‘Looks like we’ve finally recaptured our most ingenious of creations,’ said Deighton, nodding at the Indigene. ‘Although, given his young age, he’s more likely to be the product of two of our creations. Even better, I’d say.’ He smiled; cold, calculating. ‘It’s taken us many years to get here, but I think we can finally start the experiments again. We can improve our own situation in ways we have yet to try. Billings got here moments before I did. Has he spoken yet?’
‘Just single words here and there,’ said the security overseer. ‘He’s refusing to cooperate.’
‘No matter. I’m not in any hurry,’ said Deighton, smiling.
42
Bill stumbled away from the Indigene standing before him. His back hit the door with a thud. He stared in disbelief at the one that called himself Stephen. Laura was close by and he stretched a hand out for her.
‘Laura, I need you to come to me. Now! You have no idea how dangerous this Indigene is.’
She took a tentative step towards him, but not in fear. She was consoling him, assuring him. In a way, she was protecting the Indigene. Bill blinked.
‘He’s not dangerous, Bill.’
‘Of course he is! He... They killed my...’ He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
She took another step forward. ‘Your wife?’
Bill’s eyes widened. ‘What the hell do you know about that?’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Laura. Her voice was calm, but she was trembling. ‘I have information. I know you’re looking for answers. You need to know the Indigenes are not to blame.’
‘It has to be them. Who else could it be?’ Bill kept his eyes fixed on Stephen, waiting for him to make a move. He swiped at Laura hoping to catch her arm, but she kept enough of a distance between them.
‘The government, Bill. Has been all along. They killed Isla.’
He dropped his arm and straightened up. ‘What?’
‘The World Government and the ESC are involved in things they shouldn’t be. Isla got too close to the truth. In fact, she got close to the Indigenes and was trying to help them.’
‘Yes, and they killed her!’ He stared at Stephen, angling his body towards him, squaring up to him. Stephen lowered his head but not his eyes.
‘No!’ Laura closed the gap between them and placed a hand on Bill’s chest. Her touch relaxed him a little. ‘Listen to me! It wasn’t the Indigenes. They had nothing to do with her death. It was Deighton and Gilchrist.’
Bill turned his attention to Laura. He shook his head. ‘You’re lying. Where are you getting this information from?’
‘Files about the investigation. And letters.’
‘Letters?’
Stephen took a step towards them and Bill snapped his eyes back to the Indigene. He pushed Laura’s hand away.
She blocked Stephen’s path, pleaded with the Indigene. ‘Please, I know it’s difficult being here with us.’
‘Tell me why you were investigating us and I won’t kill you,’ Stephen said to Bill. ‘I do not wish to be here any longer than necessary.’
‘Please, your fight isn’t with us.’ Laura grabbed Stephen’s arm. ‘We are all the same. We are fighting for the same thing.’
‘Let him go,’ said Bill, making a tight fist. ‘If he wants a fight, I’ll give him one.’
‘Not until he understands what he is,’ said Laura. She turned to face Stephen. ‘If you still want to fight us after what I tell you, then you have every right to.’
‘What are you saying?’ said Bill. ‘Don’t you know what he’s capable of?’
‘Yes, I know everything about him. His origin, his creation.’
Both of them were staring at Laura now.
‘His creation?’ said Bill. ‘What are you talking about? What do you know?’
‘If you’re going to help each other, you need to know everything about him, including where he came from. You have to know what he is. Are you ready for that?’
‘Tell me. What is he?’ said Bill, trying to sound relaxed.
Stephen remained rigid in his stance. With his wild gaze fixed on Laura, he waited for her answer.
She looked from one face to the other. Stephen willed her on with a look.
‘He’s human.’ Her words hung in the air.
Bill unclenched his fists. ‘He’s what?’
‘Human,’ Laura repeated.
‘Yes, I know I am,’ said Stephen. ‘This is not news to me. But why is it you are also called “human”?’
Bill grabbed Laura’s arm, his gaze burrowing deep into hers. ‘What the hell are you talking about? Where did you get this information from? How do you know all of this?’
The move clearly surprised her, but she tried to stay calm. ‘I’ve recently come into some information that could get me killed if anyone found out I had it. Trust me, I’m not making this up.’
Bill’s eyes fixed on a blank spot on the floor. A sudden thought agitated him and he looked around Laura’s apartment.
‘How many visitors are you permitted to have?’ he said.
‘What?’
‘How many visitors. Think!’
She shook her head, confused. ‘I don’t know. I don’t usually have any. Why does that matter?’
He clamped the sides of her arms. ‘How many does this block allow?’
She thought about it for a minute. Her face fell. ‘Shit. Only one!’
Bill raced over to the Light Box’s hardware control unit and opened a panel at the back. He removed a small disruption device from his pocket. He disconnected the remote sensor he had fixed on when he had arrived, and re-routed the Light Box signal through the device.
‘Do you know if they’re monitoring your apartment?’
‘I don’t know.’ Laura stared vacantly at the door. ‘Are they coming?’
‘Chances are high. This disruption device is designed to confuse the Light Box sensors. By re-routing the signal through it, we can predetermine the number of signatures it will detect. Right now, it should be picking up just two. But they’ve probably already detected the three of us. They’re going to send a team out to check the anomaly.’
‘What do we do?’
‘We have to cut our numbers by one. I need to remove both devices before they have a chance to see them. When I do, there can only be two of us here.’ Bill considered something and addressed Stephen. ‘Can you do that fast blurry thing you do?’
Laura was confused.
Stephen nodded. ‘Yes, that should work.’ He explained to Laura. ‘I can move at a speed where I become invisible to the human eye.’ He corrected himself. ‘I should say, ordinary human eye. It should fool the sensors long enough for them not to detect my presence.’
‘They’re going to be here shortly.’ Bill gave Laura the once-over. ‘I’m going to need you to change out of your uniform and into something more casual. Then I want you to follow my lead.’
Five minutes later, there was a sharp rap on the door. Stephen took his cue and disappeared into a blurry haze right before their eyes. Laura gasped at Stephen’s movement, but forced her attention back to the door. With Stephen hopefully undetectable by the sensors, Bill removed both the signal disrupter and sound interruption device and prayed that their combined efforts were enough.
He grabbed hold of a casually dressed Laura and began kissing her on the mouth. He felt her go limp for a second before she tensed and straightened up. He held her in a tight grip—a little too tight—as he jerked the door handle open. Two officers stood in the hallway, one male and one female. Both carried Impulse Tasers and Buzz Guns in their hip holsters, but their hands were poised over their Buzz Guns: the deadlier of the weapons. Neither officer introduced themselves.
‘We have reason to believe that you have violated the building safety code,’ said the male officer. ‘You are registering a third person in the apartment.’
Bill looped his arm round Laura’s shoulders and pulled her even closer. He could feel her warmth. An apple scent wafted
up from her hair. ‘I’m sorry, officers. That’s entirely my fault. You see, it’s our anniversary of the first time we met, and I only have two hours with this gorgeous woman before I have to go back to work.’ He stroked Laura’s hair. She acted her part and laid her head on his chest.
The female officer narrowed her gaze. ‘What career line are you in?’
‘Shipping. I’m a pilot.’
‘Where do you work out of?’
‘Sydney, mainly.’
‘And what about you?’ She turned her calculating eyes towards Laura.
Laura hesitated. Sensing her discomfort, Bill cut in. He gently pushed her away. ‘Is this interrogation really necessary? As you can see, it’s just us here.’ He pretended to be irritated.
‘Rules are rules,’ said the male officer. ‘I’m afraid we’re going to have to check for ourselves.’
They both stood back from the door, and allowed the officers to enter. ‘As you wish. You’re free to check.’
Bill’s eyes nervously scanned the room; he couldn’t see Stephen anywhere. Damn, he was good.
The officers carried out a sweep of the apartment, disappointed at not finding a third person. The female officer followed up with an independent scan, which still registered just two signatures, apart from their own.
‘All clear,’ she announced to her partner, sounding unconvinced. She turned to Bill and Laura. ‘But this doesn’t account for the third person you were registering ten minutes ago. Care to explain?’
‘I’m so sorry. That was my fault.’ Laura smiled and placed a hand on her heart. ‘I’d arranged a surprise for my boyfriend. The guy came to install a virtual package upgrade for the Light Box. You know the one where you can holiday in any part of the world without having to leave your armchair? He’s addicted to his virtual world. I mean, who isn’t, these days?’ The male officer mumbled in agreement. ‘Well, the guy was supposed to finish up earlier, but got delayed. Then this idiot came home earlier than planned.’
Bill shrugged his shoulders at the officers in a what-can-you-do way.
‘Oh, I’ve heard about that one. Is it any good?’ said the male officer.
‘I don’t know yet. We were planning a quick trip to Bali.’ Bill winked at him.
‘One last thing,’ said the female officer. ‘We need to scan your identity chips. For the record, you understand.’
‘Come on, officers,’ said Bill. ‘We’ve been fully cooperative here. I rarely get time off, these days. I’m on the clock!’ He sighed and appealed to the male officer’s better nature. ‘You know how it is, with the crazy work schedules we have to stick to. It’s tough enough to get time off under the easiest of circumstances. Am I right?’
The male officer nodded and laughed. ‘I’m just surprised you have the energy. All I want to do is sleep during my free time.’ His tone turned serious. ‘Everything seems to be in order here. Enjoy your evening.’ He pushed his reluctant partner out of the apartment.
As soon as Laura closed the door, Bill removed the disruption unit from his pocket and channelled the Light Box signal through it once more. He placed the sound interrupter on the front panel again.
‘That was way too close for comfort.’ He dragged his hand down his face. ‘We should be okay for the next two hours. But then they’ll be expecting me to leave.’ He spoke to the empty room. ‘You can come out now, Stephen.’ He turned to Laura. ‘And then you’re going to start from the beginning.’
43
‘What a magnificent specimen he is,’ the red-haired female said to the older male, while observing Anton from a safe distance on the other side of the room.
Anton had worked out the distance from his containment unit to the door. There were only three humans in the room with him. He could overpower them easily. He reached his hand out and touched the invisible barrier of the unit. It sparked. He yanked his hand back.
‘The unit is electrically charged,’ said the older male with the watery blue eyes. ‘You are vulnerable to electricity. Apparently, it only slows you down. We’re not sure why it doesn’t kill you.’
Anton stood up straight, waited.
‘The Indigenes have made great steps, technologically speaking,’ said the female. ‘The identity chip they used to gain access to the passenger ship was virtually the same, right down to the wiring. I can’t help wondering if the second generation is cognitively more advanced than the originals.’
Anton rushed the barrier. The electricity stung him and he yowled. It knocked him onto the floor. He stood up in a flash.
‘Look at him!’ the older male said to the others. ‘You see, they were much more primitive in the beginning. Closer to our design, really. Time has allowed their abilities to develop naturally, and in such a short space of time, too. I imagine the next generation will be even more marvellous!’ He clasped his degenerating hands together. A strange mood filled the room.
The female took a step closer. Anton dropped to all fours and arched his back. He concentrated on each of their thoughts which were jumbled by the presence of the barrier.
She stopped cold.
‘See what he just did there?’ said the older male. ‘They didn’t do that when we first created them. Primitive animals. Brutes. Couldn’t even talk. Over time, they’ve adapted, changed so much. It’s quite marvellous to see that our species is capable of such adaptability, if managed correctly. We will need that for our own future.’
44
‘You see, the Indigenes have only been in existence for fifty years,’ Laura said to Bill. ‘They were created from existing humans in the beginning.’
Stephen stilled at her words.
‘How is that possible?’ He felt his control slip away further. ‘Our race has existed for thousands of years, not half a century. You are simply misinformed.’
Laura placed a hand on Stephen’s arm, a move that was difficult for him to allow. But her touch was without malice. ‘I wish I was. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the data for myself.’
Stephen shook his head; he had set out to understand the humans’ motives for killing so many of his kind all those years ago, but if he was to believe Laura, then their motives were no longer the issue. It was all about his origin. He didn’t know if he could trust Laura and Bill, but he needed to hear more. He wished Anton was with him. He was better at reading humans.
‘Where did you get the data from?’ said Bill.
‘I received it from an anonymous tip. Anonymous, because I don’t even know her name.’ Laura laughed, without humour. ‘There’s a woman who works in the same area that I do, on Level Five. I was promoted to that area about two weeks ago. And you can only imagine how stunned I was when she approached me at lunch and handed me a micro file in broad daylight.’
‘What?’ said Bill. ‘She didn’t say anything? What was on it?’
‘The data speaks for itself, but she did say something. That the work at the ESC was not all it seemed to be.’
‘That’s not a surprise. What else?’
‘She said I needed to have my eyes opened before they tried to manipulate me. The reason she was giving me the information was because I had no obvious connection to it.’
‘Any idea what her connection might have been?’
‘No idea. She wouldn’t talk to me after that.’
‘Not unexpected behaviour, given the circumstances.’
‘Wait!’ Stephen had heard enough small talk. ‘I need you to start from the beginning. I came to Earth because your species is still trying to eradicate ours. I want to know why and to find out how we supposedly became another version of you.’
‘Yes, I’d like to know that too,’ said Bill.
Laura took a seat on the sofa. She leaned forwards, resting her forearms on her legs and clasping her hands in front of her.
Both Stephen and Bill stood at opposite ends of the sofa, hovering over her.
‘Please, I need someone to sit with me.’ She patted the vacant area beside her. ‘
You’re both making me nervous, lurking over me like that.’
Bill chose to join her. Not on the seat, but perched on the edge of the arm-rest. Stephen stayed standing; it was a more natural position for him.
‘In the latter part of the twenty-first century,’ said Laura, ‘the World Government had seemingly been well informed of the inherent risks to our planet. The overpopulation had already begun, the biodiversity was unbalanced and extinction lists were growing at an unmanageable rate. It was what drove the initial investment in space travel.’
Bill nodded, his head hung low as he listened. ‘Yes, apart from the government’s early indications, this is all well known.’
Laura continued. ‘Well, as you know, their relentless search for a new exoplanet began shortly afterwards, and then they came across Exilon 5.’
‘In 2076.’
‘That’s right. The history books report it was the astronomer Harry Buxton who discovered the planet. This is all true. But what the books don’t reveal is that the government in power at the time was busy digging up other facts isolated from this event. They discovered that the planet could support life, but not their own because of incompatible gases. So they looked for other ways to make it happen.’
The sequence of events started to make sense to Stephen. ‘Alter its composition?’
‘Not at the beginning. While they racked their brains to come up with a solution, Plan B was being put into effect. As far back as 2032, they’d involved themselves in a number of genetic experiments on human test subjects.’
Bill reflected for a moment. ‘There was an early twenty-first century condition known as hemeralopia that caused day-blindness. There were specific cases mentioned recently, involving children whose eyes shone like bright lights in the dark.’
‘Yes, I read about it,’ said Laura. ‘It was one of the early experiments carried out on children. Tests were performed, often without the subject’s permission. Some were as young as four.’
Stephen shuddered. ‘Did these children have superior night vision?’
‘Yes,’ said Laura. ‘As it turned out, their vision was exceptional in darkened conditions, but much more sensitive in daytime light.’
‘As is our vision.’ Stephen had yet to hear all the details, but he could guess where it was leading.