Eve of Man (The Harvest Book 2) (31 page)

Unsure how long he stood there, Austin became aware of
the time. Dark would fall in less than two hours. If he hurried, he’d reach the
bottom by night fall. Taking a last look upon Eve’s face, Austin begged for her
to respond, but his pleas went unanswered. He turned back, heading down the
path. Each step drove a stake into his heart. He began to run, not caring about
his safety, not caring if he fell to his death. Thoughts of Eve and Caleb drove
him to recklessness. He’d accepted Roxanne wasn’t real, which had made the pain
of losing her manageable. Nothing made Eve’s death acceptable. She was dead,
gone forever this time.

***

Four days and nights passed before Austin crawled from
his sleeping bag to face the day. Outside the shack nothing had changed. The
landscape was still frozen, the sky still gray, the three suns still sitting
above the horizon. But this wasn’t accurate. Everything had changed. Caleb was
missing. Eve was dead. Everything was dead. He returned to the protection of
his sleeping bag, to the comatose state where he remained for another three
days.

On the night of the seventh day Austin dreamt. He
stood upon the deck of a majestic ship gliding through still waters of a vast
ocean. The moon shown full casting a white blush upon the water. Out in the sea
icebergs rose up from the water like colossal creatures of the deep. The moon’s
light turned the giant black shadow creatures into glowing blue ice sculptures.
The ship passed near one of the towering pieces, close enough for Austin to see
the boat reflected in the surface.

The ship approached another iceberg. This one
different from the others with its glass like surface and smooth face. As they
came up close Austin saw Eve suspended inside the ice. He climbed the railing
and leaned out as far out as he could without falling over. The ship slowed, coming
to a stop in front of the iceberg. Austin reached out, touching the ice over
Eve’s face, and felt a warm sensation under his fingertips. Loud voices carried
over to him. Out beyond the icebergs, where the ocean appeared to drop off a
sharp edge, another ship approached. Many figures moved about on the deck, and
though Austin couldn’t distinguish who they were, he sensed they were foe not
friend. He turned back to Eve, this was his only chance to save her, and he must
free her before they arrived.

The ship suddenly lurched forward, snapping Austin
sideways, and he lost his grip. He fell hard to the deck, and scrambled back
onto the railing. The other ship had pulled up alongside the iceberg holding Eve.
The Adita commanded the vessel, while the Svan worked the deck. A group of Svan
hoisted a large metal claw out over the top of Eve’s iceberg. They lowered the claw,
sunk the teeth into the iceberg and plucked it from the ocean. Austin yelled
out to Eve. The sound of his voice jolted him awake. Alertness arrived swift like
a light turned on in the dark. She was alive. Eve was alive. He was certain of
this, but whoever or whatever had placed her in the mountain would return soon.
They were coming for her. If he allowed this to happen, she would be gone
forever.

Three hours until daylight. If he headed out now, he
could reach her before the suns appeared, but then what?
Think,
he
ordered his brain. His brows furrowed, his hands rubbed his head, and he
thought. If her captors were coming for her wouldn’t they have to free her from
the mountain? This might be his only opportunity to save her. Austin kept
thinking this over, considering all that he knew, which wasn’t much. Traveling
through the foothills and up into the mountains in the pitch black was not a
task for the meek. This mission lacked planning, supplies, logistics, thus based
on statistics would fail and should fail, but Austin wouldn’t allow failure. He
wasn’t alone in this, someone was helping him, guiding him, wanting him to save
Eve as much as he desired to do so. For the first time in his life, Austin put
his faith in chance, in hope, in the unknown.

As Austin approached the bend, the suns pressed
through the ebony curtain. Black turned to gray, night to day, with minimal
transition between. Austin removed the night vision goggles, allowing his eyes
to adjust before moving on. He turned the bend holding his breath, exhaling
when he saw Eve was still encapsulated in the mountain side guarded by the mutilated
heads. He stepped up to the edge of the path, getting as close as possible. He
examined Eve’s neck, looking for signs that her body was still attached, but
beyond her head the ice was solid white. Austin became aware of a presence and
turned. On the path, not more than five feet away, stood the man with the stark
white hair and solid white eyes. Although his slender frame bent at a slight
angle, he was taller than Austin.

“It’s you. You were in my dreams,” Austin said.

The man tilted his head. “I must apologize for being
rude, but she doesn’t have time for explanations Captain Reynolds. If we are to
save her we must act now.”

Austin was all for acting now. “What can I do? How do
I get her out of there?

“You must allow me to enter your body and mind. Do you
allow this?”

Austin nodded. “And after? What happens then?”

The man stepped up to within inches of Austin. “You
must give up your life for hers. Are you prepared to do so?”

Austin knew what the man was asking of him. “I’m
ready.”

“Good. You must act quickly, if you have any doubts,
remove them. Once we extract her, she will have mere seconds before she’s
beyond saving. You must not hesitate. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Austin assured him. “I have no doubts.”

The man took possession of Austin’s body and mind. He
raised both hands, palms facing Eve, and began chanting in a low voice. The ice
cracked. Bits and chunks fell into the crevice below. Soon Eve’s entire body
was visible. The man inside Austin continued to chant, his words pulling Eve
from the ice. Her body floated over the gap and came to lie at Austin’s feet.
The man returned control over to Austin.

Austin knelt next to her and pulled out his knife.
Without hesitation he cut into his wrist. Blood spewed forth, coloring the snow
bright red. He lowered his wrist to her lips and the point of turning back
slipped away forever. As her teeth sank into the cut, a burning sensation ran
the length of his arm and he blacked out.

Austin opened his eyes. He stared at the white ceiling,
listening to the noise around him, listening to them talk, waiting for them to notice
he was awake, to speak to him, but they didn’t. He turned his head, recognizing
that he was back in the bunker in his bedroom, and that he was alone. He
blinked several times. The room was empty, yet he could still hear their voices.
He turned back to the ceiling and closed his eyes. The next time he awoke, no
voices filled the room, or his head.  The only sound he heard was the steady
breathing of one person, who felt very close. Eve, he thought.

“I’m right here,” she said, coming to stand next to
his bed.

Austin looked at her, touched her arm, and squeezed
her hand. “You’re real? I’m not dreaming?”

“You’re not dreaming,” she assured him. “How do you
feel?”

Although a simple question, Austin wasn’t sure how to
answer. “I’m not sure. Strange I guess.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

Bits and pieces floated at the edge of his memory. Flying
to Russia, walking the Road of Bones, searching in the mountains. “I found you
in the mountain. You were frozen. I thought you were dead.” He grasped her
hand, remembering the desperation he’d felt upon finding her encapsulated in
the mountain.

“You saved my life and that of our unborn daughter,
Zevia.”

“I did? Our daughter. You’re pregnant. Yes. Yes. I
remember. You named her Zevia. I think I knew that.”

“You’re going to feel disoriented, but it will soon
pass.”  

More memories were returning. Images of ferry boats
and icebergs flickered in and out, but he disregarded these as unimportant. The
piece missing, the one out of his mind’s reach, seemed to matter most. Austin
retraced his steps over and over, filling in more details each time. He heard
himself saying
“I have no doubts”
and saw himself pull out his knife.
The blade sharp, the metal bright. The metal sliced into his skin. The pieces
of the puzzle collided together.

He turned to Eve. “I survived.”

Eve nodded.

“Are you angry that I did it? That I decided to
change?”

“No. I knew you would eventually make that decision.
It’s who you are.”

“Then what’s bothering you?”

Eve folded her hands together as if in prayer. “When I
was in Russia looking for Agra, I came upon a tomb built deep inside the
mountain. I don’t know the importance of the tomb or why I was lead there. But
before I could explore further, Za and several guard arrived. Za had Caleb. I
had no choice. I had to surrender. Za’s plan was to return later to kill me.”

Austin sat up. The remaining memories flooded back.
“Caleb. They took him?” Austin got up from the bed. “After he brought us back
from Germany, I sent him to find you. It was Luke. Luke had been shot. It was
too late to save him, but I sent him off to find you anyway. I was out of mind.
He said he knew where you were, but he never came back. I couldn’t reach him.”

She went to Austin and took his hand. “He’s no longer
on Earth. I think Agra has taken him somewhere far into the seventh universe.”

Austin didn’t ask if she was certain. “How long before
I’m fully recovered?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never changed anyone before.” She
laid her hand on his chest over his heart. “You’re very strong. Maybe two days,
maybe less.”

“Tomorrow we’ll go to Paru.”

“He’s not on Paru and neither is Za.”

“I know, but the answers are,” Austin replied. “Someone
there knows where Caleb is. I can feel this, or, or...I don’t know how to
explain it. It’s like I see it in my mind.” He recalled the white haired man. “A
man, or a male, he was Adita, he helped me find you. And rescue you. I don’t
know who he was, but he has the answers. And I’m certain he’s on Paru.”

The description of the man rang familiar to Eve. She
saw him in her mind, as if looking at an old out of focus photo. His presence
was significant, indicating his powers must be many and his position high.

“Does anyone know we’re back?” Austin asked.

“No.”

Austin got up from the bed and went into the bathroom
to look in the mirror. The image of an Adita male stared back at him; solid
black eyes, hair short and black, skin pale.  

“You can change how they see you.” Eve came up behind
him placing her hand on his back. His appearance altered between old and new, from
human to Adita. “It’s a projection of what they remember, or what they expect
to see.”

“I think it’s best no one knows about this.” Austin
turned to her. “I’m not ashamed and I don’t regret my decision. But they won’t
understand. Especially the younger ones.” He turned back to the mirror, not
thinking about the bunker residents or becoming an Adita. It was Agra who
occupied his thoughts. Agra who was responsible for Caleb’s absence. Agra who would
pay if Caleb was harmed in anyway.

Feeling Austin’s unease added to her own sense of
foreboding. “Things are changing rapidly on Paru,” she said. “Agra’s presence
fades and shifts so often I can no longer hold on to him,” she said. “We should
leave as soon as you are ready. And you won’t be ready until you nourish your
body. You will need the strength.”

Austin didn’t shudder at the thought or find her words
difficult to hear. This was part of the deal, something he would have to accept
or die a slow death of starvation.

The temple was quiet. Not a whisper, not a breath was
heard as Eve and Austin traveled the dim halls. They passed through the judging
chambers on to Agra’s quarters, but Eve knew before pushing open the door that
her father was gone. They were all gone. She’d come full circle, abandoned again
by her people, her family. However, this time was different. This time she knew
who was responsible and that knowledge cut deep, searing in her mind thoughts
of revenge. A fissure began to take form.

A fissure was seldom noticed until too late. Eve’s
thoughts engulfed her and she fell to her knees holding her head, digging her
nails into her skin. Why, she screamed inside her head and slammed her fist on
the ground, cracking the stone underfoot. The rage was almost uncontrollable, and
she didn’t know how to release these feelings, to subside the ebb. She ran from
the temple out onto the steps, releasing a primal yell of rage into the night.
The sound shook the temple to its foundation. Turning to face the temple, she raised
her hands into the air. The rage boiled up inside her body, exploding in a wave
of energy directed at the temple, at Agra, at all Adita. Austin didn’t try to
stop her, he understood, he felt her pain.

The temple, a structure perhaps older than Eve, began
to cave in upon itself. From the top a large section crashed down a few feet
from where Austin stood. He stepped aside in time, an afterthought. The first
felled stone released the raging demon inside of her. She continued tearing the
temple down, down to its knees, just as Agra’s actions had brought her to her
knees. Each broken piece suffocated her, each piece broke her spirit. Why? This
was the single question running through her mind. Why had he done this to her
again? And worse, how had she so grossly underestimated Agra?  When nothing to
destroy remained, Eve sank onto an upturned stone, feeling ruined. Weariness
overcame her and she wished for sleep, like a human. Respite from living
belonged to humans, but never before had the consequences of the day impacted
her so that she desired to be human.

Austin knelt in front of her, taking her hand into
his. “We’ll find Caleb,” he said and believed it.

Eve didn’t have the strength to even shake her head, or
to argue. Agra had left no traces of where he’d gone, where he’d taken their
son. When Eve listened the silence was deafening. Her future was never more
uncertain than now and Austin would also suffer her fate. He knew nothing of
hunger, but soon he would understand and hate her for the curse she bestowed
upon him. The curse of being an Adita.  

Austin heard this and grasped her by the shoulders.
“Don’t think that. It was my decision to become part of your world. I’m gonna
be fine.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do know,” he replied. “And I know we’ll find
Caleb.”

“We have to,” Eve said, “before it’s too late.”

Austin held her close to him, passing his strength to
her as she’d done so many times for him. They sat amidst the rubble until night
turned to day and the sun began to find its way through the jungle’s canopy. A
single ray fell upon Eve’s arm, warming her skin. She lifted her face to that
ray of light and opened her eyes. She looked through the sun out into the cold
dark universe beyond, out to where the planet Kaja existed alone in the dark
matter on the edge of the universes. That was where she belonged. A lone being,
on a lone planet, with no people to call her own.

“You’re not alone,” Austin said, tilting her head to
look at him.  “You’ve walked alongside man for a very long time. You have more
memories of my world than you do of the Adita’s. You even have a child that is
part human. I think that qualifies you as a member of my family, more so than
of the Adita.”

“Eve of man,” she whispered, although doubting the
humans would accept her as one of their own. Not as long as she was Adita and
needed them for her very existence. A feather of a warning danced down her
spine taking her mind off her woes. She motioned to Austin, who was already
scanning the tree line for movement. They walked down the steps, over the
rubble, and across the clearing, stopping a few feet from the jungle’s edge.
Shadows shifted in and out of view, words were whispered, too soft to
understand.

“Who’s there?” Austin demanded.

A large shadow moved forward, stepping out from the
dense undercover into the clearing. A Svan, darker skinned than most, stood
before them. He wore a type of battle dress upon his breast. Soon another and then
another stepped out, until Eve and Austin were surrounded on all sides. The dark
skinned Svan bowed down on one knee in front of Eve and the others followed
suit.

“Rise. I’m not your master,” Eve ordered them.

They stood tall. The dark skinned Svan spoke a
greeting and to Austin’s surprise he understood their language. 

“My name is Pala. I am the commanding officer of the
Elder’s guard,” the dark skinned Svan said.

“I am Eve, daughter of Agra,” she replied using the Svan’s
native tongue. “And this is Captain Austin Reynolds.”

Pala turned to Austin and bowed to him. “I am honored
to meet you Captain Reynolds. Your name is spoken in high regard amongst the Svan.”

Austin looked up at Pala, who stood at least three
feet taller than he. “I would like to say the same about you, about the Svan,
but I would be telling lies.”

“And I would hear nothing less than the truth Captain
Reynolds. I do not pretend that we are friends now, but I think after in time
we might not be adversaries.”

“I’ll keep an open mind,” Austin replied.

Pala turned to Eve. “The Elders request an audience.”

Having been unaware of their presence, Eve paused
before responding, “Of course we will see them.”

 Pala stepped aside. From out of the shadows the white
haired man from Austin’s dreams stepped into the sunlight. He was followed by eleven
more; male and female, dark skin, white hair, some bent over, most frail in
appearance.  

“Do you know who I am?” the man from Austin’s dream
asked Eve, using the Adita’s ancient tongue.

Eve came forward for a closer look. He was familiar, from
a time long ago, but she could not put a name to the memory. “I know you. I
know you from my father’s memories of long ago, when the Adita lived on Earth.”

“I am Sattya. Your great-great-grandfather. And this
is Matri, your great-great-grandmother.” A female Elder stepped forward.

“Hello granddaughter. It is a pleasure to see you
again. I know you don’t remember me, but in time your mind will find the
missing pieces.”

Some experiences were amazing, others were truly
humbling, and Eve was humbled to be in their presence, in the presence of her great-great-grandparents
and the other Elders. She had Agra’s memories of them, had heard the tales and legends
about them, but none were hers to claim. Now here they were, here they all stood.
Her ancestors. The beginning of civilization. Eve bowed her head to them.
Austin, who had Adita blood coursing through his veins, blood that held Eve’s
memories, bowed his head in reverence as well.

“Raise your heads, we are not your masters.” Sattya
responded, his voice warm and tender. “We are an aged and feeble bunch, having outlived
our usefulness.”

Eve raised her head to look at her grandfather. “Why
are you all still here grandfather? On Paru?”

“I’m afraid Agra gave us little choice when he left. We
could join him in his quest or stay here to die. We chose to stay. We chose
honor.”

“Does he have Caleb? Do you know where he took our
son?” Eve asked.

Sattya nodded. “He took him to the trade colonies.”

Austin stiffened. “The trade colonies on Vazya?”

“Yes on Vazya,” Sattya replied. “A planet built on the
backs of slaves and fueled by the suffering of many. It sits at the edge of life’s
very existence, beyond it there is nothing.”

Austin recalled what Eve had told him of the first
humans brought to Earth, and felt a knot forming in his stomach. “Do they still
trade humans?”

“There are those who buy or trade them from time to
time for,” he paused, “for various uses, but the demand has decreased greatly
over the past century. Other species have become more desirable.”

“I thought the Adita weren’t welcome in the colonies. Why
would he go there?” Eve interrupted.

“There is much you do not know about Agra. I feel I
must tell you, so you will understand. The words I have to say will not be easy
to hear, but if you wish to know the truth and if you wish to find your son,
you will listen.”

“We have to find our son,” Eve answered, her voice
carrying more forcefulness than intended. “I’m sorry grandfather. I meant no
disrespect.”

“I know you didn’t,” he replied. “Shall we go inside?”
He gestured behind them.

They turned to find a new temple standing in place of
the one Eve had destroyed. The new structure was built of blue glass, and where
the former promised evil, the present offered warmth and hospitality. They rode
a glass platform to the top of the temple where they entered a room made
entirely of glass. They sat at a round glass table. Below the jungle’s canopy
formed a thick green carpet, far off to the left and right the oceans sparkled
like a million jewels, above them the sky was a brilliant blue. The views,
although magnificent, only added to the surreal moment and a feeling of déjà vu
for Eve. She turned her attention on Sattya, who was ready to tell them about the
Adita, about her father. The truth this time.

Sattya began to speak. “Much of what Agra told you
about the beginning is true. We were the first on Earth, where we lived in our
true form for many years. We’d regained our strength and grown in number. Plans
for taking complete control of the seven universes were being laid out. Those
were very exciting times.” Sattya sighed. “Of course everything changed in a
moment, in a single chance encounter on that fateful night.” He paused.

“It was you?” Eve asked. “You were the first to turn?”

“That is correct. And it’s a moment I will forever
regret,” Sattya replied and the other Elders nodded in agreement.  

“Did you wish to live as Svan? Do you wish to be Svan
again?” Austin asked, gripping the edge of the table. “They murdered almost the
entire human race. Is that what you wanted? Our annihilation?” Eve laid her
hand on Austin’s arm, but he shook her off.

“Let him have his say dear. He has every right to be
angry,” Sattya said, turning to Austin. “Do not look down upon the Svan. They can
be brutal, yes, but they are honest in who they are and aren’t reliant on
humans for survival. They have no pretenses. They killed many humans, but this
was done under Agra’s orders, based on the lies he wove.”

Hearing that Agra was responsible didn’t make the
genocide any more palatable. “Why? Why did he do it? If it wasn’t to cleanse
the Earth, what was his reason?” Austin asked.

“His reason was for his own purpose.”

Eve shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“It is the story you do not know. The story I feel you
must hear now.” Sattya lowered his head, and sighed. “Our wish was to become
more human like, to evolve. The day you found Austin was a day of great
celebration. Hope was ours once again. As he grew, we discussed the possibility
of a union between an Adita female and a human male. We were blinded by our own
desires, blinded by Agra’s well told lies. You were not the only one manipulated
granddaughter.” He looked over at Austin. “I feel I in turn did the same to you,
but Eve had to be saved and time was not on our side. Can you forgive me?”

“My decision was made long before you came along,”
Austin replied and felt Sattya knew this without him having to say so.

“I thought my father wanted to advance the Adita, to
provide a new way of life, one less dependent on humans?” Eve frowned, nothing was
making sense. If he didn’t want Caleb for that, then what?

“He lied to you. He lied to us. His intention was
never to continue our evolution.”

“What then? What is he planning to do? What is going
to happen to our son?” Austin asked.

“Perhaps you should start from the beginning dear,”
Matri suggested.

Sattya smiled in Matri’s direction and nodded. “Yes
that would be best,” he replied, turning back to Eve. “Do you recall anything
about the great purge?”

“Very little and what I know was told to me by Agra.”

“And I assume the same of your mother?”

“Even less. Agra refused to talk about her.”

 Sattya and Matri exchanged a look. “Soon you will
understand why.” Matri said, nodding to Sattya to continue.

“As you know, a period in our history existed when
Adita and humans formed unions and mixed offspring were born. Of those, the
males went on to procreate with female human and Adita. By law only male Adita,
as well as male Adita children, were allowed to mate with female humans. After
many years of this cross breeding we realized the Adita line was being weakened
and the human’s strengthened. A directive was sent out banning all further
unions.”