Eve of Man (The Harvest Book 2)

by Ferretti, Anne

  “I thought I was left behind because I was immune to the disease. Is that not true?”

  Sattya shook his head. “Agra didn’t know for sure. He gambled with your life on a hunch that you would survive. He was of the opinion that if you didn’t, the loss was negligible.”

  “So I’m not a true blood? I have human DNA?”

  “You’re every bit a true blood now. Over time your transformation to Adita proved Agra’s theory to be correct in that the Adita DNA will always dominate. Although some human traits remain, they are insignificant,” Sattya explained. “I know this is a lot for you to take in and I’m sorry to be the one telling you, but we felt you should know the truth.”

  Eve sat back from the table and stared out the window. She’d misjudged Agra on every level. All of this mattered little to her. She couldn’t change the past and in time she would meet Agra again. They would have their day, but until then her main concern was finding Caleb.

  “Agra believes strongly in preserving the Adita blood line. He has secured lands on Vazya and will breed humans for his own use. In doing so he secures the continuance of the Adita, but as they are, not to evolve.”

  Eve wasn’t pleased with this. “What does he need Caleb for?”

  “As another test subject, much like you were. When Austin was discovered, Agra agreed you could conceive and led us to think his goals were the same as ours. That he had the same desires for the evolution of the Adita, but this was all a ruse.”

  “Is Caleb’s life in danger?” Eve asked.

  “I do not know. Agra’s mind became impenetrable. He’s grown very strong and we are very weak. I do think he’ll keep Caleb for as long as it takes to determine the outcome of his blood type. The best for the boy will be if the Adita DNA is the stronger of the two. As it was for you.”

  This did not diminish Eve’s concerns. Caleb was headstrong, impetuous and still very much human. His humanity might be a frailty and his undoing or his greatest strength.

  “But you aren’t certain of his intentions?” Austin asked.

  Sattya shrugged his shoulders, uncertain of many things since Agra’s departure. Of one thing he did know, he and the other Elders were dying. He reached out, took Eve’s hand in his. “We do not have much time left dear. We thought the blood of your son was our last hope, but you have news for us? A new hope.”

  Eve nodded, not surprised he knew of their daughter. “In three weeks we will give birth to a daughter. But you already knew this.”

  “Yes, we knew,” Matri replied.

  “I will not put her in harm’s way,” Austin said.

  Sattya shook his head. “That will not be necessary. The amount of blood needed is very little. You must stay here on Paru. Have your child, allow us to gain strength from her blood.”

  Unease settled over Eve, causing her to wonder if she could trust Sattya and the other Elders. What if they were working with Agra? What if Agra knew about her daughter and the Elders stayed behind to trick her with their tales of despair? Agra knew she held more compassion in her heart than was normal for an Adita. He knew she would be desperate to find her son. He knew how to pull her strings, to manipulate her feelings, her human feelings.

  Sattya watched Eve as she silently battled with her fears, her demons and doubts. These thoughts were expected and would be dealt with as necessary. “We would travel to Earth, but I’m afraid in our weakened state we could not survive the trip.”

  Eve’s brows furrowed. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to think someone in her family was not going to turn on her when she needed them the most. In the end, having no choice, she decided to trust them, but on her terms. “I will bring her blood to you, but I will give birth to my daughter on Earth.”

  “I understand your need for caution. We respect your decision and will await your return, but please do hurry dear,” Sattya replied.

  Eve nodded and stood. The Elders also stood, sitting once she and Austin had exited the room. The Elders sat in silence until satisfied Eve and Austin had left Paru. Sattya was the first to speak. “I know what you’re thinking. A sample is not enough, but it’s a start and if the blood is pure, we won’t require much more than a few drops.”

  One of the Elders, not at all pleased, spoke out, “You should have ordered her to stay here.”

  “I agree. What if the blood isn’t pure or we need more?” another asked.

  “The blood of the child will be pure,” Sattya replied, although he too had doubts, but delicate matters required a delicate approach. Sattya sensed their displeasure and tried to appease them. “It will be enough to provide the strength we need to regenerate our own blood and give us time to plan for our future. We must keep in mind, Eve does not feel an allegiance to the Adita, but today we have given her reason to choose our side to align with. We must tread lightly going forward, lest we lose what little trust we have gained from her.”

  28 Proposal

  Eve stood alone on top of Mount Everest, looking out over the lands in a desperate effort to find proof that the Elders were wrong, that Agra hadn’t betrayed her. She’d traveled across the universes searching for her people, for the Svan, but they had vanished without a trace. The compounds on Earth were empty, boarded up as if they hadn’t been used in years. The Adita’s exit from the planet had been thorough and complete. All that remained were a handful of humans, perhaps a thousand in total, scattered about the planet. How long could she live on their blood? How long could Austin survive this life thrust upon him? These thoughts darkened her mood and deepened the rage she felt towards Agra.

  She returned to the bunker, to Austin, who anxiously awaited her return. “The Elders told the truth. They’re gone.”

  “Everyone?”

  “Yes, except for a few humans here on Earth and the Elders and Svan on Paru. I searched the seven universes and found nothing.” Eve sank down onto the couch.

  Austin came to sit next to her. “Can you hear Agra?”

  She shook her head. “He’s using his powers to shield Vazya so that I can’t even come close. His efforts to keep me away are extreme, which leads me to believe that Caleb must be on Vazya with him.”

  “The Elders said he planned to cultivate the humans, to breed them like our cattle. What does that mean for them?” Austin asked.

  “The males who are the best of breed will mate with the best of the females. From their offspring, only the top of the line will be chosen to continue breeding.”

  “What happens to those who don’t make the cut?”

  Eve turned to Austin. “They will be sold at auction.”

  Austin was silent for several minutes. He’d known the answer before he asked the question. They were no more to the Adita than a cow or pig to a human. He couldn’t fault the Adita for being who they were, at least not in the beginning. Now though, when Caleb could have provided a solution, a way to eliminate their need for human blood, he thought different.

  “Do you think it that easy?” Eve asked.

  “If there’s an alternate way, then yes it should be that easy.”

  “So you would have passed up a meal of cow or pig for an alternative?” she asked. “No you wouldn’t. Although many of your kind swore off meat, most chose it as their primary means of sustenance.”

  “I get what you’re saying, but this is different.”

  “No it isn’t.”

  Austin couldn’t argue against her point, she was right. Humans didn’t exist to the Adita in any other capacity than for their survival. They’d taken from Earth what they’d wanted and left. The meaning of this for those who remained, who had survived the nightmare, was a dim light at the end of a long tunnel. The survivors could start over, repopulate, and regain control of their lives. These were things Austin should have found solace in, but his concern wasn’t just for those left behind. The more urgent concerns were for Eve and to some extent for himself. How would they survive? People wouldn’t willingly line up to donate blood. All of this paled against his w
orry over his son and again guilt washed over him for allowing Agra to take Caleb.

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “It was.”

  “I see you have not lost your ability to feel human emotions,” Eve noted and not without feeling a measure of relief over this fact. “Had you been there you wouldn’t have been able to stop them. Even now as you are, they are stronger than you. There is much you need to learn.”

  “Do you trust them? The Elders?”

  “I sensed truth in their words, but they are skilled beyond my powers and could easily disguise lies as truth. But much is at stake for them, as well for Agra. So I don’t know at this moment. However, if what they say is true and Agra’s done everything they’ve accused, what choice do we have? At the very least we need them on our side.”

  “Keep your enemies closer,” Austin commented, more to himself than Eve. “So what do we do now?”

  “After our daughter is born, you will take her blood to the Elders. I will stay here with her in case treachery is in their plans. In the meantime I will teach you how to control the world around you and in you.”

  “And then we...?”

  “We build an army,” she replied, feeling renewed by the idea. “Many hundreds of Svan live on Paru, plus the Elders--.”

  “No disrespect, but the Elders could barely walk upright.”

  Eve smiled. “Don’t be fooled by appearances. With the pure blood of our daughter, they will be unstoppable. Once others learn it is Agra we seek to destroy, they too will join in our quest. ”

  “These others, can they be trusted?”

  “No, but we’ll need them. The Zari would like nothing more than to claim Earth for their own. The Jada, nomads from the fifth universe, could easily be persuaded if Earth was the reward for success.”

  “Earth? Wait a minute. We’re not giving away the planet. This is our home.”

  “Your home will remain in this frozen state for the next seven centuries. Captain Chase spoke the truth about its impending demise. One of the few things he told that was not deceitful.” Eve smiled, thinking of Chase’s demise. “For you and I the cold doesn’t matter, but for your friends it will. Do you wish for them to live as they have been? For your niece to grow up under the ground, never feeling the warmth of the sun.”

  The mention of his niece hit home and he experienced a strong emotional reaction, one he wouldn’t have expected after he changed. “No of course I don’t wish that,” he said, turning to her “I feel a lot more human than I thought I would.”

  “In time those feelings will diminish. The Adita side will become more dominant than the human side, but for you it will never be completely one side or the other. You will have to learn to reconcile the two. If not, this weakness will be used against you.”

  “I’ve a lot to learn don’t I?”

  Eve nodded. Trust was something he would learn not to give out, not even to her. A lesson bestowed upon her, compliments of Agra and the Adita. One she would never forget and never repeat.

  “Paru could be a new home for your people,” Eve suggested.

  Austin frowned at first, but admitted the idea had merit. “Can we convince them to go?”

  “If it’s in the interest of survival, I think yes even a human can be convinced to do that which is best, despite their qualms.”

  “Will they be safe?”

  “Safer than they are here. The Svan will not touch them at my request.”

  “What about Zevia?”

  “She will stay here with us until I can be sure the Elders are not working against me, that they are indeed genuine in their intentions.”

  “Do you know if her blood will work? Do you know if Caleb’s did?”

  “I suspect Agra tested Caleb’s blood, but on whom and the results of which I don’t know. So, I cannot give an answer to your question, but the sooner we take Zevia’s blood to the Elders, the sooner we can prepare for battle.”

  Eve stood up, extending her hand to Austin. When he touched her fingers his appearance reverted back to being human as did Eve, who changed back into Roxanne.

  “It is best we continue in human form. Not even your friend Zack should know about you,” she said. “And we shouldn’t share with them the news of our daughter.”

  Austin agreed. Despite their talk in the plane and Zack’s reluctant acknowledgment and understanding of Austin’s intentions, seeing the results might be too much for even someone like Zack.

  ***

  The bunker’s residents sat around the table in the Viking room. They wore stunned expressions as they tried to digest the news about the Adita’s sudden departure and the end to the threat of attack by the Svan, and more so they wondered about freedoms regained. After eighteen months of living in fear and uncertainty they weren’t sure what to think. Was this cause for celebration or concern? They had no way of knowing the Adita’s plans, whether they would return, or if the next time it began snowing the Svan would again attack.

  “What about the climate?” Ed asked.

  “The climate might stay this way for the next seven hundred years or longer.” Austin answered. “Or it could begin thawing tomorrow. If it thaws too soon the planet will flood, the core will eventually overheat and destroy the planet.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Zack asked. “I mean you sound like you have a plan.”

  “You could go to Paru,” Austin replied. “The Adita have left and will not come back. Only the Elders and few Svan remain.”

  For Zack, who had been to Paru, this wasn’t as much to digest as it was for the others. They all looked around unsure what to think or say. Moving to another state was more stress than the average person was usually capable of handling or handling well. They were being asked to move to another planet, to leave Earth.

  “You as in us, not including you?” Ed asked.

  Austin had to smile a little. Of course Ed would have caught that. “Roxanne and I are staying here for a little while longer.”

  “But why?” Ed asked.

  Austin looked around the group before answering, letting his gaze land on Zack. “Agra has our son and for reasons I can’t explain right now, we need to stay here. At least for a month, maybe two. ”

  Zack’s eyes narrowed, his forehead creased in thought. “Two months could be several years on Paru. Or maybe it’s the other way around,” he argued, “but in either case the differential between here and there could be huge.”

  “I know, but you have to trust me. This is the only way for us,” Austin replied, listening to Zack’s mind as he recalled their past conversation. “Some things are best left alone.”

  This last comment pulled Zack’s thoughts back to the present. “Will you visit?” he asked. This was not the foremost question running through his mind, but it was a safe question to ask in the current setting.

  “If we’re able to, yes we’ll come to Paru,” Austin replied.

  “I don’t get this at all,” Ed said. “If the Svan are on Paru, what’s to say they won’t attack us as they did here?”

  Eve addressed Ed’s question. “Eve won’t allow it.”

  Ed looked at the woman sitting at Austin’s side. The woman, who was not who she presented herself to be, but for the others they’d kept up the charade. “And we should trust her?”

  “They will obey her command and of this I have no doubt,” she replied. “You are a very intuitive man Ed. I would have thought you to be more perceptive.”

  “How so?” Ed asked, surprised to be bestowed a compliment in any shape or form from a being of supreme intelligence.

  “If you stay here and the planet thaws, you are certain to die. The waters will reach the highest peaks, not to recede for many years. You will not live through such harsh conditions. If you don’t drown, you will starve, if not that, you will die of disease. If you go to Paru, you have a chance to live again, as you once did.”

  “You talk of the floods as if from experience,” Ed noted, thinking Eve had most like
ly seen every natural disaster known to man and more.

  “Experience comes from many places Edward, some have to be lived, and others you only read about.” Eve smiled at him and as Roxanne that smile was warm and inviting.

  Ed nodded and sat back in his chair, digesting her words and chewing on his tongue. He had so many questions swirling about in his head, but the others, who only saw Roxanne, would think he’d lost his mind if he asked any one of them.

  Around the table, all were thinking about what was said and not too concerned with Roxanne and Ed. Although the picture painted was bleak, it was not without hope. They could travel to Paru through the portals. The planet had the natural resources they needed and they could take their technology, medicine, weapons, whatever they could haul through the portal. As they sat silent, contemplating leaving Earth, the idea began to take hold, to become a real possibility. Not only was this a real possibility, it was a chance to live, to breathe, to be free again.

  “Can Gisela travel through the portal?” Kyle asked. “And what about Ada? She almost died coming over from Germany.”

  Ada reached out to Kyle, shaking her head. “Don’t you worry about me dear. I’ll be fine.” Her English was covered by a thick German accent.

  “She’s right, she’ll be fine. The portal is different. You’ll travel in the pod, which shields your body.” Austin answered.

  “What about my dog? I’m not leaving Josie behind.” Bruno said, mixing his German with English. At the sound of her name, Josie’s ears perked up.

  Austin paused to listen to Eve’s thoughts before he answered. “The dogs can go, but will have to be kept in closed quarters until we’re sure they can acclimate to the environment.”

  Somewhat satisfied with this answer, Bruno leaned back in his chair, but he wasn’t though questioning Austin. “There are other animals on this place, big animals no?” he asked.

  “Yes. And some are quite large.”