*
The next morning, Sheriff Hudson and Ginger Mae strolled through the corridors arm in arm. They were in no hurry to join everyone in Netty’s kitchen for the mysterious meeting. Ginger Mae leaned her head briefly on Hudson’s broad shoulder; pensive and thoughtful.
“Hud, how come we’ve never discussed why I seem to be having trouble conceiving?”
Hud looked down at his wife, permitting Ginger Mae an opportunity to relish the tiny flip her heart did every time she studied his world-weary, ruggedly-dear face. She knew every laugh line and wrinkle by heart. Who knew that life would bring this compassionate and wise man to her bed? With him behind her, she knew she could climb mountains.
Ruefully, she conceded the Hive failed to offer many mountains to conquer these days. But she knew she could count on his stalwart strength when the time came to reclaim the world above.
“I don’t know, babe. I just assumed we must be too old.” He reached out to cup her head in his large hand, giving it an affectionate tousle.
“Now Hud, you know very well the Hive repairs anything in our bodies that goes awry. We’re all perfectly fit and healthy.”
“What brought this up now, babe? If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. We have lots of time. Before long, this place will be filled with urchins that have your beauty and my . . . hmmm . . . my what?”
Ginger Mae heard an underlying note in his voice which disturbed her. She stopped in her tracks in the middle of the corridor that would bring them close to the kitchen. She didn’t want to have this conversation where anyone could hear; especially not their best friends. Peter and Bonnie would be so hurt. “How about your inability to lie to me? You’re going to start now?”
Hud evaded her perceptive eyes, his tone tender. “I can’t bear to see you hurt, babe. Don’t you know I feel every pain, every sadness, you have?”
Puzzlement creased her brow. “But I’m not sad, Hud. I’ve never been happier. My life is complete. Well, except for wanting your child. All of us are happier than we’ve ever been.”
Her voice slowed, a thoughtful dawning intruding with its presence. “Except for all of us not being able to conceive.” She stopped speaking, her silence making Hud squirm.
“Ginger Mae?” She cocked her head to consider a thought, and then continued to hold her lovely face still.
“Okay babe, you got me.” Hud pulled her from the center of the corridor to perch her on a small boulder that clung to the side of the wall, the membrane of the Hive quiet and ignored. Goose bumps on her pale arms testified to the alarm she was beginning to feel.
Hudson sighed loudly, pacing in fits and starts in front of her, his hands wringing with helpless gestures.
“For Pete’s sake, love. Just spit it out.” She held her breath.
“I don’t know why you can’t see it. It’s obvious. Maybe you’re all subconsciously denying it so as not to rock the boat? Understandable in light of what was going on here around the time you all found out what Baby was up to.” He glanced quickly away. “With me and all. That was so long ago, yet just like yesterday. I feel—”
She reached out her hand to grab his arm. “We’ve talked and talked that subject to death. We both have pasts we’re not proud of. They’re behind us and what matters is our today and our tomorrows, Hud. That means our children. They're our chance to do it right this time. Daisy’s all grown up and way out of reach. I no longer even know what she does in that so-called lab of hers with Netty and Abby.” Studying her lap, she whispered, “I want our baby. I know you do too.”
“You don’t need to worry about Daisy. She’s marked for otherworldly pursuits. It’s what she wants. We can’t hold a special child like her back. She’s not even a child anymore. I know it’s creepy, looking like a six-year-old but she’s what . . . thirty nine, forty?”
“Thirty five. But this isn’t about Daisy. It’s about us.”
Hud knelt down before her, taking her hands in his. She could identify many emotions in his eyes. She winced inwardly as she admitted pity took precedence.
Hud’s words were low and soft. “I don’t think the Hive wants any of you ladies to get pregnant.”
Ginger Mae sprang to her feet, sending Hud sprawling back on his butt. “What? No, no . . . they wouldn’t do that to us. That doesn’t make any sense. And how? I mean . . . really . . .?” Hud climbed to his feet, picking off dried scat that had adhered to his butt; droppings from one of the animals that had passed through the corridor and been overlooked.
“I don’t know how, babe. Maybe you and I can swing some time alone with Netty and Wil, and bring it up together?”
“But Hud, Wil’s your best friend. Can’t you just wring it out of him?”
He shook his head. “No . . . we never talk about the Hive, the Womb or the weird stuff. You have to remember, Wil and I lived in the same time, long ago. He’s from the next county where I lived with my family. We talk about home, carpentry, advances that have been made since we . . . died. I really can’t share that kind of stuff with anyone but Wil. He’s a good kid. Well, not a kid. I mean a good guy. I just wish I’d known him before Netty’s ex got ahold of him. I might have been able to do something . . .” His enhanced memory illuminated the pain from his past; the faraway dullness in his eyes fading as he snapped back to the present, “Let me work on it, babe. I’ll try to talk to him today if the right moment comes up.” He took her arm, tucking it into his and bent down to kiss her oh so softly, savoring the promise their lips exchanged.
“Do we want to be the last to arrive?” She gave her head a tiny shake no.
“Well then, let’s go. I’m starved.” The beautiful reformed ex-prostitute and the handsome dishonored ex-sheriff turned the bend in the corridor to join the rest of the Hive family for breakfast and Netty’s meeting.
*
Ginger Mae noticed a subdued atmosphere in the kitchen as they entered, even as Netty presented platters of steaming hot purple and black cake-like fritters that featured a spicy, salty-sweet bite on the tables; one of her most popular dishes, usually reserved for special occasions.
Glancing at the counter by the sink, she could see an assortment of fruit pies that must have kept Dezi baking into the night. Chance snuffled at Dezi’s feet as he rolled out the dough for another pie. Hmm, wonder what this means?
As she and Hud made their way back to their waiting seats with Bonnie and Peter, they exchanged quick, quiet greetings with the others, a wave here and a smile there.
Ginger Mae didn’t fail to notice how jumpy Netty appeared; nervous almost. She startled as Netty herself slipped around their seats to put down a platter, the hot steaming breakfast cakes wafting their enticing spices along the wooden table.
Hud spoke up. “Morning Netty. Where’s Wil?” Ginger Mae hadn’t noticed his absence.
Netty gave Hud a dreamy, goofy smile. “He’ll be back by the time we finish breakfast.” She appeared to sober, her happy expression flashing back to nervous and jumpy.
Murmurings circulated the tables as the survivors gossiped in discreet undertones, Netty’s uncharacteristic behavior and particular breakfast a puzzle.
Baby and Echo lounged silently and unconcerned at the fireplace with Barney and Chloe’s Teddy, both dogs alert and jumpy as they sensed the change in atmosphere.
No one uttered a word as Netty kept glancing at the entrance to the kitchen while Salina and Karen cleared the empty plates and Shirley poured the tea. The tension in the room increased while Dezi sliced into a walnut raspberry cobbler.
Clyde’s granddaughter, Jennifer, quickly dispensed the treat as Netty rose from her chair at her private table to pick up a smaller version of her own chair that had sat unnoticed along the wall, before ceremoniously depositing it at her and Wil’s table.
She returned to stand and face them all, stealing another quick, nervous glance at the door.
Ginger Mae scanned the crowd, observing the expectant faces and curious minds calmly and innocently awaiting
Netty’s announcement.
Netty bowed her head. She fidgeted with a wing, her tail tightly wound around her waist as if holding her together. Her face lifted to reveal an odd coupling of pride and a sudden flash of . . . Was that fright? Ginger Mae wondered.
Netty cleared her throat and gave them a weak smile. “I don’t actually know where to begin.”
The crowd stirred and exchanged looks.
Netty intercepted some of the looks, causing her to stiffen her spine. She began. “There are two parts to this meeting. First, I need you all to understand something important. We . . . the Womb, the Kreyven, the minions, and Wil and I planned for many years to institute the intervention that Baby should have begun upon arrival on Earth. You all know the story well by now, but we needed to keep a few things to ourselves for a very good reason. Until the right time. I think the right time has come.”
The room filled with groans and exclamations of surprise, Clyde’s being the loudest protest as usual.
Netty held up her hands, her voice soft and gentle. “Please . . . hear me out. This has not been easy for us either. As you know, Baby’s mission did not originally plan for the need of the Hive. The Womb had originally made the decision to intervene in a more catastrophic way. It would have left no humans on the planet to interfere with the lives of any remaining species, or new ones for that matter.”
Her hands rose to cut off objections, her expression hardening as she became absorbed in the telling.
“As Baby and I met so very long ago, we began a productive life together. Then Wil entered our lives. The Womb decided to take a wait-and-see attitude as Echo stayed in the Hive to gauge the new developments. Then came the interference from my ex-husband and our brutal deaths.
“I’m sure you’ve all heard that, even as we are immortal, that doesn’t mean we can’t die. Luckily, Echo convinced the Womb to send the Kreyven to rescue us for what you call cloning and what we also know as mind transference.
“What most of you don’t know, is that we were not all able to be rescued.” Netty’s voice stumbled, great pain coming up from deep within her.
“Wil and I had a baby.”
Gasps of sadness came from the entranced survivors as they sat spellbound, watching the stunning Elder they had all come to admire and love.
“Without going into detail, please accept that my baby died before Wil and I even had a chance to name her.” Netty rubbed her temples, her pain clear to all. She took a deep breath and straightened.
“Our adjustment to our rebirth, the Hive, knowledge of how the millions and millions of solar systems worked and our new role in it, took us a very long time. Decades passed as we fought to come to terms with our new lives.
“Humans are not meant to be Elders. Only minions. Yes, we have descended from minions, which made it all possible, but we have many traits and limitations given to us by evolution. They needed to be . . . modified. And some things needed to be enhanced.” She ran her hands from the top of her head, sweeping down to rest at her side.
“And this is what we got.” She smiled and nodded to herself. “Not too shabby, right?”
“As time wore on, we also began to realize our plans for the planet needed to be altered. Echo became attached to the family who discovered her, and we realized we had more Elders on our hands. You know their story.
“Just as the decision was made to change our plans, we learned of an element in your population who planned mass destruction without our intervention. We needed to quickly ready Abby for her part of the mission.”
Ginger Mae watched Abby and Netty’s eyes meet, the hero worship from Abby plain as the crystal horns on their heads.
Clyde stood up, impatience in his voice.
“We already know most of this. Why don’t you get to the point?”
The crowd shushed him as Salina pulled him back down to his chair. “Let her tell it her way, for gosh sakes, Clyde. Can’t you see how painful this is?”
Resuming, Netty’s voice added a defensive note. “You must understand. We did not have plans for anyone other than Scotty, Chloe, Abby and Jose.”
“Why Chloe? What’s so special about her?” A resentful-sounding shout from the crowd.
“You all know about The One. Someday, you may be very grateful. The needs of The One must always be considered.”
Ginger Mae peered around Hud’s shoulders as Chloe muttered, “Needs?” with an arched eyebrow. Scotty slipped a kiss on her forehead as he squeezed her tight.
“My needs,” he whispered.
“There was no way to rescue all the wildlife before the bombs dropped. We’re lucky Abby rescued what she did. That includes all of you, too.” She swept her hand to include the room.
“Unfortunately, we had no way to know in advance that events would unfold this way. We were forced to improvise as Abby accumulated you all along the way.” She smiled. “I’m sure you’ve noticed the disarray in the storage room and library. These items were obtained as it became apparent Abby was planning to rescue people too.” This time she smiled brightly at Daisy.
“We are ever so happy you’ve adjusted so well. I’m sure Wil and I don’t need to tell you how fond we are of all our survivors.”
Netty was now grinning from ear to ear. A clatter sounded from the hallway where Caesar kept his vigil. Ginger Mae craned her neck. Was that the sound of Netty’s food wagon?
A high scream was heard. A grinning Wil entered the kitchen behind the most amazing sight. A whirling dervish of a handful; all three feet four inches of a three-year-old Elder toddler. She ran screaming to Netty, who scooped her up in the air, swinging her around and holding her tight. She deposited her on the counter after showering her with kisses. Netty turned to face the stunned and speechless survivors with tears glittering in her eyes.
“My daughter, Maya.”
The crowd sat speechless. Ginger Mae glanced at Hud and looked around the room. Mouths hung open, puzzlement entering eyes. As Ginger Mae tried to make sense of it, she caught flashes of hurt in the eyes of some of the women. Tentative smiles tugged at compressed lips as the natural beauty of an innocent child tugged at hearts. A groundswell of emotional voices swept the room within seconds.
“Your daughter?”
“When did this happen?”
“Why did ya hide her, Netty?”
“Yeah, what’s the deal here?” The voices escalated. The child, Maya, curled into Netty’s chest, the noise from the astonished survivors frightening her.
Netty held up her hand to quiet the crowd, her face dark. “Wil, can you please take Maya?” She scanned the room, quickly locating the minions.
“Baby, Echo? Can I ask you to go with Wil and stay with Maya? You can take Barney with you. Hurry back, Wil.”
The two minions wobbled over to the kitchen door where Wil waited, Maya blowing kisses to Baby and Barney. As they disappeared through the door, Netty turned back to the confused survivors.
“All right . . . all right.” Netty held up both hands. “I know you have questions. I’m not finished.”
“Oh, Netty, she’s wonderful.” Abby’s voice brokered some agreement in the crowd as they recognized their rude behavior toward the child. Chagrined voices added their compliments as everyone settled back down.
“Well, at least someone was able to get pregnant.” Crystal’s wry voice cut deep. Ginger Mae recognized the pain in the expressions of many of the women in the kitchen. Pain and longing. I know how they feel.
She turned her attention from her fellow survivors back to Netty, who now stood quietly, her face expressionless, waiting until she had all of their attention. Ginger Mae could feel the crowd becoming restless.
“Maya was born three years before the bombs came. She’s still mentally a toddler. I asked the Womb if she could remain so, unlike the rest of us.”
Hushed expectation greeted Netty’s words. Tension again filled the room as they all realized the true reason for the meeting was about to be revealed.
“Wil and I quickly understood our daughter’s presence would be a problem once I was forced to inform you that the surviving women here in this room would never be capable of bearing children.”
The gasp from the crowd made Netty flinch. Angry voices assailed the homey kitchen. Ginger Mae felt Hud’s strong hands reach out to hold her as she failed to stop a desperate tear escaping her eye.
She raised her face to peer at her sister survivors, who sat stunned at the news, faces scared and wet with tears. The outspoken Clyde was the first to respond, calm yet incredulous. “Are you trying to tell us that we’ll be the last of our race? And just how is it that you know that exactly?”
Netty held her head up to take the brunt of the anger that seeped into the consciousness of the gathering.
“It’s the food isn’t it? Or the tendrils? The fucking tendrils. You throw us a bone while you rob us in our sleep.” Billy the trucker cradled his shocked wife in his arms, bitterness getting the best of him.
“No, it’s not the food or the tendrils.” Netty began to meet anger with anger. The room filled with simmering resentment. “You’re alive are you not?”
Cobby stood to face his fellow survivors. Karen’s stricken face turned to watch as he attempted to calm everyone down. “Come on, gang. Let’s hear her out. She’s one of us.”
From the keeper’s table came a determined voice. “No, sir. Miss Netty is not one of us. She’s an angel of the Womb. We’re only alive by mistake. I’m grateful and well understand my place in the Hive. I would not be making any demands on Miss Netty.” The keeper’s big round eyes trailed the walls where the membrane breathed, his protruding white orbs a contrast to his awed dark face.
“Thank you, Johno. Now perhaps I can continue?” Grumblings and tears swept through the survivors, calming only as Cobby shushed them.
Netty took a deep breath, visibly settling herself. “The decision to end your species came from the Womb. The original Elders were your makers . . . your creators, but we’re always at the beck of the Womb in all its infinite wisdom.” She gestured toward the membrane.