For the blood of the slain, the weeping voice of the bereaved, life shall be paid for with life.
– Völsunga Saga
Surt looked up at the guards on the high walls, then back over to the noisy group of Firstlings screeching and tumbling in the dirt of the yard after the evening meal. The colored loin clothes and belts denoting grades and teams, younger and older, created a pleasing swirl of hues. The younger brothers were oblivious, manic in their playfulness, mock fighting, the grunts and squeals punctuated by the occasional yelp as sharp teeth or claws found some unprotected tender spot.
In another corner, Telemachos worked with an older group, today playing more the role of instructor than spiritual guide, to Surt’s satisfaction. The distinction probably only mattered to Telemachos, but to Surt, the amount of time spent on philosophy and the spirit world was too much time away from tactics and conditioning. Surt watched Telemachos demonstrate methods of concealment, changing his coloring to match the templates on the wall, each budding warrior mimicking in turn, receiving feedback on speed and fidelity.
Surt looked back at the Firstlings and a memory of a field of wildflowers emerged unbidden, an experience in the wild during training that affected him deeply. While on a long daytime run after a period of heavy rains, they came over a rise and saw a field of wildflower blooms, buzzing with insects across the sprawling riot of colors.
Now who is wasting time on idle musings, he chided himself.
Ajax entered the yard, assessed the young ones, then approached Surt. They stood together observing Telemachos and the warriors in the corner.
“Telemachos keeps to his work?” Ajax asked.
Surt nodded. “For now. Caesar?”
“No word. I will ask Abba again. Patience.”
Surt turned to the Firstlings. “Why must we train them in here?”
Ajax followed his gaze with a shrug. “Paroh seeks to keep us in harness. He thinks the sooner the young ones accept the idea, the better.”
Surt extended a single talon and scraped at the wall. “This is no real barrier.”
Ajax smiled. “Paroh doesn’t know that, and neither do the firstlings. But it works to our advantage as well.” Ajax nodded to one of the firstlings, broken off from play and staring at the two of them intently. “This is how we recruit the ones who can look beyond the walls to the future.” Surt joined his gaze, and the young one was joined by another, both watching their elders. “Come, let us put them through their lessons.”
***
In the control room, two of the security staff stared at a bank of monitors.
“Hey, um…what is it?”
“Arthur.”
“Yeah, Arthur. You okay if I leave you alone for a second? I think you can handle it. Gotta pee and get some more coffee.”
Arthur nodded without looking away, seriousness out of proportion to his youthful appearance. “Sure.”
The older guard gestured at the screens. “They’re doing it again.” They both watched.
“What’s up with all the sitting around fires? Aren’t they supposed to be running?” the younger one asked.
The older one shrugged. “Just keep an eye peeled. Dr. Abrams said it’s okay. Who knows why they do these things. Just keep them away from me.”
“You’ve seen what they can do?”
“Oh yeah. Just wait. You’ll get to see those claws at work. It ain’t pretty. No thank you.”
They sat in silence watching the array of video feeds, occasionally tapping on the keyboards, logging specific events. Arthur pointed at one of the screens. “You think those guys on the wall could really stop them if they made a move?”
“They can’t get up those walls. And they take a bullet just like you and me. You saw those pictures of the one that went rabbit.” He shook his head. “Those contractors don’t give a shit. They’ll shoot anyone. Did you hear about that thing in Idaho Falls?”
The younger man shook his head.
“Bunch of us were with some other contractors at a strip club, drinking and hanging out. Some of the security guys walk in, Jorgenson’s people, and one of our guys starts mouthing off about combat, places he’s been, the usual interservice rivalry bullshit. A couple of these guys weren’t having it. Man, it escalated fast, and they fucked him up. Put him in the hospital. Crazy thing, no one got in trouble. Whole thing was hushed up.” He shook his head. “That guy Jorgenson gives me the creeps. They all do. Something wrong with all of them.” The newcomer made no reply. “That reminds me, I heard you work directly for the lab. You’re not a contractor?”
Arthur hesitated, then nodded. “I started in the lab as a tech, working for Dr. Isaac. This pays better.”
“You got that right. All the clearances, plus this hazard pay? It’s better than going overseas on one of those support gigs. Safer, too.” He paused. “I think.”
They resumed their vigil. After several minutes, the more senior tech leaned back, stretching and yawning.
“Okay, I’m going to get that coffee. You want some?”
Arthur shook his head, fixated on his work. The other got up and left. As soon as the door closed, Arthur looked over his shoulder, then expanded the concealed window on his desktop and quickly keyed in commands in areas of the system he wasn’t supposed to access, finishing the real task he was sent to complete.
Chapter 23
Michelle sat in the lobby of the McJames Institute waiting for dinner time, studying the decor, especially the lumpy shapes hanging from the ceilings and adorning the walls, and again felt the tickle of a connection to something else.
When she entered the cafeteria, she found Adam and sat with him, picking through the food on her own tray while looking around. She caught the same little brown-haired girl surreptitiously watching her, still avoiding eye contact.
The meal was comforting in its dull routine, the lack of upset or fussing another sign that these kids were content in their world, and now Adam was part of it. She watched him closely for any signs of sedation, and noticed his precise quick movements arranging his food then scarfing it down. She put that concern to rest.
She walked with Adam to a classroom for his evening activity, sorting and combining long sinuous shapes with two other students. She watched a while, fascinated, then returned to the lobby where she saw Ashley, the aide from this morning.
“So, what do you think?” Ashley asked, hands clasped in front of her, eyebrows arched expectantly.
“It’s really great. He seems to fit right in.”
“Mrs. Sherfy and Dr. Elspeth are really pleased with his progress. We hoped he’d do well, but he’s really exceeded our expectations already. So, will we see you tomorrow?”
Michelle shrugged.
“I guess not. He’s doing so well, I’m thinking of heading back to Chicago tomorrow. I’ve got to get back to work. My boss was really great giving me time off, but I don’t want to push my luck.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. We have rehearsal for the Dance Festival coming up. Adam already has a role. He’s doing really well.”
Michelle hesitated. “Maybe I’ll just stop by for breakfast. To say goodbye.”
Ashley beamed. “That will be nice. I’m sure Adam will love seeing you.”
Michelle glanced up at the shapes on the wall circling the lobby and turned to Ashley.
“What are those, anyway?”
“They’re the kids. Each one represents one of the kids, the different shapes a different attribute, their strengths and weaknesses. They’re like the puzzle pieces, but in three dimensions. Some of the students really identify with them, so they want to display them.”
“But what are they? Some of those shapes, look, I don’t know, sort of familiar.” Ashley gave her a look, frowning slightly. “It’s funny you say that. One of the other aides told me they resemble molecules, different things like proteins and
receptors. See that one? It’s a piece of DNA or something.”
Michelle immediately recognized the double helix, but this one was also curled and bent into other unusual shapes.
“What’s that all about?”
“Maybe they got it from the Research Lab people who volunteer here.”
Michelle sensed a truth, but incomplete.
“Those groupings. Do they mean anything?”
“Good eye. Yes, it’s the teams the students form. You can see how the shapes fit together.”
“Why would you want to see how students fit together? For rooming assignments? Seating in the cafeteria?”
Ashley smiled. “It’s a research interest.”
Michelle cocked her head at the cryptic nature of Ashley’s response, waiting for more.
“So, we’ll see you at breakfast?” Ashley continued.
Michelle returned her smile.
“Sure.”
***
In another part of the building, Mrs. Sherfy looked up at the knock on the door.
“Come in.”
She smiled as Dr. Trey Isaac entered and took the seat in front of her. As always, she made the conscious effort to minimize admiring the handsome Black man, knowing the visual attention heightened his social discomfort. Without preamble, he spoke, eyes directed to the wall behind her, just to the side.
“Progress accelerates more quickly than anticipated.”
“I’m glad to hear that. The students certainly seem to find the challenges stimulating.”
“There may be disruptive changes. The laboratory project is becoming unstable. It may impact our node here. We must be prepared.”
Mrs. Sherfy frowned. “When? What are we talking about? What kind of disruption?”
Dr. Isaac remained impassive. Mrs. Sherfy waited for his response.
“Unknown.”
Robert Wack 