The Harvest (Book 1) (45 page)

“Perhaps I can answer your questions.” Agra continued. “To begin, I have from you what I want. The return of my daughter and grandson.”

That last few words caught Austin’s full attention. He didn’t know anything about Agra’s family other than Eve was his daughter, but the mention of a grandson sent a chill through his entire body.

“Eve dear, please come join us.” Agra motioned for her to come down. Eve came and stood next to her father. She neither looked at nor acknowledged Agra.

“Tell the captain your story.” He smiled down at her.

Eve did not return his smile. She walked up to Austin stopping a foot in front of him. She took his hand and held it to her face. “I did not know.” She whispered.

“Eve. Tell the captain, please.” Agra’s tone was not that of a father making a request.

Eve dropped Austin’s hand and stepped back. A physical transformation began to occur. Her hair grew out turning blonde in the process. Her eyes changed from solid black to green, human like. Her skin took on a healthy tone and her figure filled in appearing womanly. When she looked up, Austin was staring into the face of his wife.

“Roxanne?” Austin breathed her name.

She shook her head.

“Roxanne is dead. She died on the day you met her.” Agra replied, his tone holding no empathy for the pain his words caused.

Austin shook his head. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real or true. Roxanne had been alive. They’d been married. They’d shared thousands of moments together. This was pure insanity. No, he’d gone insane. That was the only possible reason for the nightmare he was living.

“You are perfectly sane captain.” Agra interrupted his thoughts. “Just follow the truth and you will see what has been in front of you all along.”

Ignoring Agra, Austin examined Roxanne. He rubbed his eyes, but she didn’t waver or change. He reached out touching her face. Her flesh was real. She was real. She was his Roxi.

“Roxi?”

Eve shook her head and with that motion her appearance reverted back to herself. She held Austin’s hand to her cheek preventing him from pulling away. “It was the only way.” She said in a barely audible voice.

“I’m afraid my daughter has been too long from her own kind and does not understand her place.” Agra appeared behind Austin. He placed a hand on Austin’s shoulder. “Eve took possession of the girl’s body at the precise moment she was to breathe her last breath. You never knew the human Roxanne.”

“Why?” Austin asked, shrugging off Agra’s hand to turn around, not caring if this displeased him.

Agra smiled. It was a smile that said not pleasant things, but hinted of the wickedness hiding behind the facade. “We have waited a long time for someone with the pure blood of our ancestors, someone that could carry on our lineage.”

“No. This doesn’t make sense. Roxanne was real. She was real.” Austin argued, but without conviction that even he believed it.

“Follow the truth Captain Reynolds.” Arati whispered in his ear.

Austin spun around to look up into Agra’s face. “And what? It will set me free? Is that it? Is that what you’re going to tell me?”

Agra grasped Austin’s shoulders. “We are the oldest civilization in existence, which makes us the first. We were the first to inhabit Earth, where we lived for thousands of years until a sickness threatened to destroy my people. We were forced to leave our home in search of a new one. We’ve traveled far through many universes, but there was nothing like Earth.” He paused to look at his daughter, frowning when she chose to ignore him. “Eve was the only one immune to the disease, and thus the decision was made that she would remain on Earth until such time a human was born without the diseased blood. That human is you Captain Reynolds. Your blood is the key to our survival. Your son is the beginning of a new generation, a new hope for my people.”

“My son?” Austin asked. “What do you mean my son?”

“This is much for your mind to process at once. I understand.” Agra replied in a tone void of emotion. “Eve bring the boy so that he may meet his father.” She did as was requested, leaving through an unseen door behind the altar.

Austin snapped out of his trance. “My son? He’s here?”

Agra laughed. The sound was cold, humorless. “We have named him Sattya after Eve’s great-great grandfather, who is a fierce warrior you shall meet one day perhaps.”

The door behind the altar opened and Eve returned carrying a blonde haired infant boy in her arms. She walked over to Austin. The baby turned his head and the bright blue eyes of the son looked into the father’s.

The walls of sanity began to cave in. It was too much to take and, as in any circumstance where emotions threatened to overwhelm him, Austin’s training kicked into overdrive. A familiar coldness settled in pushing out the confusion and turmoil caused by seeing his son for the first time. He had to find a way out, a way to beat them.

Careful lest he hears your thoughts.

Eve’s voice inside his head was so soft Austin almost didn’t catch her words, and she sounded so much like Roxanne. The similarity was undeniable and unsettling that he couldn’t believe he’d never noticed it before.

“What happens now?” Austin asked Agra.

“You will live here with your son and Eve. More sons and daughters will be born. We will repopulate. The harvest will once again take place as it should. Soon we will be able to return to our home.”

“And if I refuse?”

Agra grabbed Austin to him and pressed his lips on Austin’s. But this was not a kiss. Austin struggled, but Agra’s grasp was unmovable. Through his touch, Agra showed him great armies of Sundogs covering the Earth. That Agra and his kind led these armies and humans were their slaves. This was the past and the future.

Agra released Austin and folded his hands in front of him. “Now allow Eve to show you to your living quarters.” He turned to leave.

“Wait. What about my friends?”

Agra paused, but did not turn around. “If they have good blood they will be harvested.”

“What?” Images of the warehouses flashed before him. The meaning of harvest became clear. “No. No you can’t do that.” Austin pleaded, but it was for naught. Agra and the saciva departed without another word. Austin ran over to Luke and Zack.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Austin pulled on the shackles, but the heavy wrought iron was not going to give. “God damn it.”  

“Get outta here man.” Zack said. “Save yourself.”

“I’m not leaving you guys.”

“You have to captain.” Luke rasped. “You have to.”

Austin buried his head in his hands. He’d never been in a situation this dire, this desperate and without an acceptable resolution. He jerked when Eve laid her hand on his shoulder; her energy flowed from her finger tips into his body.

“I will help you, but you must leave our son with me. If you take him, Agra will come for you and he will have no mercy. Your boy will grow fast. My people can wait for him. They do not need you.”

“Then why didn’t he kill me?” He asked, but the words ‘our son’ echoed loudly in his head.

“It was my wish.” She replied. “We must hurry.” She handed Austin’s son to him and knelt down near Luke. With a slight snap of her wrist she broke the restraints freeing him and then Zack. They got up slow, their muscles soar and their wounds fresh. Eve found robes for them to wear.

She returned to where Austin stood holding his son, staring into his eyes, marveling over his existence. All those months of not knowing if he would ever see his boy or hold him in his arms threatened to dissolve his will. How could he give him back to these creatures? To Agra? How could life be this cruel? Despite knowing what he had to do, it didn’t make the decision logical or any easier.

Eve laid her hand on Austin’s arm. “We must go now.” Austin hugged his boy tight and handed him back to her. His eyes were dry, but his heart was breaking. “He will be well taken care of.” She promised.

“What about you? Won’t your father be angry?”

The muscles in her face eased, almost relaxed. “I have wandered the Earth for thousands of years never knowing where I came from, never knowing how alone I was.” She replied. “Not until something is removed from your life, from your thinking, do you truly know what it meant to you. I am free now.”

After a moment Austin nodded in understanding and reluctantly followed her down the corridor. When they came to the dead end Eve laid her hand on the wall and repeated the words Arati spoke earlier. The door slid open. Luke and Zack didn’t need an invitation, but Austin paused at the threshold.

He looked into his son’s eyes, his eyes. Leaning down he kissed his forehead. “I love you.” The baby reached up and touched Austin’s face. Austin couldn’t hold the flood of emotions back and a single tear escaped falling on the baby’s cheek.

Shaking his head, Austin straightened and took a deep breath. Eve reached out to him, holding his arm. He felt a surge of energy rush through his body. “You must go. Leave the planet and don’t come back. Destroy the portal as soon as you return.”

“Wait, what about all those people?”

“You cannot help them. They have been harvested. They are mere vessels now, no longer living.” She glanced over her shoulder, listening. “Please you have to go.”

“Roxanne?” He asked, unable to believe she was dead.

“Press your lips to mine.” Eve instructed.

Austin hesitated, but she insisted. Leaning over, he touched his lips to hers. Although cold, the sweetness was unexpected and the scent reminded him of Roxanne. Images flashed before him, alternating between Eve and Roxanne until they melded together and the truth became evident. Not because he understood the truth, he just knew it was so. Roxanne was never real for him, only Eve had ever existed.

“I would like to give to you a gift.” She announced when he pulled away from her.

“A gift?” Austin looked at his son, the only gift he could want.

“It will help you in the battles to come.”

“Battles?”

“Please. There isn’t much time.” She took his hand and pressed his wrist to her lips and bit into his skin. She held on for a few seconds before releasing his arm. “Good bye Austin.” Eve stepped back and the door closed between them.

The baby began to whimper and fuss, stretching his hand out to the door. “Don’t cry little Austin. We’ll see daddy again.” She hummed softly and his cries turned to coos.

41 THE FUTURE

Austin slowed the hummer to stop outside the barn. The door slid open and Colin, along with German, came barreling out to greet them. Charlie, Madison and Edward followed close behind. Zack slid out of the vehicle and was immediately engulfed by his brother.

“Careful bro. I’ve got war wounds.” Zack joked when Colin patted him on the back. Zack looked around for Madison and found her hugging Luke hello. She stepped back and turned, their eyes met. At that moment Zack realized how much he cared for her. No, he thought, not cared, loved, he was in love with her and this was almost as frightening as lying face down waiting to die in the devil’s lair.

“Man. I didn’t think we’d see you again.” Colin beamed, unable or willing to hold back his excitement over their return, over Zack’s return.

“Come on twerp. We were only gone a couple of days.”

“A couple of days? Shit Zack. You’ve been gone a month.” This caught Luke and Austin’s attention.

Austin glanced at his watch. Colin was right. An entire month had passed by while they were space traveling. The trip through the portal had been instantaneous. This Austin was sure of, so they must have lost time on Bliss. A fact he’d have to consider when timing his return.

“What’s in the back?” Edward peered through the Hummer’s windows at the boxes inside.

“Diaries of a madman.” Austin replied. “I’m going to drive around to the other entrance. Is there room to park below?” Austin asked Colin.

“I can put the Monster in the barn, then there’ll be room.” Colin answered. “Come on German.” He called to the dog, but German ignored him. The dog was in alert mode, his eyes honed in on Austin.

“What’s wrong with you?” Colin approached the dog.

“Wait.” Austin grabbed Colin’s arm. German bared his teeth, snarled at Austin and prepared to attack. Austin released Colin and stared into the dog’s eyes. German growled and pawed the ground wanting to attack, but then, like the Sundogs obeyed Eve, lowered himself to the ground into a submissive position.

“What the hell was that all about?” Colin asked, but no one answered. All eyes were on Austin and German.

After a moment Austin replied. “I don’t know.” But he had a hunch.

“Maybe it’s the way you smell.” Zack offered.

Ed jumped in, “Of course that’s it. Hell even I can smell you.” With this everyone relaxed, wanting to accept Zack’s explanation because it made sense, because they were tired of unknowns. No one wanted to question why only Austin’s scent upset the dog. No one wanted to ask questions that had no answers.

Austin turned to Colin. “Let’s get the vehicle down below.”

Ed decided to ride along with Austin. Luke, Colin and Charlie jumped in the back as well. German, although in a submissive state, refused to follow Colin into the vehicle, so they left him behind with Zack.

After they’d left, Madison, who hadn’t said much, walked over to Zack and hugged him. “I’m glad you’re back and safe.” She said.

“You look good.” Zack eyed her hair, which had grown out from the G.I. Jane hairstyle she first sported.

She reached up touching her hair. “You like that?”

“What’s not to like?” Zack took her hand. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Same here.” Madison stared up into his face, her thoughts swirling around in a confused state. 

“Can I kiss you?” Zack held his breath, not believing he asked that out loud.

Madison hesitated. Sadness filled her eyes.

“I understand.” Zack replied to her unspoken words, letting go of her hand.

“I’m sorry.” Madison fumbled, wishing she could feel different.

“Don’t be. You can’t help who you love right?” He smiled. “Let’s go inside. I’m beat.”

Madison followed Zack into the barn. She felt twisted and heartbroken. She’d plenty of time to think while the guys were away and the thing that surprised her most was how much she missed Zack. After considerable soul searching she realized her feelings for him were deeper than mere friendship. However, even her best efforts to reconcile her heart to what her head was telling her had failed miserably. Zack’s face wasn’t the face in her dreams or the person she thought of first when she woke in the middle of the night.