Breeders (Breeders #1) (10 page)

Poppy and Gander exchanged a concerned glance. “And you?”

“And me what?” I asked, even more confused as to how this
was relevant.

“Your status?”

“I was a Superior, then it changed to Breeder 107.”

“Okay. That is enough for now. Thank you for answering our
questions. You will be reunited with your Guardian soon. Until then, get some
rest, the baby’s heartbeat is a little erratic. Probably due to the current
stress you have found yourself in. Please know we are not here to harm you or
your fetus. Once you have been cleared, you will be released from this
facility. We will also need to remove your implantation device before you leave
here. And with all that being said, we will leave you now to get some rest.”

The isolation room was so quiet. I could almost hear my own
heartbeat. Who are these people? A soft knock at the entrance of the panel
interrupted the wave of anxiety that started to make its way through me. Thor!
I had never been so happy to see anyone. I leapt off the bed and clung to him.
He patted my back awkwardly, making me smile, just a little. He was still as
grumpy and surly as the day I had met him. But I had grown to trust him. Pushing
back gently, I crept onto the bed.

“How are you? Did they hurt you?” he asked worriedly.

“No, actually. They did a few tests and asked me some questions
about where we were from. You?”

“Same. They were particularly interested in why you were
selected for the Breeder program. That concerns me, Ariet.”

“Me too. I didn’t tell them about the illness resistance gene.”

“Good call. I just have an uncomfortable feeling in my gut.
For whatever reason, I don’t trust these people. Just follow my lead and be
compliant wherever necessary. I’ll find a way out of this, we just need to stay
close and not give them any reason to mistrust us. Also, you can never be sure
who is listening, so watch what you say and how much information you give them.”
he whispered.

“Okay. What do we do now?”

“For now, we wait. I’m not actually sure what happens next.
You need to rest though. How is the baby?”

“A little stressed, they said.”

“Have you eaten today?” the concern in his voice evident. I
shook my head. “Here, they put one of these in my room earlier from our rations.
Eat.”

He laid out some bread, cheese and dried meat on the blanket
in front of me. I hadn’t realized until then how hungry I actually was.
Scoffing the food down greedily, I watched Thor from the corner of my eye. He
was pacing the small area in front of my bed.

“Please stop, Thor. It’s making me anxious.”

“Sorry. I just want to get out of here.” He slumped in the
chair to the side of my bed. At that moment Poppy entered, giving both of us a
start.

“Hello, Thor and Ariet. You have both been cleared of any
infectious agents and are, at this time, not a biological threat to our safety.
I’m sorry for the
cloak-and-dagger
way we handled the quarantine period, but we have had problems before. Here are
your belongings. When you are dressed, please meet me outside the isolation
room.

Thor and I sorted through the belongings placed on the bed.
Our weapons and rations had been removed, along with the canteen of liquid I had
been using during our escape in the woods. We dressed quickly and made our way
through the opening. The room was still empty except for us and completely shrouded
in darkness. Poppy waited patiently.

“Please follow me. This, as you have probably deduced already,
is the quarantine area where you are screened on arrival. The facility is
placed outside the city for our protection, you understand.”

She lead us through double doors to a dimly lit corridor. “Other
than your arrival, or in any event you are unwell, you will not be authorized
to return to this facility.” She opened the door to reveal a large open room
with a variety of desks which, although filled with paperwork, were absent of
people. “It’s pretty quiet here today, as it’s one of our rest days. You have
been assigned temporary living quarters in Compound A. Accommodation here is
pretty rustic, we battle for certain supplies, but we make do as well as we
can. Cole will show you to your Compound. For now, you need to be escorted
everywhere until we determine your security clearance.”

We walked into the large empty space which we had been
marched through a few days earlier. Cole waited on the far side of the hall.
Poppy left us as we approached him. Thor whispered whilst never taking his eyes
off Cole, “Just do what they say, Ariet. We need to gain their trust and find
out what we can.” he reminded me. Instinctively, I grasped his hand tightly.

Cole was a man of few words who led us by using hand signals.
We proceeded out the back of the building down a long dirt road. Slowly the
town came into view as we neared. Some of the structures were much older
looking and dilapidated but unique in their design and build. The remainder of
the buildings were what I had become accustomed to in the New World,
constructed of steel and chrome, shiny and vulgar but sterile and neat in
appearance. It was interesting how the new buildings stood out in harsh
contrast to the old.

As we approached the outskirts of the city, Cole led us towards
a building where we descended into an underground tunnel. Looking quizzically
at him, “Train,” he spat out as if talking to us went against every grain of
his being. A train approached and we hung onto the ceiling rails for support, as
there were no seats in this compartment. It moved fairly quickly in a direction
which I assumed was towards the city centre. Some illumination was given by
lights on the side of the tunnel, and I could just make out some kind of
graffiti lining the walls of the platforms we passed. Dirt and debris lined the
walkways and stairwells.

Cole exited off to a side car gesturing for us to stay put,
but he returned shortly after. The train slowed to a stop, and doors opened to
reveal an old platform with Compound A and an arrow painted on a dimly lit
wall. He led us up a stairwell and out into an old courtyard of some kind. We
passed through it and crossed a tarred street which extended from one side of
the town to as far as I could make out.

“Why is it deserted?” I asked.

Cole kept on walking, avoiding the question which was
becoming an increasingly infuriating trait of the residents here. Thor raised
his eyebrows at me in a warning as I was about to snap at Cole and let my
temper get the better of me. We crossed the street and passed through an old
alleyway. At the end of it, Cole rapped three times on a large steel door. The
door opened with a large man giving us a once over and a courteous nod to Cole.
Letting us pass, we walked through a small winding tunnel which opened into a
huge building. Rooms and rooms lined winding corridors that coiled up into the
heavens, with a half opened ceiling.

We walked slowly into the centre of the building, making our
way through tents and make shift quarters. Faces peered out at us, watching our
every move. Most looked concerned and frightened, whilst I got a small smile
from a child playing with an old doll. On the far side of the building was a
large area designated the ‘Receiving Room’ with a hand painted sign. An old man
sat at a wooden desk shuffling through some papers. Cole cleared his throat to
announce our presence.

“Here are the new refugees, Walt, assigned to Compound A.”
Turning towards us, “Walt will be responsible for you whilst you remain in here.”
Unlike any of the staff we had met since our arrival in this strange world,
Walt had a gentle but wise face, lined with wrinkles and knowledge. Gray
stubble coated his face and hair. He looked up at us, smiling.

“Welcome. Please, sit.” He gestured towards two old sofa
chairs. Directing his attention to me first, “You will remain in this Compound
while you carry your child to full term. Your Guardian will be assigned to
another Compound where we will evaluate his skill set, and he will be put to
good use.”

In an instant, Thor was on his feet stalking towards the
desk and gripping it with both hands, “I stay with Ariet. There will be no
deviation to that plan. Ever. I am her Guardian. Is that clear?” he growled
menacingly.

This seemed to have little effect on Walt. “What is your
name, son?”

“Thor.”

“I know that, Thor who?”

“Thor Sterling. But I was previously Thor Birch.”

A gasp escaped the elder man’s lips, and his face went
ashen. This took Thor aback and he settled next to me again protectively. “Your
family?” the old man whispered.

“I have no family. Ariet is now my family. I don’t see how
this is relevant.” he snapped.

The elderly man’s voice was barely a whisper. He rolled up
his sleeve to reveal the same scar we had just received where our implantation
device had been removed, although his was well healed and had aged.

“My full name is Walter Birch, they call me Walt though. I
am your Grandfather, son.”

Epilogue

Watching Thor play with Sam on the small patch of grass in
front of me, I cannot help but smile. Amazed at how Sam has softened him, I
feel so much love and gratefulness to Thor, it hurts sometimes. I continue to worry
about our safety here in the Old World. Although the Refugees have been
protective of us and have welcomed us, I know a war is coming, and we are at
the centre of it. Soon we will have to leave this place. I cannot hide Sam’s
genetic ability for much longer. His advanced memory skills, together with something
else Thor and I have noticed, have set him apart from any other infant I have
come into contact with.  Every day it amazes me and makes me proud, but I know
that when they find out, they will use him as a weapon and steal his innocence.

For now though, I watch the sun set and allow the five
minutes of peace I feel to warm me. I wait daily for the arrival of Mason,
still holding onto the belief that he will find us, that he will escape and
bring my family to me. Be reunited with his son. I fear that this will not
happen before we are forced to leave this world. So I wait every day with
expectations that are not met. But, for now, I lie down on the grass beside
them and watch the sun set.