Breeders (Breeders #1)

by Ashley Quigley

  “Who were those people, Thor?” I whispered.

  “I don’t know, Ariet. Survivor’s maybe? I’m not sure, but they are aware of our presence. We need to get as far away from here as possible. Move quickly, yet carefully.”

  We zipped and trudged a pathway through the forest, Thor trying to disturb the natural forest as little as possible. Stumbling a few times, I managed to keep up his pace which was almost a slight run now, but exhaustion was creeping in. Grabbing his arm, I pulled him to a stop. He rifled through our packs and handed out replenishments, leaning in a crevice of a dead tree.

  “Do you think there are more of them?” I panted.

  “There must be. It seemed as if they were doing patrols of the forest, they knew this forest well.” We kept walking, our pace slowed slightly from before. A crunch behind froze me in terror, grabbing Thor’s arm I turned slowly, a deer stood in a clearing just to the left of us. Munching on a tree filled with berries. Fear turned to relief.

  “Look, Thor. The berries must be safe if the deer is eating them.” We gathered as many as we could carry, munching on them as we picked.

  “Do you hear that?” He leaned towards the direction we were headed in. “A slight trickling sound just beyond the trees?” We crept forward slowly, parting the leaves and branches. Peering closely, we saw a small clearing, sparkling with what looked like a freshwater pond. Thor raced forward, eager that we had found water.

  Crouching beside the pond, a stream filling it from a rocky interface above, we drank plentifully. I was thankful to wash my face and hair, and wipe the mud and sweat off me. Immersing my body in the water, I found swift relief from the heat. Thor did the same, and for the first time since we had arrived in this unknown territory, I felt like we could maybe, just maybe, make it through this.

  Drying off in the shade, we refilled our canisters with as much water as we could carry. Hoisting up the back packs and securing them to him, I watched Thor in amazement. His strength and agility never ceased to impress me. I turned back to exit the way we entered the clearing, only to find myself staring into the face of a heavily armed, masked stranger.

  Chapter 14

  It was apparent that they had been watching us since we made our way to the pond. We were surrounded. I felt Thor’s presence next to me, strong and defiant. For a few minutes, we all stared at each other, the circle surrounding us getting smaller and smaller.

  “We mean no harm,” Thor said, gravely inching nearer to me.

  The man closest to us gestured for us to follow him. I looked hesitantly at Thor. “We have no choice,” he whispered silently. Slowly we made our way back up the hill and into the forest, heading down a pathway we had not been aware of before. A few of the men lead the way, whilst the rest followed behind Thor and me. Not once did they ever remove their masks or say a word.

  Clutching my small bump protectively, I turned to Thor and whispered, “Why are they wearing those masks?” He shook his head uncertainly. We walked in silence for what must have been a few hours. Eventually, absolutely exhausted, I stumbled over a tree root and collapsed into the groove slinking to the floor. Thor, immediately at my side, dug furiously in his back pack and put the medical solution to my lips. I felt the cold acrid liquid slide down my throat, waiting for the relief to come.

  “She needs rest,” Thor shouted. The men, still very much armed, had us and the tree surrounded, preventing any attempt to escape, exchanged glances. I panted slowly, feeling my body rehydrate. After a few minutes of rest, they gestured for us to stand up and continue with them. We followed begrudgingly; lines of concern crinkling Thor’s face every step we took deeper into the forest.

  Questions kept running through my mind. Are these men Guardians from the New World, come to retrieve us? If so, then we are certainly walking to our death. And if they aren’t Guardians from the world we had just escaped, then who the hell are they, and why is no one speaking to us? I had no idea which of the two options was the worst, but the uncertainty of the fate that awaited my unborn son frightened me. I swore inwardly that I would do everything in my power to protect him.

  I was suddenly drawn away from my thoughts as the forest receded and we were able to see further than a few feet ahead. In front of us was a large field, like the one we had escaped from the hatch into, but this one was edged with a high wired fence. One of the guards signaled for us to stop. Stepping forward slowly, he walked towards an alcove in a tree and pulled out a device which he softly spoke into. Immediately, a gate slid open before us and we walked through. I took note of the fact that it was too high to get over and too low to creep under. As the gate closed behind us, a crackle of electricity reconnecting to the gate made me jump.

  I leapt onto Thor’s arm. He patted me calmly, and we hiked like that for the rest of the way. We walked through the clearing, the fence running parallel to each side of us, into another forest. After what seemed like an hour, we made our way out of the trees onto what looked like a dirt road. As we descended down the road, guards still surrounding us, we could just make out a huge city. Tall buildings and houses lined the hillside and valley below. We had just entered an unknown civilization.

  I gasped as we turned the corner and saw how much further the city expanded to the left and right of us. It was bigger than all four of our quadrants put together. Although excited by this, I was nervous as I had found out the hard way not to trust strangers. The road in front of us forked, and the guards lead us to the left; away from the path that seemed would lead us to the city below. After a mile or two, a large concrete building loomed before us, the words ‘Quarantine Facility’ were painted in red on the side of a large steel doorway.

  A sudden, overwhelming fear gripped me and I panicked. Turning to run, I crashed into Thor, but keeping my balance I tried to push through the guards that were now running towards me. Thor scrambled to get to me before they could and managed to envelop me in his arms, his speed and agility again proving highly useful in this situation.

  Holding me strongly, he shouted to the guards. “Stop. Let me calm her down. She is dehydrated and anxious. Just stop. Stay where you are. We won’t run.” He spun me around to face him. “Ariet, listen to me. You need to comply. I’m not sure what is going on, but I cannot protect you if you are not with me. Do you understand? We will get through this. They have not hurt us so far.” Hugging me tightly he whispered softly into my ear, “I will get the both of you out of here safely. I promise.”

  I nodded whilst sobbing into his neck. He scooped me up and carried me slowly towards the facility. Peeking through my hair, I could see the facility was buried in the side of a mountain and seemed much bigger up close. Thor put me down in front of the entrance and gripped my hand. Standing outside the metal doorway, the guard from earlier spoke into the device again. I assumed it was another entry authorization as the doors pulled forward. More men wearing masks and dressed in brown protective clothing gestured us in.

  Silent greetings passed between the others as they nodded at each other on their arrival. We were lead through the warehouse to a small door on the far right hand side. It opened as we approached. We walked through but noticed our escorts did not follow. A mechanical lock fastened automatically behind us and a male voice boomed from above. ‘Please proceed to the changing area, and remove all clothing and concealed weapons. Place such items into the bins on the far side of the room.’

  I inched closer to Thor, gripping his arm tightly. Neither of us said or did anything to comply. The voice boomed again. ‘The instruction will not be repeated. Please comply or we will sedate you and do it for you.’

  “Just do it, Ariet,” Thor whispered gently into my ear. “The voice is in real time which means they can see and probably hear us. It’s better if we are awake and keep our wits about us.” I nodded in understanding.

  Once undressed, the floor beneath us began to move forward. Doors opened and we passed through a shower of a scalding hot chemical which burned our eyes and made our skin
sting. The runway moved into another room where we were coated in cool foam which immediately soothed the burn from before. The final stage rinsed us with warm jets of water which smelt of herbs and fruit. The runway motioned to a stop.

  ‘Please dress in the garments before you and proceed towards the exit.’ The garment was a cold hard grey fabric that chafed the now sensitive skin, but at this point I welcomed anything to cover myself. Doors slid open revealing a long dark corridor. We followed the lights to the exit sign as instructed. Thor grabbed my hand protectively, pulling me close.

  “What is this place?” I whispered.

  “I think it’s a hospital or lab facility of some kind. We have just been disinfected, a very crude form of what we have back home. I’m not sure what is going on, Ariet. But I don’t like it. Be alert. We don’t know who these people are or what they want.”

  We walked into a glass room that held two small beds, which at this point, considering how tired I was, looked increasingly inviting. A small table separated the two beds. On it was water and what looked like some old food. Thor guided me forward. Slumping onto the bed, I ate and drank mechanically. Pushing the two beds to the farthest wall away from the door, Thor made sure I was settled in before he lay down in front of me, always on the ready to protect me from immediate danger. I couldn’t think anymore, exhaustion took over. The room descended into darkness and I felt nothing.

  Sharp lights blinded us and I sat up with a jolt, Thor already alert beside me. The voice boomed again, different this time. ‘Please proceed to the first door on your left.’ We complied and walked through the exit. White illuminated hospital beds lined one side of the room with all sorts of equipment and what I assumed was medical paraphernalia surrounding each bed. ‘Please proceed to a bed and lie down.’ Thor and I chose beds closest to the exit. Suddenly hard sheets of white plastic descended, surrounding our beds individually.

  Thor had been unwillingly separated from me. I could just make him out through a see-through opening in one side of the tent. He was being restrained to his bed and putting up a serious fight. It took five men to do this. The side of my wall opened and I automatically scrambled to the top of my bed in defense. The visitor was dressed in a white padded suit with a clear visor on her face. This was the first woman I had seen since we were captured. She smiled gently at me.

  “Hello. I am a Medical Healer. I am not here to hurt you. We just want to assess a few things and find out some information from you.”

  I sneered at her sarcastically, “I don’t trust Healers. They are what got me in this position in the first place.”

  She gave me a knowing smile. “I can understand your fear, but please know you are not the only person that has had to go through this procedure. Everyone who arrives at the Old World has to go through the same procedures on arrival.”

  “There are more like us? The Old World? How many people are here? Where did you come from?” I had so many questions, all of which she deftly avoided.

  “If you could lie down on the bed so we can begin, please. I don’t want to restrain you, as we had to do your friend,” she gestured towards the restraints that Thor was in, “but it will happen if you don’t allow me to proceed or if you try to harm me in any way. Okay?” I just glared at her. “Okay. Let’s begin then.”

  The exam lasted for a few minutes in which she took some biological samples from me and did what appeared to be a routine physical examination. Rolling up my gown she gasped at the sight of the small bump which was now my belly. I grabbed at my clothes instinctively. She gasped, “Oh my. You’re pregnant?”

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  “How far along?”

  “Three months and a bit.”

  As she backed away from me slowly, I couldn’t help but notice the look of absolute shock on her face. She excused herself and left with the samples. I got up to the window and saw Thor lying in his bed, still restrained but alone. I tapped on the window and he looked up. He mouthed something at me, but I couldn’t decipher it. Holding a hand up to the screen I nodded and gave him a small smile, reassuring him that I was okay. He exhaled what looked like a huge sigh of relief. I could visibly see his body relax.

  I had been alone in the isolation tent for a couple of hours when I must have drifted off to sleep. I awoke a while later to find a man and the woman from before sitting at the side of my bed, going over a written document of some kind. This time they wore no protective clothing. I lay for a little bit peering at them through my lashes, pretending to still be asleep, taking in this new development.

  They looked no different from Thor or myself, except their clothes were a bit scraggly and the man had a scar the length of his cheek. It looked old but deep, and I had never seen anything like it before. I had no scars on my body and didn’t know anyone in the New World really who had had any such trauma which would leave scarring. As if sensing my gaze on his face, the man looked up above the paperwork he was reading.

  “Good morning. You slept for quite a while. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Gander and the Healer who you met yesterday is Poppy.”

  “What is this place?” I dared ask.

  “This is what we, the Refugees, call the Old World. I waited patiently for him to explain. He didn’t. “Could you tell us your name?”

  “It's Ariet.”

  “Which Quadrant are you from, Ariet?”

  “Four.”

  “Do you have any family?”

  Tears sprung to my eyes, “Yes.”

  “Are they still in Quadrant Four?” I nodded, afraid of the fear and sadness which I couldn’t keep from my voice any longer.

  “When last did you see them?”

  “Before I was taken.”

  “Aah, so you were part of the genetic breeding program?”

  “Yes.”

  “What division?”

  “Breeder. How do you know so much about this?” I demanded.

  “We will explain all in time, but for right now, we need to get as much information from you as possible, for yours and our safety. Do you think they will be looking for you?”

  “Yes. I was scheduled for termination.”

  They looked knowingly at each other. “Do you know what genetic trait was expected from the fetus?” They knew so much.

  “No,” I lied warily.

  “Who is the man you travelled with?”

  “Thor. He is my Guardian. When can I see him?”

  “Soon, Ariet, soon. He, like you, is being screened and tested.”

  “For what?”

  “To make sure you have no illnesses which you could bring into our World. We have to ascertain that your escape was not because of a scheduled termination due to illness. What was the status of the person you were scheduled to breed with?”

  “He is a Creator.”

  Poppy and Gander exchanged a concerned glance. “And you?”

  “And me what?” I asked, even more confused as to how this was relevant.

  “Your status?”

  “I was a Superior, then it changed to Breeder 107.”

  “Okay. That is enough for now. Thank you for answering our questions. You will be reunited with your Guardian soon. Until then, get some rest, the baby’s heartbeat is a little erratic. Probably due to the current stress you have found yourself in. Please know we are not here to harm you or your fetus. Once you have been cleared, you will be released from this facility. We will also need to remove your implantation device before you leave here. And with all that being said, we will leave you now to get some rest.”

  The isolation room was so quiet. I could almost hear my own heartbeat. Who are these people? A soft knock at the entrance of the panel interrupted the wave of anxiety that started to make its way through me. Thor! I had never been so happy to see anyone. I leapt off the bed and clung to him. He patted my back awkwardly, making me smile, just a little. He was still as grumpy and surly as the day I had met him. But I had grown to trust him. Pushing back gently, I crept onto
the bed.

  “How are you? Did they hurt you?” he asked worriedly.

  “No, actually. They did a few tests and asked me some questions about where we were from. You?”

  “Same. They were particularly interested in why you were selected for the Breeder program. That concerns me, Ariet.”

  “Me too. I didn’t tell them about the illness resistance gene.”

  “Good call. I just have an uncomfortable feeling in my gut. For whatever reason, I don’t trust these people. Just follow my lead and be compliant wherever necessary. I’ll find a way out of this, we just need to stay close and not give them any reason to mistrust us. Also, you can never be sure who is listening, so watch what you say and how much information you give them.” he whispered.

  “Okay. What do we do now?”

  “For now, we wait. I’m not actually sure what happens next. You need to rest though. How is the baby?”

  “A little stressed, they said.”

  “Have you eaten today?” the concern in his voice evident. I shook my head. “Here, they put one of these in my room earlier from our rations. Eat.”

  He laid out some bread, cheese and dried meat on the blanket in front of me. I hadn’t realized until then how hungry I actually was. Scoffing the food down greedily, I watched Thor from the corner of my eye. He was pacing the small area in front of my bed.

  “Please stop, Thor. It’s making me anxious.”

  “Sorry. I just want to get out of here.” He slumped in the chair to the side of my bed. At that moment Poppy entered, giving both of us a start.

  “Hello, Thor and Ariet. You have both been cleared of any infectious agents and are, at this time, not a biological threat to our safety. I’m sorry for the cloak-and-dagger way we handled the quarantine period, but we have had problems before. Here are your belongings. When you are dressed, please meet me outside the isolation room.