Last Wild Boy (3 page)

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Alice and Nora stared down at the appendage that sat between
the baby's skinny, pale, feces-coated legs. Neither had ever even seen a picture of a naked outsider before this. They had heard others speak of outsider parts, of course, but this tiny version of something so feared by all of Aahimsa just seemed ridiculous.

Nora snorted, and then laughed out loud. After all she'd heard about the horrors delivered to the world by male dominance over the centuries, the sight of this child, with his pathetic little outsider parts, struck her as hilarious.

“It isn't funny,” Alice said, her face going even paler than usual. “This changes everything. My mother would have a fit if she knew that we were hiding an outsider, even if it is just a baby. We'd better call security.” She headed toward the communicator panel.

“Wait!” said Nora, her own reaction surprising her. “First we should check the news. There may be something going on.”

Alice didn't say anything. She just walked over to the viewer and turned it on. A dark-haired commentator appeared on the screen. The words “BREAKING NEWS: BODY OF AN INSIDER FOUND IN DEAD ZONE” flashed across the screen in front of her.

The news anchor's clear voice filled the room: “At 7:35 this morning, while carrying out a routine investigation of an interruption in communications with an outsider worker, a member of the ranger force discovered the body of a young insider, which was found in a shallow grave in the wilds just beyond the dead zone. The initial assessment of the victim indicated that she had suffered extensive injuries, leading police to speculate that she may have been brutally beaten.”

Suddenly Blanchefleur appeared on the screen, standing behind a podium at what was obviously a pre-recorded press conference. She had an attractive but serious face and the same blonde hair as her daughter, though hers was shorter and quaffed in a tidy bob. She wore a fashionably cut business suit, and her ever-present white lily was pinned to her lapel. She wasn't particularly tall, but there was an air about her that commanded attention and respect. “This incident is being thoroughly and carefully investigated,” she read from a prepared statement. “We must not draw any conclusions until we are certain of what happened here. Until the coroner concludes her examination, this will be labelled a suspicious death. So far, there is no indication that this is anything but an isolated incident, or that there is any danger to the residents of Aahimsa. Nor is there any conclusive proof that the injuries the insider sustained were inflicted by an outsider.

“In the meantime, we can expect this incident to spark even greater pressure from the Central Council to eliminate the outsider workforce. I remain adamant in my opposition to permanently severing our link to the genetic past. The new systems of production and reproduction have not proven themselves yet. It will take a few more decades before sufficient generations of cloned insiders reach maturity and these experiments are deemed safe and sustainable.

“Until then, I am convinced that Aahimsa remains a worthwhile area of exception within the federation. Cloning and automation will not eliminate the labouring class. Our outsider workforce produces the best quality and most profitable products in the world. No matter how well the planners do, if we terminate the remaining outsiders, most of their labour and its social consequences will become the daily task of insiders. It will mean the creation of another low-paid working class within the walls. This would only lead to unnecessary conflict inside our city. You have all seen the reports. Aahimsa is the safest, happiest, wealthiest city in the federation. It also has the smallest police unit, and the least crime. If you compare the quality of life within Aahimsa to any other city on Earth, you will see how much better most of our lives continue to be.”

As soon as the mayor finished her speech, the reporters in the audience jumped up and started shouting questions at her. Blanchefleur lifted a hand in the air and the room went silent. “Unfortunately, I only have time to take one question this afternoon,” she said with a practised smile. She nodded to a stern-faced reporter in the first row.

“We have received information from a reliable source that claims the insider was struck down by an outsider,” the reporter said. “Is this true?”

“There are those among us who are impatient for change,” Blanchefleur replied. “It is in their interest to jump to such conclusions. They are only too happy to conjure up the violent and Earth-destroying spectre of the world of our ancestors, to place blame on the outsiders in order to strengthen their political position. Until we receive the results of the coroner's investigation, I cannot deny the fact that it is possible an outsider is responsible for this death. However, I am convinced that there is another, simpler explanation for all of this.

“Your source appears bent on creating hysteria in order to strengthen the hand of the Central Council,” Blanchefleur continued. “The council isn't concerned with the welfare of the citizens of Aahimsa. But I am. And I can promise you that we are taking every precaution to ensure the safety of every insider in Aahimsa. It is sad to lose a sister, whatever the cause. But let's not make any rash decisions based on incomplete information and confusion. Let us work together to maintain Aahimsa's position as the finest city in the federation.” She turned and nodded to an official standing off to the side, then turned back to the audience. “Thank you for coming. The Goddess be with us all.”

When Blanchefleur's face faded from the news channel screen, Alice started flicking through the channels on the viewer. “Well, there's definitely something going on,” she said, “but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the baby.”

“What if it does?” Nora said. “What if the two stories are somehow connected?”

“That's ridiculous,” Alice said, rolling her eyes. “You saw the news report. No one ever said anything about a baby. And definitely not an outsider baby. If anyone else knew about this, it would be all over the news.”

“I guess,” said Nora, tying a knot in the strip of cloth she'd wrapped around the baby as she'd finished diapering him. “It's weird about the insider girl, though. I wonder what happened to her.”

“I bet you I can find out,” Alice said. She tapped a code into the viewer and the screen suddenly lit up with an image of the council chamber, which was filled with insiders settling down for a meeting.

Nora gave Alice a questioning look.

“My mother uses this to monitor the council meetings from here while she's on holiday,” Alice said with a shrug. “It's supposed to be secure, but I saw her type in her password once.”

A bell chimed in the chambers and the councillors went quiet. Blanchefleur rose and addressed the gathering, using what Alice recognized as her official voice. “Thank you for coming, everyone,” she began. “I know it's been a long and busy day for you all as we've dealt with the news of the dead insider. I'm hoping that this meeting will help us shed some light on the situation. There's been much discussion today based largely on hearsay, including some rather indiscrete conversations with the press.” She paused and turned accusingly at Gloria, a councillor in opposition who regularly lobbied for the opinions of the Central Council of the World Federation, and who glared brazenly back at her.

“Perhaps we can begin by having the coroner, Dr. Doris, inform of us of the facts from her examination findings.” Blanchefleur turned and nodded at a serious-looking woman with black hair cut evenly to shoulder length. “Please go ahead, Doris.”

Dr. Doris pulled a thick document from her case. She wasn't a person who could be hurried. She lifted her silver-framed reading glasses to her face, adjusted them carefully on her pert nose, and began to read, her light-brown eyes focused on her report: “The body that was discovered today belonged to a thirty-one-year-old insider named Minn. Prior to her death, she suffered from mild malnutrition. Other than her physical injuries, there was nothing obvious that could have contributed to her death. Upon examination, I found that she had compound fractures in the femurs of both legs, and a broken pelvis, clavicle, and wrist. It is almost certain that she died from suffocation and heart failure due to massive injuries to her lungs and spleen.”

“And the cause of these injuries?” snapped Gloria. “She was violently attacked, wasn't she? And afterwards one or more of
them
attempted to hide her body out there.”

“It is my informed opinion that no such thing occurred,” Dr. Doris explained. “The victim's injuries were not consistent with such an attack. It is almost certain that she died because she jumped, fell, or was pushed from somewhere very high. Only a fall from a great height could have resulted in the type of injuries she sustained. Her body was also covered in minor plasma burns, which leads me to hypothesize that she fell from the top of the wall surrounding Aahimsa. However, while her skin does show significant burn tissue, it's obvious from the integrity of her remains that she somehow missed the full force of the wall's energy field.”

“If her death was the result of the fall,” Gloria persisted, “why don't you explain to the rest of us why that outsider fled from his post? Why would he run away if he wasn't responsible in some manner for her death?” She paused, arms crossed, waiting.

The doctor did not react. She simply continued calmly, “I know nothing about the outsider or his motivations. I can only draw opinions from my observations of the physical evidence. I am a coroner, not a member of the city police.”

Blanchefleur rose from her seat and turned to Gloria with an audible sigh. “Gloria, we would all appreciate it if you would allow the good doctor to finish her report before you begin your interrogation. You appear well-prepared, if ill-informed, about certain aspects of this incident. We can talk about the outsider's disappearance after the coroner finishes her report. Doris?”

Blanchefleur looked toward Dr. Doris, who hesitated. The mayor gestured with an open right hand for her to continue. The doctor still hesitated.

“Go ahead, Doris,” insisted Blanchefleur, her lips pursed. “Continue.”

Dr. Doris took a deep breath before she spoke. “There's one more thing. The victim had recently delivered a child.”

A scattering of whispered conversations erupted throughout the large room.

Blanchefleur cleared her throat loudly and the council quieted. “Thank you, Doris.” She nodded at the doctor, who packed up her papers and exited through a side door.

“From what I understand,” Blanchefleur continued once Dr. Doris had left, “after security identified the victim, they ran a check on pregnancy authorizations. No one by the name of Minn was on the list. However, the name appeared on another list. This insider had gone missing from her job at the Temple Donors more than seven months ago.”

There was silence as Blanchefleur adjusted herself in her seat. “Of course, the case remains under investigation. There are a few loose ends. The outsider cleaner has, indeed, fled. But there are several extenuating circumstances. Traces of human blood were found in the dirt below the wall and on the inside of the cleaner's cabin. We think he came upon Minn and felt compassion for her. We believe his sympathy overpowered his good sense and he carried her into the shelter of his home.”

“How horrible it must have been for her,” Gloria cut in. There was a murmur of agreement from some of the councillors. “The thought of that creature carrying an insider into his filthy hut makes me sick to my stomach. He could have done anything to her that entered his disgusting mind.”

“The cleaner in question, a former ranger-in-training, was working in the dead zone as punishment for the use of bad judgement caused by misplaced kindness and an inclination towards softness of heart,” Blanchefleur said. “I can't imagine anything he might have done to her or to what purpose. There have been no indications that he was anything but kind to her. Dr. Doris's autopsy indicates that he may have served her tea. Her burial site was primitive and basic, but she had been laid out respectfully. There is no question that he broke the law of contact. Like all outsiders, he knew the rules, and the consequences for breaking them, so there can be no question as to why he would have fled the scene following her death. When he's found, he'll pay his debt to this law, however unjust that law may be under these circumstances.”

“So you sympathize with the outsider,” said Gloria.

“Draw whatever conclusions you must,” continued Blanchefleur. “We will nonetheless use the incident as a warning to insiders about the hazards that lurk beyond the wall and of the dangers posed by all outsiders, though not just because of their violent history. It is more the danger that nature inflicted on us that we must worry about, the danger of temptation.”

Blanchefleur took a sip of water from a glass in front of her, then continued. “As the doctor said, Minn was employed at the Palace of the Temple Donors. Apparently she was one of the technicians who collected the temple fluids, and was thus in regular contact with the outsider donors. At one point she applied for compassionate leave to visit her mother, who she claimed was seriously ill. She was granted two weeks, and more if required. When the holiday was over, she never returned to work.