The Mendel Experiment (2 page)

“I don’t know,” Corree admitted.

“Are we?” Mendee asked.

“How do we get in?” Tanna, the voice of reason piped in.

Those were good questions, Corree thought. She didn’t have any good answers.

The building still sparkled as the sun rose, but it was no longer reflecting in their eyes. Corree studied the situation. They all felt the compulsion to go inside, but it would be a stupid move. “I’ll go down and check it out. The rest of you wait here,” she finally said.

Tanna protested. “No! You shouldn’t go alone!”

“I’m the leader,” she began and saw Tanna bristle. “Besides, the rest of you are nest-mated.”

Tanna scowled.

When he opened his mouth to say something else, Corree shook her head. “We’d be idiots if we all went in at the same time. Or even two of us. One of us needs to check it out first. Then if it’s safe…” She pulled off her bow from where it hung on her back and handed it to Tanna. The small quiver of arrows followed.

Mora snorted. “I don’t see how you’ll get in.”

“I don’t either, but it seems crazy to entice us here and then leave us to stare at it.”

There were multiple nods.

“Maybe I’ll see something from the ground. Tanna, you and Mora are in charge until I come back. If I can get into the pod, I’ll check everything out.”

Kollin looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. He was the one who needed to know everything, but Corree didn’t have any answers to his “what if” questions now.

She pulled on her thin leaf goggles, then extended her arms and leaped out from the limb, dropping toward the riverbank. Air filled the skin flaps and slowed her fall. Her legs were tight together and worked the same way a tail did for the monkeys that lived in the canopy. Corree curved her body and gathered her legs beneath her as the ground approached. Her landing was automatic, learned from cautious experience and from watching the other forest dwellers. None of the group members thought about it anymore, except for Joshee who loved to try acrobatics when he was gliding.

Corree’s feet made only a whisper of sound as she landed on the open, pebbly surface. She crouched and studied the area near the plant-covered building. The sounds of the forest seemed muted. It was like she had walked a long distance from the edge of the great trees. Only the river seemed to have voice. It gurgled and splashed below her. Walking to the edge of the bank, Corree saw that it would be impossible for her to wade across the wild water, nor was there room or wind enough for her to leap or glide across this time of day.

Stymied, Corree paced along the edge of the riverbank. She signaled for Tanna and the others to remain in the trees. At that moment, she heard a whining sound, like a horde of angry honey wasps. She stared at the oversized pod as two pieces of the building split apart to form a doorway. It stopped and Corree shaded her eyes, trying to see into the strange, yet familiar structure. Nothing happened for several minutes.

Without warning, a strip of metal began sliding toward her. Corree backed up, watching the ramp.
Ramp.
Another new word that popped out of that deep place in her mind.

Tanna whistled a warning. Corree signaled an okay back to him without taking her eyes off the ramp. It stopped with a grinding thump on the bank near her feet. She waited, not knowing what else to expect. Nothing happened. The sun beat down, and her eyes smarted in the glare, despite her goggles. A trickle of sweat ran down the middle of her back. She knew what she was supposed to do, but she was afraid. Rustling behind her was motivation to make some kind of decision. The group was getting restless. Corree sucked in her breath and stepped onto the ramp. It was cold against her calloused feet. She didn’t hesitate as she crossed the river. Water splashed over the rocks, sending spray up against the bottom of the ramp.

Corree reached the other side of the river and stopped at the open door. It was cool and dark inside. She could see nothing, nor could she hear anything. The smell was similar to what she remembered in her dreams, only…older. Corree stepped in.

The light in the pod was muted as though she had stepped back into the forest. Corree heard insects humming and rain dripping from leaves. The smell of dampness and decomposing vegetation relaxed her. She stepped farther into the pod, marveling that such a place could feel so much like her forest home. The temperature rose until it was as comfortable inside as it had been in her nest.

Corree shook her head. It was still a metal building, despite the comforting scents and sounds. She needed to examine it and then get out. Corree took another step and a small amount of light filtered down from the sky, mottled like sunlight through layers of leaves. She looked up. The light wasn’t from the sky and there were no leaves. She was still in a pod.

Corree was almost in the middle of the building now. A small whispering of sound caused her to pivot in alarm. She was shocked to realize the outer door had closed. Fear gripped her and it was all she could do to keep from running to the door and trying to rip it open.
What an idiot walking in here like a rainbow spider into one of Tanna’s traps!

“You will not be harmed,” someone said behind her. The voice was low, deep, and soothing, but Corree jerked around into a low crouch, her stone knife in her hand. There was no one there.

The voice continued. “Put away your weapon. You are only here to be taught.”

Corree looked directly at the spot from which the voice was coming. A beam of white light shone from the ceiling. As she watched, the light seemed to gather together into a form several feet in front of her. It continued to coalesce into a man taller than her. He had none of the changes that had altered Corree’s little group.

“I am your teacher. It is time to learn your purpose for being here,” the voice continued.

The man was complete except Corree noticed she could still see things behind him. He had wavy, light brown hair on top of his head, fair skin, and bright blue eyes. The man smiled and gazed down at her as though he knew her…and cared for her. For the space of several heartbeats, the man stood looking at her, the smile fixed and the eyes seeming to look inside her—or through her. “Why didn’t you bring the rest of your group with you?” There was the flickering of a frown and then the set smile returned.

Corree snorted. “You may have called us, but I’m not stupid enough to bring everyone into a place we don’t know.”

“This is the learning place. It was established for all the mutant humans. You must learn…” The voice trailed off. He studied the closed door.

Corree realized why his eyes seemed to focus at some point beyond her. This man was not real. He was something made by the old ones. How they did that, she had no idea.

“Call them in, please.”

Corree shook her head. “I won’t do that until I know it’s safe for them.”

The light figure didn’t move for several heart beats. His eyes were now fixed on her and his smile unchanging. Then he seemed to lean toward her, his hands opening in front of him as though offering something. Like the rest of him, they were empty. “But it
is
safe!”

“That’s easy for you to say. You have me in a closed pod with no way out. They won’t come in until I…” Corree stopped. What if this empty man had something in here to force her to do his will?

Again, the man stood without moving for several more moments. It was as though he had to think about it. Corree remembered something else from her before days and realized this was not the home pod. For one thing it wasn’t big enough. They had lived in a huge building in another place. Could the light man be something coming from the home pod? “What did you want to teach me?” Sweat trickled down her back and she glanced at the rounded walls anxiously. “I can tell the others after I learn.”

“The education is for all Mendel human mutants.”

“So there is more than just my group?” That would explain why she remembered so many other people, even if it was vague remembrances.

“Many more colony pods landed. Not all survived.” The man stopped talking and waved a hand toward a wall of blinking lights. In front of the wall was a large place to sit. There had been similar ones in the smaller pod that had brought them.
Chairs.

“Please sit down and I will be able to show you your history…and your future.”

“And then I can go back to my group?”

“Yes, of course.”

Corree looked dubious, but she walked over to the chair and studied it. She walked around it and, satisfied, sat down…and immediately jumped up, her fur on end all over her body. The chair had seemed ready to envelope her.

“It is only adapting to your form to make you feel comfortable,” the man said. He was still standing in the middle of the room. Corree assumed the light could only make him there. “It is while you are in the chair that you can learn.”

Corree eyed the chair thoughtfully. In her brief flashes of memory, she felt the sticks of many needles and hard bands of restraints. Even thinking the words left a taste of bile in her mouth. If she had seen these memories before entering, she would have gone back to the forest without a moment’s hesitation. “No needles or restraints.”

The see-through man scowled and snapped, “If you do not sit quietly for the learning there will be restraints.”

“Then you don’t have anything I want to learn. Let me out!” She stalked to the door and pushed against it. “Let me out!” she repeated when the door didn’t budge. A soft mist curled around her feet and Corree turned to the man in shock. The mist had a peculiar odor. “Open the door!” she demanded, as her limbs seemed to get heavier and less responsive. She thought of the anesthee plant and knew where the name had come from. The room began to spin and tilt, and Corree fell to her hands and knees. She tried to hold her breath, but it was useless. She was so glad the others had not come in with her.

Chapter Two

Tanna paced the limb. The others watched from above and below him, saying nothing, their large eyes round with worry. Kollin finally voiced what each was thinking. “What do we do now?”

Tanna smacked the trunk with the palm of his hand, growling like a spotted cat. He paced again and finally stopped, facing the pod. The ramp was still out, but the door was closed. He glanced at the blue-white sun. Corree had not been inside long, but when the door slid shut, Tanna felt a helpless wrenching inside his chest. It hadn’t lessened in the time the sun had moved a hand span (
an hour? Another of those words that kept coming into his head recently),
since she disappeared. “I don’t know,” he muttered, disgusted to admit his inability to do something. “If Corree doesn’t come out by the time the sun is forest-set, I am going down and see if it will open for me.”

He pictured the traps they built to capture tree-hoppers and rainbow birds for food. The building had not enticed them here for that purpose, he was sure, but it had captured Corree. Why? Did it want all of them inside? If so, it would open for him. He had to be ready, though, to make sure the door stayed open after he had gone in to rescue Corree.

“Corree said to stay here,” ever-reasonable Breka reminded him.

“I know that, but I am not going to stay here forever.”

“Why…?” Kollin began.

“I don’t know,” Tanna snapped.

“You didn’t let me finish,” Kollin pouted.

“I know what you were going to ask.”

“No, you don’t.”

Tanna just snorted.

“I was going to ask why the old ones would put us here, leave us here without memories for all this time and then call us to the big pod.”

Even for Kollin, that was a remarkably deep question. “I’m sorry. I don’t know the answer to that, either.” Tanna had wondered some of the same things. Why would the old ones put them in a dangerous place with no information to help them survive?

After foraging, the younger members of the group dozed while Tanna and Mora took turns watching.

When the blue-white sun touched the tops of the trees in the east, Tanna stood up on his limb. “Stay here,” he ordered the group. “And if we don’t come out by moonrise….” He bit his lip. “You can’t stay here. If Corree and I aren’t out of there by second moonrise, go back.”

“We can’t leave either of you!” Breka protested. Then it registered what Tanna had said. “You think it will let you in?”

Tanna said nothing. As he prepared to leap out of the tree, he saw movement up one side of the mountain. He squinted his eyes, but still couldn’t see that well. They were large figures. “Move back,” he ordered, pulling Kollin and Mendee into the deeper foliage. Whatever they were, they were moving toward the pod.

*****

Corree walked through long metal-encased corridors. She was with others of her kind, all smooth skinned. Those who walked beside her were her height and apparently the same age. She was startled to see Migo next to her. In that instant Corree realized she was seeing something from her past. These were eight-year-olds, not the changed tree dwellers she and her group had become.

They continued down a corridor until they reached a large door. After a slight hesitation, the door slid open, revealing a huge room with more seats than she could count. She remembered the large groups becoming smaller at the various selections. The created kids went into different classes and she only saw some of her friends at mealtime.

Corree grimaced as she remembered the med-bay. Every day they had to go there. Some days the doctors just examined them, listening to their hearts, looking in their eyes, mouths, and ears. Other days they were waiting with needles and machines that poked and prodded her until she ached for hours. All of those doctors were sitting in chairs at the front of the assembly hall.

When everyone had sat down, an older one rolled forward in a wheel chair and cleared his throat. Doctor… Doctor Windemere! That was his name. Dr. Windemere cleared his throat and spoke.

“You are the leaders who will take the Federation into the next galaxy as well as the next century….”

Corree hadn’t paid much attention to the leader then. What she did listen to, she had not fully understood.

“As environmental mutant pioneers, you will populate planets previously uninhabitable by humans. You will create colonies for the Federation and provide resources that will make the Federation the greatest force in the universe!”

Corree still didn’t comprehend everything, but she understood enough to realize what Doctor Windemere was saying. She wasn’t all that happy with it. That they had been changed to live on the blue sun world she understood; now she understood the reason why. Corree wondered how in the world they expected seven kids be a colony.

“Each group will mutate to adapt to different environments on Mendel. Groups will become self-sustaining. Eventually the groups will become large enough to form cities that will dot the continents of Mendel. You and your children will be valuable members of the Galactic Federation!”

Windbag!
thought Corree. Even though she understood more of what he was saying now, her opinion of him hadn’t changed. He and the other old ones had sent Migo to his death. All of them in her group could have died.

She still didn’t understand why they hadn’t been able to remember anything from before their landing on Mendel? She thought of her terrible fear the first days on their new world. Corree had hated being in charge of seven others when she didn’t have a clue what was going on.

They had been lucky the changes were swift. During their transformation, ideas popped into their heads about what was good for them to eat and what was dangerous. Maybe that was part of their mutations, too. Not just their bodies adapting, but also their minds. Within days it was as though they had always been a part of the forest on Mendel.

The memories continued. There were so many that Corree found it hard to keep them straight. She opened her eyes to see the man still standing in the middle of the room gazing at her. She was sitting in the chair.
How did that happen?
“What did you do to me?” Corree demanded. “How did I get from the floor to the chair?”

“You were given the sleep gas so you could remember. Under the influence of the gas you can follow simple directions.”

They could make her do things when she was asleep?
The idea made her feel queasy. What else could they make her do? “You made me forget before. Why? Why make me remember things now?”

“You were made to forget so you and the others could learn to live on this world.”

Corree scowled. “We could have done that without being made to forget. Do you realize we could have died eating something that was bad for us? Or…or walking into some danger.”

“Perhaps, but the Federation scientists felt you would learn to live on this world easier if you didn’t remember how you lived before. During your first training, you relied on others to take care of you. Your group succeeded, didn’t they? That shows the viability of our assumptions.”

Corree scowled and then a thought occurred to her—could one of the reasons they didn’t want them to remember was because the scientists didn’t have enough information about Mendel to give them detailed instructions? “But why wait until now to tell us?” she repeated.

“So you would be old enough to understand who made it possible for you to live here. You owe the Federation scientists your lives. It is essential to follow our directives and pay back your debt.”

Corree almost snorted her disgust, but stopped. She remembered the teaching sessions and all the times they were told to obey, follow orders, and do what they were told. Even after the years of their forgetting, those who had created them still expected her to obey.

“You were made to adapt.”

Corree moderated her tone to hide her irritation. “Why? Why bother with Mendel? Why make us come here if no one else can?” Her mind was whirling more and more furiously with every piece of information she remembered. She didn’t wait for his answer but got out of the chair and strode around the room studying the machines that softly hissed, clicked, and whirred.

“This planet occupies a strategic position for the Federation.”

Corree didn’t remember that bit of information. “I don’t understand,” she replied.

“By establishing occupancy on Mendel, we will have control over the entire system. That includes three datronium rich planets besides Mendel, maybe all of the planets in this system.”

Corree frowned. That was new. All she remembered hearing was how wonderful and glorious their mutations would be for the Federation. They would pave the way for many others to live on other, previously uninhabitable, worlds. Her training, as she now recalled, consisted of building strength, dexterity, learning weaponry. She had played simulation games to increase her mental and decision-making skills. She had been taught to obey the old ones and to expect obedience from those under her. With her recollections, Corree realized she was a citizen of a Federation that stretched across a good part of the galaxy. However, she knew very little about that Federation.

She had been born and raised on a colony ship. That was the cold, hard place of her early dreams. The old one, Dr. Windemere, was her creator, the scientist who had come up with the mutations/adaptations that allowed her and her group to live on a planet like Mendel. Corree needed to know more. “Explain, please. Tell me more about why this planet is so important.”

The man beamed in satisfaction. “This planet, Mendel, is rich in several elements that make up the fuel blend needed to power intergalactic space craft. And those are the things we know about. We believe there are many other elements and resources here the Federation could use.” The man pointed toward one side of the room and a diagram appeared in mid-air showing stars, some with planets wheeling around them. A bright red and blue cloud seemed to hover over everything else. A lighted pointer indicated the various parts of the holo-diagram as the man spoke. His voice was animated and the figure’s fingers jerked like baby tree snakes.

Corree stared at him. She had already figured out this man was also some kind of projection—a hologram. Someone was controlling him. Who? Who was sending her these messages? The scientists? Just what did they want her to do?

“This is your planet. Mendel is a treasure chest of untapped resources.” The holo-man paused and his face became more impassive; like it had been before. “Mendel is the only planet in this star system that has an atmosphere that humans can be adapted to. This is the system nearest to several other valuable planetary systems.” The light pointer continued flickering around the holo-diagram.

“Why is that important?”

“These systems also have worlds rich in many resources the Federation needs. If the Federation owns Mendel…” He stopped.

“Then what?”

“I told you,” the man said without emotion. “The Federation will have resources they need.”

Corree had her doubts but said nothing. She had to think, but even more important, she needed more information. “How many of us are there on this planet? On Mendel?”

The man was very accommodating. “There were groups sent to each of the twelve equatorial forests. There are also groups in the east continental mountain range and the west range. There are several underground groups and a polar group. There are some coastal and sea groups and groups in the temperate forests of the northern hemisphere.”

Corree did the math and figured there had been at least one hundred and seventy-five of them sent down here to adapt or die. Resentment flared again. “And how many died?” she snapped.

“That is unknown.”

She reined in her emotions. “Uh, can you tell me the history of the Federation?” she asked, her voice meek. “If I had been told before, I don’t remember.”

He obliged her again. “It had seemed peaceful at the beginning. Humans were curious and resourceful enough to explore beyond their own system and in much of the galaxy. They continued until they met other beings who were doing the same thing. Somehow the curious exploration turned into rivalry and then aggression. After some serious warfare, humans beat the other beings and assimilated their systems into the Federation group. Recently there was contact with another group even more different than humans. There was a serious battle.”

“What did these Ologrians do to make human hate them so much?” Corree asked after a considerable time studying the history.

“They destroyed one of our colonies, slaughtered the colonists.”

“Why?” Corree asked.

“That, too, is unknown.”

“Didn’t anyone bother to ask?”

“It is much more complex than simply asking.”

Corree didn’t understand why it would be, but chose not to press the issue. Instead she explored a thought that suddenly popped into her head. “Mendel is near the Ologrian’s, uh, territory?”

The holo-man seemed to do a double take, but he answered her question. “Mendel is between the Federation and the Ologrian Empire.”

“So we are here for more than just finding resources for you,” Corree said, her voice as impassive as the man’s had been. She had other thoughts but wasn’t going to venture them right now until she knew more. “Just what are we supposed to do here after we find all this fuel stuff?”