Anton slept solidly for two days following his traumatic separation from Benedict. Given what had happened to him, that was to be expected, but a frustrated Stephen wanted to speak with his friend who he missed. So he distracted himself by working with Serena to control his envisioning ability. When he let the visions through, they didn’t hurt so much. In fact, they felt stronger, longer lasting. But what Margaux had said about Serena being an influencer played on his mind.
That evening, he met Serena in one of the testing labs. Arianna was with her. While he had no issues with her presence, he still couldn’t work out why she had changed her mind about Serena. Had Serena influenced her?
Arianna hesitated by the door until Stephen called her inside. A long work bench the length of wall held items from the surface including a laser scalpel, a monitor and a DNA analyser. He had laid out some cheek swabs.
In the centre of the room sat a 3D body image scanner with an attached flat bed—the largest item they’d stolen to date. With a few modifications, the body scanner could now detect and analyse new metals as well as the ones inbuilt to the computer program.
Serena looked around the lab that she’d never been in before. Her aura colours showed greys and yellows—sadness and uncertainty. She went straight to the bench and picked up the laser scalpel, turning it over in her hands.
‘Where did you get this?’ She frowned.
‘From one of the human labs on the surface,’ said Stephen.
‘I think I recognise it.’ She quickly put it down. ‘Come on, let’s get to work. I’d like to know what’s going on in my head.’
He wished he could read her thoughts, but he promised never to delve without her permission again.
Arianna stood back out of the way while Serena and Stephen got to work. Stephen turned on the DNA analyser and grabbed Serena’s hand. ‘Come stand next to me.’
The yellow of her aura intensified but she obeyed. He took a cheek sample from Serena and processed it through the DNA analyser.
‘Where did you learn to do all this?’ she asked while they waited for the results.
‘I picked it up from the scientists when I was young. I had a natural aptitude for it and retained everything. The rest—well, let’s just say I made plenty of mistakes too.’ Stephen smiled.
‘What do you expect to find?’ Her words came out too soft.
‘I honestly don’t know.’ The DNA analyser hummed for a moment and the results displayed on screen. He leaned over them. ‘We know what Indigene DNA looks like. I want to see what’s different about yours.’
‘And if it looks the same?’
‘Then with your permission, I’d like to delve into your brain functionality.’
Arianna came closer and together they studied the images of Serena’s genetic material on the monitor.
‘It’s not that different to our DNA,’ said Arianna.
‘Different enough.’ Stephen pointed at the screen. ‘Look at the mutations here. They’re what make her the way she is. The change is natural in you and me, Arianna, because we are second-generation Indigenes. But in Serena—and first-generation Indigenes—the change was forced, probably aggressively so in Serena’s case; the mutations are more obvious. Time may have been a factor when they created her. But their changes are bold and seem to push beyond our developments.’
‘And my mother?’ said Arianna.
‘Any first-generation Indigene would have been given longer to transform. Anna wouldn’t have felt pain.’ Stephen paused for a moment. ‘Is that why you changed your mind about Serena, because of your mother?’
Arianna nodded. ‘My mother was Elise’s assistant when she was human. Elise wouldn’t tell me about it so I “walked” her mind. She tried to hide it from me, but she couldn’t in the end.’ She shook her head and sighed. ‘Even if Serena is a plant, she’s not to blame. She has free will, which means she is here is for a different reason to Anton.’
‘I agree, she’s one of a kind.’ Stephen smiled at Serena who looked unsure. He gestured at the 3D body imaging scanner. ‘I need to scan your brain to see how the neural pathways work.’
Serena lay down on the bed attached to the scanner and Stephen positioned the device over her head. The scanner hummed and circled over her. The process ended with a 3D image of her brain. The image floated in the air and he rotated it with his hands.
Her brain lit up like the stars in the sky. ‘What do you make of this?’ He pointed to several bright areas.
Serena sat up and frowned. ‘Why are there so many active areas?’
‘You don’t know?’ said Stephen. ‘You said you were a scientist in District Eight, which we now know is not true. But I did see a lab in your memories. And when you came in here first, you went straight for the laser scalpel.’
‘I... I wish my memories were clearer. I remember moments, things, being in places, but not how to do anything. Please explain it.’
Stephen hid his concern. ‘You’re using all parts of your brain simultaneously. Margaux may be right about you being an influencer.’ He pointed to a specific area on the 3D image. ‘To influence, we must possess awareness of our own thoughts and that of others, and choose to act outside our preferred thought style. It’s called Whole Brain Thinking. Several areas are involved: the left and right sides of the cerebral cortex for logical and holistic thoughts, and the left and right sides of the limbic brain for planned and emotional responses.’
Serena passed her hand through the image.
‘We all have a preferred thinking style—a bit of one, a bit of the other—but in you, all areas of influence are extremely active.’
‘So you’re suggesting I can influence who I like just by talking to them? That’s impossible.’
‘Well, you have power over me and most of the males in this district,’ said Stephen.
‘But not the females,’ said Arianna.
‘Why not?’ said Serena.
‘We know the skills in our first generation are an extension of who they were as humans,’ Stephen continued. ‘The mutations in their code enhanced their existing skills. It’s probably the same for you. Whatever your human role was, you probably influenced people to some degree. People may have been drawn to you without understanding why.’ Stephen looked away.
‘You think that’s why I’m with you, Stephen—because I have some sort of hold over you?’
He looked back at her. ‘The thought had crossed my mind.’
‘It couldn’t be further from the truth.’ She got off the bed. ‘If I have this ability, it’s not a conscious thing I can control.’
‘It isn’t, Stephen,’ said Arianna. ‘She’s not aware of it but she can learn to control it. I resisted her influence at the beginning. She could practise on me.’
Stephen was about to respond when he saw Gabriel by the entrance to the lab. ‘It’s time,’ he said. ‘Leon is bringing Anton over. We must find a way to remove the device in his head. I’ve rounded up some help.’
Serena and Arianna wanted to help but Stephen persuaded them to start practise on Serena gaining control over her influencing ability. He felt relief when they left knowing Anton wouldn’t want an audience for this next part.
He paced as he waited for Leon to bring Anton to the lab. The humans had placed the tracer device in his head, but why? What did they want with the recordings on the device? Three weeks with the device Anton’s head, three weeks of the Indigene’s secrets life in data form. But no attacks had happened He had to assume the omicron rock had masked the signal the device emitted.
Leon turned up with Anton, but Stephen froze when he saw his friend. The deterioration in his physical appearance since they’d separated Benedict from Anton shocked him. Stephen shook his feelings off and watched as Leon led a weak Anton who looked older than his thirty years to the table. The limp, the one Stephen had noticed before, was more prominent now. Leon’s worried expression matched Stephen’s feelings. What had the humans done to him? Three of Anton’s old research team entered the room. Their auras were mostly shades of grey and dark yellows but they masked their fears at seeing Anton in this way.
With the strength of an old man, Anton pointed to the body scanner and his research team rallied around him. Together, they helped him lie down. Anton winced while one of his team switched the machine on and positioned the scanner over his head. The giant machine whirred into life and produced a clear 3D image of Anton’s brain. But instead of stopping there, the scanner continued to run the length of Anton’s body.
Stephen stepped forward. ‘What are you doing? The device is in his head.’
Anton barely managed a smile at Stephen. ‘I’m in a lot of pain right now. Benedict knocked me around. And then there were the experiments on Earth. I need to know what they did to me.’
Stephen chewed his thumb as the scanner completed its job. A new 3D image of the inner workings of Anton’s body produced next to the one of his brain. Everything looked normal until the scanner mapped out the lower half of his body. Stephen couldn’t contain his surprise when he saw it.
The image showed that Anton’s hipbones and fibulas had been broken in several places and then reset incorrectly. He could see evidence where the body had tried to fix the breaks and knitted the sections of bone back together, but because the breaks had not been clean, the bones had reset incorrectly and were pressing on nerves.
Stephen turned away, not wanting his friend to worry. Anger coursed through him as he considered the idea the humans had done this on purpose to see how Anton’s body would cope. We may heal fast, but we feel everything. He turned back and through blurred vision he counted fifteen separate breaks in each leg.
‘How bad is it?’ Anton strained to see the lower half of his body in the image.
Stephen wiped his eyes. ‘How bad is the pain?’
‘It hurts like hell when I walk.’
Leon motioned two members of the research team over. ‘Get me some painkillers,’ he said to one. To the other, he spoke telepathically.
The second Indigene left and returned with a small piece of wood in his hand and some soft materials. Leon wrapped the materials around the wood and held them in place with some gauze. He leaned over Anton. ‘I need you to bite down on this. This will hurt—a lot.’
Stephen rushed forward as he realised what Leon was about to do. ‘Stop, you can’t. We need to wait for the medication.’
‘There’s no time. I have to reset the breaks now.’ Leon’s voice wavered.
Stephen was about to argue more, but the sight of Anton with the wooden mouthguard between his teeth stopped him. The research team stepped in to pin Anton down. Anton reached out for Stephen, who gripped his hand.
He could barely watch as Leon snapped Anton’s left leg. Anton let out a blood-curdling screech and arched his back. The 3D image showed his heart beating faster while further down his body, the first of the offset breaks aligned correctly. Leon worked as fast as he could. Tears dripped from his eyes onto Anton.
Stephen would confront Leon later about this barbaric treatment. But then he noticed something else. Anton’s skin was ashen grey and in the first stages of necrosis. A continual infection was destroying the skin cells. That was why Leon wouldn’t wait.
The next break was worse for Anton and harder for Leon to perform. Stephen strengthened his grip on Anton’s hand while Anton clamped down on the piece of wood. His back rose off the bed a second time. His fingers turned white against Stephen’s hand, only relaxing when Leon completed the reverse break. Bile rose in Stephen’s throat when he pictured Anton strapped to a similar table while the humans performed the original breaks.
He prepared himself for the third break—the main break in Anton’s leg. Without pausing between resets, Leon twisted Anton’s leg in the opposite direction to how it was lying. Anton uttered a guttural noise and bared his teeth. A female researcher pinned his other arm down. Anton’s eyes grew large, fearful. He grabbed a fistful of her tunic.
‘Let go of him now,’ said Stephen. She did and Anton released her tunic. He suspected the humans had done something similar when he’d been their prisoner.
The Indigene returned with the pain medication. ‘I’m sorry, it took me so long. I couldn’t find it.’
Leon grabbed the syringe from him and injected it into Anton’s arm. Anton relaxed and the rhythm of his heart slowed. As Leon reset the remaining breaks, the skin on Anton’s legs returned to its normal colour.
‘Shouldn’t we give him something for the infection?’ said Stephen.
Leon shook his head. ‘The infection’s been and gone. All we can do is wait to see if the necrosis reverses itself.’
Leon reset the last bone as a heavily medicated Anton slept. He drew a breath and released it slow. ‘That’s the worst part over.’ His hands shook as he rotated the 3D image of Anton’s head. ‘Now, let’s see what’s going on with this device.’
The image showed a small black disc attached to Anton’s hippocampus, the area of the brain that stores memories. Leon pulled the image apart with his fingers and examined the device in more detail. As he did, a pulsing red light became visible.
‘Pierre was right. It’s trying to send a signal,’ said Leon. With slumped shoulders, he leaned against the table. ‘The humans are tracking us and using my son as bait.’
‘But they haven’t found him or the device. The omicron rock is dampening the signal,’ said Stephen.
‘But it’s only a matter of time. We must get your envisioning ability working. Then we’ll know what the humans have planned.’
‘I can’t control it properly yet.’
‘You mentioned one vision came through while you were with Serena,’ said Leon.
‘Yes, for some reason Serena’s presence really helps. Margaux was right about her being an influencer. Her brain activity in those areas is off the charts.’
‘Well, let’s test that theory and bring Serena back in.’
Leon sent one of Anton’s researchers to get Serena. When she arrived, Arianna, Gabriel and Margaux followed her in.
‘How’s Anton?’ said Gabriel.
Leon explained the extent of the damage to his legs and his hope that the necrosis would reverse itself. He was close to tears.
Gabriel patted him on the back. ‘Don’t worry. He’ll get through this.’ He looked around the room and smiled. ‘Margaux and I wanted to witness the geniuses at work. I’ve heard a lot about Anton’s research team. Leon, I hear you taught Anton everything he knows.’
While Leon and Gabriel discussed Anton, Serena and Stephen moved off to the side. Their eyes met and Stephen felt a familiar rush of warmth pass through him. He wondered how much of it was due to her ability to influence him.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ he asked her. ‘There’s still time to back out.’
‘Well, if my brain works the way you say it does, shouldn’t we put it to good use?’
She held Stephen’s hands and he closed his eyes, focusing on the darkness in his mind. He tried to relax, to keep his mind open, but nothing happened.
‘Let it happen naturally. Don’t force it,’ said Serena.
Flickers of new visions appeared. He tried to latch onto one of them, tugging on it, but it resisted. Like a word on the tip of his tongue, it remained just out of reach. A new ache built inside his head and he opened his eyes. He saw Anton had roused from his medicated sleep and watched him.
‘Okay, I felt the visions that time,’ said Serena. She gripped his hands tighter. ‘Arianna told me that for my influencer ability to work, I need to concentrate on who I want to influence, think of the outcome I want and transfer that outcome into their mind.’
‘So you’re effectively changing their minds?’
‘Something like that. I don’t actually do anything to change their minds. I just prey on their susceptibilities and doubts so they believe the idea is theirs.’
Stephen shut his eyes again and tried to latch on to the visions just out of his reach. Serena did something—he could sense it—and suddenly he felt less resistance. He tugged hard and the visions knocked loose. Everything came rushing forward as they had when Anton had returned home. Stephen staggered backwards, but Serena kept hold of him and he steadied himself.
Multiple visions whizzed past him from events that had happened and were no longer relevant. He scrolled through the images in his mind, separating the important ones from the irrelevant ones. When the visions became more relevant, they slowed enough for him to see. The first was of them standing inside the tranquillity cave just before they freed Anton from Benedict’s power; the next was of Anton lying down on the bed right before his scan and then Anton awake while a nervous Arianna watched him; finally, he saw the vision of him and Serena standing together and him almost toppling over. Then the visions vanished.
Stephen’s eyes shot open and he shook his head. ‘It’s not working. I can only see the past and present.’
‘You must shut everything else out,’ said Serena. Her touch reassured him in the presence of the others.
He closed his eyes again, and saw the vision of him just having opened his eyes and shaking his head. But then other visions appeared—Gabriel finding Margaux sitting among a group of young Evolvers in one of the teaching alcoves; Arianna and Anton looking at each other the way Stephen looked at Serena. Another vision, different from the rest, appeared in the distance. Stephen gasped when he saw who it contained. He opened his eyes and grinned. ‘I can’t believe it worked.’
‘I knew it would.’ Serena squeezed his hands.
‘You’re not going to like what I’ve just seen,’ Stephen said to Gabriel. ‘I think you’d better get Pierre. His old friend is coming.’
‘Who?... What did you see?’ said Gabriel.
But Stephen’s attention drew back to Serena who looked like she was about to scream.
‘What’s wrong?’
Serena couldn’t talk, or wouldn’t. Stephen broke his promise and invaded her private thoughts.
Random images appeared, memories she had yet learned how to keep private. Through her eyes, he saw a large dark room with thousands of humans trussed up in bucket-shaped seats. Each of them had large metal restraints across their middles. She glanced down at her own body, restrained in the same way, then at a young man opposite her. He had blond hair and blue eyes and had several tubes stuck out of the top of his arm.
Serena stumbled back and pressed a hand to her mouth. ‘Where was I? When was I restrained?’
It looked similar to one of the human stasis rooms on board the passenger ships.
Serena looked up at him. ‘Are these memories of my time before they... changed me? Was I human then?’
‘Possibly.’
‘Why am I seeing these now?’
‘By unlocking my ability to envision we may have unlocked your own memories.’
Stephen saw another memory in her mind. She was in a different room with a low lighting and a rough hewn ceiling. She looked to her right and that’s when Stephen drew in a tight breath. Anton lay on a table beside her. She looked away from Anton to an old man stood next to her. Stephen recognised him from his vision a few moments ago.
‘Who is he?’ whispered Serena. ‘Was he responsible for my... new form?’
Stephen had no idea. ‘All I know is the humans are coming, and the man in your memory is among them. I can’t be sure it’s Charles Deighton but Pierre will know.’
Anton turned on his side. ‘Did he have black hair and cold blue eyes?’
Stephen nodded.
‘Then I’m afraid it’s him.’
‘I think we should leave Pierre out of this,’ said a nervous Gabriel.
‘Why?’ Stephen frowned at Gabriel. ‘He’s our elder. And he says he knew Deighton when he was a human. He should be told Deighton is coming.’
Gabriel grunted and left the room. Stephen looked at Leon. ‘What was that about?’
‘It was something Benedict said to Gabriel... about Pierre,’ said Leon.
‘What did he say?’
‘That Pierre couldn’t be trusted. That he had once been human.’
‘And so were all the first generation Indigenes.’
‘That’s not what concerned Gabriel,’ said Leon. ‘Benedict said that he and Pierre used to work together and were in similar agreement that the Indigenes were vermin. He said that soon, Pierre would return to his old self and turn against the Indigenes. Benedict also claimed that Pierre had already become secretive and that he’d eventually pick a side—the humans’ side. Apparently, Elise’s death was designed to bring out Pierre’s true personality.’
‘Why would Benedict say that? Why reveal so much?’ said Stephen.
‘I’m guessing Benedict wanted to plant the seed of doubt in Gabriel’s mind.’
Stephen refused to believe the lies. ‘We’ve both known Pierre for decades. He’s incapable of deceit.’
Leon leaned on the scanner bed. ‘You have no idea who he was as a human. None of us do and if he’s linked to Deighton...’
‘Pierre has worked hard to help the Indigenes. He wouldn’t betray us, not after what Benedict did to Elise in Deighton’s name.’
‘Still, we should all keep an eye on him.’ Leon moved from the bed to stand before Stephen. ‘None of us know how this will play out. That’s why we need your visions. The humans are coming and we don’t know why. It could be for her’—Leon nodded at Serena—‘or it could be for Anton. Pierre may be the elder of District Three, but all our lives hang in the balance, and not just in this district. Pierre has displayed secrecy ever since you and Anton left for Earth. And he refused to find a way to rescue Anton when he didn’t return.’
‘That doesn’t mean he wasn’t trying to help,’ said Stephen.
Leon sighed. ‘Look, it’s no secret that Pierre and I no longer see eye to eye when it comes to the welfare of my only son. He didn’t even bother to check on him today. But if Pierre has recovered some of his human memories, I don’t trust him to guide us anymore. It’s safer to give Benedict the benefit of the doubt and be more vigilant.’
A noise behind Stephen caused him to turn round. Anton was getting off the scanner bed. He looked much stronger, but not yet his old self. ‘They probably want what’s inside my head. Use me as bait.’
‘Bait for what?’ Pierre appeared at the door.
Nobody spoke at first. Then Leon said, ‘Stephen had a vision that the humans are on their way.’
Pierre glanced at Leon. ‘Can you remove the tracer device in his head?’
Stephen could sense the animosity between the pair.
‘Not without killing him, elder,’ said Leon in a detached manner. ‘It’s attached to his hippocampus and too deep inside his brain.’
‘They’ve come at us before. With Stephen’s help, we’ll be ready,’ said Pierre.
‘My visions are still unpredictable,’ said Stephen. ‘I could only see something tangible with Serena by my side.’
Pierre looked around the room at the others. Other than his animosity towards Leon, Stephen saw nothing worrying in the colours of his aura. ‘We’ll manage, we always do,’ said Pierre. ‘They won’t get a chance to come at us like they did before. Things will work out the way they should.’
‘Pierre, I saw an old human among them—thin, gaunt, thick black hair, cold blue eyes,’ said Stephen.
Pierre nodded as if he already knew. ‘When will they arrive?’
‘I can’t pinpoint timings with my visions, but we could hack into their passenger ship database,’ said Stephen.
‘I can help,’ said Anton.
‘Are you sure you’re ready?’ said Pierre. ‘You’ve been through a great ordeal.’
‘I can’t sit around any longer. I must make my time away count for something more than the deaths of innocents.’
‘Okay, but take Stephen with you. And keep me updated.’
‘I’ll work with Serena to help improve her influencer ability,’ said Arianna. ‘I’d also like to see if Margaux can help.’
‘So what’s left for me to do?’ said Leon.
‘You can help Gabriel and I figure out what to say to the district.’ Pierre glanced at him. ‘We’ll need volunteers when the time comes.’