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I decided to follow in the footsteps of Sharon, Sue and Marruzella, and begin a fanfic piece that I'll post in chapters. Actually, I just ran out of steam last night and couldn't write beyond chapter three...but since our ring has been minimally active lately I thought I'd go ahead and post what I have thus far. Remember, it's rough and unedited, so please forgive typos, awkward sentences, etc. etc. Here it is, a new saga for our fanfic ring, "Eden's Heirs." 
Chapter 1: "The Abduction" Tom stared silently out the window and down at the University courtyard below him. It was empty now except for a racoon scavenging through the trashcans for edible scraps. Yet only a few hours earlier the courtyard had been filled with people - students, professors, researchers - but most had since retired to their dorms and homes to cram for the following day's midterm exam, to plan for the next class lecture or scientific analyses. It was near midnight and Tom had been standing at that same window for hours, motionless like a statue, watching the people below at first, but now staring out at nothing - at emptiness. He was poised like a soldier guarding his post, his arms wrapped tightly around him as he gazed blankly out into the night sky - pensive, tired, and very unaware that he was alone in an unlit room. Emotions, thoughts and desires flooded his senses as he allowed himself to feel everything that he never dared admit to before. Affection...no, it was more that that...love, empathy.... uncertainty ... fear.... For the first time in his life he was afraid...and he was in love.... whatever that meant. The whirlwind of recent events was almost too much for him to comprehend and to bear. He had been human. Only for a precious short while, but he had been human. If ever he doubted himself, his species and their relentless quest for domination, he did so even more now. Everything he was taught, all that he was trained to believe and to fight for - his entire concept of reality crumbled to dust the moment he experienced life as a human being. And what a life it was! So vivid and so teeming with emotion - a life that was about so much more than mere existence and survival. "Hey," Sloan said as she flipped on the light switch. "What are you doing standing here in the dark?" She was wearing her lab coat over a pair of black jeans and a plain grey sweater. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and although smiling when she walked into Attwood's office where Tom had been keeping his window vigil, she looked tired and frustrated. Dark circles had formed under her otherwise bright green eyes. Tom turned to face her. "Thinking," he replied as he held his hand out to her. Almost instinctively Sloan reached for his hand. Tom immediately pulled her into his arms. "Are you okay?" She sighed into his neck while he held her in a gentle embrace. "You're not feeling sick again, are you? Ed said that you've reverted back to 1.6...up from the 1.3 reading he took at my apartment earlier this evening." "I'm fine," he said as he released Sloan from his embrace. "It's just that so much has happened. I think I'm more confused now than ever about who I am....what I am.... if it even matters." "I'm confused too," Sloan whispered. "I'm not sure this gene therapy thing is such a good idea anymore. Ever since you volunteered to be the first test subject, when I thought about almost having lost you to that fever..." she was pressing tightly against him, her eyes filling with tears. "Sloan, don't...." "You were right, Tom," she continued. "Converting your species would mean complete social upheaval.... your kind would have to be rounded up like cattle.... it wouldn't be right.... it wouldn't be right at all.... and it doesn't matter what your DNA structure is...it won't change how I feel about you...." Smiling, Tom gently traced the curve of her jaw and chin with the back of his hand. Nothing mattered at that moment except for what he saw in her eyes, what he felt as he held her close. "I love you," he said aloud. Aloud. And it suprised him. He had grown accustomed to suppressing his feelings, denying them, burying them as deep inside of him as possible. But he didn't have to do that anymore - and he didn't want to. "I love you, Sloan," he repeated. "I love you too." She said. But Tom saw concern in her eyes, and sensed her anxiety. "I'm okay, really," he said trying to comfort her. "And I promise I'll take care of you....everything will be all right. We'll be all right....no matter what." He pulled her into another embrace, and stroked her hair until her ponytail came undone. He smiled as he sensed the ease with which she yielded to him and folded trustingly into his arms. "Have you and Ed finished your work for the evening?" Tom asked changing the topic. "Yes, but I'm afraid Ed hasn't worked out all the bugs in his gene therapy yet...and I was no help." "Just give him time...he'll figure it out eventually," Tom said as he motioned Sloan towards the door. It was late and he was anxious to get home. "But it may be for the best that he doesn't perfect it, Tom. I mean.... there has to be another way to defend ourselves against the Dominants' attacks. I just don't know anymore..." She took hold of Tom's hand as they left Attwood's office. "I don't either," Tom began. "Maybe we're both just exhausted. So much has happened in the last 24 hours. Maybe we really should take some time off and just go away somewhere..." "Really?" Her smile was radiant and Tom was captivated by the twinkle in her eyes. "Yes," he said in his usual stoic manner. "We deserve time alone, and it should be good for us." They locked up the lab, left Ed alone in his office to catch up on his lab notes, and headed out to the parking lot. Tom wrapped his jacket around Sloan as soon as they were outside and kept one arm on her shoulders. They were dragging their feet, tired as they were, but they seemed happy. Sloan was sharing yet another one of her silly jokes.... "Why did God make only one Yogi Bear?" Sloan asked. Without waiting for Tom to respond she continued, "Well, He tried to make another one, but He made a Boo Boo...." "Huh?" Tom asked. He knew it wasn't the correct response, but it was the only one he could give her. "Get it...Boo Boo....Yogi Bear and Boo Boo...." "Who's Yo.... ouch!"" Tom said as he suddenly, shockingly, felt a sharp pain in his neck. He reached behind him and pulled out a dart that had struck him at the base of his neck. "Oh, no...Sloan..." he cried knowingly as he fell to his knees. But those were the only words he managed to say before the dart's poison, quickly penetrating his central nervous system, began to paralyze his muscles - leaving him conscious but unable to move or speak. Immediately three dominants charged out of a parked vehicle and descended upon them. Tom tried to move, to protect Sloan, to confront their assailants - but he could only watch as Sloan vainly struggled against them. She was no match for his kind. Helpless, Tom listened to her piercing screams as two chameleons tied her hands, gagged her mouth and then threw her into a car. He grew angrier with each passing second and with each violent act he witnessed being inflicted upon Sloan. And he was terrified...not for himself, but for her. How could he have let this happen...how did he fail to sense their presence....how could he be so useless......and if they drove away with Sloan he may never find her again...not alive..... But to his surprise the chameleons returned for him and dragged his paralyzed body to their car - shoving him into the backseat next to Sloan. Enraged, he wanted nothing more than to snap their assailants' necks... but his entire body was still frozen from the dart's poison. He watched as the third dominant drove off in Sloan's car, while the remaining two got into the front seat and sped them away as well. Completely immobile, Tom tried to call out Sloan's name but only managed a sideways glance at her. He sensed her terror and her concern for him - and he saw blood dripping from her wrists where the rope had been tied too tightly and aggressively. It enraged him even more. A new emotion, one so intense that his eyes and lips began to twitch, pervaded his consciousness. Hate. For the first time, he was feeling hate....he hated his own kind for all the lies they had told him, for the violence that they instilled in him, for the people they made him kill....and hurt..... Suddenly Sloan reached out and took hold of one of his hands. She squirmed towards him and positioned herself close enough to rest her head on his shoulders. Tom felt his composure - what was left of it - slowly return. He tried to comfort her, to reassure her, but any effort he made was in vain. He was powerless, useless. Not a word was spoken in the car. They drove on in silence for hours.... and hours. Tom, still suffering from the effects of the poison, could only rest his head on Sloan's as they both watched the sunrise from the backseat of the car. Their assailants, having never bothered to look back to check on them, appeared as stiff and as immobile as Tom. "Where are they taking us?" Sloan whispered into Tom's ear as he was drifting off to sleep. He tried to move his lips to respond to her but failed. "New Eden," he thought to himself, hoping somehow that Sloan could hear what he could only articulate in his mind. "They're taking us to New Eden....."
Chapter 2: "The Homecoming" He awakened to the sound of a familiar voice from his distant past. He opened his eyes slowly, effortfully, trying to determine whether the effects of the dart's poison had worn off.....it had, a little. He could at least move his tongue and lips, speak if he tried hard enough, and he could wiggle his fingers. Other than that....nothing. "Welcome home, Tom," his mother said. "You....you...you're dead," he stammered. "I killed you." "Did you? Are you sure of that, Tom? But I'm right here.... very much alive and well....." she smiled sardonically as she planted a kiss on his lips. Tom tried to jerk his head away but failed to do so. "Where's Sloan?" he asked. He noticed that he had been brought into a room and strapped to a gurney of sorts.... but Sloan was nowhere near him....nowhere in sight. "Wh...where is she?" "On a tour," his mother said coldly. "She's on a tour of New Eden. It's quite an honor for her actually. Afterall, she is the first human to see the inside of our sanctuary. It's fitting, don't you think?" Tom glared angrily at her and curled his fingers into a fist. He noticed suddenly that his wrists were strapped down so tightly that any slight movement on his part was almost impossible...and painful. He said nothing. "It's fitting," his mother continued, "that the human to discover our existence and who leads the resistance against us be the first of her kind to see the inside of our society....." "If you hurt her...." "What?" she responded mockingly. "What, Tom? If we hurt her, what? You'll kill us?" She was laughing, taunting him, patronizing him. "Do you think that you could possibly hurt our species and our cause any more than you already have? Your betrayal has caused more damage to us than anything - and that's why we finally brought you back here - to put an end, once and for all, to your treason." Like a vulture she was circling him, walking around his gurney slowly, continuously. "What are you going to do with her?" His voice was stern, angry, but precarious. He could not control his emotions, could no longer feign composure, and the anxiety welling inside him was only too apparent in his demeanor. His mother appeared disappointed to see him in such a state - but amused with him as well. "Oh, don't worry...." she said. "The two of you will be reunited after she completes her tour." "Please," Tom pleaded, "please....just let her go. I'll do anything you want....anything...." "I would find your affection for this human rather humorous if I did not think you so pathetic!" The tone of her voice was no longer sarcastic and patronizing, but irate and severe. "You are such a disappointment to me, Tom, with this emotional life of yours. I quite frankly find you repulsive!" "As I you ....." Tom muttered. He sensed mobility slowly returning to his upper torso, but the straps on the gurney forced him to remain stationary. "Where's Sloan...." he demanded, his voice much more steady and in control. "The High Council decided, after having heard about your brief term as a human, that your treachery had to be stopped once and for all....before you disgraced us any more. Death was ruled as too lenient a punishment for you." Tom laughed. "Oh, mother....if that indeed is who you are ..... there's nothing you can do to me that matters anymore...." "Oh?" she asked facetiously. She resumed her vulture-like pacing around Tom. "The High Council ruled that your punishment must ensue from the very source of your betrayal. We both know what that source is, don't we, Tom? Or should we say 'who' the source is?" "Leave her out of this!" Tom shouted as he violently tried to break his arms free of the straps that were restraining him. "Now, now....you know we can't possibly do that, Tom! It's only fitting that since the good doctor is the cause of your betrayal that she also be the source of your punishment.... a judgment is a judgment afterall....." she was smiling, pleased with herself - proud of her species. "If you hurt her...." his face was flush with anger, and small droplets of perspiration were accumulating on his forehead. "Oh, we won't hurt her....she's far too good a specimen to waste like that..." "What are you talking about?" he felt fear again.... "Dr. Parker has an incredibly fascinating mind, don't you think? Her intelligence, determination ..... don't you ever wonder why her brain is so much more efficient than the average members of her species? Maybe her neural pathways are better formed, or perhaps she has larger neurons?" She was mocking him again. "Oh, no...you..." Tom began, but the thought of what his species was planning was too horrible for him to speak. "And all those emotions of hers...all that compassion and empathy....ever wonder from what part of her mind and physiology those emotions originate? Do you think her emotions arise from the left side of her brain...or the right? Perhaps there's a unique ventricle in her heart muscle that produces these sentiments..." "I won't let you do this to her...." Tom said coldly. "No? Well, you'll most definitely watch us!" She grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face so close to hers that he could feel her breath on his lips. "You'll watch helplessly as we probe and test, cut and slice her open, examine and explore every bit of her anatomy.... while keeping her alive and fully conscious of course," she whispered. "And perhaps our scientists will learn why she's so different from the rest of her kind, so much more intelligent....what it is that makes her so special and irresistable to you!" "No!" he shouted as he once again attempted to break free from the straps that bound his arms and legs. But he was still weak, and had only minimal control of his body. "We've experimented on humans before," she continued, "but not here in New Eden....and Dr. Parker is the most unique specimen we've ever had. Her presence here definitely marks a significant event in our species' evolution. She should be honored, you know, for she will perhaps be the only human ever noted in our history..." "Go to hell," he replied. "Oh, my dear Tom," she said as she prepared to leave the room. "You've got it all wrong. It's you who's in hell.... and you're hell is just about to begin......"
Chapter 3: "Eden's Heirs" She was laying on a hard black slab - one of those beds that Dominants were known to sleep on - and she felt nauseous, light-headed and disoriented. There was a buzzing coming from the slab below her - and heat emanating from it that surged gently through her body. She tried to stand, but strangely could not will herself to do so. Then someone entered the room. "Oh, good...you're awake," he said as he approached her. He reached below the black slab and depressed a button. The buzzing stopped. The heat that was surging through her body disappeared. Slowly, she began to remember what had happened to her ... and Tom." "Lewis," she whispered. "Where's Tom.... what have you done with him?" She managed to sit upright. "Welcome to New Eden, Dr. Parker," he said ignoring her questions. "I trust you had a peaceful sleep, although our beds do take some getting used to...." "New Eden...." she repeated. She still felt a little disoriented. "Yes," Lewis began. "Our sanctuary. You are the first human to ever set foot in our secret society." "Tom never told me about any society...." "No? Well, it seems that your beloved has kept many secrets from you...." "He'd never do that," she was slowly feeling like her old self again. "Did he ever tell you about that tattoo on his back...what it means?" He studied her expression, glaring coldly into her eyes. "Ahhh....I see he hasn't yet. No matter. You'll understand everything soon enough. Do you feel up for a tour of New Eden?" Her first instinct was to make a dash for the door, to run and find Tom.... but she didn't know where to begin to look for him, where to run... what to do....where to hide..... "Lead the way," she said stoically. She hated to admit it, but her curiosity was winning out over her common sense. She had to know more about this New Eden. She stood slowly, making sure she could maintain her balance, and took two steps towards Lewis. Surprisingly, the mentor took one of her arms and cradled it underneath his. She wanted to push him away, but still weak, she needed his strength and support in order to remain standing. Submissively, she allowed herself to lean against him as he led her out the door. She wasn't sure what she expected outside of her cell, but nothing prepared her for what she greeted her. To the left and right of her were corridors - seemingly endless, carved from stone and dirt - with room after room built into it that led to who knew where..... And directly below and in front of her was a city-like arena filled with people - no, with dominants, busily going about their routines and responsibilities. Some were shuffling stacks of what looked like computer printouts, others going through books, others examining vials of liquids, samples, specimens..... some deliberating, planning, working on intricate machines that she had never seen before. Such wonderful technological toys... She felt as if she were in one gigantic outdoor laboratory - but not outdoors. There was no sky or sun above them - only a ceiling of dirt, stone, granite. The energy that illuminated the underground city came from a large cyndrical device centered directly above them. Sloan's jaw dropped open as she looked around her. She was speechless. Lewis led her down a staircase, carved also from the earth that was all around them, and chuckled softly to himself as he observed the expression on her face. "This is New Eden, Dr. Parker," he said proudly. "The place where my species began its evolution and its inevitable reign in the kingdom of man. Our place of origin..." He then led her to an enclosed area, a "room" separated from the hub of the city's activities. There, Sloan watched as dominants in white lab coats busily attended to vials, canisters and incubators. "This is one of our nurseries," Lewis commented. "In those vials are embryos....some of our future children, so to speak. And in the canisters and incubators are fetuses, some clones, some experimental synthetic lifeforms....still growing, of course. We'll take them out of those canisters when they're fully grown. Our work in the nurseries has significantly increased our numbers. There's only so much reproducing we can accomplish naturally, you know..." "Oh, God..." Sloan whimpered. It was all she could utter. "Is that a compliment for us Dr. Parker?" Lewis said condescendingly. "I suppose my kind can be likened to your God, since we have mastered the process of creating life...and controlling our evolution....controlling our survival....and yours." Ignoring his comment, Sloan pointed to a cage in one corner of the room and asked, "What's that?" There were four-legged animals locked in the large cage, black as night with fur unlike she had ever seen on any creature before, and with eyes so red they seemed to glow like fire. "Why Dr. Parker," Lewis began, "don't you recognize dogs when you see them? Aren't they man's best friends?" He was chuckling again. "Those are dogs?" "Yes, but evolved ones. Evolutionary forces apply to all living creatures, you should know that. Oh you'd be surprised at all the new lifeforms that have evolved in the last several decades - most of which are yet to be discovered by your kind! Remind me later to take you to our botanical laboratory....I'm sure you'd find the new genus of plant life quite fascinating as well." "Dogs...." she was in shock but trying desperately to understand. "Yes, Dr.," Lewis said impatiently. "Dogs. Puppies. Bow-wow. Woof-woof. Dogs. They're caged right now because we're running tests on their reproductive systems. We're hoping to develop something that will help them reproduce at a much more rapid rate....I suppose we could also just clone them..." "Their strange black fur ...protection from UV-rays penetrating through our thinner ozone layer..." Sloan said thinking outloud. "Very good," Lewis responded. "And the red eyes...." "Better night vision....to hunt and feed during the nights since the days may grow too hot .... effects of global warming...." "Bravo," Lewis said clapping his hands. "You really are as intelligent and quick-minded as everyone says you are. One more question, though..... notice their limbs....their smell....their general appearance.... what's different?" "Longer limbs...stronger....faster....they're feral....more feral than...." "Their ancestors," Lewis interjected. Smiling at her, he added, "These canines are more feral, stronger, faster, more adapted to their changing environment than wolves and your domestic woof-woofs. Just as we are more evolved than you." For the first time since she arrived Sloan felt fear. The realization of what was happening, what was bound to happen to her kind and their society, filled her with a terror so incapacitating that she found it difficult to breathe....and to maintain her composure. She had to at least try to feign composure..... "Well," Lewis said breaking the silence between them. "Enough of the nursery. What say you about visiting our training dens?" He led her back up the stairway and to the right of one of the corridors. Behind one of the doors was a large room with rows of desks and chairs. Young children, sitting motionlessly in their desks, faced the front of the room where two dominants were conducting a lesson. On the front table were syringes and vials of blue liquid. The children were instructed to repeat after their instructors. "There can be no co-existence," the children echoed in unison. "We are the dominant species...there can be no co-existence...." Sloan felt a chill go up her spine. Tears began to fill her eyes. "The time of the homo sapien is coming to an end," the children continued. "We shall reign in the kingdom of man." Sloan turned away from the children and walked out to the corridor. Lewis was at her side instantly. "Why, Dr. Parker," he whispered into her ear. "Is our teaching den too much for you to handle?" "You're brainwashing them," she muttered, tears rolling down her cheeks, her breathing shallow. "That's a bit harsh! We must train our children well if we are to transform your civilization into our New Eden. And these young ones are, afterall, my species' future. They are who we call 'Eden's Heirs.' They are the heirs of the kingdom we will soon establish....." He was smiling, beaming with pride. Sloan stood silently in shock beside him - the color slowly draining from her face. She felt weak, dizzy and disoriented again - the stress of recent events - Tom's fever, his being human, their abduction, and now all that she had witnessed in New Eden - was finally taking its toll. Losing consciousness she fainted into Lewis' arms. "This is to be expected, Dr. Parker," Lewis said as he carried her back into her room...back into her cell. "It's time for another treatment on the resting slab." He laid her gently on the black bed and depressed the button underneath. Buzzing-humming sound. Energy - blue, red, green lights - emanated from the slab and washed over her body. "You'll feel much better after a peaceful cleansing night on our treatment bed," Lewis whispered into her ear. "But of course, you are the first human to receive this treatment, so I can't say for sure exactly how you'll feel...if you'll feel anything at all." Laughing, he walked towards a small surveillance camera at the corner of the room. Looking into the camera he said, "Hey, Tom....are you watching? Do you see your beloved Sloan resting peacefully? What do you think will happen when she wakes up after her second night's treatment? Think she'll remember who you are? Who she is? Hmmmm....take good notes, now...this is just the beginning...." In another cell Tom watched helplessly on a television monitor as Sloan lay unconscious on the black slab. He had regained full control of his body, but still strapped to the gurney he could do nothing but struggle to break free....and in vain. The straps were made to restrain even the strongest of his kind. Frantic, tears filling his eyes, he screamed at the monitor - hoping, desperately hoping that Sloan would somehow hear his cries. "No!! No!! Sloan!! Get off the slab! Wake up! Get off the slab!!!" But she was dreaming. She was ten years old, playing on a swing, her sister just a few feet away playing tetherball with a neighbor....so peaceful there on the swing....so peaceful...... |
To Be Continued 
