by Claire Rye
Chapter 13
Demoralized.
The press release made us all rethink our plan.
The FECRACP now has unlimited funding and unlimited powers. Self-regulation meant that they would answer to no-one and to openly admit to human cloning of the first evolution within 12 months proved they were confident nothing would stand in their way.
Edward was angry “We were standing on the edge of complete shift in civilisation, humanity is about to take a step into the unknown and everyone is blindly following”
“The individuals may be smart enough to understand, but the collective are a bunch of mindless idiots!” I threw my two cents worth in.
Anger turned to sadness, as it inevitably does and during the week between the announcement and Edwards planned departure, he shares nothing with me. It was very much out of character.
His mood seemed to be artificially normal. Going about his business and making no waves, just accepting his fate. I tried to keep our momentum going, trying to keep up the fight but every time I questioned him about what we were going to do, the answer was always the same. “It’s over Charlotte, let it go”.
I am worried but decide to give him space hoping that the fire that got him this far wasn’t fully extinguished. If I hadn’t known better I would think that Edward had simply given up. But I do know better, I know Edward, he is bold and he is brave. He won't take this lying down.
My intuition tells me that it isn’t over and I always trust my intuition.
Chapter 14
The Sacrifice.
“I’m going to the vault to collect my things” Edwards’s deflated voice signals the end of our fight.
“I’ll come with you”
“No! Stay here. The military are escorting me and it's going be a hassle, you stay here”
“Edward, you know I’m not going to do that” I laughed “we are a team, you’re the beauty, and I’m the brains” I teased.
Knowing he would not convince me otherwise he surrenders and together we head out to the army truck to take us for our final trip to the vault.
Edward shows no emotion during our journey there, I try to fill the silence with nervous chatter but I can tell he is a million miles away. Was he reminiscing, thinking of the past and what he had achieved or was he thinking of the future? The uncertain future before us? As I open my mouth to ask, we arrive and I never get the answer.
“Mr Lloyd, you will be escorted into the first evolution vault by two of our soldiers, you are to collect your personal belongings, touch nothing else, and then you will be escorted out, are we clear sir ?”
“Sir, yes sir!” Shouted Edward, showing that cheeky side and making me giggle, he then continues in a more responsible voice “but the two soldiers are really unnecessary, I am capable of ...”
“Mr Lloyd, you will be escorted into the vault” repeated the squad leader
“Yes, yes, I heard. Let’s just do this”
I wait at the entrance to the vault with a large number of soldiers standing beside me who look way too serious for such a boring and low-key mission.
I am looking down the ramp at Edward, gathering his belongings as instructed, he moves slowly and methodically, he looks up at me and gives a reassuring wink, and I smile back.
Everything is going to be okay.
I lean against the wall and start thinking about how drunk we should both get tonight. Out of the corner of my eye I see Edward turn as he triggers the main compartment door to open, exposing the chamber that contains all the biological samples from the first evolution. The soldiers realise well before I do what is about to happen and lunge towards Edward.
Confused, I turn to the men who are guarding me, a rush of hot air thrusts my hair forward followed immediately by a blast that propels me towards my guards.
I hear only ringing in my ears
I feel heat surrounding me
I taste blood and dirt
And then, blackness.
Chapter 15
The end?
I love this time of the day, the sun is low in the sky, the air is thin and freezing, my lungs appreciate every rush of fresh air and my body is warm under the thermal layers I have become accustomed to. I sit alone, staring at the beauty of the nothing that surrounds me, my chair leans against Edward’s global seed vault door and I suddenly realise that I am sitting at the exact spot he gave his ‘birthplace of humanity’ speech on the day we met. The memory of that first day brings half a smile to my mouth as I press a hot cup of chocolate against my lips sucking up a half-melted marshmallow with delight and relief that the sweetness and heat brings.
Isn’t it funny how humanity has a way of settling itself into a routine very quickly? In the 6 months after the destruction of the first evolution vault, there was a lot of debate and chaos surrounding what was lost, what we gained and who was to blame. Edward was the hero, the victim, the terrorist, the saviour. Twenty-four hour news coverage of the event dwindled, hastily published books and articles repeated what was already known and people started to feel a sense of normality with the once-shocking revelation. Just like the world wasn’t flat, the earth isn’t the centre of the universe and now we aren’t the first evolution of humans. I look down at the tablet beside my chair, and as to almost prove my point an ad flashes up with “prices this low not seen since the first evolution!!” I guess it’s just all a part of history now.
The sky darkens, I hear a far-off rumble, sounds like storms coming but the thunder is constant, a little too consistent to be natural, maybe a plane? Another dam tourist flight to see “the doomsday vault”
The rumble is closer now, I can make out the outline of the aircraft making the noise. It’s modern, very modern actually. Something military maybe, looks like it could be a space going craft but domestic as well. Weird.
The aircraft is right in front of me now but the rumble from the engines is no louder than when it was out of view. It hovers over the ground momentarily, the blasts from its jets barely making dust. Very Weird.
I have no feelings of fear, more of curiosity. The vessel is familiar, man-made, so I am comfortable it’s not a UFO and anyway I can read writing on the fuselage, in English, not some alien scripture. I whisper it out loud … ‘CONTINUANCE’
“What now?” I mumble as I stand to greet my new guest with a forced smile
The shuttle has landed, the engines are off and as I wait with a fixed smile for the doors to open. I notice there aren’t any doors? Confused I scan the exterior looking for the seam of an opening. Nothing.
Confusion turns to apprehension and my heartbeat starts to accelerate when the facing wall of the shuttle dissolves into thin air and exposes a brightly lit, highly advanced interior of a spaceship, I can see a small crew group standing there, their identity shadowed by the harsh backlight. Without warning something materialises from the floor of the ship, it’s a holographic staircase that joins the ground with no sound or impact.
Now I am frozen with fear.
A life form appears, humanoid. Tall, maybe 6 foot 5, solid build. My eyes dart over its form, hands, face, body, I think it is human, but more advanced, with skin so pale it is almost translucent. It has an androgynous look, the pants and long sleeve shirt it wears is unisex and doesn’t reveal any more detail of gender. It makes its way down the stairs, stepping on the holographic image that can now support its weight. Its dark green eyes are fixed on me the whole time It doesn’t look scared, but wary. Almost on edge. Suspicious.
But then, the mouth opens with a broad smile; “Greetings Earthling!”
It delivers its corny catchphrase with perfect comedic timing.
I laugh out loud, my fear evaporating with our shared humour.
The smile on its face disappears and its next words chill me to the bone
“We heard you found our vault. We do not come in peace”.
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