Second Don: Ardulum, Book 2 Read online

  Again, silence descended in the cockpit. Neek let it stretch, let her mind process the details. What were their options? Return to the Systems on the brink of another war? Continue to a planet that was, what? About to be overthrown?

  “Neek,” Nicholas prodded gently. “What are you thinking?”

  “I think that Emn—” Neek said as she stood. “That you had best make a call to Ardulum. Now.” She gestured over her shoulder to Nicholas as she moved towards the door. “Hemicellulose ships are a brilliant idea, if you’re fighting an Ardulan. We were tested. We failed. An Alliance coup is brewing, and the Nugels just figured out that an Ardulan without cellulose is no different than anyone else, even if that Ardulan is you. We need help, and so does Ardulum.”

  Chapter 14: Research Station K47, Ardulum

  To possess a Talent is a gift. To possess two is a blessing. To possess all is to teeter on the precipice of insanity.

  —Excerpt from The Book of the Uplifting, supplemental material

  ARIK SAT UP and opened his eyes to absolute blackness. There had been no dreams this time, for which he was grateful, but some escape from this new reality and his aching muscles would have been nice. It was hard not to think about work that needed to be done at home, how his parents were managing without him. How his saplings were managing without his care. Did his parents know this was a possibility, that their son might never return from the Eld Palace? Had they prepared for it, secretly, whispered about it to third dons who had lost their own children? Would they look for him? Mourn him? Replace him?

  Cautiously, Arik moved his shaking legs off the bed and felt for the floor. It was cool on his bare toes. Slowly, taking time to remember the layout of his room, Arik edged to the door. He pushed it outward and was relieved to see two little lights on at opposite ends of the common room. Company was what he needed right now.

  You’re up early. Waiketh’s mental voice greeted him from the closer of the two lights. It’s usually just Kisak and me up at this hour.

  Guards aren’t even up this early, Kisak added, shaking zir head. Gives one a certain freedom. A certain time to think without our benevolent overlords listening in.

  Arik stopped and stared at the outline of Kisak. Wait, he responded, feeling suddenly very trapped. They’re listening to us?

  Waiketh chuckled. I doubt they’re that bored, dear. No one cares what we think.

  Like you know, Kisak shot back. They’re listening to our every word. Deciding who would make the best new toy for their Science Talents.

  Arik’s heart sank. Science Talents. He was supposed to have been a Science Talent. He wondered briefly if one of his apprenticeships would have been here, working with these people. If he would have been the one doing the experiments. Maybe he would have uncovered the cure. Maybe he would have been famous—the youngest Science Talent on Ardulum to receive the rank of Master of Science. Maybe he would have just stayed at home, studied andal farming and inherited his family’s land one day. Watched his saplings grow to maturity.

  You’re a moron, and you’re broadcasting. Didn’t your parents teach you anything during your first don?

  Arik spun around to face Kisak, angry at the intrusion, but his rage dispersed when he made eye contact. The dark purple bags under the gatoi’s eyes were deepened in the dim light, zir body slumped with age and confinement. It wasn’t Kisak’s fault, Arik reminded himself. It wasn’t any of their faults. Getting angry at each other wouldn’t help anything.

  I wonder if they miss me, Arik asked across the shared link. I wonder if they knew, about me. That this was inside me.

  Doubt it. On both accounts. Kisak yawned and plodded towards zir room. Arik scowled after him. Of course his parents missed him. They had to be sick with worry.

  Time for breakfast, Waiketh sent merrily. The ninth day is always titha bacon. Delicious.

  That was disgusting. Disgusting and confusing. Arik swallowed and wrinkled his nose. Why would you eat a titha? he asked. We don’t have the right enzymes for meat digestion, do we?

  What do you think would happen if they gave us andal, in any form? Kisak snorted and gestured towards the long, plastic table in the middle of the room. For the first time, Arik really looked at his surroundings. Everything was either metal or plastic—the tables, the chairs, the floor, and the walls. There were fabrics covering some furniture, but upon closer inspection, Arik realized they were synthetic. There wasn’t a single organic substance in the room, other than the Ardulans themselves.

  What are they so afraid of? Arik sent to no one in particular.

  Us, Kisak responded. Zie slammed zir door shut and Arik heard a thump from inside the room.

  We have a lot of Talents. Waiketh gestured for Arik to come sit next to her on the couch. If they gave us andal, think of what we could do. Potentially, I mean. If we had training.

  But we don’t, Arik sent as he sat down, and that still doesn’t explain why we can’t have wood furniture. There are trees other than andal they could make it from if they thought we would try to chew on the furniture.

  Waiketh shrugged. I don’t know what to tell you, Arik. This is just the way it is. Play by the rules, and it isn’t too bad. You’re young. Maybe they’ll find a cure while you’re alive. It’s something to look forward to, at least.

  Saplings swayed in Arik’s mind. What about escape? Anyone ever try it?

  No. Not in my memory.

  Impossible, Kisak added from zir room. Too many guards—too much we don’t know about the building and layout.

  Arik threw his head back and stared at the white ceiling. This is stupid, he said. There has to be an option. I refuse to just sit around and wait to die.

  I prefer to sit around and wait for breakfast. Waiketh nudged him. He straightened and saw two guards enter the main room bearing plastic bags filled with steaming flesh. Upon reaching the table, they threw the bags onto the top and walked back out, the door pulling closed tightly behind them.

  Fantastic! Waiketh’s voice was giddy in Arik’s head. She reached for a bag, turning it upside down and dumping its wet contents onto the table. Arik watched the rivulets of blood and some type of meat juice he didn’t want to think about run over the side and down the table legs, collecting in small pools on the floor, and swallowed bile.

  Try some, Waiketh prodded, ripping out a chunk of flesh with her mouth and handing it to Arik. It will make you queasy at first, but you’ll get used to it.

  This time, Arik did vomit. He missed Waiketh by only a few centimeters, but the bile hit the tabletop and the bag, dripping slowly down the side and joining the other fluids.

  Way to ruin breakfast for the rest of us, Kisak muttered. Grow up.

  It’s fine, Waiketh countered. It only hit the bag. The rest of them will never know. That thought made the bile rise in Arik again, and he had to work to contain himself.

  I can’t eat that, he sputtered. I just can’t.

  You will, Waiketh returned, taking another bite, when you get hungry enough. Just wait.

  Kisak stomped from zir room, pulled the remaining meat from Waiketh’s hand, and took a large bite. Share the vomit-free stuff. Second-don puke tastes terrible. I got stuck with the stuff you ruined, Waiketh, on your first day here. Remember?

  Waiketh blushed. All too well. At least I’m not the youngest here anymore.

  Arik watched in silence as Kisak finished the remaining meat in zir hand and wiped the sticky juice on zir shirt. Not a bad breakfast, as far as they go, zie said. Ninth day food is usually decent. It’s the tenth day you have to watch out for. End of the week is always leftovers.

  Leftover and discarded, Arik thought to himself bitterly. Just like us.

  ARIK WASN’T SURE how anyone tracked time in here. After breakfast, he’d lain on the couch and stared aimlessly at the ceiling, trying to structure his thoughts. He counted sapling rows, went over seed bank contents, made up new watering schedules… He could hear the rest of his companions moving about and caught snippets
of their conversations with one another in his mind. Lunch came, and he didn’t even go to look. He was going to have to get a lot hungrier before he would eat meat, of that he was certain. He was also certain that he would kill himself if he had to stay here for years. Life was useless in a place like this, worth nothing. There were plenty of objects he could kill himself with, too—plastic edges, hooks, and screws were everywhere. It wouldn’t be too hard to ram into one. Maybe bash his head into a wall seam and fall onto something sharp for good measure. He could probably sharpen a table leg using the gritty tiling on his bath floor…

  The door to the common room opened. Arik tilted his head to the right and made out a third-don Hearth female, followed by a large group of other Ardulans. That didn’t seem right. Arik sat up and squinted. They weren’t just Ardulans—they were more leftovers, like the rest of them, both second and third dons, spanning every sex. He started to count but lost track at thirty-five, when the room became too congested to see anything. Although many had sat on the floor, Arik doubted they would all have room to sleep lying down.

  “You’re here from now on,” the Hearth said as she pushed the last one in and backed out of the door. “Figure it out. No dinner. We didn’t get the final shipment today.”

  The door slammed shut, and Arik covered his ears. There was a buzzing in his head, and it took him a moment to realize that it was the sound of several dozen conversations happening simultaneously without a care for who overheard.

  Welcome, Arik heard Waiketh yell over the mental din. The buzz calmed to a whisper and then died completely. This is unexpected, but you are most welcome. We’ve never had this many transfers before. Could one of you tell me what you know?

  I can tell you we didn’t all come from the same place, someone responded. I was shoved onto a skiff with a bunch of these guys already on it. The rest of my group didn’t end up onboard though. No idea where they are.

  Same, said another. Myself and Tik over there came from the southern hemisphere, originally. Assuming we’re in the north now, since I felt the weather change in transit.

  We sleeping on the floor? asked a third.

  Unfortunately, yes, Waiketh responded. There aren’t any empty chambers, and there are forty-seven of you. Add that to the six of us already here, and you can see that we’re suddenly very tight on space.

  The beds we do have are narrow, Kisak added. So don’t suggest sharing.

  The buzzing began to increase in Arik’s head again as the new arrivals resumed their discussion. The whole situation was getting more ridiculous by the minute, and Arik was losing patience.

  Does anyone here actually know what’s wrong with us?! he yelled into the din.

  A flood of responses filled his head.

  Defective.

  Mutated.

  Archaic.

  Who cares?

  It matters! he continued. If everyone has a different opinion, that means there is no consensus. So how are we supposed to get better if we don’t know what is wrong in the first place?

  Waiketh came over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Calm down, Arik, she said. There is nothing you can do about your present situation. Just accept it.

  No! Arik yelled. Drought was something you accepted. Market prices were something you accepted. Genetic drift could be dealt with. He pulled his shoulder away and squeezed past the crowd to the main door. We have a right to know why we are being held. We are citizens of Ardulum! We’re not some lower subspecies, and we haven’t devolved into a primordial goo. We deserve answers. We deserve healers.

  Arik wrapped his fingers around the handle. Slowly, he twisted the knob. The cool plastic turned easily, and the door swung open, revealing a dimly lit, long and empty corridor stretching before him. Arik blinked in surprise. Were the guards so confident in their control that they didn’t even lock doors? Or was this some type of test to see who could follow rules, and who was going to get a mouthful of pills?

  He didn’t care. I’m going to go find those answers, he sent as loudly as he could. Anyone want to come with me?

  Silence.

  Arik waited two breaths and then three. Finally, a grumpy voice spoke up.

  I’ll come. Why not? Going to die soon anyway. Kisak pushed zir way to the front and looked Arik up and down. You know this is the last thing we will ever do, right?

  Arik narrowed his eyes. I’d rather die fighting than from an experimental injection. I’m not an animal. He held out a hand to Kisak. You deserve better, too.

  The murmuring began again in the back of Arik’s head. People were discussing what he said; some were just making fun of him. Arik didn’t have time to wait for them. His window of opportunity was small.

  Have you ever even checked this door to see if it is locked? Arik asked Kisak when the gatoi took his hand.

  Kisak shrugged. I haven’t. Someone has at some point, no doubt. Probably got shot. Probably why no one does it anymore.

  Three hands rose into the air. Us—we’re coming.

  Three second dons, young second dons judging by their appearance, came forward. The two females had the large eyes and heavy build common to the peoples of the coastal southern hemisphere. The male was tall and lean, and he had the fewest markings of any of the captives Arik had yet seen.

  I’m Kallik, and this is my sister, Ukie. We’re coming with you.

  I’m Tik, the male added. We should go. Who knows when the guards will next make rounds.

  Arik nodded and blocked out the rest of the mental chatter. I’m Arik, and this is Kisak. Did any of you get a look at the layout when they brought you in? Any idea where an exit might be?

  We went through a lot of corridors, Kallik responded as she and her sister moved to the hall. We’re underground—that much I know.

  Near the water, too, her sister added. You can smell it in the air, even down here.

  Kisak snorted. So if we try to escape, we drown. Perfect.

  Quiet. Arik gestured for the rest to move to the hall. When they were all out, he waved to the Ardulans still inside and received a slow, sad wave from Waiketh in return. We’ll be fine, he told her as he shut the door firmly. You’ll see.

  Kisak laughed inside his mind, but held tightly to Arik’s hand. We will not be fine. But I don’t mind going out in a blaze of glory. Let’s go. Your show, Arik. Lead on.

  Right. Navigating halls couldn’t be as hard as navigating plantation rows. At least here vines didn’t catch your every step and threaten to pull you down into brambles. Of course, you didn’t tend to get pursued in plantations, either.

  Arik moved with soft steps down the corridor. The others fell in behind him. They walked cautiously down a narrow, plastic hallway that fed into another and then another. Everything was bare and white, lacking any type of panel or interface. There were doors spaced sporadically throughout, but each one they tried was locked.

  Where are all the scientists? Tik asked as they continued down another hall. You’d think there would be someone about. Especially after bringing us all in like that.

  If I worked here, I’d spend my evenings taking long baths to wash off the guilt, Kisak said. Then I would go have sex with a Mmnnuggl, because I’d obviously have no soul. Kisak broke away from Arik and ran zir hand across the unbroken wall. We’re getting nowhere.

  They have souls, Kisak, Tik responded acerbically. Maybe just little ones. Potentially other areas of their anatomy are smaller as well. It’s hard to say.

  Arik was about to tell everyone to be quiet again when Ukie stopped, causing her sister to walk right into her back. Arik began to ask what was wrong, but paused and stopped in his tracks. He followed Ukie’s line of sight and saw a brown-clad elbow and shoulder poking around the next corner. The hallway was different in this area of the station, too. Plastic had transitioned to metal, and communication panels now dotted the walls. They were near the laboratories, Arik reasoned. Possibly the staff quarters. The Eld wouldn’t force everyone to live in cellulosic isolation. They’d
never get any work done.

  The figure disappeared around the corner. Their footsteps echoed faintly back towards the escapees. They could progress no further without discussion. Decision time, Arik sent. What do we do with guards we see? Anyone know anything about hand-to-hand combat?

  Don’t tuck your thumb. Don’t get into fights with armed guards and crazy scientists in laboratories. Kisak chuckled. Whatever you decide to do, I’m too old for antics. I’ll be back here, waiting until you’ve cleared the way.

  Tik glared at Kisak. You’re useless.

  We’ll all help, Arik said. Let’s just try to knock them out. Quietly, if possible. Maybe see if they have some keys or identity card we can swipe.

  Kisak leaned heavily against the wall. Look at yourselves! You’re covered from head to toe in those stupid black marks. Everyone who sees you will know you. You leave people beaten but unconscious, they will eventually wake up. Someone will find them. Then, they will start looking for us.

  So, what do you suggest? Ukie asked. We have to get past a lot of people. We need a good way to do it.

  Just kill them, Kisak said firmly. We’re all going to be executed. It isn’t like there will be some form of leniency. Do what you need to do. You can bet that they will, once they see us.

  Arik swallowed and considered his options. He didn’t like the idea of killing other Ardulans, even ones that were keeping them prisoner. Kisak had a point, however. Being merciful wouldn’t get them released. It wouldn’t get them pardoned—or healed, if that was what they needed. It certainly wouldn’t get him back to his saplings.

  I’d like to suggest a different idea. Kallik moved to the front and held out her hands. How many Talents would you say we each possess? She pointed to the inside of her right wrist. Science. She lifted her shirt and turned her right side towards the group. Aggression. She pulled her shirt down and then tugged on her left sleeve, exposing her shoulder. Hearth, and of course, Mind. Kallik straightened her shirt and exposed her left calf. But what about the rest? She pulled up her right sleeve and held out her forearm. Polygons and triangles massed and intersected across the flesh, each black line slightly raised and stark against her pale skin.