Eve of Man (The Harvest Book 2) (35 page)

The door opened and conversations halted, but quickly
resumed, when seeing it was Anne and Charlie, not Austin. Charlie took a seat
across from Roxanne, who sat alone in a booth at the back of the diner. For her
part, Roxanne sat and listened while Charlie prattled off about this and that.
From behind Roxanne’s green eyes, Eve observed how her gift was affecting
Charlie. So far all appeared to be going as expected, but only time would tell.
This gift was unlike what she’d bestowed upon Jenny or that which Caleb had
done for Ryan. At the thought of her son, a frown touched her lips and a crease
formed in her brow. Had Charlie been paying attention, she would have noticed
the sad expression on Roxanne’s face. However, as it went with sixteen year
olds, attention that strayed far from themselves was rare. 

A few minutes later Austin arrived. Eighteen expectant
faces turned towards him. Eighteen heart rates went up in anticipation of what
he would say. For Austin, who had worked with the roughest hardest men on
Earth, this should have been a cakewalk, but looking out at the sea of faces
drew his stomach into a knot. These weren’t seasoned soldiers, or trained
mercenaries, and aside from Zack and Kyle, they had little to bring to the
table in means of survival. Within his team of Marines, they obeyed a golden
rule; never enter a situation where the unknown outnumber the known. Yet here
he stood, about to send them off on a journey full of unknown. The pitfalls
they might encounter; unknown. Their safe being; unknown. The Elders abiding by
their word; unknown. The last unknown, the biggest gamble, being his prevalent
concern. With a deep breath and squaring of his shoulders, Austin hid his
uncertainty and addressed the group in the firm commanding tone they’d come to
expect from him.

“I know you’re busy packing, so I won’t keep you long.
I wanted to go over what Eve and I discussed as far as logistics of the move
are concerned,” he said, walking over to the counter and motioning to Zack for
some water. “We decided it best for this group to arrive on Paru first. While
you’re busy laying the groundwork, Eve will visit the remaining survivors
across the globe. This will take about two months start to finish.”

“As we discussed, Ed will serve as the community
leader.” He nodded to Ed. “You’ll need to choose a welcoming committee for the
new arrivals. They’ll begin trickling in a week or so after you, maybe sooner,
maybe later. They will look to you and those you choose as the people in
charge. No one will question your authority.”

“Will they speak English?” Anne asked.

“No, but you’ll be able to understand their languages.
Which leads to my next point. We discussed the process that will take place to
change your DNA. Eve will begin as soon as we finish here. Anne and Grace
you’ll go first and the babies will go last. That gives you time to adjust.”

 Anne and Grace shared a nervous glance. Now that the
time was upon them, having the alien girl touch what was most precious to them didn’t
seem like that good of an idea any longer.

“The process will hurt them less than it hurts you,”
Austin assured them. “Within twenty-four hours you will be functioning at full
capacity. In twenty-four hours we will load the vehicles and head for
Cheyenne.” He paused to let this sink in. “Are there any questions?”

Bruno raised his hand and stood up. “Are you
absolutely sure about these old people, these Elders, keeping their word?”

Using English, Austin repeated Bruno’s question to the
others and then addressed him in German. “No, I’m not, but you can’t stay here.
You’ll die. That much I do know.”

Bruno scowled and replied, “Maybe dying ain’t so bad
Mr. Reynolds. I knew a man to hide from death, only to die a death ten times
worse once it caught up to him again. Some things are worse than death, much
worse. Sometimes you have to know when to say when.” Having felt he said his
peace, Bruno nodded to Austin and sat down, scowl in place.

Austin tilted his head in return, thankful to be the
only one other than Ada and Kyle, who understood Bruno. It wouldn’t do well to
stir up the others with talk of death.

Their caravan cruised down the highway heading for
Cheyenne. It was made up of an odd assortment of vehicles, ranging from a
moving van to a stretch Hummer with tinted windows, spinner rims that sparkled
and a license plate that read BDAWG. The contents of the moving van exceeded
the allowable weight limits causing the wheel well to rub against the tire
whenever they hit a dip in the road.

BDAWG’s Hummer took the lead, with Ed driving and
Jenny riding shotgun. Ryan, Anne, Grace and the three babies sat in back.
Behind them, Kyle drove his black diesel pick-up truck, with McKenna in the
passenger seat and Ada, Bruno and Josie in the back. McKenna had talked nonstop
since leaving. The thoughts running through her head were too many and too
interesting not to share. No one minded, since they could listen or tune her
out. They had their own thoughts to process. Another stretch Hummer, this one
driven by Jeremy, was second to last in line. This one had tinted windows, but
no bling or personalized plates. Sue, Jane, Barbara, Zoe and German rode in the
back. Bringing up the rear was a thirty-foot-long moving truck with Zack at the
helm, Colin shotgun and Charlie sandwiched in the middle.  Colin had fussed
over being separated from his dog, but Charlie cajoled him into letting German
ride in the Hummer.

Looking around, taking in the landscape, listening to
the sound of the van’s engine, Zack felt a little bit like Neo in
The Matrix
.
Neo at the precise moment he realized he was ‘the one’. Zack couldn’t see ones
and zeros, but he could see a hell of lot more than he had twenty-four hours
ago. All things fuzzy suddenly become clear. He was blind and now he could see.
He found himself singing
Amazing Grace
and even remembered all of the
versus, not just the first. Colin and Charlie joined in and for the next few
miles they sang old church hymns.

Being new and improved certainly had its advantages. Before
leaving, Zack had dug through his things for an old notebook. Inside was a math
equation one of his college professors had given him. It had been his nemesis
for years, yet when he looked at the numbers this time, the solution popped off
the pages. If only Madison had lived to experience it with him. He gave a
little laugh. Who was he kidding? Madison never would have allowed Eve to touch
her, let alone change her DNA. Sedation would have been the only way. Zack
sighed and his smile faded away. He wondered if he’d ever stop missing her.
Charlie commented about being able to feel the road’s camber and Zack moved
Madison to the back of his mind.

All too soon the sign for Cheyenne came into view. In
each vehicle, as awareness set in, so did the silence. They approached the
entrance tunnel with trepidation, as well as nervous excitement. This was it.
They were going to travel through a space portal. They were going to a new
planet. They were starting over with new people from all over the globe. They
didn’t wonder over anything more than the basics. They didn’t think about
exactly how or when the Elders would want to collect their blood. Austin had
explained it wouldn’t be any more painful than giving to a blood bank and to
think of it in the same manner. Donated blood was used to save lives, the same
as their blood might one day save the Elders from dying.

Zack followed the caravan into the parking lot. The
others found parking spaces, while he looped around the lot, coming back to
face the tunnel.

“Where are we supposed to meet them?” Colin asked.

“Right here. In the parking lot,” Zack replied,
looking around for signs of Eve or Austin. “They should already be here.”

“Maybe they’re inside.”

“Yeah maybe,” Zack replied. “I’m gonna go see, you two
stay put.”

“You’re not the boss of me,” Colin smarted back.

Zack swung his head around to look at his brother. “You
know? There’s no fixin’ stupid. Not even Eve could improve that dimwitted brain
of yours.”

“Ha. Ha. Guess she couldn’t make you less of an
asshole either.”

Charlie grabbed Colin’s arm about to implore him to quit
goofing around, when she spotted Eve and Austin walking towards them. “Look.
There they are. Let me out.” She nudged Colin towards the door. He jumped out
and Charlie pushed passed him. She ran over to Eve, who hugged her hello.

“What’s that about?” Zack asked.

“No idea,” Colin replied, shaking his head. Charlie’s
relationship with Eve baffled everyone, but no one more so than Colin. Seeing
them act that way made him nervous, but he wasn’t about to share his concerns
with Zack. He shrugged and climbed back into the cab. “Where’s Roxanne?”    

“At the bunker.”

“You ever notice she’s never around when Eve’s is?”

Zack looked out the window, pretending to semi-ignore
his brother. “Never noticed that.”

Austin walked around to the driver’s door and waited
for Zack to roll down the window. “You guys ready?”

“I guess. I mean who can answer that considering the
circumstances.”

“You’ll do fine Zack. I have total confidence in you.
And I’ll be around more than you think. So don’t worry man. You got this.”

“If you say so big guy. But given the choice between this
and growing pot, I’d take Mary J. Hey is there any on...” 

“Don’t even think about it man.”

Zack looked offended, then disappointed before he
smiled and assured Austin he was only kidding. Although, in the back of his
mind he did wonder what type of plants might be available, but from a medicinal
aspect rather than recreational.

Everyone gathered at the entrance to the tunnel. Zack
handed out flashlights, while Austin gave last minute instructions. 

“Eve will take care of everyone’s personal belongings,
so leave your things here.” A few concerned looks were exchanged and murmurs
about this. “Your things will be there before you are,” he assured them. “So
follow me.”

They proceeded through the tunnel and on into the tomb
like facility. The girls didn’t think about their days in captivity or General
Roth. Charlie had a fleeting thought of Chase and nothing more. The mood was
light, as if they were all under a protective shield, one that kept the bad
memories at bay. Only Austin noticed the dog’s behavior. German turned around
several times, stopping to look back down the passage, ears alert, nostrils
twitching. Each time German stopped, Josie waited on him. The hair on her back
would rise, only falling back in place once German returned to her side. Under
normal circumstances, Austin would have chalked the dog’s behavior up to not
liking the unfamiliar place. This wasn’t a normal situation. Austin opened an
ear to anything moving behind or lurking ahead, but sensed nothing and pressed
on. Eventually they arrived in the exterior room to the portal. Austin opened
the door and stepped back allowing everyone in, taking one last look down the
passage before following behind them.

After the expected oohing and ahhing subsided, and
Austin answered several questions, they were ready to begin their journey. Zack
and Jeremy would go in the first pod. Before climbing in, Jeremy gave his
daughter a kiss good-bye and hugged Grace. Zack and Austin stood facing each
other, neither knowing how to say good-bye.

“So I hate long good-byes,” Zack finally said, feeling
like they were breaking up.

“Me too man,” Austin said, and then pulled Zack into a
bear hug. Stepping back, Austin took a deep breath. “I’ll see you soon my
friend.”

Zack looked doubtful, but replied, “I hope so big guy.
I hope so.” With nothing more to say, at least not out loud, Zack climbed into
the pod. Austin closed the lid and sent them on their way. 

They were followed by Anne, Zoe and the twins. Grace,
Gisela and Charlie were third in line, with the others following in two’s. Last
to go was Kyle and German. It took both Kyle and Austin to strap the unwilling dog
into the pod seat. Once he was secured, it was Kyle’s turn to climb in.

Turning to Austin, Kyle said, “So these have been, by
far, the strangest weeks of my life, but in a good way. I mean, having Grace
and the baby and, well, it felt like being home again. I don’t know if that
makes sense.” He paused, uncertain of what he wanted to say, but knowing he
wanted to say something. “I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve done.
The sacrifices you’ve made for us. Thank you.” He held out his hand to Austin.

Austin stared at his brother’s hand for a long time
before taking it in his own. He looked Kyle in the eyes. “I’m glad you found
your way to us. That we met, and I got to know you. Another time, another
place, things would have been different.” Austin gave Kyle a hug. “Stay safe...my
brother,” he said, too low for Kyle to hear the last part. Austin stepped back
and Kyle climbed in the pod.

“Until we meet again,” Austin said, lowering the lid,
his heart heavy.

Once Kyle was strapped in he gave the thumbs up.
Austin waved and stepped back. The lights blazed, the pod raced down the track
and into the portal. He waited several minutes to see if anyone returned, but soon
the portal turned dark, the lights faded to off and the system shut down. It
was done, they were gone. Austin closed his eyes and traveled to Paru with
them. His lips spread into a smile. A smile of relief, knowing they’d arrived
safely and the Elders were being true to their word.

***

 As the group was making their way through the dark
narrow passage and into the portal room, Eve took care of their personal
belongings. All of their things, as they remembered them, were already waiting
on Paru. Their clothes, toothbrushes, books, everything would look and feel the
same. Journals would have the same words and dates, toothpaste tubes the same
squeeze marks, clothes missing the same buttons. Nothing would indicate they
were not the originals. In Eve’s mind it was a small deception to replace their
things with exact duplicates. Besides, in time those material things would
become less and less important.

Eve closed her eyes and breathed in deep, smelling the
various scents of blood, feeling the gnawing hunger growing more persistent.
The past thirty-six hours had pushed her limits. Although improving the human’s
DNA turned out as she’d foreseen, the future of mankind remained unclear, which
was disturbing, and even more so now that she felt responsible for their
survival. The scars from Agra’s deception pervaded deep into her very being,
dictated her thoughts and decisions. Austin didn’t trust the Elders. She didn’t
trust them either, and felt justified in this mistrust. For now though, going to
Paru was the best option. Other planets existed where the humans could survive,
maybe even flourish, but they would do so without help or protection. The small
boost Eve had given them through their DNA change was not enough against that
which existed in the universes beyond this one. 

Eve opened her eyes as Austin emerged from the tunnel.
Each time she looked upon him her body tensed, as if she’d suddenly been thrown
in a tug-of-war with a powerful adversary. They were connected now. He with her
blood, she with his. Before long the pulling sensation would vanish, their
blood would be the same. The only way to break the connection would be through
death. It was in this knowledge she found comfort, for though she no longer
heard Caleb’s thoughts, she knew he was alive. If he’d died, the piece of him that
existed inside of her would have also died.

“I brought you something.” Austin held up two small
gray water bladders.

She took one, screwed off the cap and sniffed. “Your
General Roth used to bring the very same to me.” She tilted the bag to her her
lips and took a long drink. “He would wait days to bring one. Sometimes he
spiked the blood with drugs. He spent hours mixing up concoctions, thinking of
how he might put me to sleep.” She finished the last drop and took the second, again
sniffing before drinking. “His brain was exceptional, but, as with all humans,
it was governed by emotion, not logic. Had he taken the time to think it
through, he would have realized much sooner the impossibility of his quest.” With
that she finished the second bladder in one gulp.

“There’s enough stored in the coolers to last at least
three years, maybe longer if we’re conservative,” Austin said, trying to not
sound concerned. Stored blood served its purpose, but not as a substitute for
fresh. “We should be going,” Austin said, anxious to get started, and not
wanting to think about what the distant future might have in store for them. Other
matters, more pressing matters, needed their attention. Although he was certain
they could convince the remaining survivors to leave, traveling around the
globe would take time. And time was a fickle thing on Paru, sometimes slow,
sometimes fast, and always unpredictable. Vazya might be the same.

First things first, which meant Eve teaching him to
move through space. A task requiring more skill and practice than mind jumping.
The concept seemed simple enough, as she’d explained it. The displacement and
replacement of energy, of all of the particles around and in him. She’d no
doubt he’d master this task with ease as he did each challenge presented to him
since he was a boy.  After a few attempts, and less failures, he did as she
expected. He was able to harness energy, move within that energy without losing
himself along the way. It was much like traveling on highways of moving
particles, millions upon millions of them. After his fifth successful trip,
Austin asked Eve about going to Vazya.