Mid November, 2163, Earth
Bill Taggart stood in the foyer of the World Government offices. The sickly smell of genetically modified lilies arranged on a central table hit him.
‘Yes, it was the CEO’s favourite flower,’ the receptionist said to a potential recruit. ‘We’re thinking of removing them, you know, to honour the dead.’ She spoke softly, but her words lacked any sincerity for the former CEO.
Bill paused in front of a mirror on the wall to straighten his grey tie and black suit jacket. He still mourned the innocent deaths on both sides and he wanted to remind the World Government board members of their actions.
He flashed his badge at the receptionist and entered the lift tucked in the corridor behind the reception desk. Three floors down the lift doors opened to a space where Bill endured a series of security checks. After, he knocked on the boardroom door at the end of the hall. A few seconds later, Tanya Li appeared.
‘Bill, we’ve been waiting on you. We were about to send out a search party,’ she said.
He slipped past her and looked around at the ten faces that used to be twelve with Gilchrist and Deighton. Two places were empty, the spots where they must have once sat. While Deighton’s misguided ways would not be missed, Bill didn’t think for one second he was alone in his thinking. The board members sat impassively and Bill tried to read their mood. He suddenly wished he had the power to read thoughts like the Indigenes could. What he was about to propose would not sit well with most of them.
Tanya returned to her seat at the head of the table and gestured for Bill to sit in Deighton’s old seat next to her. He sat down and tried to imagine what Deighton had seen from this exact vantage point. What had driven him to kill innocent people?
‘What happened to the Indigenes after we left Exilon 5?’ said Tanya.
Bill delivered a brief report of events: the deaths, the commotion in the districts, talk of an uprising. Then he repeated the demands of the Indigenes that included peace on Exilon 5. ‘They’ve also requested files on any Indigenes who wish to learn about their human pasts. Their requests are not unreasonable, considering we’ve done nothing but persecute them for their differences since their creation. Differences, I might point out, that we gave them.’
‘There’s just one problem, Bill. I still don’t know if I can trust them.’
‘Well, do you trust me?’ Tanya raised a brow at Bill. He rushed to add. ‘I mean, at one point, you must have considered me a loyal employee of the World Government. And now, well, my loyalties lie with the race that needs the most help. My ideals have not changed. I’ve no interest in destroying the human population, nor do I want to see the Indigenes punished for simply existing.’
‘The human population on Exilon 5 or those yet to transfer will not accept the Indigenes’ demands,’ said Tanya. ‘Most people will not want them living so close to their back gardens. And if we provide them with a specific exclusion zone for hunting our animals, it will only attract them to the biodomes, on the edges of the cities.’
‘But what you’ve done up until now is much worse—keeping them hemmed in so they have no freedom at all,’ said Bill. ‘By giving them some rights, you will make them feel included as rightful citizens of Exilon 5.’
‘We must consider other matters too, like what to do with the people on Earth. As we’ve said before, we have a lot of money tied up in industries here.’
‘I have a suggestion—and you can thank Laura O’Halloran for it.’
‘I’m all ears.’ Tanya leaned back in her chair. The other board members mimicked her.
‘Split up the population. Select the people you want for transfer to Exilon 5 and leave the rest to live on Earth, but create breathable environments for them. Leave them with the tools to outlast the conditions and to rebuild Earth. Give them access to clean, renewable energy. Give them a fighting chance. Keep your ties to Earth—hell, make your money if you have to—but don’t cut them off.’
Tanya looked unconvinced as she leaned forward. ‘What you’re suggesting costs money, Bill. I don’t know if we can spare it, or if we can meet the Indigenes’ demands.’
Bill smiled. ‘It will cost you a fraction of what you’d spend transferring the entire population to Exilon 5. You can find a way. Prove you’re a better leader than Peter Cantwell.’
Tanya focused on a spot behind Bill. ‘Give us time to discuss this.’
Bill stood up to leave. ‘Oh, and I have one more thing to ask. This is a personal request.’
The meeting wrapped up fast after Bill made his request to the board members. Judging by the looks on their faces, what he’d asked for had shocked them. But they hadn’t said no. He made a hasty retreat so they could discuss it in more detail.
Back out in the foyer, he pressed the gel mask to his face and exited the building. He turned his collar up and grinned when he saw a smiling Laura, dressed in a heavy coat and hat, waiting for him.
She pushed off from the wall and linked arms with him. ‘Come on, I’m starving.’
They arrived at Cantaloupe near the old Georgetown University in the heart of Washington DC. Once inside, Laura removed her mask and hat.
Bill looked at her causing her to blush under his gaze. She touched the fuzz on her scalp that was starting to grow back. ‘I know, it looks strange,’ she said.
Bill smiled and stroked her cheek with his thumb. ‘You look beautiful to me.’
Her skin had lost its translucent appearance and she was looking like her old self. But Laura still suffered side effects that Stephen said might never go even after he reversed the alteration process—her sexual desire, for one. Bill wasn’t too put out when he heard that.
Laura ordered a steak—bloody and rare. Her craving for raw meat was another side effect of the reversal.
‘What did they say when you told them about your proposal for the Indigenes and the people on Earth?’ she asked once the waiter had taken their order.
‘I don’t know. But they’re thinking about it. I don’t see they have much choice. I’m hoping they reach that conclusion for themselves.’
‘And how did they react when you told them you wanted the role of CEO?’
‘A few jaws dropped, some eyes rolled.’ Bill smiled.
‘What was Tanya’s reaction?’
‘She said nothing, but she seemed the least shocked by the idea. I think she approves of my suggestion for the Indigenes, and of your suggestion for the people left behind on Earth. Whether she can convince the other board members of that, I don’t know.’
‘I get the impression she’s not a fan of the alteration programme.’
Bill grabbed one of Laura’s hands and kissed it. ‘You’re living proof that it’s not all that bad.’
Laura laughed and leaned closer. She pressed her lips to his. He closed his eyes to savour the taste and feel of her. He groaned when she pulled away too soon, but frowned when he saw the serious look on her face.
‘What is it, love?’
‘I never thanked you properly for saving my life when I was... not myself. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t found me that day.’
Bill leaned in close, trying to memorise every inch of her beautiful face. ‘I lost my wife because I stopped listening to my instincts. I was damned if I was going to lose you too.’ He leaned back in his chair and smiled. ‘Has your mother forgiven you yet for killing her cat?’
Laura grimaced. ‘Not one of my finer moments. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her, so I bought her a new kitten. This one seems to like me better than her other cat ever did.’
‘Just try not to eat this one.’
‘Rare steak only from now on.’ Laura shivered. ‘I’ll never forget the look of terror on the cat’s face. I wanted to stop, I really tried, but it was as if someone else made me do it.’ She sighed. ‘I’m sick of others controlling my life. I think it’s time to reclaim it and to write my own destiny. I want you to be part of that, Bill.’
‘Try and stop me.’
Laura lifted a glass of water to her lips. ‘You’ll never guess who called me today.’
‘Who?’
She swallowed some water. ‘Jenny Waterson. She’s hooked up with an underground movement who are watching the alteration programme.’
Bill nodded. ‘We need someone on the inside. Considering what’s happened so far, I’ve no idea what direction the World Government will take.’
‘You know, we still need to decide where you and I plan to live.’
‘Does it matter?’
‘No. I’d follow you anywhere, Bill.’
‘In that case, let’s see what job Tanya wants to offer me.’ He raised his coffee cup. ‘Here’s to a new chapter in our lives—hopefully a better one.’
Laura hit her water glass against Bill’s cup. ‘Here’s hoping the future is better for everyone.’