Different Gravities (2 page)

"Amphibians going back to water to lay their
eggs." Kyle put down the glass. "I've heard all the speeches. As
adults we can live and thrive in lower gravity environments but our
kids need to go back to the water. Well, that's bullshit, Jenny and
you're not taking my son."

Jenny's lips tightened. "He's my son
too."

"And you left us," Kyle snapped. "You left
and now you can't stand to look at your son."

Jenny shook her head. "You're in denial. He's
not okay. I'm doing this for him and all the other children."

"You're not, Jenny. You're not seeing the
future here. You're clinging to the past. And I'm not going to let
you do it. Jon stays here!"

#

Kyle stopped the rover a kilometer out from
the dome. It wasn't a single dome any longer but a cluster of
geodesic structures anchored by red bricks. Through the transparent
panels he could see the familiar green of Earth plants. Amanda
joined him up in the front. "That's it."

"Yep. Namaste." The new dome built by the
children of the original settlers. It'd been a point of debate for
the past decade. M.C.P.A. liked to pretend that they still
controlled Mars but Jon and the rest had other ideas. "Come
on."

He kicked the brake release and they bounced
on down towards the dome.

Jon met them as they came out of the
connecting airlock. He'd grown long of limb and body and he hung by
one arm from the tunnel roof. Regularly spaced bars ran the length
of the tunnel. He wasn't alone either. Eileen, the second child
born on Mars now grown to a woman hung from bars behind Jon and
Brad peeked out of the pouch she wore.

"Dad." Jon swung forward and wrapped his free
arm around Kyle's shoulders. "It's good to see you." He released
Kyle to pull Amanda close. "Mom, glad you could make it."

More faces appeared at the end of the tunnel.
Children, some hanging upside down to look into the tunnel. Jon saw
Kyle looking and turned around. He waved an arm. "Scat!"

Laughing the children scampered away. Jon
shook his head and smiled at Kyle. "You know how kids are."

Kyle looked at his son, now a man some
twenty-five Earthdays old. To Kyle's Earth-born eyes his son looked
frail. Too skinny and thin of limb but there was no hiding how
easily he moved through the tunnel with his family, with strength
and confidence to face the future.

"It's good to see you, too, Jon. I'm eager to
see what you've got going on here."

"He's got a lot to show you," Eileen said.
"Come on. We'll show you the way."

Jon and Eileen swung off, slowly, waiting for
their old ground-pounders to follow. Kyle watched them move with
grace and beauty. Jenny had been right about one thing. This was
the birthplace of a new human civilization it just wasn't going to
conform to old ideas. It was going to surprise them at every
turn.

And Kyle couldn't be more proud.

###

Dear Reader,

People have spent a great deal of time in low
Earth orbit and a little bit of time on the Moon, but we haven’t
gone beyond that. Yet. I don’t know if someday people will walk on
another planet, but I can imagine our surprise when the children of
those people develop in unanticipated ways. As we spread from world
to world our descendants will keep changing, adapting and learning.
In time we might not even recognize them, but they will still be
our children.

If you enjoyed this story please tweet about
it, talk about, review it, blog about it – encourage others to take
a chance on the story!

Also, please visit my
website at
www.ryanmwilliams.com
or
return to
Smashwords
for more
ebooks and stories published by
Glittering Throng Press
.

For something longer, check my Moreau Society
novels! Set in the far future, these books follow the adventures of
Brock Marsden, a not-quite human detective.

Dark Matters

Brock Marsden. A genetically-modified
private detective who solves the toughest cases on a world
populated by a mix of humans and aliens. Like this one. A young
woman, Chrissy Winston, murdered in a bizarre fashion that leaves
police chasing false leads. A case that needs all of Brock's unique
abilities and maybe new ones if he hopes to catch the killer!

The Gingerbread House

It'll take someone inhuman to stop this
killer.

Brock Marsden — private detective, mutant
by-choice with extraordinary abilities.

Using technology from the Galactics Brock
and members of the Moreau Society willingly alter their DNA —
incorporating the best traits of other species for pleasure or
profit. Only now a member goes rogue, perverting the technology to
murder-by-mutation at a distance. Demanding admittance into the
Galactics' Glittering Throng with an entire planet held
hostage!

Knowing the Galactics will never give in to
the demands Brock races to save his world.

And thanks again for reading!