Revealing Eden (5 page)

She reached for him but he was gone. Stunned, she lay there, going over what he’d said.
Time for Jamal to make a righteous move
.

Her Life-Band tingled again. Eden accepted the incoming signal, thinking it was Jamal, even as she realized her mistake. Instead of his heart-warming face, she saw the dreaded
logo of the Federation of Free People: a swirl of black that spun around until it erased a small white circle.

Quit, quit!
It disappeared but she sat there, reeling. Horrific stories about murdered or missing Pearls ran through her mind.
Breathe, Eden
.

She moved robotically to open the door. Austin scrambled to his feet, his soft eyes on hers. At least he’d never be killed because of his color. But she couldn’t think about that now. Soon they’d be safe.

“Oh, buddy,” Eden said, hanging onto his neck. “Please, be nice to Jamal. If I’m lucky, he’ll be my mate.”

E
DEN FORCED herself to concentrate on the staccato-like tapping of her high heels against the concrete floor in the busy, wide pedestrian tunnel. If she focused on her feet moving ahead, she wouldn’t give in to the paralyzing fear that gripped her. What if one of her co-workers saw her and reported her illegal leave to Bramford?

She couldn’t think about the risk or she might lose her nerve and return home. Never mind, she simply had to reach the regional plaza where her Dark Prince waited.

Eden knew how to deflect attention—shoulders back, eyes focused ahead, her face a blank mask. Just like the other Pearls who walked in groups near her in their designated lane. They kept to the edges, making way for the Coals who swept by on bicycles or in rickshaws.

It was almost 19:00 and the tunnel bustled with activity. The distant blare of military sirens and the chaotic cries of vendors hawking their goods from recessed stalls in the walls jumbled with traffic bells and snatches of conversation. She suspected that each and every Coal passerby wanted to hurt her, though the statistical odds against that were high. And her sensors, which automatically translated the babel of foreign languages into English, the official language, told her
it wasn’t true. Still, she could never shake the fear of being among so many of
them
.

Only a few minutes had passed and already she felt the sinking terror of being away from her unit, away from Austin. Out there, with all that space around her, anything might happen. Each step drained her. Perspiration formed on her brow, threatening to dull her coating, even though, according to her internal sensors, it was only a hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit in the tunnel. Not bad for a spring night.

She thought of all the times she’d made this very trek in the past, wearing her same old Moon Dance dress. And yet, never alone. Always with a group of her kind. She fingered the top of the strapless black techno dress, hoping Jamal would like it. The stiff fabric had frayed and lost its sheen long ago. It didn’t matter though, because tonight she wouldn’t be the hopeless Pearl clinging to the shadows in the hall. She would be somebody. Encouraged, she tried to pick up her pace, though the tight dress hobbled her walk.

Ahead, she spotted a boisterous crowd of partygoers at the public transport hub. She hung back, hoping no one would recognize her. In a short while, a high-speed, bullet-shaped vehicle shot down the tunnel and halted at the landing dock. An Ethics Officer stood by the security scanner, watching the passengers get on board.

Eden waited until the long line thinned, then hurried to take her turn. The E.O. stepped in front of her, his face hostile. All of a sudden, she heard two men behind her. Coals, she figured by their careless, drunken laughter.

“Hurry up, let us on,” one of the men called in a high-pitched voice.

“I’ve got protocol to keep,” the E.O. said, curtly.

“So do we, Red,” a deep, cruel voice replied.

Eden saw a flash of fear in the officer’s face. He stepped aside, letting her push through the scanner. She didn’t dare look back at the men who followed her on board. She edged her way down the aisle, past hundreds of people, mostly Coals of all ages, mated couples and eager singles. Luckily, she found a few inches of space to hold onto the overhead bar in the back section reserved for Pearls.

A loud whooshing sound reverberated against the metal sides of the vehicle as it zoomed down the tunnel. Dim yellow lights cast a grimy pall on the mass of dark passengers, all in dark clothing. The only spot of color in the shadowy interior came from Holo-Images of serene nature scenes that played against fake windows. Eden stared intently at them, avoiding anyone’s eye.

She felt a malevolent current coursing through the riders on the transport. Not only from Coal to Pearl, or from Tiger’s Eye to Amber, but within each racial group. The Uni-Gov got it wrong. The monthly Moon Dance usually left a wake of mayhem throughout each zone.

But she couldn’t think about that now.
I’m a stone in a cool, dark cave
.

The vehicle careened through dark tunnels, stopping occasionally for cross traffic or to let on more riders. She wondered if Ms. Polka Dot Bikini would have enjoyed the beach if she could have seen these desperate people or what would become of Good Earth.

Possibly, man’s only hope lay at Eden’s very own doorstep. She recalled the thrill of piecing together the puzzle of
her father’s experiment. Each researcher had been given one small part of the process to prevent the very discovery she had made. Eden, being the best interpreter of her father’s notes, had filled in once too often for ill coworkers and the result was inevitable. At first, she couldn’t believe it.

She’d finally cornered her father one morning when he had stumbled home, weak from overwork and lack of sleep.

—
What, Daught?

—I figured it out. Do you know what this means?

—What? What do you know?

—Holy Earth. You’re attempting an Interspecies Structural Adaptation
.

Only her crazy Father would think of implanting a human being with genetic material from key animals that thrived in the hottest climates. Only he might succeed, too. His secret approach to programming the epigenome—the genetic master control for DNA—allowed him to skirt the pesky problem of one species rejecting another’s code.

This wasn’t going to be some mild genetic exchange, either. Valuable DNA had been gathered from nearly extinct species with tremendous effort and probably a lot of Bramford’s uni-credits.

The primary genetic donor was the ultimate jungle predator, a jaguar,
Panthera onca
. Even better, a melanistic cat with a black coat had been found. Its coloring would not only increase resistance to solar radiation, but also minimize the appearance of camouflage spots, for vanity’s sake. The jaguar’s only natural enemy, the green anaconda,
Eunectes murinus
, contributed its cold-blooded resistance to heat. The third donor in this potent cocktail was the Harpy Eagle,
Harpia
harpyja
, the most powerful raptor in the world. It could spot a bug from a hundred yards in the air, and its keen vision had been added to the mix.

Land, water, and air—a brilliant killing machine.

If her father’s work succeeded, a Pearl might be able to withstand solar radiation as well as, or even better than, a Coal. Maybe then Pearls would no longer be treated like garbage. And maybe—did Eden dare think it—even she might be beautiful.

She had assumed her father would be proud of her deductive reasoning, even eager to share some of the subtleties of the procedure. Instead, his voice had tightened; the irritating blinking had begun.

—Daught. You haven’t told anyone, have you?

—Who would I tell? I don’t talk to anyone
.

—It is categorically forbidden to speak a word of this. You must understand this work is highly illegal and politically dangerous
.

—I understand, Father
.

—If it weren’t for Bramford’s power such a thing could never be attempted
.

Of course, Coals primarily would use the technology. And if one man controlled it, he would be unstoppable in his quest for domination.

—So Bramford will have it all
.

—He’ll be fair to us, Daught. He’s given me his word
.

She didn’t think that counted for much. Still, she was happy for her father. Already the advanced age of thirty-nine, he wouldn’t have another crack at success.

—Good luck, Father
.

A rare smile had creased his tired face. It was the longest conversation they’d shared since her mother had died, and she’d missed him.

—It’s the biggest leap in evolution since man discovered fire. Don’t forget what I said, Daught
.

Eden never had intended to tell anyone. But then, Jamal wasn’t just anyone. It had seemed only natural to share her life with him. Besides, he liked smart women. But if she were honest, she’d have to admit she really wanted him to know that one day she might be more desirable.

An hour later the ride ended. Already, Eden heard the raucous sounds of revelers and loud music coming from the Regional Hall. She filed into line as the passengers began to shuffle off the transport. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw two FFP soldiers staring back at her. They wore drab, brown-and-black paramilitary gear with berets over their shaved heads. The larger of the duo, a blue-black giant, smiled at her and licked his lips. His tall, skinny friend laughed. Eden quickly turned away in a panic.

She had imagined it, she told herself. Besides, they would be gone soon. But when she turned up the aisle they still stood on the side, watching her. Her heart slammed in her chest as she drew near. Just as she feared, Giant and his lanky friend stepped around her, forcing her to continue between them towards the exit.

“Look what we caught,” the skinny one said behind her. “A real live Pearl.”

Eden recognized the high-pitched, squeaky voice as belonging to one of the men who had followed her on board. Mother Earth, why had she come alone?

An old childhood ditty echoed in her head. Her mother had refused to teach it to Eden, but she’d learned it all the same.

Little Pearly whirly
,

lost inside the mines;

tossed from Coal to Coal
,

in fear, she whines
,

“I’m sorry, Mother
,

he said he only wanted

to see my white skin shine.”

Frantic, Eden commanded her Life-Band:
connect, Jamal
. Why didn’t he accept her signal? He promised he’d be there.
Time for Jamal to make a righteous move
.

She peered around Giant, hoping for a sign of her Dark Prince but Squeaky grabbed her. He pawed her dress, ripping it along the side.

“Leave me alone,” Eden said, shakily. “Someone is waiting for me. Someone important—one of your people.”

“He won’t mind if we share a little Pearl stew,” Squeaky said.

As he pushed her out of the vehicle, into the security line, Eden began to scream. Giant turned, smothering her in his arms.

“Be quiet, Pearly,” he whispered in her ear. “Or else.” He jabbed a sharp point in her side.

The big solider had a knife, and Eden had no doubt he’d use it to kill her.