Note: So, Harry's already experiencing some symptoms of a possible pregnancy; remember that his symptoms will be more severe than average. Whether or not he realizes his predicament is unknown for now, but is an interesting element to the story. Carolyn's plight is not over yet. Now on with the story!
Chapter Fourteen: First Trimester/Rescued
Harry woke up on a soft pile of blankets in a green colored room. It took a bit to realize that the green was not an artificial color that someone painted, but living green plants that made up the wall. Wonder filled Harry as he knew that he was responsible for the living walls, but he did not remember pulling the plants upward to form the web-like pattern. Blinking a few times to jog his memory, Harry only remembered his verbal attack on Shazza. Looking around, Harry did not see anyone although he could hear movement and voices from the next room. Moving towards them, Harry looked around the doorway to see Riddick playing with the children. Ali hung onto Riddick's neck and Jack had a firm grip on one leg, but even the dual attack did nothing to prevent Riddick's movement. Laughing at the scene, Harry did not expect two sets of worried eyes to swivel toward him or the barrage of questions.
"Are you alright mama? You passed out in daddy's arms and I thought that lady hurt you," Ali said worriedly as he tried to drop from Riddick's back and go over to the confused green-eyed man.
"Yeah, what happened? First you were yelling at Shazza and then all these plants started growing in the frames…" Jack asked with her face scrunched up in confusion from her place on the floor after letting go of Riddick's leg.
"You scared the shit outta your parents," Riddick stated gruffly. Harry rolled his eyes internally knowing that Riddick was also worried, although he would never admit to such an emotion. To Harry's eternal amusement, his children had no qualms with calling their father out on his fib. Two sets of eyes, one brown and the other blue, shot accusatory glares at Riddick before they moved around him to envelop their mother in tight hugs. Holding onto the children, Harry looked over their heads at Riddick to see the amused smirk on his lips.
"I'm fine kids, really. Momma just fainted, I guess from using so much energy to create the living walls. Everything will be fine and I know your daddy was worried too, no need to glare at him," Harry said soothingly to the children. Riddick folded his arms over his chest and watched Harry continue to sooth the children of any fears that he was sick or dying, in case of the morbid imagination of Jack. Walking out of their suite, they did not see any of the others, although Riddick could hear shallow breathing coming from the far suite and the muffled steps from above. Ascending the circular steps to the multi-purpose room as Harry dubbed it; they saw Logan sitting at the table eating a nutrition bar with a bottle of liquor in front of him. Harry frowned at the sight and moved towards him to take the bottle, but before he could Alex showed up and pulled him back. The frown was overtaken by a glare that was aimed at his mother for his interference. Unfortunately, the effect was minimal if there was an effect on the calm man.
"But Dad said he wouldn't drink, he told me so when I was still young!" Harry cried out in indignation, mainly from the interruption in his plans to take the bottle from his father.
"He won't drink again, he just needs to calm himself after a revelation that he is not exactly ready to handle. How about you help me in the garden and we collect some more of the edible leaves and such?" Alex suggested motioning to his half full basket of leaves, stems, and even some roots. It really helped that the act of bringing the plants forward and strengthening them sped up their internal processes. Harry reluctantly agreed to help his mother and left to roam the halls, bringing the children along with him. Riddick sat across from Logan and raised an eyebrow when the man offered him the bottle with a sarcastic 'From soon-to-be Grandpa to new Daddy' line. Taking the bottle from his hands, Riddick took a long swig before handing it back, still slightly hesitant about this newfound camaraderie.
Even now some fruit could be seen growing on the trees, still too small to be of any use yet, but they were there. Alex could only wonder what the fruit of this planet would look and taste like. The lower vines were bare of flowers and it was here that the edible leaves prevailed. Watching as the children picked a few leaves from each bunch that Harry indicated would be the best in taste, Alex pondered about the next eight months. Harry cut a bit from the vine edges and placed that in the basket as well, explaining that it would add some flavor when asked by his inquisitive children. They continued moving through the halls until in the unspecified room that still contained boxes, luggage, and the many things in the cargo hold that they had yet to find a use for, Harry pointed out some small, bumpy berry-type things clustered seemingly randomly amongst the vines. Wondering about the diversity of plant types within the ship, considering the small space, Alex made a mental note to ask about it. The bumpy little fruits were fleshy and a bright purple in color. Several of these were placed in the basket, beside the many leaves and few stems/roots. This continued on for some time before the group returned to the multipurpose room. Upon arriving, Harry was happy to see that there was no more liquor bottles in his father's or Riddick's possession. Setting the basket on the table between the two men, Alex and the children began to pull the various food stuffs out and sort them into categories. Meanwhile, Harry gathered the necessary supplies to prepare the food to be stored safely. As they were working, Alex broached the question regarding the diversity of the plant life.
"How are there so many different types of plants available to us? Even on one vine there are multiple food types available. Then there is the variety present within the garden, many of which I have never seen before. Do you mind explaining that to me, Harry?" Alex asked as he resorted a few stems that had been placed in the roots pile. Harry continued to arrange the various dishes that they had available to them on the counter before he began to explain the best he could.
"Although my power over plants is not the complete control that I have when creating animals, the plants still do their best to conform to my wishes. I knew when I was calling the plants, that we would need many types of food to sustain ourselves without repercussion. Therefore, a large variety of plants were made available in a small amount of space. As for the unknown plant types, I suppose these are the plants that would be native to this planet if those creatures had not decimated the food chain," Harry replied with a shrug. Moving to look over the sorted produce, Harry hummed in satisfaction before grabbing a handful of leaves and taking them to the counter. Alex, Logan, Riddick, and the children watched as he cleaned the leaves with a minimal amount of water before placing them in a small metal pan, one of the many metal cook wares that Shazza had rigged from the leftover scrap metal.
"Riddick could you get me some wood for the stove?" Harry asked, adding a "Please" later when he considered that it would be the polite thing. Riddick just grunted, before disappearing down the stairs. The fourth door in the living quarters, which was conveniently located close to the stairs, contained the wood, broken down from the boxes; this would be where miscellaneous things were stored. After all, the children would need somewhere to play when everything calmed down into a more day-to-day routine. With the wood, Harry started the stove burning and set the pan, which contained the leaves suspended in water, onto the grill-like top to boil. Alex watched his son in his domesticity in quiet contemplation. 'Will he be able to have this if we leave this planet?'
While Harry prepared and stored the produce, the children played with their toys on the floor nearby. The others took up their own tasks, in hopes to have the environment more stable before Harry became too heavily pregnant. Logan and Riddick began moving the things to either the storage room or the suites that they belonged in, while Alex perfected the irrigation in the garden. As they were moving things, Logan and Riddick were confronted with the musky smell of sex. The groans/moans, while soft, were easily heard by their enhanced hearing. It was uncomfortable to say the least, but they continued their task. A while later Zeke and Shazza left their room, only to encounter Riddick and Logan carrying things into the extra room. However, the moment was interrupted by the terrified cries of one of the children. Without a moment's hesitation, the object in their hands was discarded and both men were racing to the stairway. The couple followed at a slower pace, but arrived to see Harry vomiting violently into a battered clay pot. Riddick was holding back his hair, while Alex rubbed soothing circles on his back. Shazza went to comfort the children, who she could see feared for their mama's health. Zeke stood beside Logan, who watched on with a grimace. This arrangement went on for quite some time, well after Harry began to dry heave. Finally, the fiasco ended. Harry was carried by Riddick down to their suite so as to lay down for some rest, while the children stayed with their grandparents. Sitting down around the table, Shazza began to ask the questions she so needed to know.
"So, was that just a normal pregnancy symptom or is he ill?" Shazza asked in concern as the vomiting seemed excessive compared to what she has seen women experience. She was not expecting the humorless laugh from Logan or the heavy sigh from Alex.
"For males, the normal pregnancy symptoms are three-fold worse than for females. That is why we are trying to get everything organized the way that Harry wants it, so there will be no added stress for Harry. Oh, there is a shower system in each suite. It should be in the smallest room traveling down from the ceiling or wall," Alex said both to explain the vomiting and to inform them of the option. Considering the slight wrinkling of Logan's nose, the couple spent some time reacquainting themselves with each other. A smirk of amusement could be seen on Alex's lips when the couple turned bright red, excused themselves, and hurried down the stairs. It seemed the children had a few questions of their own as their eager faces appeared in Alex's line of sight.
"Is it true? Is it true?" they asked excitedly together.
"Is what true, little ones?" Alex said teasingly, knowing exactly what the two bouncing children wanted to know so much about. Logan raised an eyebrow at the children before rising from his chair to continue the task of moving the unneeded objects into the storage room.
Over the next couple weeks, all the little projects were completed and the refrigerator was well stocked with produce. Although Harry still experienced severe nausea, he still stubbornly did all the gardening and cooking, which was occurring more frequently. Currently, Harry was spicing some vegetables for a broth and cutting some fruit for a fruit salad. On the table was some hard bread that came in the rations packages on a clay platter. When Harry was cooking, no one was allowed in the kitchen. Therefore, everyone was doing their own thing. The laughter and excited chatter of the children could be heard from the next room and Harry knew that his mother was tending to the garden. Putting the fruit pieces in one of the bowls, Harry set it on the table beside the bread and moved over to the seasoned veggies. Picking up the veggies and placing it on a platter, he moved to drop it into the pot of boiling water that was already sitting on the stove. Riddick came up behind Harry as he finished dropping the veggies in the water and snaked a hand around his waist. Hugging him close, Riddick took a whiff of the cooking vegetables sighing at the delicious scent. Feeling Harry try to loosen his hold, Riddick released him, stood back, and watched Harry work. Movement from stew to countertop was fluid as if there was no trouble doing both tasks simultaneously. Soon, the pot was set next to the fruit salad and bread platter. Eating was interesting as everyone waited to see if Harry would feel nauseous enough to begin vomiting again. Apparently the tense atmosphere was not lost on Harry and he quickly became upset.
"What is your problem?" he asked in an angry hiss, glaring at everyone at the table except the children. Shazza squirmed in her seat at the glare, but the low chuckling from the side of the table caught her attention and became the focus of the glare. Not receiving an answer, Harry began to grumble under his breath a bit before returning to his meal. After finishing the meal, Alex set about cleaning the dishes. Everyone else discussed their current situation. Zeke and Shazza were hoping that a rescue team would come for them. On the other hand, Logan and Riddick were talking amicably about the few necessities still needed to survive on the planet. Harry had his sketchbook in front of him and seemed to be absorbed in his drawing. The subject of the drawing was anyone's guess. Jack and Ali had left the room to continue their play.
"What are you drawing?" Alex asked upon his return after finishing his task. Harry does not answer but moves his pad to make it more visible to the others. The beginning of a feline was sketched on the page, although the purpose was a mystery to some of them. Ignoring them in favor of the drawing, Harry seemed to not notice the conversation switched to him and his pregnancy.
"Do you think he even suspects that he is pregnant?" Zeke asked watching the oblivious young man switch pencils to better simulate the various mixed colors within fur.
"Doubt it; otherwise he would not even attempt using his powers at this time. At least not intentionally," Alex answered watching his son in concern. The others, except Logan, startled a bit at his answer. Riddick moved closer to Harry in hopes to prevent any injury from a collapse.
"You know what would be nice, some way to get meat," Zeke said in a wistful tone, both from actual want and to change the subject.
"I'm sure that Harry will create more animals for just that reason and others. Regardless of the instability of his powers during this time, he will see the necessity of having those animals around. Plus his body will need that sustenance as his pregnancy continues," Alex stated in a very technical manner.
"He would do better if we could get off this rock. Maybe we should have went with Carolyn," Shazza mused.
"You'd have been dead long ago if you went with that fraud. If the creatures didn't get you on the way to the skiff, the faulty power system would've given out killing you all," Logan said harshly, angry that the woman was questioning the plan that his son had come up with.
"Or Carolyn would have done you in herself, who knows whether Imam and his boys are still alive," Riddick added in.
"You don't know that! You could just be putting her down because she was friendly with Johns," Shazza defended, although she began to question her trust in the supposed captain. After all, the gruff men had not lied to her so far. Seeing the contemplative expression on her face, the men refrained from tearing into her any more. Any further conversation was derailed by the telltale glowing from Harry's sketchbook page. The moment the glowing subsided, Harry began to fall backwards. Riddick prepared for the possibility and having quick reflexes caught Harry well before he could have reached the floor. Scooping him into his arms he left down the stores no doubt to lay Harry down in their suite. Sitting on the table next to the sketchbook was a slender regular-looking cat. Its fur was a sandy brown in color except around its eyes where it was a dark brown color. Long, sharp looking claws adorned each paw and its slender tail ended in a small fluffy point. Stretching a bit, the unnamed cat jumped down from the table and left the room. Shazza and Zeke sat in surprise, although that was soon disrupted when a loud squeal was heard from the next room. A chuckle came from Logan before he too moved away from the table and left the room.
Harry was beginning to become suspicious of his father, mother, Riddick and their children. The children seemed more cautious and careful around him, which was odd because his vomiting alone would not cause such deliberate concern. Especially since they were not seemingly concerned with the strange symptoms he was experiencing. Riddick and his father seemed to be on alert whenever he went within a foot of his sketchbook much less opened it. His mother, well, his mother was acting pretty normal. It was more the amusement that Harry kept noticing in his gaze that set Harry on edge. This had been occurring for the last week, since he had drawn the cat in hopes to control the bird population. No more cats would be added until well after the eclipse ended, to prevent the decimation of the population. More often than not, Harry would hear murmurs of conversation that would be ended the moment he entered the room. Quite frankly it was beginning to annoy the hell out of him. Leaving his garden to find his mother or lover, Harry mumbled to himself about secret keeping jerks. Finding almost everyone in the kitchen, except the children and Riddick who were most likely in their suite spending time together, Harry stormed over to them.
"What exactly are you people hiding from me?" Harry demanded with his hands on his hips.
"We're not hiding anything Harry," Alex said, although he could not keep the amusement out of his voice.
"Bullshit, don't lie to me. I know something is going on that apparently everyone but me knows about, so what is it?" Harry snarled angrily. If anything the amusement in his mother's eyes increased and Zeke tried unsuccessfully to cover his laugh. Harry began to glare darkly, a look he learned from his father to encourage truthfulness.
"Don't try that with me, if you're father can't successfully cow me with his patented 'Don't fuck with me' glare than you have no chance to succeed. Perhaps our secret is something that you should know yourself, something that you should know about your own body," Alex said trying to push Harry into discovering the answer for himself. Harry paused at that answer and truly thought about what could be so important that he should know about it. His eyes widened as he began to stutter out what everyone already knew. They watched as Harry turned abruptly on his heel and stalked down the stairs. Walking into their suite, Harry saw Riddick standing in the middle of the main room. Moving over to him quickly, Harry slapped him hard.
"You got me pregnant and didn't tell me," Harry accused, but soon his anger melted into elatedness and he jumped into Riddick's arms exclaiming happily that they were going to have a baby. Up above Logan was chuckling at his son's mood swing and upon telling Alex what he heard, smiled along with Alex at the thought of Harry's happiness. The feeling of elatedness did not leave Harry for the next week, as he continued about his routine. However, as Alex expected, Harry realized that they need a few more things to have proper sustenance. Moving over to his sketchbook, Harry was sure to alert Riddick and his father of his plans so if he passed out he did not hurt his growing child. Sitting down at the table with Riddick standing not far, Harry began to draw an animal that would give them milk. As he drew, Harry did not notice the others come into the room to grab some food from the bowl setup on the table for just that purpose. Every now and then one of them looked at the strange creatures that were being revealed on the paper. Instead of the singular focus that Harry displayed previously when drawing, he remembered to stop to eat and such. He was nearly done when Harry decided to cook a meal for everyone, wanting his children to eat something substantial. After finishing the meal, Harry finished his drawing and quickly placed it inside the opened pen before backing away. The four animals left in the pen after the glowing settled down were interesting to say the least. All four were deep brown in color and had six stubby legs. A curved raised spine bone graced their backs and the largest two had similar curved extensions on their sides, much like wings. Two small horns graced their heads, although on the two smallest they looked more like bumps than distinctive horns. They were strange animals. Moving forward to take his sketchbook back and close the pen, Harry began to explain his latest creation.
"I call them pseudo-winged munchers. The two larger ones are a mating pair, but the male only produces sperm every three years. This further ensures that he will not try to kill the young to impregnate the female, which would stop the production of milk. Milk comes from extensions on the females wing-like curved sides. Although the milk is safe to drink, the adult animals are not safe to eat. That is their defense mechanism. Infants to young adolescent animals are safe to eat, however, but we must ensure at least one young is available for future need." Zeke and Shazza stared at Harry dumfounded that he comes up with these things on his own, but quickly composed themselves. Fortunately, this time Harry did not pass out, although he did begin to vomit violently in the now dubbed vomit pot. The next few weeks were less stressful as Harry focused on storing food, so that when the plants stopped production they would have food.
Carolyn sat at the controls obsessively checking the system settings and navigation assessment. If she was truthful with herself, she had no idea if she was near the shipping lane or if she had gone the right way upon leaving the hellish planet. She saw that although she had bought herself time, the life support was again at critical condition. 'I know that I am not the best of people, but if you spare me I will truly do my best to help those that were left on the planet' Carolyn thought hoping that if there was a God he was truly as merciful as Imam had stated when he was alive. Strapping into the seat, she pulled a blanket around her to get some sleep. She woke to blaring alarms and looking at the display saw that after three months the life support was finally giving out. Trying desperately to figure out something she turned off the navigation system, set an S.O.S. message to play over the galactic radio system in tandem with a homing beacon, and injected herself with a coma-inducing chemical. 'I hope this is enough to keep me alive until help comes' was her last thought.
The team was becoming disheartened at finding the wreckage of the Hunter-Gratzner. They had entered an uncharted solar system, it was believed by the map makers that since many of the planets were unsuitable for life there was no reason to chart the system. However, the Company hired more credible map makers that not only charted the system but named the planets based on computer simulations of their environment. Although they had a map made by the Company, the denizens of the ship did not operate under their jurisdiction. Just when they were about to give up hope of finding any survivors, they picked up an S.O.S. followed by navigation points to a location not far from them. Adjusting their destination they hoped for the best. Upon arriving, they saw an outdated emergency skiff. Setting the tractor beam on the skiff they waited with baited breath for what they would find.