Botanicaust (35 page)

“
For Josef.
”

She was right. He had to cure Josef.
“
You stay in the room. Here. Okay?
”

Levi followed Dr. Kaneka and the big man followed Levi. He wondered if the man was some sort of bodyguard. At least he hadn
’
t stayed behind with Tula.

They passed several doors and stopped before one just like Levi
’
s. Dr. Kaneka rapped twice and opened it. Shelves of books filled the room, floor to ceiling, all sizes and colors lined up spine out. Levi stepped inside with awe. The big man eased past Levi and shambled straight to a lower bookshelf to pull out a tall, thin volume.

“
Michael, not now,
”
Dr. Kaneka barked. The big man
’
s face grew even longer as he pushed the book back in place.

On the far side of the room, a coffee table surrounded by four plush chairs invited people to sit and enjoy reading. A head with a red ponytail popped up over the back of one chair. The woman rose to greet them and Levi stumbled. It was the crazy woman, Rosalee.

“
I promise I
’
ll read to you later, Michael.
”
She turned to Levi. Her bloodshot eyes were not nearly as startling as Dr. Kaneka
’
s, but Levi didn
’
t remember her having red eyes yesterday.
“
Hello, please have a seat. My name is Rosalee.
”
She acted like she didn
’
t remember him.

He didn
’
t move to sit.

“
I hear you had quite a journey getting here.
”
Rosalee indicated the bandage on Levi
’
s wrist.

He covered the bandage with his other hand, as if her stare might re-open the wound.
“
Between the Blattvolk and the cannibals, I
’
m surprised we
’
re still alive.
”

“
The Blattvolk. Is that what you call the Haldanians? Leaf people?
”

Levi nodded, watching her closely.
“
You seem
…
better today.
”

Rosalee
’
s fine, pale skin flushed crimson and she darted a glance at Dr. Kaneka.
“
Yes, I hear I was quite rude. I apologize. I
’
ve had
—
”
she glowered,
“
medication, now.
”

Medication to take away dementia.
Maybe these people
could
cure Josef. But then why the Down
’
s
Syndrome
? Glancing at Dr. Kaneka, he rubbed his chin a moment.
“
Excuse me for asking, but your people seem to have a lot of
…
disabilities. Why haven
’
t you cured them?
”

Letting out a slumping breath, Rosalee indicated the chairs again and sat down.
“
You are talking about our children, I assume? The ones with Down
’
s
Syndrome
? We love them as best we can, given the circumstances.
”

Levi lowered himself to the edge of one chair, hyper conscious of Dr. Kaneka still standing near the door.

“
I
’
m not a scientist. But from what I understand, our longevity therapy causes changes in the fetus during gestation. Down
’
s Syndrome is the most survivable of the defects. Michael, here, is the result of using a surrogate.
”
Her eyes glazed as she frowned.
“
Needless to say, our reproductive cells have been permanently altered by our therapy. We have learned to accept our procreative limitations. And given our personal longevity, most believe it
’
s a small price to pay.
”

“
So, they
’
re immortal, too?
”

“
Oh, no. That would be a wasted effort. We
’
re already prone to dementia.
”
She flushed again.
“
The children are even more susceptible. No, we must choose carefully if we wish to have children, knowing we will only watch them age and die.
”
Her face grew so
sad,
Levi would have hugged her if circumstances had been different.

“
What about other birth defects? Cystic fibrosis?
”

“
Ah, yes, the reason you are here. Dr. Kaneka tells me you may have a son with the disorder?
”

He nodded, hands tightly clasped, so full of anticipation he didn
’
t trust his voice.

She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, her eyes trained on Levi
’
s face.
“
They cannot remove the defective gene from his entire body. But they could possibly perform organ cloning and transplant. Dr. Kaneka believes they might be able to reconfigure the CFTR sequence in the clonal organs, depending on the severity of the abnormality. That would relieve the worst of your son
’
s symptoms. But the doctors need genetic samples and access to his stem cells.
”

The pit of his stomach tightened into a hard ball of hope and despair.
“
You
’
re saying you can make him better?
”

“
There are over a thousand markers for cystic fibrosis. I can
’
t make any promises until we see him.
”

“
He
’
s far too sick to travel.
”

“
Dr. Kaneka suggested you show us on a map where your people live, and perhaps we can arrange transportation.
”
She tapped the surface of the coffee table and a screen lit up the center. Scrolling through several images, she halted on a series of haphazard lines and colors.
“
We are here.
”
She pointed to a dark brown splotch next to a word he didn
’
t recognize.

Kaneka leaned in, and a tremor zigzagged up Levi
’
s spine. Like someone was stepping on his grave, his father used to say. Rolling one shoulder and stepping away from the doctor, Levi blinked at the map.

The drawing looked nothing like the series of landmarks the trader had sketched.
“
I don
’
t know what any of this means. I came from the east.
”

“
The blue lines are major rivers. The red lines are old roadways. This way is north.
”
She spun the chart so north was up.

He frowned down at the diagram, trying to make sense.
“
After we escaped, I just knew to head north and west toward the mountains. When we reached the reservoir, I hoped it was the landmark the salt trader talked about. Oh!
”
He pointed to a spot where the blue line thickened.
“
This could be the reservoir.
”

“
Escaped
…
what do you mean?
”
Rosalee looked up at him with drawn brows.

“
The Blattvolk. They
’
d captured me and intended
…
well God knows what, but Tula pulled me from my cell and we ran.
”

“
Wait, Tula
—
your companion
—
is Haldanian?
”
Rosalee rose from her chair, her voice brittle.

Dr. Kaneka scurried toward the door.

“
You met her yesterday. You
…
attacked her.
”
Levi put his hands up, palm out toward Rosalee, remembering Tula
’
s warning too late. This woman hated Haldanians.
“
She
’
s not like other Blattvolk. She
’
s good. She almost died to save me.
”

Rosalee put both hands over her mouth. Her eyes narrowed and she focused on Dr. Kaneka. The doctor said three or four words into the grate next to the door.

She shouted something, and Levi rose as the sound of feet came pounding down the hall. With both hands she gripped Levi
’
s bicep, fingernails biting into his skin as a pair of men in red tunics appeared. Looking directly into his eyes, she said,
“
Don
’
t believe a word they say.
”

One of the men darted in and pressed a silver gun to Rosalee
’
s neck. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped into the other man
’
s arms.

“
What is going on?
”
Levi asked as the only one in the compound who could understand him wa
s dragged, limp, from the room.

T
ula sat on the bed and flipped through the entertainment programs on the gamma pad. Nothing looked good, so she opened a game of chess. The hum of the mountain had become background noise, like an ever-present threat of a headache. The air, although not exactly stuffy, wasn
’
t truly fresh. Dr. Kaneka said they derived all their power from geothermal sources, which powered halogen lights to grow hydroponic foods. Recirculators scrubbed the air and underground springs provided all the water they would ever need. The only time a Fosselite ever went outside was for the yearly maintenance on the hidden cameras around the fortress.

How could they stand it? Dr. Kaneka and the others had been holed up inside here over four hundred years.
Centuries without seeing the sun or feeling the wind on their skin.
Tula
’
s eyes ached from straining in the low light, and her lungs felt clogged in the heat and humidity of the cavern. She didn
’
t want to live forever if it meant never seeing the outside again.
You
’
re assuming they
’
ll offer you asylum.

Her heart turned over at the thought. Dr. Kaneka told her the committee was working on her request. She didn
’
t know how to admit she didn
’
t intend to stay – not without sounding like the reversion he accused her of being. She hoped they would support her mission to bring conversion to Levi
’
s people.