Even as Avian touched the CDU to the young boy’s arm I knew nothing would happen. They weren’t pretending. A Bane would never let the situation get this far before it tried to infect the entire camp.
The child jumped as the electricity leapt though his system. He buried his face in the woman’s skirts, not wanting to watch as Avian looked into the woman’s eyes with polite apologies. She barely flinched as she was shocked.
With more uncertainty, Avian turned to the boy, his expression not so kind anymore.
If the CDU was used on a Bane they would be shorted out and killed instantly, including their human parts. The cybernetics saturated every part of your body once you were infected, even if your skin stayed intact, your muscles, your hair. This was the device that had saved us from Tye once he had been infected.
The thief did not take his eyes from Avian as he approached. He rolled up his sleeves, almost in a challenging way. As if daring Avian to prove him not organic.
I didn’t even realize I had been holding my breath for over a minute until Avian had taken the CDU away from the boys arm. He hadn’t even flinched.
“Satisfied?” the boy asked in a flat voice.
“No,” Gabriel said, his thick brows drawing together. “You’ve stolen from us.”
“We needed food,” the woman spoke for the first time. “The boy, he had to eat.”
Gabriel turned his dark blue eyes on her, his hands on his hips. While his face was stern he looked almost comical, standing in the moonlight in his nightgown. With his gray beard he looked almost like a picture I had seen of Santa Claus long ago.
“What are your names?” Gabriel demanded.
“This is Victoria,” the older boy said, indicating the woman. “And Brady. And my name is West.”
“Are you going to cause any trouble here?” Gabriel asked.
West shook his head, his eyes meeting mine. “I’d rather not have her knife me, so no.” The woman and the child both shook their heads as well.
“We were going to approach your camp in the morning,” West said, his tone less sarcastic. “Brady couldn’t wait to eat.”
Gabriel looked at the group for a long moment. I could see the gears turning in his finally awake head. The decision to let them stay was a gravely important one. On the one hand it was risky. We knew nothing of their past and there was the chance they could be being tracked by the Bane. On the other hand we could use more bodies, especially West, considering the recent loss of Tye. And besides that, they were human. We owed it to them to take them in. We were becoming a dying race.
“You,” Gabriel finally said, indicating West. “You may stay with Avian for the time being. There is an extra tent close to his, used for storage at the moment, that the two of you can stay in,” he said, meaning the woman and child.
Avian and West eyed each other warily but I could tell West was too tired to fight anything.
“Thank you,” Victoria said gratefully.
“Are you alright until morning?” Avian asked, looking at Victoria. “I have medical training.”
She seemed embarrassed to have his attention on her, her face flushing scarlet, visible even in the moonlight. “I will be alright, thank you.”
“Don’t try and run off in the night,” I said as everyone started to disband. “It’s not safe.”
West met my eyes for a moment and I thought I saw a hit of a smile tug at his lips.
“I want to talk to you at day break,” Gabriel said as he lifted the flap of his tent. “All of you.”
Avian and I nodded, and the newcomers followed Avian. Alone again, I started the walk to the watchtower. It wasn’t my night but I climbed the ladder anyway. I woke the guard who was on duty. He was immensely apologetic, embarrassed that he had fallen asleep. More embarrassed that he had been caught. He would feel ten times worse come morning when he learned three people had raided camp while he had dreams of television and air conditioning.
The distant sound of awkward helpfulness drifted up to the tower for a few minutes and then the night was quiet again, just as it should be.
I sat on the hard wooden bench, pulling my jacket tighter around me. The air felt suddenly cold now that the adrenaline that had been saturating my muscles had ebbed.
I rubbed my eyes, which suddenly felt heavy. I hated sleep. Idleness made me irritable and frustrated. Sleep was about as idle as one could be. It wasn’t like it came as a relief to me. Others in Eden dreamt of times before the Evolution. Of families, of homes with electricity and running water. Of what life should have been like.
I couldn’t remember what it was like before the Evolution. Even though I was thirteen when the world ended, my very first memory was of Avian’s burning blue eyes.
For years, technology had been evolving. Robotic prosthetics helped people live, artificial hearts kept people alive. Nanorobotics and cybernetic technology evolved faster than the media could even keep up with. It started out so harmless. There was nothing but good intensions. It was difficult to find faults in the people who had created the infection.
And then the company NovaTor Biotics created a new breed of technology, manufactured a product that was going to save millions of people’s lives, improve a few million more. They called it TorBane. Tor to claim it as their own, Bane to tell you what it did. It stood for Biological And Nanorobotic Enhancement. Bane. They created technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic molecules. TorBane had the ability to generate new limbs, organs, and just about any other human part. The machine was a part of you, just like your feet or your eyes. It was a perfect blend of machine and man.
NovaTor and its scientists became legends overnight. People were put on waiting lists, crying with joy that their lost leg was going to be regenerated, that their little sister who had been waiting for a liver transplant was going to live.
The unconfirmed question hung in the air. TorBane had the ability to regenerate any body part. When your heart, liver, lungs began to wear out you could simply buy new cybernetic hybrid ones. If you could afford it. Could people now live forever?
Fifteen-hundred implants were given in the beginning. Those who were treated came from every corner of the world, were observed for a few weeks after the procedure to make sure the implants grew as they were programmed to, and then sent home. For three months the world seemed like a better place to live in.
But the technology kept trying to improve the human body. Side effects started showing up. The people who had undergone the procedures were having other parts of their bodies change. A cybernetic lung was joined by a mechanical kidney, an enhanced, metallic eye. TorBane was evolving on its own, slowly taking over the human’s bodies. Much like a virus, it morphed into something stronger, more deadly.
Then it wasn’t just the patients that were starting to lose themselves. It was their families, their close friends. The nanorobotic molecules weren’t stopping where they were supposed to. The technology was dubbed as “the infection” and could be spread as easily as touching an infected person. And the later generations claimed the human body within hours instead of weeks.
The soulless, human-looking machines were born. The Bane.
They were fast, they were aggressive. And they were hell-bent on infecting us all.
A war broke out between those still left, splitting the world. There were those who wanted to build an electromagnetic pulse, to wipe the infection out completely. But the rest of them cried there had to be another way. Setting off that kind of an EMP would wipe out every computer, every car, every water heater, and backup generator – it would send the world back into the dark ages.
They waited too long to come to an agreement.
By month four, ninety-eight percent of the world’s population was infected, not even human anymore. More machine than man. We, mankind, were a dying race.
This was the age of the Evolution. Of the Bane
It hadn’t mattered, wondering if mankind could now live forever. They lost their humanity inst
ead and were worse than dead. Those that had survived fled into the country and the world was plunged back into the dark ages anyway.
FIVE
As the first hints of light started to faze into the sky a man named Tuck came to replace me. He seemed surprised to see me instead of his comrade whom I had relieved. I climbed down from the tower with stiff legs and headed back toward the tents.
I caught a glimpse of the red-haired woman and the small child walking with Avian toward the medical tent. Just as I walked past it, Gabriel stepped out of his tent. He gave me a knowing look and walked with me after Avian. A few moments later I heard someone step out of another tent and looked back to see West following us.
The air in the medical tent was sharp, smelling faintly of blood and stolen bleach. Victoria was already sitting on Avian’s table, pulling her skirt up to her knee as Avian pulled on a pair of precious latex gloves. It was disheartening how something that had been so mundane just a few years ago had become so precious.
“I trust you got some rest last night?” Avian asked as he inspected her foot, the boy standing close by. The skin on her foot was swollen and red, puss begging to be let out.
“Yes, thank you,” she answered quietly, her expression timid and uncomfortable, as if the thought of a man touching any part of her body scandalized her.
Gabriel sat on a stump, his fingers scratching at his grayed beard. I could tell he was searching for words, unsure of what his actions were going to be.
“What are your intentions?” he finally asked, directing his question to West. “What is your goal right now?”
“Stay alive, just like all of you,” West answered simply. He glanced over at me, his eyes lingering for a few seconds.
“And where had you been heading, when Eve found you?”
“Just away from the city. We didn’t know if we would ever find anyone else. As far as we knew, our little group could be the only humans left. And then there were only three of us after we got separated from our group.”
Gabriel considered his words. Emptiness filled me as I thought about what West had said. The possibility of no one else being out there felt like final defeat. No wonder they had looked so tired last night. They’d had the weight of the world on their shoulders.
“We could use you,” Gabriel said, having seemingly made up his mind. “We lost someone recently; his absence will be felt, in more ways than one.” Avian’s eyes flickered toward Gabriel’s face for a moment. I didn’t miss the pain that filled them. “We invite you to stay with us, if you can be trusted. We won’t hesitate to dispose of you if we find otherwise.”
“We won’t be trouble,” Victoria said, her voice desperate. “Please, we just want to stop running.”
Our attention turned to West. Even though it hadn’t been stated, and even though Victoria seemed to be the same age, he was obviously the one who had taken care of everyone, the one who made the decisions.
He nodded.
“I will have some of the extra tents set up,” Gabriel said. Avian looked relieved to hear that he wouldn’t have to share his quarters again with a stranger he didn’t know if he could trust. “How does she look Avian?”
He didn’t even look up as he scrubbed at her skin. Victoria’s face looked pained. “The cut was bad. It’s amazing you didn’t bleed to death. Even more amazing this infection hasn’t killed you. I wish we had some antibiotics but if we keep it clean it should heal up fine. I suggest she stay off her feet for at least a few days.”
Gabriel nodded, looking momentarily at Brady. I knew it hurt him to see another child. Gabriel had lost a son to the infection in the beginning.
“You will go with Eve to the fields this morning,” he said, taking his eyes away from the boy and looking at West. “This is important. The gardens keep us alive. Eve, if he acts suspicious, if you fear any betrayal, kill him.”
West glanced at me briefly, his eyes slightly wide with surprise at Gabriel’s bold words. He then looked back at Gabriel and gave the smallest nod of understanding.
“Come on,” I said as I went to the flap of the tent. “I am already late.” I didn’t wait to see if he followed me.
He walked a few steps to the side of me. I watched him for any wrong movements. I kept my hand on the knife that was fixed in my belt, ready to use it on him if he tried to attack. He only followed me, his eyes taking in the forest around us.
“How many are there here?” he finally asked.
“Thirty-four,” I said automatically. “I mean, thirty-three. There are thirty-three of us in Eden.” It felt like a rock had just formed in my chest as the image of Tye’s lifeless metallic eye staring at me came back.
“And your leader, his name is?”
“He’s not exactly our leader. He didn’t ask to be one but we all trust him. His name is Gabriel. And the other one is Avian. He is as close to a doctor as there is anymore.”
“And your name is Eve.” It wasn’t really formed as a question, but there was a curious sense of doubt in his words. “Where do you come from, Eve?”
My stomach knotted up, my hand gripped tighter on my knife. “You ask a lot of questions.”
“I’m just trying to figure things out.”
He didn’t say anything else after that and I made sure I didn’t let him see my face, picking up my pace just a bit. Everyone had come from somewhere in Eden. But I had no clue where I had been before Eden. All I had were broken images from nightmares that didn’t link together, a shattered mirror that would never be put together again.
We walked in hardened silence the rest of the way to the gardens. When we arrived it felt as if every pair of eyes fell upon us, growing wide with fear and curiosity. I couldn’t raise my gaze to meet theirs. The attention made me want to run. I had raised myself to keep out of sight and in the shadows.
Pretending like we weren’t being scrutinized, I led West to the storage shed and grabbed a wheelbarrow. “This way,” I said, keeping my gaze down.
West was well aware of all the looks he was getting but he didn’t hide from them like I did. He met their eyes, his face showing no emotion as he followed me through the gate and down a path. Despite the questions everyone was practically screaming with their eyes, no one said a word as we passed.
We stopped in the western field where hints of corn were starting to sprout. Tufts of green rose in perfect rows. Spring brought hope every year. Every row echoed our victory over the infection, against the Bane. We were still here. While we were still here, there was still some form of hope.
I dropped to my hands and knees and started on a row, picking out the rebellious weeds that insisted in cropping up. Seeing what I did, West dropped a few rows away from me and started pulling too.
My hands worked swiftly but I kept looking back at West’s form. His back was turned to me, his head bent low as he worked dutifully. He looked able to take care of himself. His frame was well-muscled. His dark hair fell across his eyes, left shaggy and longer like the majority of the males in the world. The only man in Eden who kept his hair short was Avian, who shaved his head completely every other week or so.
Tangled in my own thoughts, I suddenly realized that West had looked over at me. He had paused in his work, his hand a few inches above the ground, holding a weed. I felt frozen for a moment, unable to look away.
The small smile that tugged on his lips was all I needed to snap back into reality.
“How long have you been here, Eve?” he asked, turning back to his task. He threw the weed into the wheelbarrow.
“For as long as I can remember,” I replied without thinking. I felt oddly disarmed, as if he had tipped over a wall in me that I didn’t really realize was there. I didn’t really want that wall tipped.
“Since before the Evolution?” His voice sounded slightly surprised.
“No, just after it.”
He paused for a moment, as if considering my reply. “How old are you?” he asked.
“How old are you?” I shot
back.
“Eighteen.”
We were both quiet for a few moments, only the soft sound of earth being worked disturbing the silence.
“I’m seventeen,” I said quietly to the dirt. “I think.”
“You think?”
“I think,” I said sharply, making sure not to look into his face.
I saw little of the newcomers the rest of the afternoon. They stayed close to Gabriel’s side, getting settled in. Word was spreading fast about them, it would be impossible for it not to. Emotions were mixed. Some were elated to have three new members come into our family. There was obvious excitement about Brady. There weren’t many children anymore. Other’s felt like I did, not sure if trust was to be automatically given just because they were human.
The sun started to set, an orange haze peppered with stars. I sat on the rocky hill that protected Eden on the north side, watching as everyone went about their evening routine. Some made trips to the outhouses, others to take an evening bath, some heading to bed early. I watched them, feeling a sense of pride for them yet feeling disconnected and distant. I was one of them but I didn’t really understand them.
I heard rubble being disturbed on the trail and a moment later Avian climbed up over the ledge, giving me a half tight-lipped smile as he joined at my side.
The silence between us was comfortable as we saw the fires being lit below us. Trails of smoke drifted into the sky before they faded into the darkening light. The sound of Avian’s breathing comforted me. It was so familiar. If anything was home in this wreck of a world it was Avian.
“What do you think of them?” I finally broke the silence, my eyes never leaving the tents below us. I picked West out, walking hesitantly to a fire. He didn’t sit to warm his hands, just stood back from the group and watched.
“I don’t know,” Avian mused, observing. The glow of the fires cast an orange haze to his face that highlighted his sharp brow, the line of his cheek bones. “The woman and child seem harmless. I don’t know what to think of West though. There’s something about him.”