowk would release the captives with very little, if any prompting. In fact, giving them an ultimatum might cause them to resist. One colony had no authority over another. This was simply a case of flexing muscles. To his way of thinking, Lochfowk wanted to be rid of the captives. They merely wanted assurance that there would be no retaliation.

  He did agree with the conferencing of leaders, but again, it shouldn’t be two colonies deciding what the others wanted. It was possible that they had been asked individually when he was not present. He looked at Pieter.

  “What was the mutual understanding about the punishment?”

  Pieter looked at him and hesitated, as if he had no right to ask. If that was the case, he shouldn’t have been invited to the meeting.

  “We decided that there will be no punishment – as long as they immediately release the captives.”

  Donte glanced at Damian and Rianne. Rianne shrugged. “It sounds good to me.” She glanced at Damian.

  Damian looked uncomfortable. “I will stand behind Bergen, as always.”

  Kenyon was smiling at Donte in a way that indicated he understood what he was doing and approved. Quade was watching Pieter, and when Donte’s attention returned to his grandfather, he found himself the target of a disapproving look.

  Donte looked him in the eye. “I’m sorry, Monomi. I didn’t mean to disrupt the meeting.”

  It had not been his intent to sidetrack the progress of the meeting or challenge Pieter’s authority. He merely wanted to understand. Apparently neither Damian nor Rianne had been approached on the subject. Rianne’s response was straightforward, but Damian wasn’t representing his people if he sided with Pieter unconditionally. If he was intimidated by him, he shouldn’t be in a leadership position. It was something to keep in mind.

  “As I was saying,” Pieter continued. “I would like someone to escort Chait and Akira to Lochfowk.”

  Everyone suddenly found something in the room more interesting than Pieter’s face. Donte wasn’t crazy about the idea of going back to Lochfowk when he should be going to Anialwch, but they had invited him to return. He looked at Pieter.

  “I will go.”

  Pieter shook his head “You have risked enough.”

  “But they told me I could come and go as I wished.”

  Quade groaned. “And the Nyumbani promised to return you unharmed as soon as they had an heir.”

  Pieter glanced at Kenyon, but he lifted his hands in protest. “Thirty years is enough - and I strongly object to sending Donte.”

  Pieter regarded him with a thoughtful expression for a moment before continuing. “Do you think Lochfowk cannot be trusted?”

  Kenyon shook his head. “I think it is a volatile and unpredictable situation.”

  “I would be glad to go.” Damian volunteered. “The Lochfowk are friendly with Vlaktes.” He shrugged. “My Lochfowk is limited, but…”

  Donte leaned back in his chair and regarded Pieter. “It must be someone who knows their language. They already consider me a diplomat.” Donte met Pieter’s gaze for a long moment. Finally he released a long sigh. “I cannot be an emissary from here.”

  Pieter’s nod was one of concession rath
er than agreement. “If you go, I will send two Militia members with you, and they will be armed with laser weapons.”

  Kenyon whistled through his teeth. “That should be enough to tame the wild beast.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary,” Donte said, “But if it makes you feel better…”

  Pieter’s gaze came back to Damian. “Your offer is much appreciated.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Quade suddenly volunteered.

  Kenyon’s gaze shot to Quade. “It isn’t safe, Dad.”

  Quade interrupted in a brusque tone. “I would be replaced more easily than Donte.” His attention shifted to Donte. “In any case, someone from Libertad should be present.”

  Kenyon frowned. “If you wanted me to go, why didn’t you simply ask?”

  Quade turned his full attention on Kenyon. “Son, I didn’t ask you to go because I don’t want you to go. If you had offered I would have objected. Is that clear?”

  Kenyon shrugged. “I guess so.”

  Quade gripped Kenyon’s shoulder with one hand. “It has nothing to do with you. I want to visit this colony because it was founded with the most advanced medicine. Somehow they escaped the plague. Perhaps they could provide insight about reversing the side effects. This is a great opportunity - not only for me, but for our colony.” He patted Kenyon’s shoulder. “When I return, we will spend more time together.”

  Kenyon looked uncomfortable. After thirty years of being treated like a captive, no doubt he didn’t know how to react to the kind of paternal love that was being publicly bestowed on him. At least he had the presence of mind not to cringe.

  Quade was wrong about one thing, though. He didn’t give himself enough credit. Libertad could not replace their president as easily as Bergen could replace their emissary. Even so, Donte welcomed the presence of his father on this mission. Not only would he have the opportunity to talk with him, but more importantly, he would have the opportunity to learn from him.

  When they all left the meeting, Kenyon clamped a hand on Donte’s shoulder. “Be careful.” He glanced around them and lowered his voice. “I think you and Dad were the only ones in that meeting who weren’t intimidated to silence.” He strode down the hall, leaving Donte watching after him.

  Donte appreciated the support, but it was his impression that the only one in that meeting intimidated by Pieter was Damian. Rianne didn’t appear to be intimidated by him. She simply didn’t have any objection. Even so, Damian may simply have agreed with Pieter because he trusted his lead. This was all new to Donte and he needed to keep his mind open. Pieter had a lot of experience and he was a good ruler. If he didn’t represent the colonists most of the time, they would have removed him by now.

  Donte turned down the hall toward his room and Rianne fell into step beside him. As they reached his door, she smiled up at him.

  “It’s still early. Would you like to join me for a hot drink and a game in the commons?”

  He was opening his door and started to decline, but it had been years since he played a game with anyone but his children. He shut the door. Smiling down at her, he turned toward the commons. “That sounds like a good idea.”

  In the commons, he grabbed a box of chips from the shelf and sat at one of the tables. Rianne got them a hot drink from the counter and sat across the table from him.

  Donte poured the lettered chips from the box and smiled at Rianne. “Any language?”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “That’s not fair. You know more languages than I do. How will I know if it is really a word?”

  He laughed. “Are you suggesting I would cheat?”

  They used all the letters up four times before they gave up for the evening. In that time they discussed the upcoming mission, the crisis in Nyumbani and what he would like to do about it, his children and the Anialwch situation.

  As they were putting chips back into the box, she looked at him. “Do you think Celyn really saw a vision that you two would exchange vows when she was nineteen?”

  He used one hand to scoop chips off the table into the other. “I think she believes it. She admits that it is sometimes difficult to tell a dream from a vision.” He dumped the chips into the box. “A nine-year-old girl might interpret it differently than an adult, anyway.”

  She studied him a moment. “Then you don’t intend to wait for her?”

  He smiled “Ten years? I’ll be almost 40 years old by then - twice her age.” He winked. “Besides, Kenyon needs a little competition.”

  She laughed. “I’m sure he’d consider you more than a little competition.”

  They left the commons and when they got to his door, she paused and looked up at him. “When you go to Nyumbani, I’d like to go with you.”

  He shook his head. “I can never go back. I was exiled.”

  She considered that for a moment and then shrugged. “We’ll see.” She smiled. “Thank you for a wonderful evening. I hope we get to spend more like this.”

  He leaned down and kissed her good night. At least that was how it started. The moment his lips touched hers, he was consumed with desire for her. She leaned into his ardent kiss and when his hand found her waist, she stepped closer, slipping her arms around his neck. As wrong as it had been with Akira, it was right with Rianne. He held her close, delighting in the feel of her soft body against his, seeking and finding enthusiasm in her lengthy kiss. It had been a long time coming, but he was finally home.

  She pulled away and gasped for air. “Donte!”

  He released her and smiled. “I hope you’re not going to demand an apology.”

  The humor in her eyes belied the stern set of her mouth. “We’ll discuss this when you get back.” She turned and walked away, giving him coy smile over her shoulder. “In more detail.”

  He chuckled as he opened his door. That was one discussion he would be looking forward to. Rianne was more than a beautiful woman. She was compassionate and fun. It had been years since he had enjoyed an evening as he had this one.

  Inside his room he discovered that a uniform had been left on his bed. He hung it on a hook on the wall and pulled the blankets back. It was late and he’d best get some sleep. He was going to enjoy a warm comfortable bed for the third night in a row. He was even eating all he wanted. His thoughts turned to Chiku and Heri. Since Halisi was now queen, they would probably have enough to eat, but there were many other children still going to bed hungry. The focus had been on the captives, and rightly so. Once the captives were released, he would try to get some aid to Nyumbani – not simply food, but things that would help them become self-sufficient. He intended to talk to King Neirin about it. Maybe they could bring it up at his conference.

  There wasn’t enough time to complete their mission in Lochfowk, bring the captives to Libertad and get to Anialwch in time for Celyn’s birthday. Yet another promise he would break. He hadn’t actually promised this time. He had told her he would try to be there, but Celyn would be expecting him, all the same, and likely think he was not going to return. It couldn’t be helped, though.

  He yawned. There was so much to do, but so little that could be scheduled at this point. It would be a case of wait and see how things worked out.

  ****

  Akira watched with interest as Donte joined them at the station in Bergen. He looked tall and handsome in a dark blue uniform with trousers and a waist length jacket. He looked official, and the two guards with him completed the picture. The two were nearly a head shorter than Donte, but they made up for it with a husky muscular body. They were dressed in simple light blue trousers and matching shirt. Neither had a visible weapon. If they were supposed to protect Donte against the Lochfowk people, they would have a surprise coming.

  Chait glowered at Donte. “What’s going on?”

  Donte’s smile was a little self-conscious. “I have been instructed to escort our guests home and then to escort the captives to Libertad.”

  Chait’s gaze took in the two men and he smirked. “Well
, you won’t need them.”

  Donte shrugged. “I didn’t think so, but those are my orders, nonetheless.”

  Quade, Donte & Kenyon sat in the seat across from Akira & Chait. They were an unusually good looking trio, and it wasn’t only a matter of attractive physical features. All three had a look about them that made a person want to know them. More than likely that was mostly the way they were brought up, but was there something in their genetic makeup that made them all so amicable? Kenyon’s smile was gradually coming more often, and today it lacked the usual sardonic quality. The celebration had been good for all of them. People should laugh and romp more.

  Of course, it wasn’t that simple. Both Kenyon and Donte had been denied dignity for a long time. Quade was right. There was a similarity between Nyumbani and Lochfowk. Both treated other colonists as if they were not equally created.

  Her gaze rested on Kenyon. For thirty years he had been denied love. They had fed and clothed him. His physical needs had been met, but they had taken his freedom, and with it the opportunity for a family. Family had never meant that much to her until this trip. Quade treated his boys as if they were the most precious things on the planet…and to him, they were. It wasn’t as though she didn’t have good parents. They loved their children and they were responsible about them. They simply weren’t as demonstrative as Quade. In fact, she had never met anyone like Quade or Donte before. She had always considered Kenyon to be a weakling, but watching him now, it was clear he had never adopted or fit into their culture. Again, was that genetic…on his part and theirs? Had the Lochfowk mascots been programmed to be less demonstrative, or was it a learned behavior? Did the Lochfowk mascots have an animal gene?

  Kenyon met her reflective gaze, obviously uncomfortable with her steady regard.

  She blushed. “I was thinking what a terrible thing we did to you. Until now I had no idea the depth of our mistake.” She turned her palms up in submission. “I don’t know what to say, except that I’m sorry. That doesn’t help.”