The Way of the Seed_Earth Spawn of Kalpeon

by Richard Dean Hall

  46

  Later that morning, with the smell of charred flesh and smoldering ash lingering, Ott and the others gathered their belongings and turned their backs to the smoky ruins. They would find their way back to the first place they had ever known.

  They traveled fast in the good weather. Days rolled into weeks as they pushed through the forest, traversing worn game paths that always led to water and usually small game. Each day they stopped well before dark to prepare a large fire. Predators were always a danger. With the days warm and clear, they made steady progress, always following the general direction of the setting sun. Game was plentiful, especially around the small bodies of water that dotted the open savannahs. Rather than killing any larger herding animals, which would attract predators, they would take waterfowl and the plump grouse that gathered in large numbers around the edges of the ponds. They had been traveling for several cycles of the moon when on a crisp, sunny day they broke from a forested area and faced a long ridge of low mountains in the distance. A clearly defined pass ran up and between two of the highest peaks, and Ott sensed a vague familiarity with the contour of the formation. He stepped up the pace, and by midafternoon they were cresting the top of the pass.

  They stopped at the top and stared down at the expansive vista below. The grassy savannah encircled a huge, shimmering lake that stretched to the far horizon. They all recognized it at once. At the far side of the lake, they would find the waterfall and the trail that led to the high natural bridge and the valley they had left so long ago.

  It was late afternoon when they reached the bottom of the pass and the edge of the lake. Ott realized they couldn’t make it to the bridge formation until well after dark and decided they should spend the night in the relative safety of the rocks with a good fire. While Ott and Graf searched for suitable shelter, Cha and Yaan gathered brush and tree limbs by the edge of the water. Yaan had knelt to pick up a limb when she detected the slightest movement off the low bank to her left. She froze and surveyed the area.

  The large waterfowl was camouflaged with mottled brown plumage that blended well with the growth along the bank, but not well enough. Yaan slid the bow from her back and nocked an arrow. A few seconds later, she pulled the fat bird from the water. They would eat well tonight.

  Later that evening, as the sun dipped low to the horizon, they sat by the crackling fire savoring the earthy flavor of the bird while wondering what they would find tomorrow.

  The gray of dawn was breaking to daylight when they awoke to a strange sound. At first it sounded like a distant windstorm punctuated with high-pitched shrieks. The stuttering wind grew in intensity, and the shrieks turned to a cacophony of loud honking. Everyone stood and stared skyward as the noise reached a crescendo pitch, and a second later thousands upon thousands of wildly flapping and honking geese exploded over the ridgeline, blotting out the morning sky as they headed for the water. The torrent of birds streamed overhead in a solid mass for more than a minute and then thinned out until only small groups and stragglers flapped down. As the sky cleared, everyone turned to the vast lake. The area where the birds set down looked like a living island of flapping wings and splashing water. Ott smiled at what he considered a good omen, and moments later, with the day bright and warming, they set out on the final leg of their journey home.

  They followed the contour of the water’s edge and made good time through the short grass and spotty shrubs. At midday they stopped and finished what was left of the waterfowl and rested for a short while. Hugging the shoreline, they continued uninterrupted in the warm afternoon sun. In the vast grassland beyond the shore, they spotted a diverse mixture of animals grazing in small groups. Wild horses grazed alongside bison and aurochs as smaller antelope and deer darted about, alert for any predators. At one point, Ott stopped and pointed to a spot below the horizon where a small herd of mammoths plodded across the plain. They were all sensing a vague familiarity with the land, and it was stirring their anticipation of arriving at the old cave dwelling. They met nothing to impede their progress, and by midafternoon they rounded the side of the lake and came to the area leading to the rise of land that stretched to the natural bridge formation beyond. They stopped once more to drink at the shoreline, and then, at a quickened pace, veered away from the lake and made their way across the narrow strip of land leading to the steepest part of the incline. As they scrambled to the crest, the air filled with mist. They were met by the thundering roar of the falls off to their right. At the top, they glanced to each other, and then made for the falls and the drop where Graf and Yaan had escaped the rhino countless years before.

  They looked out in awe as the huge, tumbling sheet of water cascaded over the rim and crashed to the rocks below. It was as though the thundering water were welcoming them back. Spontaneously, Yaan shouted with joy into the mist and thunder of the water. Taken by the sheer power and spectacle of the falls, the others whooped and danced about, pumping their arms skyward. Soon they would be home.

  A short while later, with the sun sliding low to the horizon, they reached the bridge formation. In single file, filled with excitement and anticipation, they marched out onto the narrow, high arch. The air was clear and the sky stark blue as the dropping sun to their front splashed glittering sunlight into the valley below. Leading, Ott hiked out to a point where he could look down to the huge cave entrance he remembered so well. He peered over the edge to the valley below. His face twisted with confusion as the others closed behind him.

  The cave entrance was gone.

  47

  The area where the cave entrance had once loomed high up the limestone cliff was now a solid mass of sprawling vines and clinging shrubs. In disbelief, they made their way over the natural bridge formation and down to where the huge opening had once been.

  The entrance had collapsed long ago.

  Ott used the blunt end of his spear to probe the thick, tangled growth. After several moments, he found what he was looking for as the spear poked through the vines and hit empty space beyond. He reversed his spear and began cutting and pulling vines aside, and soon he felt a fluttering of cool air on his face. He had found an entrance. The others joined in the cutting and clearing until they had an entrance large enough to slip in one by one. Ott peered into the interior and was surprised by the light within. He looked up and farther back. A light was filtering in from an opening high up in a large chamber. With light from overhead and torches, they would have enough light to explore what was left of the old cave. They set about making torches and at the same time gathered enough wood for the night fire they would build at the entrance of the cave. With a sputtering torch in one hand and his spear in the other, Ott stepped through the small entrance followed by the others.

  Once inside, they took a few steps forward and stood as their eyes adjusted to the filtered light and the torches. In the soft light, a wave of familiarity washed over Cha. She made her way to a side section of wall and pushed her torch forward. The painted images seemed to move in the flickering glow of the torch. Horses, bison, ibex, lions, and numerous other animal images covered the limestone wall. Some Cha recognized as her own creations, but many she had no recollection of. They had been created by people of different clans that had occupied the cave countless years after she had left with Ott, Graf, and Yaan.

  In silence, they made their way to an area Cha recognized immediately. She extended her torch to the face of the wall. Shadows from the flickering flames danced around the three red orbs painted above the first hearth she had ever shared with Ott. Staring at the orbs, she contemplated that they somehow symbolized the reason she and the others had remained unchanged. Comprehending this reason was beyond her ability to even speculate, but that void and the need for that knowledge was in her consciousness. As she stared at the red orbs, she knew someday she would understand.

  They continued in silence and finally came to the large rock concealing the entrance to the chamber where Malan and Ahru were entombed. They placed the torc
hes along the wall, and in the flickering light, they positioned themselves along the edge of the rock slab and pushed together until it inched aside to a point where they could crouch and enter. Retrieving her torch, Cha pushed it inside the opening and slipped through with the others following behind. She stood upright, raised the torch, and proceeded to the first of the surfaces she had painted. The images shimmered in the light as vivid and haunting as they had been when she had first painted them. Her mind flooded with memories from the time so long ago when she and Ott had been taken and transformed in strange and unexplainable ways. Why did she and the others not grow old? What was their purpose? There were no answers. As she looked to Ott, Graf, and Yaan, she knew from their vacant stares that they shared the same thoughts.

  They walked around the secret chamber for several minutes examining the paintings and ended up at the spot where flint knives, spearpoints, small bone and ivory carvings, and assorted stone tools marked the now ancient graves of Malan and Ahru. Cha looked to an area on the wall where she had painted the red orbs and thought again that somehow it was all connected. Pulling a small, half moon–shaped cutting tool from her pouch, she stepped to the limestone surface below the images of the orbs and began scraping while occasionally glancing at her left palm. In a few moments, she had incised on the surface the image she and the others carried on the fleshy area beneath their thumbs. She ran her hand over the orbs and the new image, then stepped to the entrance and slipped out of the chamber. Ott, Graf, and Yaan each in turn did the same and followed Cha out. Pushing together, they maneuvered the rock slab back in place, concealing the entrance. Without speaking, they lighted their spare torches and retraced their way through the labyrinth.

  Later, they reached the small entrance and stepped out of the cave into the quiet twilight, where they heaped wood onto the fire and sat in its orange glow exchanging silent glances. They pondered the question that had been a part of their lives for as long as they could remember. Like always, there were no answers, just the realization that while others grew old and died, they continued through what seemed like endless seasons of life. Now at the place where it had all begun, they were still together . . . and alone again.

  A sudden breeze buffeted and grew in intensity, kicking dust from the ground and whipping the flames. A strange anticipation stirred within them, and they acknowledged it with furtive glances to each other. Ott spotted it first and stood staring in the direction of the high bridge formation as a roiling, black-and-gray cloud mass rose above the highest point of the bridge arc and drifted forward. Pulsating orbs of red light flashed within the swirling dark mass as it moved overhead and hovered above where they stood motionless, staring up.

  A soft, blue funnel of light flowed down and engulfed the area around the fire. Seconds later, as they grabbed their bows, spears, and quivers, Ott, Cha, Graf, and Yaan were floating upward. They felt no panic or fear. It was as though in the deep recesses of their consciousness, they were experiencing something that had happened to them before. The swirling mass around them dissipated as they entered the ship and slipped into a state of semiconsciousness while suspended a few inches above the floor of the retrieval craft.

  As they hung suspended, a biotech tapped at a pad attached to his lower arm, and rings of light radiated from the floor and encircled their bodies. The light rings increased in intensity and then flowed back down and disappeared. The biotech gazed at his arm pad for a moment and then turned to two other white-clad techs to his side.

  “All biological systems and functions are at acceptable levels, and neural activity is normal given their current perceptions of the environment. Increase their consciousness to normal functioning levels and increase gravity to allow them to support their normal mass, but keep the containment field engaged and return to the base craft.”

  A short time later inside the receiving bay of the huge planet-base craft, Ott stirred to full consciousness. It was quiet and calm, the air warm, but the surroundings were like nothing he had ever seen. The light was soft, but not like the light of day, and the walls of the cave were smooth and pale like clouds on a hot day. There were no plants or growth of any kind, or dirt, or rocks, or even a smell to the air. He looked to Cha, Graf, and Yaan. Like them, he realized this place held the answers they sought.

  48

  Ott watched a man and woman approach. As they grew near, he swept his eyes head to toe. They wore strange soft hides the same cloud color as the walls. They carried no weapons or pouches. The man stared for several seconds, turned, and spoke to the woman. Stepping closer, they extended their hands, palms up. Ott and the others stared down as they recognized the symbols marking their own palms. They experienced a sense of comfort that was at the same time void of any knowledgeable understanding and veiled in confusion.

  “I am called Barjeen,” the man said, then gestured toward the woman.

  “And I am Robfebe.”

  Barjeen knew to choose his words carefully. The four specimens standing before him had yet to be subjected to any hypnopedia conditioning, let alone an indoctrination. All they could understand at this point would be what was contextual to knowledge gained over the time they had lived so far. All they really needed to know now was that he was the reason they lived an ageless existence and that existence would continue so they could learn the ways of the natural humans. In the distant future, with indoctrination would come the understanding that the “way” was to live in harmony with the beauty and abundance of the natural environment while existing in perpetual peace with all Kalpeon humans. In time, they would come to understand that their journey on this planet was to learn to appreciate and protect it as the life-giving organism it was, and later as the Kalpeon colony it would become.

  “You are shaman,” Yaan nearly shouted, breaking the silence and pointing to Barjeen. Barjeen remained in silent thought before answering.

  “Yes. I am shaman,” he responded, realizing the question would give him the opportunity to impart a basic understanding from a perspective of their experiences. “I am shaman,” he repeated and pointed to Robfebe, “and she is shaman.”

  “You are . . . spirits?” Cha asked, stepping closer.

  “Yes, spirits, but living spirits,” Barjeen answered.

  Ott stepped to Cha and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Because of you, we remain while others die?” He looked from Barjeen to Robfebe.

  “Yes, Ott,” Robfebe answered. “You, Cha, Graf, and Yaan, and many others like you, will live on because we have made it so. You will continue to live among many more clans, and someday you and those like you will be leaders of all clans in all lands.”

  Silence.

  “There are others like us, who do not become old?” Graf asked.

  “Yes, there will be many others like you. You will know them by this sign,” Robfebe said, rolling her palm and pointing to the lemniscate below her thumb.

  “When will we meet them?” Cha asked.

  “Soon. You will meet them soon in another land.” Barjeen signaled to a biotech standing off to the side. The tech tapped at a small panel.

  “Will we return again to Barjeen and Robfebe?” Cha asked.

  “Yes,” Robfebe answered with a soft smile, “you will always return.”

  A second later, a faint sweet aroma filled the air, and Ott, Cha, Graf, and Yaan slipped into unconsciousness.

  As Ott and the others were taken from the receiving bay, Barjeen turned to Robfebe. “Are they the last from this area?”

  “Yes, and they were the first taken from the earliest groups. Those four were the first modified on the planet. They are resilient and have responded perfectly thus far. Do you want to reverse the infertility and have them begin breeding?” she asked.

  “No, not yet. As the first taken, they shall bring forth Kalpeon offspring at the time of the transition. Their first offspring will mark the beginning of the ruling class for the planet. But that will be well after the rise of civilization. Have you calculated the time
span until that will begin?”

  “I have,” Robfebe answered. “Approximately ten thousand elliptical cycles around the life star until cities will begin to rise and function as protectorates for surrounding towns and villages.”

  Barjeen thought for a few seconds. “That being the case, there is no reason to reintroduce those four back to the planet surface now. They have learned all they need of this period of the rise of their species. Nothing will change, and there is nothing more for them to experience and learn until agricultural societies arise. There is no need to reinsert them now and risk losing them.”

  “I agree,” Robfebe said. “They have already come a long way. They are self-reliant, but they could be destroyed.”

  “Are their synthetic biological and nanorobotic alterations functioning properly?” Barjeen asked.

  “They have all been subjected to full biodiagnostics, and the results were as expected. The synthetic B-virus is functioning at optimal efficiency. There are no known pathogens or parasites on this planet that can affect them, and the reparative synthetic stem cells and nanobots regenerate damaged or aging cells consistently. Unfortunately, we still have no solution or protection from incineration, dismemberment, or massive violent trauma. And of course, they can be destroyed by animal predation.”

  Barjeen tapped at his chin. “There’s no reason to risk losing them now. They will be reinserted when cultures rise and human nature develops to the duality of good and evil. They will experience and learn of that firsthand. When the time of the transition comes, they will be ready. They are the chosen ones who will rule after the transition—if they survive.”

  That night, in a permanent base deep in the side of a towering mountain ridge, Ott, Cha, Graf, and Yaan floated in dreamless unconsciousness, where they would remain and be maintained in perfect, ageless health until reanimated and reintroduced to the planet. And millennia passed.