Glow (22 page)

“Let me get you a nurse,” he said, patting her arm. He walked out, carrying the tray.

Then she remembered. Her mom. She’d talked to her mom, held her hand. Her mom was alive, and she had to get to her.

She threw off the covers and tried to sit up, but her head swam and she had to cling to the railings on the bed. She tried to move, but her leg was gripped by a pain that seared through her like a chemical burn.

I’ve been shot,
she realized, not quite believing it.

She wasn’t going anywhere for a while.

Waverly looked around. She wasn’t in the infirmary. The lights were too bright, and there was no porthole looking out to the exterior. She must be in the interior of the ship, in an upper level. To her right was a row of white cabinets. To her left was a counter lined with beakers. A centrifuge like the one she’d used in biology class sat on one end.

She was in a lab.

There were footsteps, and another person in a surgical mask appeared over her. The hazel eyes were familiar, and when the woman said hello, Waverly recognized her voice. It was Magda, the nurse who’d cared for her when she first got to the New Horizon.

“Why am I in a lab?” Waverly asked.

“Thirsty?” Magda inserted a straw between her lips. Waverly sipped down ice-cold water. She felt a dull ache in her throat, as though something had been forced down her windpipe. And a tube snaked into bruised veins on the back of her hand, making it sore.

“Why am I in a lab?” Waverly demanded.

Magda sat down heavily. “You’re probably wondering what happened to your stomach.”

Waverly looked down and saw that her belly was impossibly swollen into a hard mound that hurt when she prodded it.

Waverly’s throat closed in panic and she began to cough. Magda helped her sit up and rubbed her back until she could catch her breath. “What are you doing to me?”

“Calm down. You’re perfectly safe.”

“I’m safe? I’ve been shot!”

“Well, honey, you weren’t where you were supposed to be.”

“Why is my stomach swollen?” she asked. “Did you make me
pregnant
?”

“No, no, no. You’re not pregnant, Waverly. We’ve filled your abdominal wall with carbon dioxide so we can see in there for your surgery, that’s all.”

“What surgery?” Waverly shouted. Hot tears coursed into the hair at her temples.

“I’ll let the Pastor explain.”

A shadow moved over the doorway, and Anne Mather sat down next to her. She too wore a surgical mask, and her gray eyes smiled down at Waverly. “How’s our patient?” she asked with a fondness Waverly hated.

“What have you done to me?”

“We performed a very simple procedure on you, Waverly. You’re in no danger whatsoever.”

“
What
procedure?” She was almost shouting again.
Easy,
she told herself.
Use your head.

“I’ll tell you that if you tell me why you were in the cargo hold.”

She stared at Waverly and waited.

A lie. Waverly needed a lie.

“I was looking for guns,” she finally said. “They were kept in the holds on the Empyrean, and I thought you might be storing them there.”

“Because you wanted to escape?” Mather coaxed gently.

Waverly nodded.

The woman studied her. Waverly closed her eyes, pretending to be overcome by the medications they were no doubt pumping into her.

“Well, Waverly, I’m disappointed, but I’m not mad.”

Waverly played the naughty child who wanted only forgiveness. “You’re not?”

“You must be confused. The last few weeks have been a terrible strain on you and the girls. I’m not a bit surprised by this…” Mather waved a gloved hand around, searching for the words. “Acting out.”

This trivial term enraged Waverly, but she forced a smile. “Sorry.”

“That’s all right, dear. All is forgiven.”

Mather placed a soft hand on Waverly’s arm. It made her skin crawl, but she managed a smile. “What are you doing to me? If I’m not pregnant, am I sick?” she asked, careful to keep the anger out of her voice.

“No, darling. You’re wonderfully healthy.” Mather blinked a few times as though gathering her thoughts. “You see, the timing was right. We had to sedate you to fix your leg, which should heal up quickly, though you may have a limp, I’m sorry to say.”

You’re not sorry,
Waverly thought.

“And while we had you under,” Mather continued, “we performed an ultrasound and saw that your eggs were maturing beautifully. So we harvested them while we could. And they’re so precious, Waverly. We couldn’t bear to waste them.”

“Eggs?” Waverly asked, her voice quivering.

Mather leaned over her, the smile gone from her eyes. “Everyone on this ship has a duty to ensure the survival of the crew. It’s your duty, too, Waverly.”

“What is? What are you doing to me?” Waverly yelled, unable to hide her outrage any longer. She wanted to lunge at Mather, strangle her. “Tell me!” she screamed.

“I will when you stop shouting.”

Waverly struggled to catch her breath.
I will kill this woman one day,
she vowed.

“If all goes well, in nine months you’ll have given children to more than a dozen childless couples. Think of the gift you’re giving! They’ve wanted children for so many years, and now, finally, you’re making that possible!”

Waverly stared at her in shock.

“Right now your eggs are being fertilized, and soon we’ll implant them in the women who are ready for motherhood. Amanda is one of them. She was supposed to get your consent. She told me she’d begun discussing it with you, remember?”

Waverly shook her head. So that’s what Amanda had been getting at that day.

“You won’t have to carry any of them, Waverly. You’re giving the joy of children to women who will raise these babies in loving, spiritual homes. You’ll be spared the pain of childbirth, at least until you fall in love. There are lots of single men on this vessel who would be thrilled to have you. They’re a little long in the tooth compared to you, but that’s no real obstacle.”

“I’m already engaged. I’m going to marry Kieran Alden.” She felt Kieran beside her, a ghost of him that she must have carried here.

Mather paused as though filing away this bit of information. Then she said, “Kieran. I think Felicity mentioned him. He was to be Captain, isn’t that right?”

Waverly kept her mouth closed. She’d already said too much.

“Sweetheart…” The woman leaned forward, took Waverly’s hand, and stroked it. “Darling, the Empyrean is gone. I’m so sorry, but you have a new life now. I know it’s hard, but I believe that you’ll be able to embrace it, given time.”

Waverly reached for Mather’s throat, but straps tied her to the bed. She could only attack with words, and she screamed them: “You’re insane!”

“No, Waverly. I’m a pragmatist. People don’t know that about me. They see me as a mystic. But the two aren’t mutually exclusive.” She leaned over Waverly, peered into her eyes. “We need children to ensure our survival, and you’ll give us that chance. I truly believe that in time you’ll come to accept your role in history. There are worse fates than being the matriarch of a generation of human beings. The first humans to set foot on New Earth, Waverly, think of it! They’ll be your children! You’re very privileged, and I feel sure that you’ll come to understand when you see the faces of our first generation.” Mather smiled girlishly. “They’ll be so beautiful.”

“You’ll regret this,” Waverly told Mather, her voice trembling. “I’m going to make you suffer.”

Mather nodded to Magda, who had been standing at the ready with a needle and injected a clear substance into Waverly’s IV. Mather leaned down to Waverly as the medication made a cloud around her head. With a sad smile that seemed to fade into darkness, she said, “I’m fairly certain that you will.”

DESPERATION

When Waverly awoke, the swelling in her abdomen had been replaced by a terrible ache. She groaned and tried to move into a more comfortable position, but the restraints on her had been tightened. A shadow moved against the wall, and she jumped when a light flickered on. “You’re awake.”

The light was so bright, Waverly couldn’t keep her eyes open. She felt a straw being held to her lips, and she tested the liquid with her tongue. It was cool water, and she drank it, letting it wash away the sand that seemed to coat the back of her throat. Her eyes adjusted, and she was able to squint at her visitor.

It was Amanda, her face drawn, worry lines carved around her eyes. “Can you ever forgive me?” she asked.

Waverly turned her head away. She didn’t want to talk.

Amanda leaned her forehead on the bed railing by Waverly’s elbow. Tears ran down the creases in her face. “You can’t know the misery we suffered, Waverly. We were a ship full of desperate, grief-ravaged people.”

“You want me to feel sorry for you?” Waverly spat.

“When I think of what happened in the cargo hold…” Amanda shook her head, her jaw tight. “I couldn’t believe they shot you! I want you to know I gave that son of a bitch a black eye.”

“So you want gratitude?”

“You must hate me,” the woman said, her voice fragile.

“Of course I do.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“I don’t care who you blame.”

Amanda dropped her chin, rubbed her belly, and fell silent for a while. Finally she said, “I don’t expect you to care, but I can feel that it worked. I know I’m pregnant.”

Waverly didn’t want to hear this. To know that her children could be raised by these sick people … she couldn’t bear to think of it.

“I can’t imagine what you must be feeling. To be used this way.” Amanda waited for Waverly to speak, but Waverly wouldn’t look at her. “I agonized over whether I should accept embryos that were … created this way. There were only so many women on the ship whose cycles matched yours. And—you probably know—it’s all in the timing. If I hadn’t accepted implantation, this embryo might’ve died. And they’re so precious.”

Every word the woman said seemed to drill into Waverly’s skull. She didn’t care about Amanda and her tragic little thoughts.

“I don’t know if this helps,” Amanda said tentatively, “but your friend Felicity freely agreed to act as a donor. We’re harvesting her ova tomorrow. We only hope she’ll respond as well as you did to the medications.” Again Amanda waited for Waverly to speak, and again she was disappointed. “She’s outside. Would you like to see her?”

Waverly said nothing.

“I’ll send her in, all right? You two can talk.”

Amanda got up heavily and walked out of the room. A moment later, a hesitant hand touched Waverly’s shoulder.

“How’s your leg?” Felicity asked.

“Ruined.” She looked the girl in the eye. “So you’re going to let them do it to you?”

“Do you think I have a choice?” Felicity asked. “Here I am, walking around freely, being treated like royalty. And here you are, stuck in bed with a mangled leg. Is it a mistake for me to cooperate?”

To this, Waverly said nothing. She knew she couldn’t trust Felicity, but this might be her only chance to get a message to Sarah and Samantha.

“Are they listening?” Waverly whispered.

Felicity gave her a blank look.

“Are they listening to our conversation?”

“I don’t know,” Felicity replied, then mouthed, “Probably.”

Waverly beckoned Felicity closer until the girl’s golden hair tickled her face. She whispered so softly that she could barely hear herself, “I saw Mom. They’re holding Empyrean survivors in the starboard cargo hold.”

At first, Felicity sat perfectly still. When she leaned away, her face was ashen. “How did you find this out?” she asked.

“I can’t say.”

“Were my parents there?”

“I don’t know. I only had about a minute to talk to my mom. I’m sorry.”

Felicity shrugged as though indifferent about her parents. After the way they’d failed to protect her, Waverly wasn’t surprised.

“But they caught you down there?” Felicity whispered thoughtfully.

Waverly nodded.

“Then they’ve moved them. Or they’re going to.”

Of course. Waverly hadn’t thought of this, but she knew Mather was cautious. She was probably already looking for the traitor who had told Waverly about the survivors.

There wasn’t much time. Mather might kill the Empyrean captives. She might search out and kill the woman with the auburn hair who had left the note in the bathroom, and it would be Waverly’s fault for not being more careful.

Waverly heard someone coming.

“Tell Sarah and Samantha, but no one else can know!” she whispered before Magda hustled in, carrying a loaf of bread and a bowl of broth on a tray. “Tell them I said hi,” Waverly added loudly. “That I’m okay.”

“I will,” Felicity promised.

“That’s enough of a visit for one day,” Magda clucked. “You need some food in you.” She slid the tray over Waverly’s lap. “You girls can talk more later.”

Be strong!
Waverly wanted to say as Felicity dropped her eyes and left the room looking doubtful and troubled.

“Here, sweetheart,” Magda coaxed, holding a warm spoon to Waverly’s lips. “Isn’t that good?”

“It’s fine.”

“Oh, come now. Is our patient cranky today?”

“I’m not your patient,” Waverly said coolly. “I’m your captive. You’ve basically raped me.”

Magda stiffened. Mechanically, she fed Waverly spoonful after spoonful, barely waiting for the girl to swallow before forcing the next on her.

“You’re lucky Amanda Marvin has taken an interest in you,” Magda finally said. “She’s the Pastor’s best friend, you know.”

“So?” Waverly managed to say before another spoonful was shoved into her mouth.

“So your attitude is not making you any friends,” Magda said sternly. “You’re so fertile, and you just take it for granted. If you were really dedicated to the mission, you’d be glad to help people have children, instead of feeling sorry for yourself.”

Waverly accepted another spoonful silently.

Magda pursed her lips. “Were all the crew from the Empyrean as selfish as you?”