Reconception: The Fall (9 page)

Taken aback, Evie paused. "Well, I guess you could
look at it that way. But I see it as the way to help nature get
back on the road she was on before the industrial era."

"Evie," Teller said, taking the scientist's hands,
"what's done is done. Now is the time to learn to live. Don't you
see that it's the idea that man must control and dominate nature
that is at the root of all our woes?"

Evie thought about it before replying. "I don't want
to dominate nature. I just want to help her along."

"But what egotism! Who are you to decide what Nature
wants or needs? Who are any of us? We are just another animal
living within the body of the Great Mother. It's our greed for
power that has destroyed everything. Our only chance lies in
accepting our position, in knowing our place."

"Oh Teller, I just don't see it that way. If we have
the power to think and to manipulate things, why shouldn't we use
it? I mean, assuming we use it wisely."

"Because, my friend, we are not wise. We only think
we are wise until we learn more, and then we discover how foolish
we have been."

Evie decided it was time to change the subject since
they could obviously not agree. "Tell me more about the Great
Mother. From what I've seen and heard, you seem to believe in a
female deity. I always thought that the dominant religions were
centered on a male God.”

"They were, but even religion can change, especially
when those who give it the most lip-service disappear underground.
After the leaders went away, all kinds of beliefs sprouted up, and
the failure of patriarchy led to the revival of mother-goddess
religions. What do you believe in?" Teller wondered.

"Science ... Guilt ... Redemption ... ."

"Come with me," the mountain woman said, "I want you
to meet someone." Taking the fair-haired woman's hand, she led her
through the house to the very door Evie had found locked. When she
opened it, the first thing that greeted them was an unpleasant
odor. Evie recoiled. Teller pulled her through the door and shut it
behind them. "You won't like what you see here, but I think you
should see it."

She led her through the corridor to another door, and
opened it. It was a large room, well lit, with several beds, some
small tables and chairs, and some bigger chairs. In the first bed
by the door lay a little girl. "This is my daughter," Teller said,
going over to the child and kissing her on the head.

"What's wrong with her?" Evie asked, "Why is she
here?" The child was about two, dark like her mother. Her eyes were
vacant and staring. She didn`t respond to the kiss.

Teller sighed, and, pulling two chairs over, she sat
by the bed and invited Evie to join her. "When Lissa was born, she
was fine, a darling baby, fat and saucy, but after the first year
she began to change. She became cranky and, I know it sounds funny,
but she was hostile. She began to have these lapses of attention
and it was almost like she wasn't there. Then she started having
seizures, one worse than the last, and bit by bit…she became this
... ." she stopped speaking as a tear trickled down her face.

Evie was appalled. She'd never seen such a thing,
never imagined such a thing. She reached out spontaneously and took
the mother's hand. "Oh, Teller. Isn't there something that can be
done? Why can't she be helped? What's the diagnosis?"

"We're not sure of what's caused her condition, but
we think it may be that the residuals of pollutants and heavy
metals in our soil are being taken up by the plant roots. Some of
us seem to be more sensitive than others. This used to be prime
agricultural land, you realize. That means it was heavily sprayed
with pesticides and insecticides for more than fifty years. It's
been subject to acid rain for long enough to turn it into a near
desert and who knows what else? We do our best, but it's not always
enough. Many of our children die this way. Others die of kidney
failure, heart disease, cancer."

"But we could help her!" Evie exclaimed. "We could do
tests on her and on the soil. It might take some time but I'm sure
something could be done."

"Could you restore her brain function?"

"Well, no, probably not, but she doesn't have to die
... "

"But, my friend," the child's mother said softly,
"she does have to die. We live on the edge of extinction. We can't
afford to feed ... someone like her."

"Well, at least we could do something about the soil
so that others wouldn't be poisoned."

"Oh, and can you do something about the air and about
the ozone? Can you replenish the soil? It takes millions of years
to create viable topsoil, don't you understand? Can you do
something about the weather? Do you know how many times we've been
nearly wiped out by flood or tornado? Do you know how many children
I buried because we lost all our food, four years ago, and almost
starved to death? We lost nearly half our population.

You can't fix the soil, Evie, don't you see, it will
take millenia for things to begin to right themselves. It's the
kind of tinkering you're suggesting that's created the mess we're
in. Only Nature can fix the soil, only Nature can restore the
atmosphere and only Nature can create a more benevolent climate.
It's not up to us."

"Well, then what's the point? Why did I study so hard
and for so long? To just forget about it and go live in that coffin
I grew up in? What do I do with myself?" Evie was near tears. This
was so unlike her. She was always calm and collected.

"You do what we do. You live. You take what the
Goddess gives, and you enjoy. You sing and you dance, and when
tragedy overtakes you, you cry. That's life. You can't control
life. You can only live it."

"I understand your point. I really do. It's just so
fatalistic. How do you live without feeling ... capable ...
powerful. How do you just accept death?"

Teller smiled. "To accept death is to accept
life."

Evie shook her head. "I don't understand that at all.
I really don't."

"Well," the dark woman said, putting her arm around
Evie and drawing her from the sickroom, "maybe you will, someday.
Now come, let's go see what Eagle is doing."

Eagle was coming through the Garden of the Goddess
with several other men and women hauling a wagonload of produce.
Some of it would be prepared for their dinner that night, while the
rest would be canned, bottled, or otherwise preserved. They'd been
picking ripe vegetables and fruit since lunch and they were tired.
When they reached the kitchen, others would take over, just as
they'd taken over for the morning pickers.

Striding up the path and into the clearing, the
first thing he noticed was Teller and Evie sitting on the far
porch, playing with some of the kids. Suddenly the scene erupted
into a game of chase, and Evie ran headlong after one of the little
boys. Eye of Eagle could see that it was Rain. They tore across the
yard and stopped in the shelter. The boy climbed on the tables and
began to hop from one to the next. Evie collapsed, laughing. On the
porch Teller and the other children roared. Wind in the Leaves came
out and spoke to Teller, who got up and followed her inside, and
the children, unrestrained, raced to join Rain in his game.

Eye of Eagle signaled Iron Hand to take the wagon
around to the kitchens, and walked over to where Evie sat at a
picnic table under the thatch watching the children play and trying
to catch her breath. Slipping in beside her, he didn't say anything
for some time. She looked at him and didn't say anything either.
She felt the heat from his body. He was sweaty from working
outside, but she didn't find the smell offensive. It was strong and
pervasive, but oddly pleasant, and she liked how it mixed with the
smell of the earth.

"You're very beautiful," he said.

Evie looked at him and smiled. "It's kind of you to
say so."

"No, I am not kind. I'm just truthful. You are, by
far, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I'm sure my heart
will break when you leave us."

Evie's heart had started to pound when he sat down
and now it raced away. She felt her knees go weak and perspiration
in her armpits. "It will be hard for me to leave. I love it here.
I'm more free, more alive, than I've ever been."

Eagle, all of whose senses were sharp, could smell
her response to him on her skin. He knew she wanted him, perhaps as
much as he wanted her. "Well," he said, standing up, "I have to go
and shower. Will you have dinner with me?"

"Oh, of course," Evie replied.

"No," he said, taking one of her hands in his. "I
mean, just me."

She had to look in his eyes then. They were
compelling. "Yes," she whispered, "I'll have dinner with you."

Smoky Mountains: 2128

The view from the trail that wound through the
mountains was dizzying, and Garret held tightly to Cashmere's
reins. The air was hot and still. Red Deer said it felt like rain.
They'd been traveling for days already without incident, and Garret
was beginning to wonder if all that talk about wild men and
cannibals was no more than talk.

They had passed through several abandoned towns and
had glimpsed the ruins of more than one city from the heights, but
they hadn't encountered anyone. He'd been told that they would
avoid any known inhabited areas. It was safer that way, but somehow
he was disappointed. He'd wanted to see more than the
landscape.

He wondered how many people were left in the world,
and asked Red Deer if he knew of any other settlements like that of
the Mountain people and Red Deer had said, yes, there were many of
them. Most had been established in the latter years of the 20th
century, part of a grassroots movement toward a healthier lifestyle
than that offered by the industrial world. These settlements had
used organic, sustainable agriculture and solar energy to create
small sustainable communities, some of which still survived. After
taking the supplies to Southeast, they would stop and visit the
Hill people.

The caravan came to a sudden stop as Red Deer held a
hand up, and they each reined in their animals. When Red Deer
dismounted, Garret did the same. Behind him, Nightstalker was
taking food and water from the pouch on his camel. Cries at the
Moon, moving with animal grace, settled himself on a rocky
outcropping and took a long drink from his waterbag. Garret
selected nuts and carrots from his sack, and sat down near the
other three.

Food was not plentiful on the trail, though they had
found some berry bushes, and last night Nightstalker had speared a
large lizard, which they'd roasted over a fire.

"How much farther do you think we have to go?"
Garret asked when he'd finished eating, delighting once more in the
new and exquisite tastes.

"I think we'll be there in another week if we can
keep up this pace." Red Deer replied, "Will they be ready for
us?"

Garret laughed, "Nothing on earth would prepare them
for this expedition's arrival. They're expecting a van and a couple
of New Scientists."

"Hmmph," Nightstalker interjected. "Food is food. No
matter who brings it."

No one could argue that, so after a short nap, they
got up and continued their journey. The sun was going down, and the
afternoon was touched with gold when they reached the ruins of the
six-lane highway that would take them to Southeast habitat. They
still had a long way to go, but the going would be a little easier
than in the mountains.

"The road is in good shape. We'll make good time,"
said Garret.

"Maybe ... maybe not," muttered Red Deer. "We'll
camp now, and travel when it gets dark."

"Camp? Why now?" Garret wanted to know.

"Because the roads are dangerous during the day.
From now on, we travel only at night. We'll take turns keeping
watch while the others sleep."

Garret, not the least bit tired, offered to take the
first watch, and the others agreed. At first he enjoyed it, being
alone with only the sounds of breathing for company, but he grew
unexpectedly edgy as the others drifted off to sleep. Was that soft
scratching a normal sound, or was something out there? Did the wind
just rustle the leaves of a bush or did something else do it? The
slight noises grew louder, and Garret didn't know what to do.
Should he wake the others? He didn't want to look a fool if there
was nothing there. Just another minute, he thought. Let's see if
that shuffling sound continues ...

East USA Habitat: 2128

Morgan was getting impatient. It had been two weeks
since they'd heard anything from the van. Garret and Evie should
have arrived at Southeast days ago, and they still weren't there.
What was taking so long? He wished they'd do the job they were
supposed to do and get back to the habitat. He had things to do,
and he didn't like waiting.

He sat at his computer console, punching keys, his
annoyance showing in every nuance of his posture. So close ... so
close. All he needed was for those fools to return, so he could
take the van out ... everything else was in readiness. Ripley had
cracked the computer codes, Jersey—though he didn't know it—was
resting comfortably in the palm of Morgan's hand, and the warheads
were waiting. All he needed was to bring it all together.

An idea flashed across his mind, almost too quickly
for him to grasp. What was it? Oh yes—why wait? If we could build
one van, why not another? Without giving it another thought, Morgan
punched a notice up on the bulletin board suggesting that a new van
be sent out to track down the first. Oh, he knew he'd encounter
some opposition, but after all, when it came right down to it, who
in world stood a chance against him? It might take a little work
getting them to cooperate, but that's what he was good at. They'd
be building him a van within the week.