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For the Love of Twilight

A Child of the Future

By GaylePublished 3 years ago 10 min read
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Shades sat quietly waiting for the guards to pass by, they were clumsy in their heavy suits, he had out run them many times. His tunnel was hidden, the twisted metal frame of the old bike hid the door. Outside was desolation, the landscape barren and burnt, the war had destroyed almost every dwelling within a hundred miles. Shades had heard that there was nothing better beyond that. He looked down at the small bundle that had been placed inside the capsule he had found just inside his door. He was shocked to know that someone knew how to open his door, and that it was even there to open.

His tunnel ran along the surface for a hundred yards and anyone on the outside could see movement below if they were looking. Today the radiated cloud cover was heavy, Shades stayed in on those days, his suit was thinner than those worn by the Medi-Dems guards. He had been digging mushrooms in this branch of his tunnel when he heard the door snap shut and investigated. There at the door he had found the capsule with the bundle inside.

“What ya got there, Shades?” Spacey asked as she leaned over his shoulder. Spacey shared Shade’s tunnel, they had been paired off when they were still toddlers, never having contact with any others besides the caregivers. During the war the scientists scrambled to find ways to survive the nuclear fallout, one way was to build tunnels underground and place children there in pairs to raise in hopes of saving the human race. Most caretakers had long since died from radiation exposure, Shades and Spacey’s caretaker lasted until Spacey was ten years old, they had been on their own for three years now. Just before the caretaker passed they were given a key and a code, this allowed them to join the hub and interact with others.

“Dunno, but it is alive though.” Shades was still nervous about opening the capsule and finding the bundle alive scared him even more. He could hear a fluttering sound and tapping on the walls of the capsule.

Spacey backed away, “What in hellnation did you bring it inside for. Her normally soft brown eyes were wide with fright and her voice shook.

“I didn’t, Space, someone put it inside.” She had backed against the wall shaking her head, her long chocolate curls bouncing furiously.

“H – How, h – how, Shades, h-how?” She stammered.

“I don’t know how! It just – just, I heard the door click then I seen it there.” His wide blue eyes narrowed, he studied the casing and the latch on the capsule. It was oval and had air passages around the lid. He knew there was no survival for anyone exposed to the outside radiation so how did this, whatever it is, survive? Shades looked for a latch, he found a bar with a small green chip attached, as he slid the bar the lid popped with a slight whoosh.

Both had hidden their eyes, Shades looked first, it was a baby, a newborn, no more than two weeks old. It was wrapped in a blanket and had huge green eyes that blinked furiously in the light, and a crown of soft gold curls. Something started clicking and Shades searched the blanket. He found a small gold, heart-shaped locket. Placing it in the palm of his hand he popped the latch and activated a tiny device, a hologram appeared.

A very beautiful woman with large green eyes and golden hair appeared, the image flickered then she began to speak. “My name is Alanna, I have chosen to send my child to you for safe keeping, please keep her hidden.” The quiver in her voice betrayed her broken heart. She looked around and continued, “I have been held captive in this research facility for more than seven years now and ten in the previous facility.”

The hologram stopped momentarily and Spacey pulled back the pink and blue blanket, she stared at the baby and nudged Shades. The light flickered and the hologram was back. “They discovered that I somehow have immunity to radiation and have subjected me to every test they can think of but there seems to be nothing they can find to explain it. So now, these past seven years they have been attempting to have me reproduce this anomaly in offspring. The attempts usually fail in the first few weeks, but I have seen a few that have lived longer none were viable until now.” She hesitated as tears erupted suddenly. “They took many eggs and likely will continue to try cloning, but what will become of a race of females?” Once more she shuddered in tears.

Once composed she continued, “I know she is different, but she is mine. I have no one else to call my own, and not even a mate, I have no knowledge of the doner that made this baby possible. They allowed me a little time to be a mom and now want me to give her up. I convinced one handler to allow me a few moments alone with her. No one knows how I escaped and hopefully never will. She was born at Twilight so that is what I call her. If they catch me, it is not a great loss, if they find Twilight they will experiment and then cut her into pieces trying to find out why she is not a complete human. This I pray you will not allow she is precious as she is.”

“Please care for her, when the milk is gone, I know you can trade for goat milk, your hub was one of the few that has them. Please have mercy.” She looked startled now, her eyes narrowed. “They are coming . . .” The hologram clicked off, Shades and Spacey sat in stunned silence staring at the child in the capsule. He stared at the locket, then snapped it shut.

The baby began to squirm and Spacy picked her up, she found that the child was wet and started to set her down on the table. “No, Space, here put her on something soft.” He laid a large soft pillow on the table.

“She’s different.” Was all Spacey could manage to say. As she unwrapped the baby it was discovered that not only was one half of the child a perfectly pink human looking child, but the other half was muck darker, the skin was nearly black and shiny. One hand and one foot was missing on this half. As Spacy removed the wrappings from her tiny bottom she was further shocked to discover the child was just as much male there as she was female.

Undeterred and not the least repulsed, Spacy re-wrapped the baby and studied the tiny face as she offered a small bottle of milk to her. The baby sucked happily and curled her fingers around one of Spacey’s. Shades looked thoughtfully at Spacey, she had always loved caring for the discards and trying to nurse them back to health, that’s why they had seven rabbits that each had a disability and a blind kitten with no tail.

As Spacey rocked the child softly humming, Shades wondered at the mother. It was freezing out there as well as radiation heavy in some pockets, he had heard that some of the mountains were not so bad, but where would she find food? All he had ever known was grown underground, but then, he had never ventured from his tiny piece of the world, his assigned tunnel. Maybe this woman, this Alanna, knew something he didn’t.

Shades pulled the locket from his pocket and flipped it open. At first he thought the hologram had been a one time playback, but soon the recording repeated and he stared at the locket long after it was done. Spacy watched as she rocked the baby. Shades rubbed the locket and tried to see if it had a name or inscription, suddenly a larger hologram appeared. The room was filled with green grass, flowers, a babbling brook and a magnificent shade tree. A smell like summer rain filled the air. There were bunnies and butterflies, birds singing, and sunshine. After about ten minutes the images faded. Both were stunned by the experience.

*****

Over the next three months Shades traded and talked with others. He discovered that not all the paired couples got along as well as he and Spacey, some paired up with others and some left the hub. After careful cultivation of friendships Shades discovered an exit to mountain tunnels. He discussed it with Spacey and she agreed to go exploring with him just as soon as baby Twilight was no longer dependent on the milk for her main diet. Spacey had added a kind of cereal that was similar to oatmeal, though it was concentrated it still resembled oatmeal. Shades had never let any of the others in his hub know about the baby, she was a well-guarded secret. Every night without fail Spacey and Shades opened the locket and drank in the promise of life without tunnels.

One night six months after the baby had come to them there was a stir in the hub. Medi-Dems were searching the hubs, no one knew what they were looking for, no one that is but Shades and Spacey. Hurriedly they gathered all the baby stuff and dumped it into a sack, all the dried food the two had been preparing was put in another sack. Shades rolled several blankets together and grabbed the camping pack and protective suits, he met Spacey at the end of the tunnel. She had Twilight in a sling under her poncho. Together they slipped into the hub and staying in darkness found the path that led around the back of the low-slung stable used for the goats. Here they sat catching their breath, listening to be sure no one was close by.

Shades had stuffed his shaggy blond hair under an old soft cap, to avoid being seen. Finally, Shades began hunting for the ring that was attached to the trap door. Once he found it, he needed to remove the loose dirt, it had fake hay attached to it but opened easily when Shades pulled. He popped a glow stick and dropped it into the darkness. It fell about ten feet and hit bottom. Finding the ladder, Shades descended and then Spacey handed down Twilight. As she descended Shades held the baby, the soft mewing told Shades she had also brought the half-grown, blind cat, he shook his head.

“Danny said that if we walk steady it should open up just before our glow stick runs out.” Shades smiled to reassure Spacey. “Are you sure you are ready for this,” he said softly, one hand on hers.

She nodded, “I know I am real young to be a momma but dang it Shades, I think of her as my own now. I am not ever going to give her up, and maybe one day we just might find her real momma, wouldn’t that be nice?” Shades nodded and together they headed off into the unknown. He hoped his intel was correct because there seemed to be no way they could go back now.

When the guards entered branch tunnel number 257, they found nothing but a small capsule on the table. Shades had disabled the hologram, but it was obvious they baby had been here. A thorough search of the entire hub turned up nothing.

Somewhere deep inside the mountain a tiny family continued their search for a new life.

End

Sci Fi
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About the Creator

Gayle

Grammy and just love to write here in sunny Florida.

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