by KM Fortune
CHAPTER 2
THE FIRST TIME RAVEN opened her eyes she was in a glass capsule floating in a dense liquid. It was dimly lit from some subtle source, but the space in the room all around her was dark. Tubes ran from her nostrils and her mouth providing her oxygen, but otherwise she was completely immersed. The fluid was clear, but with a hint of murky yellow, and hard to see through. Although still only barely conscious, she wondered where she was and what was happening to her. The floating sensation was not unpleasant as the warm liquid embraced her. Amazingly she was not afraid though her arms and legs felt distant and heavy, almost as if they were no longer attached. Slowly she turned her head to look at herself and was relieved to see her body, although skinny, pale, and naked, was still all in place. What has happened to me? she thought, beginning to grasp that, although her mind was fuzzy, she was truly awake and alive.
Suddenly something flickered and she looked toward it to see a square of light outside the capsule. A doorway? she thought, not sure if she was imagining it. Or am I just dreaming all of this? As she watched, a dark silhouette in the shape of a man appeared in the square and paused there. After a moment, the silhouette approached her capsule. Raven watched as the figure came closer and stopped beside the glass to look in at her. In the yellow light thrown off by the liquid she floated in, Raven could see the figure’s face. It was a man with a beard and light colored eyes. For a moment they looked at each other and Raven saw gentleness in his face. He smiled slightly and nodded before he turned to a panel of small blinking lights, dials, and buttons. Raven watched as he made an adjustment and then she sighed pleasantly as something warm slipped into her bloodstream. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
The stranger continued to watch her through the glass while she slept. His face was kind but full of curiosity. “Who are you?” he whispered.
WHEN RAVEN AWOKE THE second time, she was in a more conventional bed. A white ceiling was her first sight. Raven blinked and turned her head on the pillow to look around. A nightstand and a chair, which was empty, were beside her bed. Instinctively, Raven knew she was in a hospital. I’ve been in an accident, she thought and closed her eyes, trying to remember. What happened to me? An image of climbing amongst rock and snow filled her mind. A brilliant blue sky, a raven... and then nothing. Her mind went blank. She closed her eyes and thought harder. No new memories came to her. There was no doubt in her mind she had survived some sort of tragedy but the details of it were too far out of reach to recall.
Raven sighed, opened her eyes again, and let it go for now. It’s to be expected I might be a little fuzzy headed after an accident, she thought and licked her lips. They were chapped and she realized her mouth was dry and she was incredibly thirsty. Glancing around at the bed and nightstand beside it, Raven searched for the nurse call button she assumed would be there. None was evident. Swallowing hard, Raven called for help. Only a raspy squeak came out. Frustrated, she looked around the room again. It was a very small space. Even for a hospital room, she thought. It was empty of other patients and there were no windows or decorations. Not even a wilted bouquet of flowers from someone concerned about me. Yet there was nothing. Just cement walls painted stark white, a florescent light on the ceiling, and a single closed door. In Raven’s opinion it could not look more impersonal or sterile. Where is everybody? she thought. What kind of hospital is this? Things simply did not feel right.
Coughing a little to try and clear her throat, Raven strained harder to make a sound. A feeble “help” came out as a whisper but she was sure it would be enough for an attentive nurse to hear. Raven waited and watched the door. No one appeared. Angrier now and more than a little apprehensive about the feel of the room, she pushed back the covers. I’m not sure what’s going on here, she thought, but I’m going to find out. Knowing she was weak, she moved slow and reserved her strength for the big push she would need to stand. The blankets slipped away onto the floor and Raven looked down at her skinny white legs. The tan muscular frame she remembered was gone. But it was not the change in her physique which made her croak out a cry of alarm. It was the sight of the shackle locked around her ankle and attached to the rail at the end of the bed.
Fear won out over weakness and Raven mustered up all her strength to yell “Somebody get in here!” at the top of her lungs. Her sudden outburst in the tiny enclosed room was so loud she made herself jump. But the sound of her own voice did not startle her half as much as it shocked the man in the lab next door.
MATTHEW, DRESSED IN green scrubs under a white lab coat, was working at his microscope. He was carefully moving a glass slide onto the viewing tray when Raven’s command came echoing through the door connected to his lab. He was so surprised to hear the voice, let alone have it be in his own native tongue, he dropped the slide and it broke into pieces on the floor. Matthew never noticed it as he rushed across the room and fumbled with a key attached to a chain he pulled from around his neck. Quickly he unlocked the door where the woman was sleeping, turned the handle, and burst into Raven's room. What he saw brought him sliding to a stop. His mysterious patient was sitting upright in her bed and glaring at him. He blinked his eyes, not believing. This is impossible, he thought.
RAVEN LOOKED AT THE stranger who came rushing into the room. She was relieved someone answered her call but she was also angry. It was obvious to Raven the man who burst in the room was surprised she was awake as he simply stood in the doorway and stared at her in amazement. Okay, this is all too weird, she thought. Things definitely did not feel right with her situation and she planned to get to the bottom of it. Right after I get something to drink. “Water,” she whispered and the man in the white lab coat flinched. “Water,” she said again, as loud as she could. The man took a step back toward the door. What the hell? Does he not understand English or something? Raven looked the man over. He was remarkably average looking. About six feet tall, blue eyes, a light brown beard, and shoulder length brown hair. The part which stood out to Raven though was the look of obvious disbelief on his face. He looks like he’s seeing a ghost, she thought. Then another more frightening idea came to her. He never expected me to wake up! Have I been in a coma? “Please...” she mumbled, not sure what to ask now and already nearing the end of her reserve of energy. Frustrated, afraid, and exhausted from her actions, she sank back and lay down on her pillows. “Please...” she whispered one last time.
MATTHEW STOOD LOOKING at the woman as she lay exhausted on the bed. He could not believe his eyes or his ears. It’s a miracle, he thought. No, calling it a miracle is an understatement. The woman had been completely frozen, cryogenically preserved by nature for untold years and now she was not only alive and awake, but speaking a variation of King James English. It was mind-boggling and when she first asked him for water, Matthew could hardly comprehend it. It wasn't until her final “please” that her words sank in she was making a request of him. It was such a simple plea yet no doubt took all her strength.
Watching the naked and strangely alluring woman, Matthew was deeply moved. She was fragile and she needed him. He had never felt needed before. In the colony, he simply served, but this felt different. Slowly he stepped up to the bed, picked up the blanket off of the floor and slipped it back over her. The woman opened her eyes. He was startled by how deeply green they were. No one he knew had green eyes. Her black eyebrows were just beginning to return and a fuzz of dark stubble covered her scalp. She looks like a small child, he thought, feeling an unexpected tenderness toward her. Matthew tried a tentative smile. “I'll be right back with water,” he said. The woman managed to return a small nod of gratitude before she drifted back to sleep.
CHAPTER 3
A MASS OF MEN, ALL dressed in white robes and kneeling in prayer, filled the elaborate Gathering Chamber. Tall, stained glass windows lined the walls, backlit with fluorescent lights to simulate a morning sun the windows would never see. Pure gold ornamentation was everywhere, from the lacework of the ceiling tiles to the weave of the
tapestries upon which the men knelt. Candles in elaborate gold candelabras lit the room, their flickering glow reflecting off the yards of polished mahogany around the room. Everything combined to create a majestic glow.
The Creator loved to sit at his high entrance above the great Gathering Chamber and gaze down over his people, his flock. Although the room held hundreds of worshipers, shoulder-to-shoulder, and all appearing nearly identical in the white cloth and with long brown hair and beards, he could pick each of them out and call them by name. It was understood he knew every man on sight and was able to recite each of their heritages for he was The Creator and The Creator was all knowing. I am all knowing, he thought and he patiently waited.
He was not yet ready to descend into the Gathering Chamber and preach his word to his followers. It was always better to let them wait and be filled with anticipation. They continued in prayer and he listened. Each man kneeling on the floor below him softly spoke the words to the ritual prayer. The sound was nothing but a whisper of their mouths working in unison yet it floated up to The Creator like the sound of a gentle wind in the treetops.
Wind in the treetops, he thought with a sigh. A sound he remembered as it had been when he was only a little boy. So very long ago. His memory of how life had once been sprung into his mind. The Creator remembered the quiet street where he had often rode his bicycle up and down the same sidewalk. Occasionally a neighbor would wave or the silly old white poodle who lived in the corner house would rush out to the picket fence and bark menacingly at him. The Creator smiled and shook his head at the memory. As if the little beast could get out and do anything to Him.
So much time has passed. It seemed so impossible really, to think he had once been a little boy on a real street in a simple town. Especially now. He was, after all, The Creator, and the masses called on him for so much. I am their leader. I am their redemption, he reminded himself as he readied to make his descent down the long stairs. I am the creator of their world.
MATTHEW KNELT, HIS head resting on his clasped hands, and spoke the ritual prayer, which he had spoken over a thousand times before. “The Creator is my shepherd, I shall not want...” he said softly. All around him, the same prayer was being repeated by all his brothers. It was what had always been, this kneeling, praying, and waiting for The Creator. Soon, The Creator, their Shepherd, would descend into the room and lead them through the morning atonement. Matthew knew of no time when this was not the way each day began. It was because of the daily repetition he could speak the familiar words yet let his mind wander and speculate about the woman from the ice.
The woman was getting stronger every day and after yesterday’s episode, when she actually sat up and spoke, Matthew knew his time alone with her was growing shorter. Just this morning, on the way to prayer, his brother Samuel had maneuvered his way through the crowd so he could walk beside Matthew. “So, how is your discovery fairing, Matthew?” he asked. “Is there any hope the female will be fertile?” Matthew had avoided making eye contact with Samuel.
“It’s still too early to tell as the restoration is not completed,” he replied. Samuel stayed quiet and Matthew eventually glanced over at him. The man’s look suggested he knew Matthew was being purposefully evasive but still he had smiled and nodded his head as if he understood before melting back into the crowd. It left Matthew very unsettled and he knew he did not have long to produce more definitive results. The Creator, or Samuel anyway, would not allow him to delay. Matthew wondered, not for the first time, if Samuel was conferring with The Creator on the matter. The message of the last few morning sermons was abundantly clear.
“And Adam was weakened by the Woman, friend of the Serpent, until he forgot the words of his promise and was cast forever from paradise,” The Creator had said. Matthew could not help but admit to himself he understood the concern. The power of the woman from the ice was very strong. Even lying asleep in the empty room off of his laboratory, she put off some sort of inner radiance. Often, as he worked in his lab, he would catch himself thinking of her, wondering about her, and he knew such a reaction was wrong. Yet it seemed beyond his control to stop it. Whenever he visited her, even before she opened her eyes, Matthew was deeply touched by her presence. And now that she had spoken... he thought as a shiver of excitement about seeing her again ran through him. What is happening to me?
Samuel watched Matthew. The man was a few rows over and ahead of him and only the side of his face was visible, but Samuel would swear he just saw the other man smile. Samuel frowned. The Creator had not yet descended. There was nothing to smile about and yet Matthew was definitely reacting to something. An inner thought which is bringing him joy? Samuel thought and furrowed his brow. Samuel knew the colony they lived in like few others. He was technically just the lead historian, however, he made it his business to know what was going on with his brothers. Matthew was definitely up to something and there could only be one answer to what it was making him smile just now. He is thinking about the female specimen in his lab. The question is why would this make him happy? She is for the most part nothing but a corpse on machines.
Even though they were not specifically routed to him, Samuel had read Matthew’s weekly progress reports over the last two months. According to what he wrote, the female was brain dead with minimal hope of having useable ovum. Transfusions of synthetic blood were having some positive effect on a majority of her organs, however, her ovaries remained stagnant. But what if he is not telling the truth? Samuel thought and then almost laughed at the idea. Not only was lying a sin, but Matthew was a good scientist, very well respected by his peers, and a strong member of their community. Samuel knew the man would never lie even if he actually had a reason to do so. Unless... As a historian, Samuel was well versed in the power of the female to fool men and lead them down dark paths to their destruction. Could this female be casting a spell over Matthew? Even as she sleeps? Samuel was unsure what to do with his suspicions. He knew to falsely accuse Matthew of wrongdoing would reflect badly on himself. The time was quickly approaching where it would be reasonable for Samuel to further investigate the condition of the female, but before he proceeded, he knew he needed guidance. He would request to take council with The Creator. Samuel sighed as he realized this decision was the right course of action. When He was next available, Samuel would be ready and explain his fears. The Creator was all knowing. If the female was a danger to Matthew or to any of the flock, He would know what to do.
THE MEN AROUND MATTHEW stopped chanting and began to raise their heads in unison. Matthew paused as well and returned his attention to the front of the auditorium. The Creator was descending and there was silence in the room. All eyes focused on Him as he glided down the staircase to join them. His wisdom and power glowed around him like a shield. Matthew sat on his ankles, motionless with the others, as The Creator took his place at the top of the dais and cast his powerful look out over them. His eyes seemed to be searching, scanning the crowd. Finally, they came to rest on where Matthew knelt.
He knows, Matthew thought feeling a thread of fear run through him. He knows what I have been hiding and he is going to call me out and make me confess it! Trying not to physically tremble, Matthew clenched his fists and waited. Slowly, The Creator’s eyes skimmed past him and looked at others, almost one-by-one, leaving Matthew to contemplate his situation and chastise himself for thinking he could hide anything from the All Knowing and All Seeing.
CHAPTER 4
RAVEN LOOKED AT THE metal cuff around her ankle and frowned. It was unsettling when she first woke up days ago and noticed, but she had been too fuzzy headed to care much about it. Things were different now. She was feeling stronger all the time and she would swear her arms and legs were more toned with lean muscle than they were the day before. Sitting up was easy now and over the last couple of days, she was even able to stay awake for a few hours at a time. Unfortunately, the boredom of the empty room often lulled her back to sleep. Today though, the confinement to the bed was
beyond irritating. Where is the TV? she thought angrily. And why hasn’t anyone come to visit? It was true she could not readily recall the names of the faces which came to mind when she wondered about visitors, but still. Why is it only one man, my personal caretaker apparently, who comes to visit me? It seemed impossible he could be the sole nurse, no matter how small the hospital.
Raven shook her foot and listened to the shackle rattle against the metal bed frame. Locked to the bed? Really? It didn’t make any sense. Understandably, she knew she was not fit to be running around the hospital, but a metal shackle was ridiculous. When her nurse came back she intended to find out the reason behind the restraint. It's not like I’m a danger to anyone.
THE CREATOR SPOKE TO His flock and Matthew heard the words of his maker. For days now he listened to each sermon and more and more felt they were directed straight at him. Matthew knew he was very near the precipice of great sin. In fact, he actually was committing small sins all the time by even thinking about the female in his captivity as anything other than a specimen. A chill ran through Matthew as he thought of the situation. She’s grown so much stronger so quickly, he thought. Part of it was his doing because he gave her synthetic human growth hormones and genetically enhanced proteins to grow her underused muscles, but the results absolutely amazed him. Soon she will be up and walking around! The idea scared him but it was not the worst of his problems. She was constantly asking him things. Every time he went into her room while she was awake, she would hound him with questions. Who are you? Where am I? What happened to me? Where is everyone? It was unsettling. Matthew never dared answer but now the questions were turning to statements. Apparently the woman from the ice had realized he was not going to answer so now she held strange one-sided conversations with him when he came into her room. Plus he knew she was getting angry, which was to be expected. He just did not know what she would do next. Matthew was suddenly very frightened. What if bringing the woman back from the ice has been a mistake? A trickle of sweat ran down Matthew’s back.
