As the boys resumed their digging, the dogs’ excited barking announced the approach of another figure from across the field. In the distance, they identified the slight outline of the blossoming Emma.
“Oh, no. Here comes more trouble,” Scotty mumbled under his breath, but the sentiment did not escape Kane.
“Come on, dude. You have Chloe, can’t a guy have a little fun?”
“Sneaking off for a piece of tail is one thing. If Kenya or Mama find out, I’m going to get the blame right along with you. And I don’t know how much longer I can cover for you with Chloe. She knows what Emma’s up to and sooner or later, she’s going to tell Kenya. And why do you want Elias on your back? Do you see the way he still looks at her?”
Kane brushed him off. “Nah, that’s over and done with. Emma doesn’t want anything to do with Elias. Dead, done, history. Besides, Johno keeps a good eye on all his keepers. Elias would be in deep shit with Johno if he started something. It’s up to Emma anyway.” Kane smirked and rolled his eyes. “And she has made that perfectly clear to me, if you get my drift.”
“Yeah, I get it. I don’t need the details, bro . . . .” Scotty continued to shake his head as Emma approached with a box containing their lunch. From a distance, he saw Chloe rise and follow the dogs and Echo as they ambled toward them, Caesar trailing his magnificent presence as usual.
Not immune to the charms of a young healthy female, he admired how the Hive seemed to agree with Emma, Chloe and Kenya. The three girls were bursting with good health, perfect specimens of happy, sexy, young womanhood: long lean muscles, trim waists, strong legs, gleaming teeth, and vibrant, clear eyes. All three were just filled with feminine hormones that knew exactly how to laser right in on charged male testosterone.
Kane stood up as Emma approached, helping her set the heavy box on the soft grass of the hillock.
“Hey Scotty, hey Kane.” Emma simpered as Kane’s name left her lips. Their eyes connected and a signal was exchanged. “Why don’t you give me a tour around the fruit trees, Kane? They smell so fresh.” As her words begged an innocent question, the intimacy in her eyes told Scotty that Kane would be missing his lunch again.
“Oh, don’t run off. Sit down so we can talk for a while.” As Chloe approached, she grabbed Emma’s hand, dragging her down to the ground. “So what did you think of Kenya’s latest tantrum last night at dinner?” The boys remained silent, squirming at the subject of Kenya’s long overdue delivery.
“Babe, can’t we talk about something more pleasant? Kenya’s all fucked up now and there’s not much we can do to help her except to cover her chores.” They all nodded, Kane verbally thanking the Womb for Johno’s calming intervention with Kenya every night.
“But I don’t see why Netty can’t do anything. Why doesn’t she talk to the Womb? Have you noticed how quiet she gets when Kenya starts screaming about the baby?” Chloe’s eyes narrowed as she turned to Echo. “Why do I think you must know what’s going on, Echo?” Chloe and Echo had managed to find a way to coexist in Scotty good graces, but every once in a while Chloe found an excuse to jump on her. Perhaps it was because Echo still refused to send her auras and only spoke to her through Scotty. A slight everyone noticed as Echo and Baby began to open up and connect to others as the months wore on. Chloe threw an angry glance at Echo.
“Scotty, can you see if she could please answer the question?” Chloe asked.
“She already has. She said there’s nothing wrong and the Womb need not be bothered.”
Chloe wrinkled her nose, disbelief glowering from every pore. “Ha. I told you, Scotty. Something’s up and that damn creature knows all about it. Who are you going to side with? Us or it?”
Scotty clenched his teeth, trying not to explode. Echo swiveled to him, her aura serene and relaxed. “My Brother, do not pay heed. Your young companion knows not of what she speaks and needs much time to gain wisdom. Be patient.”
Chloe shook her short hair unpleasantly. “If the two of you are just going to talk behind my back, then I’m out of here.” So saying, she picked up the remains of her lunch and took off down the hill, Teddy looking from her to the posse. “Come on, Teddy . . . come.” With his mistress’s command in his tiny ears, Teddy sprang up and leaped down the hill.
Emma let out a belly laugh. “Still jealous of Echo I see. Some things never change.” Turning to Scotty she asked, “Mind if we take off for a few minutes? Kane needs a break anyway.” Without waiting for an answer, she pulled Kane to his feet and scampered off with him to find some privacy.
Scotty watched as they disappeared, disappointed with Chloe and envious of Kane. “Well gang, since everyone’s deserted me, I guess I might as well catch a few zzzs myself.
Echo popped up with Barney, all attention. “My Barney and I will be quite happy to help you catch the zzzs, Brother Scotty.”
He laughed tenderly at the innocence of Echo’s loyalty. Wrapping them in his wings, he scooped them up and lay back against the warm grass to snuggle. They settled down to nap, the rest of the posse joining as Echo kept one luminous golden eye cocked to watch for the missing zzzs.
Chapter 5
As Wil and Netty tried to separate themselves from the grasping fingers, shrieks and sobbing that always accompanied their leave-taking from Father, they exchanged anguished glances. Running late, they prayed Abby and Jose would wait for them. Their meeting and difficult revelation was well overdue. The two winged Elders were not looking forward to imparting the news to the survivors, but they hoped to get a read on how to best approach the now fairly contented survivors through Abby and Jose.
They rushed through the many miles of corridors, using their wings for speed, a luxury normally frowned upon as they refrained from demonstrations of their unique differences in front of the completely human survivors.
*
Abby luxuriated in the warm water of the bathing caves, watching the glow of Jose’s eyes bounce over the luminescent minerals and jeweled stalagmites. Their wings drooped wetly, but would soon dry and puff up luxuriously from the cleansing in the warm mineral waters. Jose slipped his arm from around Abby’s neck to rub her forehead.
“Babe, did you notice these bumps on your forehead?” He squinted in the dim light.
“Ouch! Don’t do that.” She swept his hand away from her head. “It’s been sore for a while, but I just dismissed it. Why?”
Jose smiled, projecting pride and love as he explained. “I think you just might be getting your horns.”
She dropped her jaw. “You’re kidding me.”
“No, I really think you are. I wonder why I haven’t gotten mine?”
“What makes you think you’ll get them? Wil doesn’t have horns.”
Jose voice revealed his puzzlement. “I just assumed. We evolved from the cells of minions, and Baby and Echo have them. Netty has them. And you’re getting them. Why shouldn’t I? Maybe there’s a reason Wil doesn’t have them.” Abby climbed out of the water to lie naked on the shore, waves lapping gently, tugging at her long, tangled hair, and trying flirtatiously to entice her back to the wet warmth.
“Netty and Wil should be here any moment. I wish you’d put on your clothes, Abby.” Jose strode from the water to dry off and slip into his clothes.
“Oh Jose, lighten up. I’m sure they know what a nude woman looks like. They’re the only two I feel completely comfortable around except you and Scotty. Sometimes I just need to relax and let down my hair. I still feel suspicion around some of the women and it makes me defensive.”
“Is Ginger Mae or Kenya still giving you a hard time?”
“No, Kenya’s a dear, poor kid. She understands the implants forced me to behave oddly toward everyone. I don’t even remember a lot from those days. Kenya told me I actually slapped her on the Lucky Lady when we were fleeing from Sarasota. I can’t believe I did that. Did you see me do it?”
“No, but I had my mind on Chloe, still shocked over discovering she’s my sister. I must have missed that. So
much has happened, I can’t recall everything either. And I didn’t have an implant.” Jose reached out for Abby as she stood to dress.
“Ummm, you look so incredible.” Kissing her, he ran his hands over her pliant skin like a starving teenager. As Abby felt a flame of desire, she reached down to discover Jose’s readiness. She swallowed a laugh at the hopefulness on Jose’s face.
“Come on, babe. You know I want you. Let’s just slip back behind that big boulder over there.”
Abby tilted her face to his and reached out with her teeth to give his lip a teasing bite. “Not now. You’re right, Netty and Wil should be here soon. Don’t look so sad. I don’t want to get dirt all over my nice clean wings, anyway. You should have thought of that sooner.” She danced away from his searching fingers, a laugh deep in her throat.
As she finished dressing, she remarked on the rest of the survivors. “Have you noticed how Ginger Mae has blossomed? Her face looks almost normal now. I think she may be on the verge of forgiving me for my cold behavior, but I know she’s beginning to harbor some mixed feelings about my relationship with Daisy.”
“It’s natural that she’d be jealous. Daisy’s her daughter, not yours.”
Jose’s remarks stung. “I’m very fond of Daisy and I need to spend time with her on our project. She’s the only one with the capacity to absorb the information from the library and keep it stored in her mind. Netty has plans for her. Her potential is limitless.” Jose’s raised eyebrow foretold his skepticism. “Don’t give me that look.”
“I don’t know where either you or Netty thinks Daisy will be able to exercise this potential. Do you think the bears will care? Or maybe Tobi and the herd might care? And I still don’t buy the assumption that the food is curing any ailment or imperfection the group has. That’s just a fairy tale. I think it’s time Netty and Wil clue us in to a few mysteries around here.”
“That is just what we are here to do.”
Abby and Jose scrambled up to face Netty and Wil at the entrance to the bathing cave. Her face flamed with hot blood as she realized they’d overheard Jose.
Wil beckoned them over to a mineral formation that would be conducive to comfort.
“Please don’t be angry, Netty.” Abby hurried to be seated next to her mentor. “Jose is just naturally curious about many of the unusual occurrences in the Hive.”
Netty smiled widely, amusement coloring her words. She reached out to take Abby’s hand. “Child, you don’t need to apologize. We want you to feel you can come to us with anything. We are aware of your questions. We hear the speculation from the others. And Salina is becoming suspicious regarding Kenya’s baby. Before we have an uproar, we thought it better to share information with you that may be upsetting to the others.” Netty’s eyes glanced toward Wil as he gave an encouraging nod. Abby noticed tightness in their faces, a wariness. This isn’t going to be good. She clenched her hands, feeling Jose reach for her for reassurance.
After a pause, Wil cleared his throat. He looked them in the eyes, unencumbered by the force of the brilliant luminance of their combined presence. “This will not be easy.”
Abby felt Jose tense, his grip on her fingers tightening.
Wil sighed, his tail swatting at imagined flies, another sign of distress.
Softly, Abby asked, her tremulous voice a mere whisper of fright, “Is there a problem?”
Wil grimaced. “No, not exactly. First, I want you to remember you are Elders now. You will live far beyond the life span of everyone in the Hive. Even Baby and Echo. Since entry into the Earth’s atmosphere seems to have turned on the enzyme that neutralized the chemical block on their own eternal life, it appears they have a possibility of living as long as we do, but we cannot be sure.”
Netty took over. “Both of you must realize that when we emerge from the Hive, the planet will be much different. There will be so much work to do. The wildlife must be acclimated to their new surroundings after living below the earth for so long.” Abby caught a premonition with Netty’s word, her chest compressing with anxiety. Netty’s speech slowed as she searched their faces for a reaction.
Jose spoke up. “Please, go on. Just tell us what we need to know.”
Netty continued. “We will not be leaving the Hive for at least a century.”
Abby and Jose’s blank look told the story. “A century . . . one hundred years.” An audible gasp sounded from the two young Elders. A fast blink and Abby got it like a thunderclap. “But everyone will be dead. Except us.”
Wil rose to his feet, pacing slowly as he continued to deliver the news. “Well now, that’s not quite correct. As a matter of fact, everyone will be as alive as they are right now. Which brings us to the purpose of this meeting. It is time the rest of the group receives some answers to their miraculous cures and good health. As everyone has noticed, the healing of Ginger Mae’s unfortunate knife wound to the face from the gentleman you refer to as Armoni . . .”
“He was no gentleman.” Abby’s bitterness escaped.
Wil shushed her with his hands and continued, “As I was saying . . . and Kenya’s ungodly overdue delivery . . . it won’t be much longer before we have a revolt on our hands. They need answers.”
Jose clapped his hand on his thigh. Raising his voice, he demanded, “Just tell us, for Pete’s sake.”
“We need your help and advice to tell them. At this point, no one will be able to accept what is happening to them if they know how the Womb is doing it.” At their startled expressions Wil added, “Yes, it’s the Womb, of course. No one will age a day more than they were when they entered the Hive. The Womb is presently healing any cell as it divides. Under normal circumstances, the cell of every living creature on this particular planet would divide forever until enough corrupted cells accumulate to cause a deleterious effect or a mutation. It could be a wrinkle, a gray hair in time, or as serious as disease and cancers. The Womb is healing those exact cells as they begin to split and divide to grow more corrupted cells. As the Womb heals them, or even corrects the ones that were already corrupted when they got here, they will not age and will in fact improve as you have witnessed.”
Haltingly, Abby absorbed the information and spoke. “But that is a good thing. Where’s the problem?”
Netty took over from Wil. “They will question how it is done. I do not think they are ready to handle that. We hoped you would offer us a way to make the explanation more palatable.” As Netty described the process that happened every night as the entire group of survivors and the creatures slept, Abby and Jose paled.
“I see. Maybe we better stick to the food theory for now,” Abby offered. “Can you give us a few days to think this through? It’s not going to go over well. We need to be ah . . . delicate with this explanation.”
As they all agreed, Jose spoke up. “Wil, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Why is it that you don’t have any horns like Netty? Abby is beginning to grow hers, but Scotty and I have yet to start. And we were changed by Echo years before Abby was.”
Wil shrugged; his demeanor flippant. Netty rose to wrap her arm around his shoulders. His tail instantly curled around her waist as if seeking succor.
“The Womb is a wise and far-seeing creator. In that wisdom, it was clear that even a male Elder, having originated from Homo sapiens, could not be trusted to suppress what is left of the human lust for blood and domination. Therefore, it was decided only female Elders of human origins will grow antlers. It is a grave responsibility to wear the antlers and command their power. The Womb, with such infinite wisdom, could see that females put the lives of their children first and could be counted on not to dominate for the sake of domination.”
At Jose and Wil’s disgruntled satisfaction with the explanation, Netty shrugged her shoulders. “It is what it is. No offense intended, but I see the wisdom. That is how we got into this situation to begin with. Throughout history, if man was not fighting about women, land, or other riches raped from the Earth, it was about competing religions tha
t gave men the permission to dominate with all forms of atrocities. Religions were manufactured by men as excuses for horrid behavior. Not that some religions were bereft of merit, but clearly you can see the truth of our Creator. The only religion the Womb would sanctify would be one of life, respect for the planet you have been given, and balance. As you all have been told before, when balance is lost, the Womb must intervene. Since this is not the first intervention on this planet, the Womb’s patience is wearing thin. So much amazing life lived on the planet. It is well worth the effort to save as much as time allows.”
Smiling, Netty turned to Abby. “We owe so much to you, my dear. The Womb is not without its benevolent side. As plans are interrupted, we adjust. We had many, many years to prepare for this life in the Hive.” She grimaced. “Not as much for the others you brought along, but we are making the best of it and I am sure everyone will be quite happy here until we can surface.” Netty clearly meant to end the conversation. “Any questions?” She waited as Abby and Jose absorbed the meaning of all Netty and Wil had trusted them with.
“No, I think you have summed up our future very well for now.” Jose’s voice contained an undertone of disbelief—or is it hurt? Sighing mentally, Abby knew he would get over it. Time to deal with the practicalities. Stepping forward to give Netty a hug, she spoke shyly. “I feel closer to you than ever, Netty. Thank you for trusting us with this information. And I agree, for now we should allow everyone to believe it’s the food. I know you must get on to your afternoon errand and I must get back to the library.” She gave Netty a sidelong glance. “Perhaps in time you might wish to share your afternoon food delivery with me. It could free up Wil to help Jose in the library. We have so much work to do there. I don’t even know if one hundred years will be enough.”
Netty ushered her protégé forward toward the bathing cave entrance. “In good time, my dear . . . in good time.” Netty rewarded Abby with the fond loving smile she had hoped for as the men trailed disconsolately behind, unable to conceal their bruised egos and displeasure that the women were the favored ones.