Hope (Book 2, Harvester of Light Trilogy; Young Adult Science Fiction) (17 page)

As I entered the
helicopter and sat by my mother, I tried to find reassurance in her words but
was left wondering why Simon would go through all the trouble of bringing Ian
to help if what he knew actually wasn’t any help at all.  It didn’t make
sense.  What was my future self’s purpose in sending them on a wild goose
chase?  What was she up to?

Chapter 16

As we flew to our
destination, something the Queen said made me ask, “Why did you say Michael
would never let them kill you?”

My mother cocked
her head to the side.  “No one’s told you?  I thought Michael or Jace or even
your father would have explained things to you by now.”

“No,” I said,
suddenly realizing the people who supposedly loved me were keeping secrets from
me.  “Explained what?”

My mother shook
her head in disbelief.  “I find it interesting you don’t know, but it’s
something you absolutely must know now that you are one of us.  No one will
kill me because if I die what’s left of the world dies with me.”

“What do you
mean?”

“During the war
there was so much radiation in the atmosphere it eventually destroyed what was
left of the ozone layer.  If it wasn’t for me, the world would have died years
ago.”

“If the ozone
layer is gone, what’s protecting us?”

“I built a shield
which acts as an artificial ozone layer.  That’s why there are so many clouds
in the sky.  They’re part of the design.”

“You built one to
cover the whole world?”

“No, there wasn’t
enough energy to sustain a shield that enormous. I was only able to save the
eastern part of what’s left of the United States.”

For years I
wondered what was happening in the rest of the world.  It was mildly disconcerting
to learn the rest of the world was dead, drifting in ash.

“So we’re all
that’s left?”

“Yes, but don’t
let it bother you.  It was a necessary sacrifice.”

“So are you the
only one who knows how to operate the shield?  Is that why Michael didn’t kill you?”

“The shield is on
an automated program.  It can run itself until the end of time.  No one will
kill me because if I die, the shield will shut itself down.  It’s programmed to
monitor my brainwave activity through my harvester chip.  Once it detects I’m
dead, it will power down and allow nature to take its course, incinerating
what’s left alive on the surface of this planet.”

It was then I knew
Jace was a liar.  The night before we reached the barrier I asked him to tell
me something good about my future.  He proceeded to weave a fanciful tale
describing a scene where I was chasing two children in a field of wheat with
the sun shining down on us.   We would never be able to see the sun again
unless the Queen was dead.  And if she somehow died, we would all perish instantly
not be growing wheat under a clear blue sky.

I let what the Queen
told me sink in before mild curiosity got the better of me.

“Would you mind
telling me now what type of experiment you’re performing on Ash and Zoe?”

“It’s something
I’ve always wanted to try but just haven’t had the right subjects for until
now.  I’d rather wait until we get there so you can see for yourself, but I
have to say Zoe’s accelerated growth has helped tremendously.”

“She’s still
aging?”

“Yes.  Didn’t Doc
Riley tell you that?”

“No, she didn’t. 
I was under the impression once she reached her true age her aging would slow
down.”

“Thankfully it
didn’t work out that way.  Her aging is still accelerated.”

“Then she’ll die
soon?”

“Not before my
experiment is complete, thank goodness.  She’ll probably live another year,
though the added stress I’ve placed on her system may tip the balance.  I have
people watching her closely just in case.”

I felt a knot of
dread form in the pit of my stomach with the thought of Zoe’s short life
expectancy.  Doc Riley was added to the list of liars I’d recently discovered
in my life.  And why didn’t Rose or Simon mention it to me?  Why hide such an
important piece of information?  And most importantly, why did it seem to be upsetting
me so much?  She wasn’t even related to me by blood.  We may have pretended to
be sisters while we were together but that’s all it was, pretend.  Still, the
thought of the child I helped rescue being doomed to a truncated life unsettled
me more than I wanted to admit.  I tried to shake off the feeling but it seemed
embedded in my psyche.

In less than an
hour, I felt the helicopter descend to our final destination.  We landed behind
a large red brick mansion.

“Where are we?” I
asked.

“This is the house
Emma and I grew up in.”

“She never talked
about her family much,” I said of the woman who pretended to be my mother. 
“Why is that?”

“I assume she
never mention me to you because she didn’t want competition for your loyalty. 
She probably didn’t mention our parents because it was too painful to remember
them, much less explain what happened.”

“Why would it be
painful?”

A shadow passed
over my mother’s face like she was hiding behind it to mask her true feelings
from me.

“They died when we
were young.  Our father wasted away from cancer and my mother died shortly
after him.”

“Of what?”

“A broken heart I
presume.”  My mother leaned towards me and gripped my arm tightly making sure I
listened to her next words.  “That’s why emotions are dangerous, Skye.  They
can drown you in self pity, making you forget everything else which should be
important.  They make you weak and pathetic.  My mother’s weakness orphaned
Emma and I.  After our mother died we came here to live with our grandmother. 
She raised us until she died but by that time I was already well on my way to
becoming who I am today.  I’m only sorry she didn’t live long enough to see the
woman I became.  She taught me everything there is to know about discipline and
respect.  If it wasn’t for her giving me order in my life, I would have never
become Queen.”

Before I had a
chance to ask anymore questions, my mother opened the door of the helicopter
and stepped out.  I followed her wondering how her life and the world would
have been different if my grandmother had been a stronger person.

We walked up the
steps of a limestone veranda and entered the house through a set of French
doors.  A line of ten harvesters stood at attention on either side of the doors
as we entered.  One man broke the line and came to stand in front of us.

“We have prepared
the visitors for your arrival, my Queen.”

“Have you had
anymore trouble with Ash?”

“No, my Queen.  He
has not transported since the experiment started.  Neither of them seems to be
able to access their abilities at the moment.”

“How odd,” my
mother said, like she was making a mental note of the abnormality.  “It’s just
as well.  It allows me to observe the experiment without having to worry about
keeping their powers inert.  Where are they now?”

“They are
presently in the sitting room, my Queen.”

“And how is Zoe
handling the extra strain?”

“Eating an
extraordinary amount, even for someone in her condition.”

“It’s to be
expected.  Just make sure she gets whatever she needs.”

The man bowed and
walked back to his spot in line.

My mother turned
to me.  “Follow me.  It’s time you understand the importance of what I’m
doing.”

I trailed behind my
mother as she walked me through the home absently noticing the tasteful
Victorian design of the furnishings and architecture.  It wasn’t long before we
arrived in a glass sitting room in the west wing of the house.  Ash’s back was
to us as he squatted beside Zoe who seemed to be lying on a chaise lounge
chair.  When he heard us enter the room, Ash immediately stood and turned
toward us unblocking my view of Zoe.  My mother continued to walk to the pair
while I came to a complete stand still, the sight of Zoe temporarily made me
forget how to walk. 

Zoe tried to swing
her feet to the floor but her protruding stomach seemed to deter her movement. 
Ash quickly placed one of her arms across his shoulders to help her stand.

“I see you are
progressing quite nicely,” my mother said, coming to stand in front the people
I once naively considered to be part of my family.

“Skye,” Zoe said
beseeching me with her large blue eyes, “help us.”

I stood silently
staring at the two before asking, “How is she pregnant?”

My mother turned
to me and smiled.  “I wanted to see if two people with abilities would in turn
produce progeny with abilities.”

My eyes were
immediately drawn to Ash.  “Are you the father?”

“It’s not what you
think, Skye,” Ash said, mistaking my question for some form of jealousy instead
of what it really was: curiosity.  “Zoe and I never…,” he let the words fade
knowing I would understand his meaning without him embarrassing us all with the
words and mental picture they would form.

“Sex is not the
only way to conceive children,” my mother said.  “Artificial insemination is
far more reliable and controllable.”

“Skye,” Zoe held
her hand out to me, desperately needing her best friend’s comfort.

I looked from
Zoe’s forlorn face to Ash’s confused one.

“You didn’t tell
them about me?” I asked my mother.

“No, I didn’t want
to upset Zoe during the first part of her pregnancy.  Would you like to tell
them daughter?”

With the use of
the term daughter, I could already tell Ash and Zoe suspected the truth.  Zoe’s
eyes pooled with tears and Ash’s stance seemed stiffer.

“I’m a harvester
now,” I told them.  “I’ve finally become what I was meant to be.”

Zoe let out an anguished
cry.  My announcement seemed to weaken her knees because she immediately sat
back down on the chaise lounge.  Ash stood stoically by her side holding her
hand as she sobbed uncontrollably.  I couldn’t draw my eyes away from Zoe for
some reason.  The sight of her anguish caused a faint tinge of pain inside my
chest.

“There’s no reason
for you to be so upset,” I told her.  “It’s not horrible like everyone says.”

“No reason?” she
wailed.  “She’s turned you into what you hate the most!”

“I was wrong,” I
said.  “Harvesters aren’t the enemy.  They’re the next step in evolution. I
just didn’t see it until I became one.”

“How did Jace let
this happen?” Ash asked tersely.  “I thought he was supposed to protect you!”

“Why are you men
so egotistical?” I countered.  “You always think a man is supposed to save the
day.  And don’t even start promising me you’ll find a way to make me human
again.  I’ve had about as much of that type of talk as I can stand.  I don’t
want to be human again.”

“You can’t mean
that, Skye,” Zoe whined.

I looked to my
mother.  “Are we done here?  I’d rather not have to deal with this unnecessary
drama.”

The sooner I got
away from Zoe the surer I felt the growing pain in my chest would fade.

“We’re almost
done.”  My mother walked to a Bombay chest against the right wall and opened
the top drawer.  From there she pulled out a pair of white gloves with some
sort of silver wires attached to the palms.

“Do we have to do
this now?” Ash asked.  “Can’t you see how upset she is?”

“Do you think I
care how upset she is?” My mother countered.  “Just lift her shirt so I can see
how the children are doing.  Or do you want them to die?”

“Let her look,
Ash,” Zoe said, lying back on the chair and lifting her own shirt to reveal a
stretch mark streaked belly.

My mother put the
gloves on and placed one hand on Zoe’s belly while holding the other hand out
in front of her.  A holographic image of three babies materialized in the air
above her outstretched hand and the distinct rhythmic sounds of a hearts beating
filled the room.

After a few
minutes of examining the hologram, my mother said, “They seem to be doing quite
well considering how quickly they’ve developed.”

 “What will you do
with them after they’re born?” I asked my mother.

“It all depends on
whether or not they develop abilities of their own.  If they do, I intend to
convert them into harvesters when they come of age.”

This news made Zoe
begin to cry again.

“Can we leave
now?” I asked, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the effect Zoe’s anguish was
having on me.

My mother stood
and placed the ultrasound machine back where she got it.  Ash knelt down beside
Zoe and pulled her shirt back over her belly while gently rubbing her stomach
in a comforting manner.

“I’ll be back
tomorrow to see how things are progressing,” my mother told them as she walked
to me. 

As I turned to
follow my mother out of the room, I unconsciously glanced in Zoe’s direction
and met her tear filled gaze.  She silently mouthed the words ‘help us’ to me. 
I stared at her for a moment wondering why her pain was affecting me so much. 
I didn’t allow myself to dwell on it before turning away from her to follow my
mother out of the room.

Chapter 18

Zoe’s soft
whimpers seemed determined to haunt me even after I left her.  I felt like turning
around and slamming my fist in her face to make her shut up.  Why I once
considered humans stronger than harvesters was beyond me.  Humans were
constantly making decisions based solely on overwrought emotions.  They weren’t
able to think clearly enough to separate themselves from a situation and grasp
the bigger picture.  If Zoe had the clarity of a harvester, she would
understand what a great privilege my mother had bestowed upon her.  She would
be the first woman to give birth to the next generation of gifted children
paving the way for the enhancement of the harvester race.  How could she not
see the importance in that?