Revealing Eden (7 page)

Eden watched as a mob tied the screaming albino to a funeral pyre. It was the only time she’d seen Coals and Pearls united in action. The Cotton’s white skin and hair stood out among his attackers; his pinkish eyes pleaded for help. Strange how she didn’t feel deep hatred for the albino, as she had been taught in school. She might even feel sorry for the poor boy.

Bramford’s ring flashed and the news story changed. Eden quickly glanced at him, surprised to see the anxiety in his face. Why would a megalomaniac like him care about the doomed Cotton?

The aircraft took a sharp turn, nearly throwing her into Bramford’s lap. He looked stunned and she wondered if he had felt the same mysterious electric charge. Was he wearing some new device that generated overwhelming magnetism?

“Sorry,” Eden said, scrambling back to her seat.

Shen slid open the partition and gave her a sympathetic look. “Would you like an oxy tablet?” he said.

Was he kidding? She’d like a dozen. Only the military had tablets, which gave them the freedom to move around.

“Sure.” She accepted the small, green pill with feigned nonchalance.

“Here,” Bramford said, offering a glass of water.

Eden stared at it, bewildered. “But I’ve already had my allotment tonight.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Like Sweet Earth, it did. The image of her dying mother, desperate for a drink of water, burned in her mind. Many times, shame-faced, she’d allowed Eden to sacrifice part of her nightly share. Lasers and leather and oxy tablets, Eden could understand. But extra water? She wished that greedy bastard could know how it felt to live on the edge.

She shot him a defiant look and popped the tablet in her mouth. But as her mouth turned gummy, she regretted her stubbornness, if only a little.

“Change your mind?” Bramford said.

Eden shook her head, trying to swallow.

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged and drank the water.

The man wasn’t human.

Shen turned around again, his face anxious. “A fire has broken out in the hills above REA, sir.”

As usual, Bramford kept his cool. “E.T.A.?”

“Five minutes and forty-five seconds.”

“Make it two.”

The aircraft screamed forward.

Bramford’s ring flashed and a Holo-Image of Eden’s father appeared, along with live images of the lab. “Delay the firewall until I arrive,” Bramford said.

“What!” Her father blinked fast. “Extreme heat will put the delicate environment here at risk. The viral samples must be cooled.”

Eden gagged as the jet nose-dived.

He looked at her, wide-eyed. “Daught?”

Before she could respond, the plump assistant, Peach, hurried over and whispered in his ear. The girl’s careless proximity stunned Eden. What could be so urgent? As her father’s expression turned grim, she figured it wasn’t good news.

“Doctor Newman?” Bramford said.

“I don’t understand,” her father said, stammering. “It appears the test subjects are missing. Security has searched the premises to no avail.”

“Both of them?” Only one test subject was necessary; the other had been a safety.

“So I’m told.”

Bramford zeroed in on Eden. She and Ashina reported on every nuance of the test subjects. Was the bitch trying to set her up? Or worse, sabotage the operation?

“Ashina is in charge now,” Eden said in a small voice.

Her father looked out over the lab and a view of Ashina’s station followed. The girl was gone.

“I swear she lied about my missing report,” Eden added.

Bramford sat with his elbows on the armrests, drumming his fingertips together.

“I was afraid it would come to this.”

“To what?”

He ignored her. “Proceed as planned, doctor.”

“But how?” he said, once more in view. “No subject, no experiment.”

Poor Father, he looked crushed. This was meant to be the crowning achievement of his lifetime.

“I guarantee you’ll have a subject,” Bramford said. “Just stay on schedule.”

“But who?” Eden said.

Bramford took a deep breath, his hands floating to his lap. “Me, that’s who.”

Her father stared, as shocked as Eden. “You, Bramford?” he said.

“That’s correct. We proceed at 24:00.”

“But I need more time. Even the minutest of changes must be calculated. An unexamined change of this magnitude will seriously compromise the success of the operation.”

“If you have a better solution, doctor, I’d like to hear it. This might be the only chance we get.”

Eden could see the gears turning in her father’s mind. Who else would be brave or stupid enough to volunteer for an illegal and highly experimental procedure?

“Post your genome without delay, Bramford.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Without sufficient preparation, I cannot guarantee your personal safety.”

“I’ve taken bigger risks.”

Bramford cut off the link and the images disappeared.

What risks? Eden wondered. He’d lived his life insulated by wealth and privilege. Besides, she didn’t believe he would go through with it. He only was showing off.

It occurred to her that the missing test subjects must have prevented Jamal from leaving the lab. After all, the responsibility ultimately fell to his department. Of course, that explained everything. How had she ever doubted him when he
had made his intentions so clear?
Time for Jamal to make a righteous move
.

Eden looked out the window as the aircraft plummeted through the clouds. Possibly, it was fake, she told herself, just like any other experience she fantasized on the World-Band. She wasn’t really hurtling towards Holy Earth. The orange ring of fire that crowned the mountains above REA didn’t really threaten her entire world. And Jamal was anxious to call her his mate.

The vehicle landed with a jolt inside the ramparts that towered around the upper level. At once, a blaring siren announced the lowering of the firewall. It quickly fell into place with a loud, groaning screech. The security entrance to the tunnels would remain blocked until the fire abated.

Eden leaned forward, itching to see Jamal. She jumped out as soon as the doors slid open.

“You’re coming with me,” Bramford said, taking hold of her arm.

She glared at him. “I’m off duty, remember? You can’t treat me this way.”

“Apparently, someone has to.”

Eden stared at his hand on her, bewildered by the warmth that flooded into her body and a strange knocking in her gut. She felt off balance, even a little unhinged, she hated to admit.

Never mind, her Dark Prince would save her.

T
HE WORKERS’ smug stares bore into Eden, as she followed Bramford up the stairs to the operating theater. Caught by the boss—weren’t
they
happy? Why on Earth did she want to be like
them
, anyway?

Eden’s father turned away from his calculations, a wild look in his eyes. Old stains on his lab coat and his unruly hair added to the impression of a man on the edge.

“Any sign of them?” Bramford asked with a glimmer of hope.

Her father shook his head. “Jamal is questioning our staff.”

Eden’s eyes cut to the workers below, anxious for a sign of him. She was like a small fish looking at a school of hungry piranhas. If Jamal didn’t save her, eventually they would tear her to bits. But her Dark Prince was nowhere in sight.

“I see,” Bramford said, thoughtfully.

Eden figured he would change his mind. She was surprised, and even a little impressed, when he made his determination clear.

“Then there’s no time to lose. Ready, doctor?”

“I’ve run your genome and…” Her father paused to wipe
his glasses on his coat though they only looked more smeared afterwards.

“And?” Bramford said.

“There are variations in your code for which I am not prepared.”

“Can you work with it or not?”

“What? Yes, it can be done. But you must know, these variables increase the risk ratio—”

“Whatever the risk, I’m now the guinea pig. Let’s begin.”

“You leave me no choice then.” Her father spoke to Peach. “Start prepping Mr. Bramford at once.”

Bramford hurried ahead of her towards the back of the platform. Eager, wasn’t he? Eden thought. Maybe he’d planned all along to be the test subject so he could keep the technology for himself. Greedy bastard.

Before he disappeared into the prep room, he called to Shen. “Keep an eye on Eden.”

As if it were all her fault. Wasn’t that what everyone thought?

She drifted beside her father and peered over his shoulder. Above one corner of the console was a Holo-Image of one of the original test subjects. At first she saw an ordinary Pearl in his natural coloring. Such images were illegal, except for scientific purposes, of course. Still, the sight of the man’s pale skin thrilled Eden.

Gradually, the newly evolved man came through with dark coloring inherited from the black jaguar, the camouflage spots barely visible on his skin. The eyes, now a pale greenish-gold, had a slight cat-like curve, the face, a feline affect. The jaguar also had given him a more streamlined body. The
strong abdominal muscles, a gift from the anaconda. A list of statistics estimated the increase in muscle-to-body fat ratio, strength and speed.

The changes in stage one were dramatic, though the new man would resemble a Homo sapiens more than any of the donor animals. Still, he would be superior to any race. No wonder Bramford seemed so eager to adapt. In any case, she had to admire his courage.

“Daught? What are you doing here?” her father said, turning towards her.

“What do you mean?” she said. “I arrived with Bramford.”

“Indeed?”

“You looked right at me.”

“Did I? You must have appeared out of context—no lab coat, a disheveled black dress.”

Good Earth, was she that invisible? Or was Father just out of step with reality? Probably both. Sometimes she wondered how on Earth she would manage to keep the promise she’d given at her mother’s deathbed.

—Promise you will take care of your father, Eden. He needs help, even if he doesn’t know it
.

—I promise, Mother. Don’t worry
.

Eden would never forget the relief in her mother’s worried eyes.

At last, her Life-Band received Jamal’s signal. She wanted to lash out at him for leaving her at the dance. But, of course, anger wasn’t an option.
Keep your eye on the goal, Eden
.

She quickly turned her back to Shen, who stood guard by the prep room, to hide her flashing earring and the desperateness she felt.

Jamal, are you all right?

Sorry, Little Bunny. Strategic problems. Bramford was at the dance so I asked him to bring you back
.

You did?

Let’s keep our date, pet. I’m waiting for you in my office
.

I’ll come as soon as I can
.

Come now
.

Jamal cut off, and a silly grin stretched across Eden’s face. He still wanted her.

When she turned round, Bramford lay stretched out on the test bed. Peach hooked the bindings on his white operating suit to an instrument panel. Eden searched his face for any sign of hesitation, but there was no crack in the iron-willed façade. If it had been her, she would have been scared to death.

“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” Bramford said, as if he’d read her mind.

“No.” Eden lied.

She saw something flash across his face—anger, resignation, hope?

Whatever he was feeling, his voice never betrayed any emotion. “Sometimes you have to leap or be pushed. I prefer to land on my own two feet.”

“Well, you might not recognize them,” she said, half joking.

“Once we see the cause and effect of our actions, change isn’t so frightening.”

Eden felt the weight of his stare. Possibly, he was really looking at her. Sweet Earth, as if he saw the Real Eden. She forgot all about the procedure and her problems. The busy
hum of the laboratory faded away. She felt an odd desire to smile at Bramford. She even suspected he might smile back. Instead, he turned his head and barked out instructions to Shen. She felt like crawling deep into the earth. Crazy to think the cold-hearted tyrant could see anything, especially her.