“Sure,” I say. Anything to avoid the wafting stench of fish innards.
I follow Myra back into her hut. It’s amazing. She’s managed to turn it into a primitive scientific laboratory, complete with handmade batteries, constructed from clay, vinegar from our stash, and copper and iron salvaged from some broken electronics. A shelf unit constructed of bamboo holds test tubes filled with liquids, flasks, jars, hypodermic needles and other equipment. Against the wall are two monkeys, or apes, collared and leashed like dogs. Their fur is dark gray, but their faces are encircled in tufts of long white fur.
“Remembering much yet?” Myra asks as she inserts a hypodermic needle into a vial of pink liquid.
“A little,” I reply. “I remember General Granby. I remember him telling me about his daughters. It made me sad. The planet really is destroyed, isn’t it?”
Myra stops what she’s doing and looks up at me. “They did more than just destroy our planet, Pollen. The electromagnetic energy emitted from the explosion was so intense it actually caused the moon to crash into the surface. The impact not only destroyed the planet, but also pushed it closer to the sun and altered its rotation and orbit. Curtis has been doing some measurements and he believes that the magnitude of the explosion not only altered our planet’s orbit, but this one’s as well. He believes the EM intensity drew this planet closer to the sun and that we are on a similar orbit to that of our home planet. He’ll be constructing a calendar over the coming year to determine whether we have close to the same 328 days per year.”
It’s hard to conceive. Now that we’ve been here a month, my life back on A1D2 seems a distant memory. I suppose that makes it easier for me to move on.
“What’s with the monkeys?”
“They are part of an experiment. One that neither of us will be around to discuss the outcome.”
“What do you mean?”
Myra guides me over to one of them, a male I think. She grasps the needle firmly in her hand.
“I need you to hold his arms down. Be careful—he’s got some sharp claws.” As I do what she says, she injects the needle into the belly of the monkey, who shrieks and squawks and thumps his head back and forth.
“What did you just inject into him?”
“Adam’s DNA.”
“Why?”
“Pollen, I know your memory is still fuzzy, but do you remember the conversation we had in my laboratory back at Ceborec? About your genes?”
I flip back through my memories of Myra. I do remember talking about genetic mutations, but not much. Then again, with my scientific background (or lack thereof), all of it probably went over my head anyway.
“A little. I have a genetic mutation, right?”
“Yes. You, Evie, and Adam have it. Simply stated, it speeds up evolution. Pollen, when we first designed this mission it was intended that we transport all the residents of Ceborec here to start a colony. It was never intended to be a mission of only twenty people. This was only meant to be the first in a series of flights transporting our people here. But with everyone from our home planet gone, this is what we’re left with. Our chances of reproducing and building a population are very slim. Chances are, we’re going to die out and the human species will go extinct with us. What I’m doing with these primates, call it a failsafe. I’ve studied them since the second day we arrived and they seem to be a similar species to the ones we evolved from.”
Myra pauses to fetch another hypodermic needle and vial. On the label I can make out the writing, “Evie.” Without prompting, I hold down the arms of the other ape, and Myra injects the DNA into her.
“So, you’re basically jumpstarting evolution on this planet.”
“Precisely. I’ll monitor them for a few days to make sure they’re healthy, and then I’ll release them back into the wild. Pollen, thanks for your help.”
***
My head is nestled snuggly under Marcus’s chin. I want to stay like this forever. Sleeping peacefully in the arms of the man I love. His warmth bathes me and makes me forget the scratchy woven grass mat we sleep upon. I listen to his chest, counting his heartbeats one through ten, and then start over again. I feel the rise and fall of his chest with each breath he takes. I close my eyes and inhale the scent of him. This is paradise.
“You awake?” he whispers.
“Yes.” I’ve been awake since an hour before dawn, but I continue to lay here refusing to give up this precious moment.
“When did you last feed Adam?”
“A few hours ago, I think. Kind of hard to tell without a watch.”
Marcus snickers. “He’s a good sleeper. I’m glad to see you’re getting your rest.”
“Mmm. You think, maybe today, we can just stay here. It’s so cold out there and you’re so warm.”
“You want to stay in bed all day?”
I shift up to my elbow and gaze down into Marcus’s gleaming sapphire eyes. “Don’t you?”
“What about Evie?”
“Wolff took her fishing this morning. She won’t be back ‘til this afternoon.”
In one sudden move Marcus flips over to lie atop me, his burning chest pressing into mine. He showers me with kisses, up my neck, across my jaw, behind my ear, trailing back to my lips. His hands find mine and he laces his fingers through them. Lightning sparks through my veins, igniting a passion so intense I seek immediate release.
“Auntie Pollen! Marcus!” a voice cries out.
Marcus drops his head next to mine, banging it on the ground. “You were saying?”
“I thought they’d be gone all morning.”
“Auntie Pollen, Marcus, come quick! You have to see this!” Evie cries out from the doorway of our hut. In the excitement, Adam begins to stir in his cradle. Marcus helps me up and I scoop Adam into my arms before he has a chance to start crying. We follow Evie outside.
The chill hits me like a wall of ice, stinging my face and exposed skin. I glance over at Marcus who is wrapping a thick, red fur around his bare chest. Evie stands, awestruck, pointing at the sky. I notice others, now. All standing outside their huts gazing around in wonderment.
Something wet touches my nose. Then my forehead. I look up. Fluffy white flakes are falling from the sky like confetti in slow motion. I hold my hand out to catch one, but it instantly melts the moment it hits my skin. It’s the most beautiful, peaceful thing I’ve ever seen.
Snow.
Epilogue
Dear Aunt Pollen,
It’s been three months since you’ve been gone. Marcus passed peacefully only a few hours after you. I always knew he wouldn’t go on living without you. He would have jumped into the river if he had to. The others, or what was left of the others—Miss Myra, Curtis, and Wolff—have all passed on as well. Adam and I are the final two.
I found the letters you wrote all those years ago. Letters to my dad, to grandma and grandpa, Uncle Glenn, and Timber, among many others. I even found one written to me, but you never showed it to me. I guess they were more like journal entries than letters, though. I understand why you kept them to yourself. And I understand why you didn’t tell me what happened to my father and everything that happened on A1D2. Between your letters, Marcus’s old journal, and my fleeting memories I was able to piece it together and make some sense out of it and why we are here now. And now I write a letter to you.
You were a wonderful mother to me—the best I could even imagine. I’m sorry I never told you that when you were here. I know I could be stubborn and moody at times, but I’ve always loved you and Uncle Marcus. I’ve never forgotten those early mornings watching the sunrise and then chasing it until evening when it set. I love that you taught me how to read and write, even though you knew I’d never need to, except maybe for reading your letters. And I’ve never forgotten the look on your face when we first saw the snow fall. I think you were as giddy as I was! You braved the frigid temperatures, wearing layers upon layers of furs, to help me build a snowman. It was a pathetic excuse for a snowman, b
ut you were learning as well. And I’ll never forget the snowball fights we used to have—us against the scientists.
Adam and I were always meant to be together. I’ve known that for a long time now. But we decided not to have children. What’s the point when we’re the only ones left? Who would they have to mate with? How could we possibly populate the Earth that way? And with no other humans to socialize with—after all, Adam and I won’t be here forever. That would just be cruel, giving them life and then leaving them on their own. But there is hope.
Last month we found a lonely baby ape. Its mother had abandoned her and she was on the brink of death, starving and unloved. Adam and I took her in and we’re raising her as our own. She almost acts like a human child. And there’s something else. Her eyes are blue. Not the blue of a newborn baby, but the same crystal clear blue eyes that Adam and Uncle Marcus had. It worked, Aunt Pollen. There is a future for us after all. We couldn’t have done it without you.
We’ll see you soon, Mom.
Love,
Eve
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my readers, who have supported and inspired me through this incredible journey, and to the reviewers and bloggers, who have done an incredible job promoting me as a new author.
Thank you to my family for putting up with me while I slacked off my responsibilities in order to write. It was well worth it.
Fall of Venus series
Part 1: Fall of Venus
Part 2: Crimson Return
Part 3: The Trinity
Find Daelynn Quinn on Facebook, Twitter, and DaelynnQuinn.com
The Trinity (Fall of Venus) Page 27
