The New Eden

“You can keep staring at it, Evangeline. It’s never going back to the way it was before.”

“Nathaniel, my dear friend, that kind of eternal optimism is why I’ve kept you around all these years….” I turned to face my friend with a smirk, one eyebrow cocked so he could sense I was only half-teasing with my sarcasm.

“I can’t help it.” I sighed. “It used to be so beautiful. I will never understand how they could destroy it so easily.”

“They’ve always been a self-destructive breed. It was only a matter of time.”

“You’re right. But what use are we if we are to simply sit back and watch them tear themselves apart?”

“We were never designed to intervene. Even if we had, their greed was insatiable. They would have never stopped.”

“I’m not even sure what they were seeking….”

“Perfection.” I watched Nathaniel’s face contort in disgust as he cut me off and stared at the desolation that lay before us.

“Perfection? That’s why they never seemed satisfied? Such a relentless pursuit… they were chasing perfection?”

“Yes.” His jaw clenched a little tighter as he spoke through gritted teeth.

“How did they not know that what they were seeking was unattainable? Perfection does not exist. Even we are not perfect.”

“Does it look like a species capable of bringing about the end of their own world are capable of that kind of clarity, Evangeline? The signs were there long before the apocalypse.”

An uncomfortable silence sat between us. Nathaniel was my oldest, dearest friend, so it was not uncommon for us to have this kind of frank discussion. Still, something in his silence gave me a sense of unease. There was something he wasn’t saying…

“Have you told her yet?” Gabriel burst into the room without knocking, arrogant and insufferable as ever.

“Told me what?” My suspicions were confirmed as Nathaniel avoided my eyes.

After shooting a look that could kill at Gabriel, he finally looked at me, his face a mixture of anger and concern.

“You’re to meet with the leader of the survivors tomorrow. He commands it.”

“The human leader!?” This makes no sense. Why would he send me as his messenger at a time like this?

“Yes. I volunteered to go in your place, but he insists it must be you. This isn’t up for debate.”

“I’ll leave you to your lovers’ quarrel….” Gabriel snickered as he left Nathaniel and me alone once more.

Before I had a chance to say a word, Nathaniel turned and left the room abruptly without sparing me a backward glance.

“Tomorrow then…” I uttered to myself before retiring for the night, knowing I wouldn’t sleep a wink.

-

As dawn broke over the desolate landscape, I could see their camp in the distance. There were 100 left if that. Men mostly, though a few athletic-looking women were among them. No children.

He had been vague with his instructions — Meet with the human leader, assess his character, report back. I was to pose as a human survivor who had lost her memory. The human wasn’t to learn my name under any circumstances.

When he emerged from his tent, I knew exactly who he was—Tall, with a lean but muscular build, his jawline sharp, a weathered yet handsome face fixed with a concerned expression. He looked as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. I took a deep breath and approached the camp.

“Stop!” I flinched as my arm was twisted behind my back, and my body shoved against something hard and hollow. A vehicle carcass, I guessed. I was roughly pulled back and led toward the man I had identified as the human leader. My captor seemed unnecessarily heavy-handed as he threw me to the ground before his leader. I started to make my way to my feet when I saw his outstretched hand. I took it gladly and rose to meet his intense stare bearing down on me. In all my years, I had never felt so exposed. He seemed to study every detail of my face as we stood, eyes locked on one another for what seemed like minutes.

“How did you find us?” His smooth voice broke me from my trance.

“Blind luck”, I lied. “I’ve been wandering for weeks in search of others, and when I saw your camp, I thought it must have been another illusion. I have no memory of who I am or where I’ve come from. But I need food, water and shelter. Please.”

“Sebastian!” he bellowed as a short, fit-looking man hurried over to us.

“Sir?” Sebastian saluted, slightly out of breath.

“Take the girl to the mess tent for a hot meal and some water. Once she is fed and watered, return her to me.”

“Yes, Sir!” Sebastian nodded as he motioned for me to follow.

I choked down the human food, trying to appear satisfied and took a little water. I felt guilty using their limited resources. It’s not like I needed them. I indicated to Sebastian that I was finished, and he took me to a tent at the far end of the camp. He motioned for me to go inside but made no move to follow me.

Within, the human leader sat at his desk, reading over some papers. His expression hard, and dangerously appealing.

“He sent you, didn’t he?”

“Excuse me?” I tried to feign ignorance.

“Let’s not play this game, stranger. Your being here is not by chance. Don’t insult me further by continuing your ruse.”

I took a moment to consider his words. How was it possible that he knew of us? Of him? More importantly, why would he send me to meet with this human when he must have known he would see through my front.

“You were expecting me?” I asked hesitantly.

“Of course. It was only a matter of time before he sent one of you. Although I’m surprised, he didn’t send one of the warriors.”

“What makes you think I’m not a warrior?” I questioned, insulted but not surprised. I was used to this kind of underestimation. My short stature, soft complexion and platinum braids hardly screamed “killer”. Little did he know, that’s what made me his most deadly weapon.

He pointed his hand toward me and gestured up and down with a quizzical expression. Before he had time to speak, I moved—pinning him to the ground with my body weight as I held his own knife to his throat.

“Hmm, I expected more from the leader of the survivors”, I mused. “You’re slow, and you underestimate your opponents. It seems we are not off to a good start.”

Was he… smiling? No, smirking at me?

“Did I underestimate you, warrior, or was it you who fell into my trap? It seems you’ve just let the ace slip from your sleeve.” He didn’t waste a second of my distraction as he used his body to switch our positions.

“I suggest you return to where you came from and give him a message from me. The answer is no.”

He left me on the floor of his tent, confused, knife still in hand nursing more than a bruised ego.

-

I was unsurprised to see Gabriel waiting for me upon my return.

“Not now Gabriel, I need to speak with him.”

“He knows what happened, and he doesn’t need to speak with you. You’re to return to the human leader tomorrow. Gain his trust Evangeline, use your feminine charms… you know what to do.”

“He wants me to seduce the human? To what end?”

“He always has a plan Evangeline, you know better than to question.” I glared daggers into the back of him as he sauntered away.

“Insufferable…”

“He’s always been an ass, but he’s right, he has a plan, and you’re bound to do his bidding.”

“And you’re fine with this, Nathaniel?” I asked my friend as he made his way into the room, a look I didn’t recognise plastered to his face. His kind features far more stoic than usual.

“It’s not for me to feel one way or another about. It’s as intended.” He placed a feather-light kiss on my forehead as he placed something in my hands.

“What is it?” I asked as I stared confusingly at the small trinket which now sat in my palm.

“A keepsake” He half-smiled. “I have blessed it with one of our most treasured memories. Do you remember Eden, Evangeline? It really was Utopia. Keep it, to remember me by.” He took a long look at me before turning to leave, his goodbye evident but unspoken.

-

“You’re back. This is unexpected.”

“What can I say? After our encounter yesterday, I felt we had unfinished business…” I purred in my most seductive tone.

He was smirking at me. Again.

“Oh, you’re good. You’re very good. I see why he chose you.”

Enough was enough.

“Ok then, human. It seems one of us knows far more than the other. And I don’t particularly appreciate being played for a fool. Why don’t you tell me what you know?”

He stared at me for a moment, contemplating his next move.

“Come…” he said, with a hint of resignation.

I followed as he led me into one of the caves buried in the cliff-face behind the camp. The smell of cool running water, fresh grass and spring flowers flooded my senses. It enveloped me in familiarity that I couldn’t place.

“How is this possible? Doomsday brought absolute desolation. Nothing should have survived.”

“This is all that’s left. It took us forever to find it. It’s a look but don’t touch deal though, courtesy of him.” His full lips formed a slight snarl as he said the words. He really was breathtakingly handsome for a human.

“I don’t understand.”

“We failed. At least that’s how he sees it. Our greed destroyed the world the way we were always warned it would. This is what we were seeking all along, so close we can taste it. Perfection. But as with all things, there is a price. And we won’t pay.”

“Perfection does not exist. This cannot be more than a beautiful illusion.”

“No, it is perfection. A clean slate. That which was forfeited long ago—This is the new Eden.”

He was right. I recognised that smell from millennia’s ago.

“What is the price?”

“What it has always been. Free will. We relinquish our control, and we can reclaim Utopia. There are only 100 of us left, and we didn’t survive the apocalypse only to become mindless zombies.”

I remembered the first time. How could anyone forget? One bite of an apple changed the course of history. But to ask them to give up their free will? And to withhold a second chance for such a price? This was unforgivable, even for him.

I don’t know why I felt the urge to take his hand in mine. A gesture for the words I couldn’t seem to say. As our hands joined, the garden came alive. Every perfect element seemed to enhance itself as if responding to our connection. In the middle, stood a lone pear tree in full, fruitful bloom. His eyes grew wide at the sight. As he looked from the new Eden to me, we both knew I had taken a new side.

I was going to do the unthinkable. I was going to intervene.

He stared at me thoughtfully for a while, then finally broke the silence.

“What is your name, warrior?”

“Evangeline…” I breathed out, almost a whisper. “What is yours, human?”

He chuckled softly to himself—a look of knowing in his eyes.

“Of course, it is. I wonder…. that is, do you mind if I call you Eve?”

I nodded at him, slightly confused.

His smile reached his eyes as he said simply, “It’s lovely to meet you, Eve. I’m Adam.”