BLUE GENDER

"Children of the Blue"

5. Reconstitute

Marlene rested her head against the interior side window of the cockpit. How long had it been since she had slept? Or even slowed down?

She glanced at Captain Junker. He was trying hard to suppress a smile as he piloted the air ship. He too was unleashing some buried past person from deep within.

The late afternoon sun hovered over the jungle. She could see the main road below. Junker was following it toward the village. It was going to be a while before they got there and that was fine with her.

What was she bringing back, anyway?

Her son? No.

A cure for Yuji? No.

A prisoner, crates full of military hardware, and a double edge armor shrike which was useless to them—useless at least until they headed on to Houston.

But that was for later. For now she had to go home and watch her lover—the father of her child--die. To loose him…after all this…after having found peace…

Marlene drifted into a sleep born of exhaustion.

Flashes of light bounced through her dreaming mind. Silhouetted images matted against bright video screens. Dark voices booming at her.

Someone else was with her. Yuji? But he was hurt…he seemed weak…she felt afraid.

A familiar voice (who was it?) spoke: "The B-cells could be best described as an overly powerful antibody. Their instinct is to aggressively kill off whatever germs might invade the body…"

Where am I?

Another voice…a commanding voice…told them both: "Once the antibodies of the B cells are activated a Sample's injuries should be able to heal more quickly."

Yes of course…in front of the high council…with Yuji…after I had found Yuji on the Military Station…when I couldn't forget him because even then, before I knew it, I loved him.

"A benefit to which the sample, or should I say to which young Yuji Kaido can most likely attest."

Marlene sat straight in her chair so fast that the pilot nearly jumped.

"What?" Junker asked. "What is it?"

***

Dr. Gamble walked out from the cover of the medical hut. Other than Yuji Kaido, all of his patients were either home or buried. There hadn't been much in the way of middle ground.

Chief Fuentes, his head hung low, walked over to the village's physician.

"How is Yuji?"

Gamble simply shook his head at the Chief.

Fuentes let out a sigh and past on more bad tidings.

"My scouts returned and they do not bring good news."

"More bandits?" Gamble was skeptical.

"Worse," the Chief told him. "Something our village hasn't faced since long before the second earthers arrived. There are Blue in the fields to the northwest—a whole herd of them. If they stay on the path they are on, they will be here tomorrow."

Gamble asked the obvious question: "No nest? Where did they come from?"

The Chief answered: "No nest. As to where they have come from, it matters not. I think the stench of battle has drawn them. Only when we learn to stop fighting ourselves will we ever truly be safe."

The Chief began to walk away but a roar from the sky stopped him. The two men and all the villagers watched as a transport ship came swooping over the northern valley walls.

***

"What? An armor shrike is a weapon, not a medicine," Gamble seemed shocked at what Marlene was suggesting.

She explained it again for the group to hear. They were standing outside of the tent inside which Yuji was dying.

"Listen to me. Yuji's genetic structure includes a mutation that is called b-cells. They are dormant unless activated. The Double Edge shrike was designed to stimulate his b-cells so that he could be a better fighter. I can't explain every detail, but the bottom line is that it also boosts his immune system."

"I see," Gamble nodded but he didn't seem to really understand.

"We place him in the shrike and activate it. The vehicle has projection devices that interface with Yuji and stimulate his b-cells," she went on. "You said the poison was like an infection. It's possible that when his immune system is boosted by the shrike it will give him the extra power his body needs to resist that infection."

"Whoa," Denise Karr stepped in. "Didn't the activation of his b-cells lead Yuji to go over the edge? Didn't he nearly kill you?"

Marlene nodded: "The b-cells are the origin of the Blue. He became erratic…mean. But I brought him back. I can do it again if I have to."

"Say, boss, what if he goes psycho all over us?" Moss spoke everyone's thought. "We've already had our clocked cleaned. Now a sleeper? I dunno."

"Please…" Marlene pleaded with Gamble and Fuentes. "If we don't try…Yuji will die."

Fuentes looked at Gamble.

The doctor shrugged and admitted: "There's nothing more I can do for him. It's worth a try."

Fuentes nodded his approval.

Marlene told Pistol Jones: "Go get the Double Edge and bring it here."

He nodded and walked off.

"Where is Gunther?" Fuentes asked.

Marlene looked around to make sure only the Chief and Gamble could hear.

"He's back at the transport…he's guarding a prisoner we brought back with us. One of the mercenaries."

Gamble was surprised and asked: "Why did you leave him at the ship?"

She told him, bluntly, "Because I'm worried the villagers would rip him apart. I can't say I'd blame them."

Fuentes, with a healthy dose of indignation, told her: "My people would never do such a thing."

There was no denying the meaning of the grief-stricken chief. He was drawing a distinction between the original villagers—"my people"—and the second earthers. It was the first time Marlene had ever felt like an outsider to the village. It stung.

"Is he injured?" Gamble asked.

"Yes…he's got a bullet hole in his leg."

"I'll go check it out," Gamble said, then added: "doesn't look like I'm needed here anymore, anyway."

Gamble took his medicine bag and walked away.

"Chief," Marlene said, humbly. "I'm sorry about Bo. I loved him, too."

Fuentes regarded her with a stern look, then walked away.

When he was gone, Marlene entered the medical tent and looked at her husband. He was lying on the cot with a cool rag over his head. His breath was slow.

She kneeled alongside his bed and took his hand. She let it all come flowing out. Her eyes watered and the tears flowed.

"Yuji…this has to work," she sobbed. "I realize now, I can't save Takashi without you. I need you, Yuji. Our son needs you."

***

Dr. Gamble ascended the ramp into the portside cargo hold. It was full of armor shrikes but he didn't' see the Double Edge; it was in the compartment on the other side of the vehicle.

Gunther Gerhardt met him just inside.

"Hello, doctor," the big man with the machine gun greeted.

"Marlene sent me to check on your prisoner. How is he? Where is he?"

Gunther motioned to the back of the hold.

"Leg is hit. Bleeding on and off. Who cares?"

Gamble drew a disapproving look: "I care. I'm a doctor."

A voice called from a distance away in the starboard cargo hold

"Yo, Gunther," it was Pistol Jones' voice. "Can you give me a hand here?"

Gunther alternated looks at the cargo hold behind him, Gamble, and the other cargo area.

"It's okay, go ahead," Gamble assured him.

"He is a pussy cat, anyhow. Pissed himself twice already. Hands are tied…he give you no problem."

Gerhardt moved off to assist Jones with the Double Edge. Dr. Gamble walked into the dark of the cargo hold until he found the prisoner—really just a young man—sitting on the floor against the wall with his hands bound behind his back. A trickle of blood seeped from underneath a bandage that had been poorly dressed onto his right leg.

"Hello, I'm the village doctor and they sent me to check your wound out."

The man was shaking. Then he eyed Charles Gamble closer.

The enemy technician peered and asked: "Hey…do I know you?"

"I don't think so. Let's see that wound."

The tech sounded surer this time and spoke in a whisper so that no one else might hear.

"Yes, I know you. Hey, you got to get me out of here."

Gamble pressed against the bandage. The man squirmed and grunted at the pain.

"Okay, you still have some pain. I've got just the thing for that," the doctor told his patient.

"No, listen, that big guy wants me dead. I want out."

Gamble pulled a vial from his bag.

"There's no where to go. Just miles of jungle out there. You wouldn't last a day on this leg. Besides, they don't want to kill you, they want more information."

Gamble stuck a syringe into the small bottle and filled it.

The prisoner asked: "So what are you going to do about that?"

Gamble assured him, "I'm not going to let that happen."

***

Captain Junker stood with Gunther and Dr. Gamble looking over the contorted face of the dead prisoner's body.

"Convulsions?" Junker repeated what Gamble had said.

"Yes," Gamble was breathing fast and appeared to be upset. "He said his leg was really hurting him. I just gave him a common pain medication. It must have been an allergic reaction. One in a damn million."

Gamble rested his head in his arm and placed it against the wall of the cargo hatch.

Junker placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"There's no way you could've known, doc. Don't beat yourself up over it. If you had better stuff…hell, if we all had better stuff…"

***

"How is Yuji?" Fuentes walked to Marlene.

She was sitting on the ground by a campfire next to the armor shrike.

The mechanical humanoid was down on its iron knees, the position used for easy entry and exit. Yuji's silent form was secured in the cockpit in full uniform, all wires and components attached. The shrike let loose a soft hum from its activated power core.

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

"What are you going to do if this works?"

She told him: "We think there's enough fuel in the transport to get us to Houston. Then we'll have to figure out where they went from there. Houston is a waypoint, not the destination. Still, we have to go after Takashi. This isn't over, it's just starting."

Fuentes nodded in agreement then followed up: "And if it doesn't work?"

She didn't say anything but she knew that if Yuji died it wouldn't change the fact that she had to go after her son. The other volunteers had already pledged their support.

Fuentes said to her: "I hear your prisoner died."

She nodded her head but still refused to look away from the flickering flames.

"Bad luck," she answered. "Lots of bad luck today."

He replied, "My father told me once that we make our own luck."

"My father died when I was ten," she reminded him.

They listened for a moment; listened to the gentle lapping of the campfire; listened to the steady hum of the Double Edge.

Chief Fuentes broke that silence after what seemed a very long time.

"You had better get your sleep, Marlene Angel. If things do not change, sometime tomorrow morning the Blue will be here."

She nodded her head in understanding. She didn't know where the Blue had come from or how, it was all too confusing. There was so much more going on here than met the eye.

Nonetheless, she knew that a fight was coming with daylight.

Fuentes stood and walked away, disappearing into the dark beyond the radius of the campfire.

Marlene Angel, alone except for the silent form of her dying lover secured inside the war machine, began to hum a familiar old tune—Yuji's favorite song from his old life, on old Earth.

Maybe, if I do it just right, he'll wake up and sing it with me.

Maybe.

NEXT FACTOR:

6. Pursuit

Marlene: "We thought we were safe from the outside world, but it came and found us…so many Blue…where did they come from?…they got here how? No! No, that's not possible!"