by L M Lacee
Within forty-eight hours from the time, Darby had contacted Melody. The town of Runnerdale and the surrounding towns increased and absorbed the extra fifteen hundred women and children collected by Melody and her soldiers. All without the Mayor and her council becoming aware of the increase to the population.
As so often happens, the hand of fate was merciful or someone or something was watching over Peyton and her fellow conspirators. Because within the month of the four women uniting and the refugees arriving in town. The Mayor and her five close friends, or council members as they were often referred to, were on ships leaving Earth.
Along it seemed with most of the women that held positions of power in the remaining cities and towns all over the world. Leaving voids in the major cities, which the Government and the Coalition filled with people of their choosing. The smaller towns like Runnerdale and villages with even smaller populations, the Government were unconcerned with. Reasoning that the populace of these small places would all gravitate toward the cities in time.
Within weeks of arriving at Runnerdale, Darby and her band of cyber-hackers, who had either followed her or remained in hiding. Placed calls out to other scientists who were in similar situations to what she herself had been in. And asked if they wished to be relocated to a safe place. When she received confirmation, Darby sent out Melody and her soldiers who spent the next three months releasing the scientists from their captivity.
Unfortunately, the Government were alerted to the disappearance of the scientists and placed guards to secure the remaining laboratories. Sadly Melody and her soldiers had to call a halt to the rescues. The danger of being captured or worse was becoming too great.
It was hard to know how many of the scientists were shipped off world or to which world they had been sent to. As hard as Darby and her people tried, they could not find any records of planets buying the scientists.
Finally, Melody told them they had to surrender to the fact they could not rescue anyone else if they were not on Earth to rescue. Darby agreed, but guilt ate at her constantly.
As hard as it was, it was a bitter pill for them all to swallow, but they had done their best. But the horrible truth was, these women were leaving Earth without knowing someone was trying to help them. This more than anything else upset Darby. Not that she showed it, she just folded in on herself, which upset Heather. Peyton tried to think of a way to help them all, but constantly came up short.
Runnerdale, along with the surrounding towns, grew in leaps and bounds. As more women from around the world, were contacted and told they had a better chance of not being shipped off world. If they were where Darby and her band of merry cyber-hackers could make them disappear.
Now, just over ten months since the aliens came to Earth. Darby stood looking out of the picture window overlooking the front yard of her home, which she shared with Peyton, Melody and Heather.
Four months was not a long time to get to know people you were living with. Especially if you were used to living alone, but it seemed to work for them. She knew this was because of Heather’s calming influence. She was still surprised it had only taken a small amount of time to adjust to each other’s quirks. To learn who liked to talk in the mornings and who did not. Who could cook, and who didn’t mind cleaning up, and who was a night owl or an early riser? She frowned, as she remembered Heather telling her that finding out what was precious to each person would go a long way to making living together easier.
For instance, Melody had her guns, and for Heather it was her medical bag, for Peyton it was her coffee and cup… really it was just her coffee. Darby smiled at that thought, because Peyton was the only person she had ever known who valued a drink, not an object.
It amused, and she was honest enough to admit confused her, but then there was not much about Peyton that did not confuse her. Thinking about it, she supposed what was precious to her was her tablet and computer.
She knew if she asked Heather, she would explain why each possession had meaning for each of them. But she liked the idea of just being with these three women, without dissecting the meaning of everything.
She raised her eyes to the skies, watching shuttles carrying women to the transport ships overhead. Her voice when she spoke was soft and filled with tension, as she told Heather as she entered the lounge. ‘There is another one, which makes fifteen altogether.’
Heather placed the tablet she was carrying on the coffee table and walked to Darby. Wrapping a comforting arm around her and running a soothing hand up and down her tense back.
Darby leaned against Heather, soaking up the comfort offered as she murmured. ‘How many in total, from this state?’
Darby looked down at the tablet that she was never without. Heather knew it represented her security in their ever-changing world. Facts and information kept the small woman on the right side of sanity, or at least borderline sane. When she did not answer, Heather said sharply. ‘Darby.’
Jerking back to her surroundings, she looked up at Heather who asked in her normal soft tones. ‘How many?’
‘Sorry, got lost in thought, so twenty-five thousand women. Each shuttle is capable of carrying two hundred women at a time, it will not be long until they have their quota.’
‘How do you think Peyton is doing, do you think she will find us help this time?’ Melody asked as she came in from the kitchen, carrying a tray loaded with tea cups and sandwiches.
Heather turned from Darby and shrugged. ‘Who knows, she has to be the most tenacious person, I have ever met.’
While the two friends discussed Peyton and her mad dash from the house this morning. Darby looked out at the shuttles and let her mind wander and worry. Their world had been hurled into a future they were ill-equipped and definitely not prepared for.
She sighed and thought about how lucky she was to be here with these incredible women. Heather said it was as though they had just been waiting to come together, like a family. Peyton would say they were just meant to be. Melody would nod her head slowly in agreement, like she was scared to admit she felt the same, but would not deny it.
She always agreed with the other three even though she had no idea what a family was like, she did however understand the concept. But for her it was more than that, she just knew with Peyton, Heather and Melody she felt safe. She stared sightlessly out the window again as she once more listed the reasons, she and these women who had become more like sisters were unsafe.
Number one: Earth would become a breeding planet for the harvesting of human DNA.
Number two: Earth would become a dumping ground for unwanted males from other planets.
Number three: The Government has made deals without the population’s knowledge.
Finally, because of the Coalition, the human race was now a known commodity. To be auctioned off to the highest bidder for new technologies and the betterment of only a few.
She closed her eyes as her heart rate increased and thought of the worst-case scenario. She and her sisters would be sold to pleasure planets. Which, in her naivety, she had assumed were vacation worlds, until Heather had gently explained what they really were. Melody was a little earthier when she stated they were basically one big whorehouse.
Apparently in the Indorino Universe where the Coalition came from, planets like that were legal and sanctioned by the council of planets. Once she knew about these planets, she had researched them and discovered that there were some pleasure planets that were not legal. She had set some of her cyber-hackers to finding out if these planets were being sent women as well, she really hoped they were not.
Then she remembered how angry Peyton had become when she found out about the planets. She told her it could be a fate worse than death for women to live the remainder of their lives without hope and in servitude. Darby shivered whenever she thought about her or any woman ending up like that, and hoped Peyton’s idea to get them away from Earth. Whatever it was would work.
This morning she had run from the house with
out telling any of them what she was up to. Although she had left a note saying she had gone to enact a plan which she guaranteed would work. Leaving the three women behind, dividing their time between hope and worry.
SIX:
Since Melody, Darby and Heather along with the first wave of scientists had arrived at Runnerdale. Peyton had researched and planned one strategy after another, to get them and the women she was responsible for off Earth. Her first plan had died a natural death when she realized there were far more women than the few she originally thought to leave with.
Almost daily, she made trips to the state department in the hopes of seeing someone from any agency or even someone from the Coalition. Unfortunately, she had been thwarted by one official after another but Peyton was relentless in her determination to get them on a ship and off Earth. And refused to believe her chances of making that happen was slim to none.
Two weeks previously, she had discovered Ambassadors from the Coalition and Earth’s representatives where to be at the state capital. In the hope she would be able to speak to one of them she had arrived early. Only to spend the day being shuffled from one person or department to another.
Late that afternoon, frustrated and disappointed, Peyton had sat in an empty hallway looking blankly off into space. Thinking that she did not want to go home again and see the disappointed looks on her friend’s faces. Especially Darby’s who was slipping further into despair as the weeks passed. She sat there and thought about all the people she had seen, and everything she had done. Trying to see what more she could do. Maybe she was missing something.
A secretary for some obscure official had finally taken pity on her when she had walked passed Peyton for the fifth time. She sat down next to the woebegone woman and took her unresisting hand in hers and asked sympathetically. ‘Now, what has you so upset, dear?’
Peyton had sighed and told her. ‘I need to help my friends.’
She had nodded, pulled her tablet out and asked. ‘What is your name?’
When Peyton had told her who she was, the woman had run a quick search, then she had sighed and tut-tutted. ‘Come with me. We need to have a little talk.’
Peyton followed the gray-haired, well-dressed woman into what appeared to be her office. Once there she sat Peyton down and explained the facts of life to her. There was no way, the secretary told her bluntly, that Peyton and her friends were ever going to get off the world, they were just not wanted. It was their DNA samples, they were subpar.
The same samples Peyton had originally submitted on behalf of herself and her friends and the other scientists. Samples that Darby and Heather had tinkered with, in the hopes of stopping the Coalition from finding out that Darby and the other scientists were not in fact dead. Unfortunately, it seemed their plan had worked too well. The secretary explained Peyton and her friends, just like all the other thousands of women on the data base, were undesired by any planet. It was sad she had informed her, but there were standards to be observed.
Apparently their genes were not malleable enough, or in plain speech they were worthless. Shaking her head, the woman had explained. The stark truth was they would have to remain on Earth.
Peyton’s mind had reeled at the information. She had promised the women she could get them away from Earth safely. Now, because of her decision to alter the samples, she had instead killed all their chances. What could she tell them now?
Her grandmother had told her sometimes she was far too clever for her own good. It looked like this time she had been proved right.
The secretary, seeing Peyton’s pale face, had tried to reassure her, by telling her everything would be alright. She and her friends, along with the other women, would all become useful once more, when the world restructured. Occupations would be found for her and her friends, and if they were lucky enough, they could become donors to the clone breeding program. That was to be started within the next year or two. She enthusiastically explained that DNA did not matter for clones as they were created by combining donated eggs and sperm. Basically, it was a soup of DNA.
When explaining this later to Darby and Heather, Peyton was assured that the woman was an idiot, as cloning did not work like that. Darby had sighed and said some people knew nothing, which is why the world was where it was now. Heather had wanted to go and explain biology, in her words, to the stupid woman. Appalled, Melody had wanted to go shoot the woman for betraying women everywhere. Peyton had sympathized with her, saying she was pleased she had not carried her gun that day. Because she was fairly sure she would have shot the woman right there in the office.
To say the woman’s explanation had struck Peyton speechless was an understatement. Sadly, it was not because of the decision made by the Government for her and all the women with unwanted DNA. It was more that a woman was actually touting the advantages of producing eggs for their world to sell.
Further disappointment set in when she found out that their Government was willing to pay a reward for the harvesting of eggs.
She had slumped in the office chair, despair riding her high, unable to think clearly as rage she had not felt for years filled her heart. The secretary not realizing how close to death she was. Softly placed a hand on Peyton’s shoulder, oblivious it seemed to the warning look in her eyes or the flinch she gave at her touch. With sympathy lacing her tone, the woman offered Peyton the office for a few minutes, so she could gather her composure before she left.
Alone, Peyton looked around the sparsely furnished room as slowly her analytical mind came back on line. With her thoughts racing from one idea to another, she desperately searched for a solution, a way out of this nightmare for her and her friends. When no answers magically appeared, she pulled herself together and took a breath, placing her hands on the desk in preparation to stand, and woke the computer.
Glee bubbled through her system when she realized she had an opportunity to at least get some kind of reward for her efforts. With a few quick strokes on the screen, she downloaded the list of unwanted women and anything else that was on the computer.
With a solemn wave to the secretary, Peyton hastily left the building and the capital. Only stopping long enough to stare at the newly constructed port and the shuttles and large Warriors disembarking from them.
She then caught the mag transport home, a long tube that was guided on one rail by a magnetic force, and was capable of carrying over two thousand passengers. The mag trains crisscrossed the land from cities to towns, Runnerdale was too small to warrant a terminal. So she had to catch a land vehicle from a town several kilometers to her home.
It had been hard returning that day to her friends, to once more tell them she had failed. The meal that night was sombre and quiet. Disappointment hung heavily over each of them. No one had wanted to look at the information she had downloaded. In fact Peyton after cleaning the kitchen, had excused herself and retired to bed. The others she assumed did the same as the house was quiet until morning.
For three days they went about their business. No one talked of Peyton’s visit to the state department or about leaving Earth. They just worked at what they thought needed doing and each night they ate their meal, then went to bed early. As the days passed and the sharp feelings of disappointment waned, they got together and suggested alternative ideas for leaving Earth.
Some were wild and extravagant, much to Darby’s delight. It seemed the more outrageous the plans were, the more she became fascinated. It was amusing to Peyton and worrying for Heather; she was not the only one who noticed Darby’s state of mind. Melody kept an eye on all her new family.
Most of the plans involved finding a safe place for the women to hide until they could secure passage to a new planet. There were so many that needed help, Peyton despaired of ever finding a solution, but she tried every day to come up with one that would work. She would broach the idea she had thought up the night before as she struggled to sleep when they sat down to breakfast. Then would listen as Melody, Heather or Darby punched hole
s in it, demolishing any hope of it working.
Two weeks to the day of her disastrous visit, Peyton woke bright and early after an interesting night and knew she had a plan that would work. So before any of her friends could ask, she was out of the house and once more on her way to the city.
SEVEN:
As Peyton hurried home after her secret mission. Darby took her place with Heather and Melody at the table and squeezed her eyes shut while she remembered everything they had done so far to prepare for leaving. Regardless of what she thought when she was alone in her bed late at night they just had to leave. Their world was not going to get any better, and as much as she wished she was that type of person. She knew she was not a revolutionist, walking around with a gun in her hands and taking someone’s life was beyond her. She also knew the ratio of humans on Earth would never be balanced again, at least not in her lifetime. Unless the Coalition had a way of reversing the effects of the Virus, which seemed increasingly unlikely.
Because as Heather had stated on more than one occasion. If they could eradicate the Virus, why had they not done so already? She, like Darby, believed there was no cure and maybe that was the reason the Coalition had in delaying the arrival of other species on Earth.
Sometimes, like now when despair rode her hard, she let hope play around in her mind that a cure was possible. But she knew she had to stop thinking that way. Nothing was right on Earth and as far as she could see, would never be again, at least not for the foreseeable future. Anyway, Darby analyzed it, their world as they had known it was coming to an end. Secretly she knew she was just balancing on the edge of sanity, if it wasn't for the other three women in her life and the constant workload. She would be unable to hold it together as well as she was doing.
She could feel herself starting to panic, her heart rate sped up and she couldn’t seem to get enough air into her lungs. Her breaths came in quick little pants as her muscles tried to seize. She hurriedly stood as her fight-or-flight instincts warred with each other. Then a smooth warm hand covered hers. She opened her eyes and saw Heather’s hand holding hers in a gentle clasp, thereby anchoring her in the here and now.
