Hey guys, new chapter. Thanks you all my readers! Sorry for the writing errors!
David was studying parchments he found in the city. He was trying to find more similar items that could help him to develop his plan.
Stone faces in the lobby of main entrance observed him. He looked at them with disgust. Thunder echoed in the city walls, mixing with the sounds of the wind and rain. Occasionally he would hear a silent voice in the wind. But he did not understand it. Probably just the storm, and sound of the wind that was too strong for getting out. It was still getting stronger.
"Elizabeth." He whispered and closed his eyes. "Is that you? Do you hear me? "
He began to whistle the melody she had been singing lately while they were traveling. There was a smile on his face. He opened his eyes and ignited the torch he had found nearby. It illuminated the space he was walking. He observed the whole interior of the city. Though exterior resembled the ancient Greek buildings, it seemed to be entirely different from the inside, almost empty. It lacked decoration and ornaments. It felt cold.
Outside there were no indications that light would appear soon. Clouds covered the city in full darkness. Though the time of day could not be determined from the outside, David's central system was aware of it in any time.
He went back to the cave. There were a few dissected embryos on the table. They were infected with black liquid, but were dead. It couldn't survive the infection. His only hope now is Elizabeth. If he succeeds to finish the serum with the help of hers stem cells, he may end up reviving the embryos and produce new ones from her egg cells and Engineer semen. He'll need as many samples as he can to succeed. His children need the body and the host.
Nearby were crystal lenses of various shapes and sizes. He took them to try to see if he could use it as magnifier. He tried it on one embryo. Details he saw through it were amazing. It was almost like a microscope so he decided to look other medical preparations with it.
He made several sketches of each embryo with which he experimented. He also studied the sample of the reviving serum he wanted to complete. He compared it with black liquid samples. He tried to find a link, the reason why the city's residents and Engineers were infertile.
Thought he couldn't feel tired, something like that began to overtake him. The longer he waits, the less chances he has to succeed. This storm like wants to stop his plans. Since nobody on the planet has survived infection, Elizabeth and Engineer are his only choice to make this plan work. If he didn't already took off.
He closed his eyes and tried to recall the moment he had spent with Elizabeth. Her smile and words gave him hope he would succeed. He left her in the ship. He hit her, but not too strong, just to hold her in one place until he does all the preparations.
If she could just understand, he is doing all this for her, because he loves her. No one could give her what he could, the thing she wanted the most, a child. Even her God could not give it to her.
He took an empty parchment and began to draw her face. The pencil drew a gentle face. Faint smile on her face, smiling at him. He heard the soft voice again. He turned to see behind himself, but no one was there. But it didn't disturbed him at all.
He studied all parchments he had found. He learned a lot from it. They had a complex anatomy. Millennium of development has strengthened them, but it left them without some abilities. Although they were still born with all reproductive organs, they could not conceive.
''Punishment.'' He thought. They were afraid of their own creations. He hoped Engineer wasn't even more evolutionary-minded because he needed his reproductive cells.
Black liquid had special properties. By what he learned and noticed by testing, it was a partialy artificial and organic substance, a compound of nanoparticles and cells of a being they called ''seeder''. Another idea began to form in his head, but for the time, he'll leave it to rest.
Elizabeth listened storm hitting the ship. She occasionally felt a slight tremors under her feet. Her fear increased. How long will this storm last? Walls of the ship seem to trap her, prison her. She does not know how long she will endure with ... her creator. She looked at him for a moment.
Between the whistling of the wind she could heard the voice, her name. But who? The voice was similar to someone ...''David!''
She quickly dismissed the thought frightened. "It couldn't be!"
She heard her name calling again. Cold sweat began to form inside her. Is he alive? Is he trying to find her? Why? She was guilty for this, giving her trust to the thing that had killed almost the whole crew. Which killed her boyfriend. And she believed him again.
Pilot was busy looking at the hologram of the city. He was trying to detect the current location of the robot, but the storm caused disturbance. He didn't pay any attention at her. Like she isn't there.
David's voice rang in her ears: She covered them with her hands, but it only became stronger. "Let me go!" She said to herself. She felt like she is going crazy, like his voice is trying to swallow her. It was calling her to come out. In the city, to see what he did, just for her.
Feeling a heavy remorse she decided to go out. To destroy him. She was in the corridors, begging God to forgive her for not trusting him. Why she didn't leave him dismantled. Somehow she would manage to come here.
After some time she found the exit. It was different from the one on the ship they came with. She didn't recognize all symbols. But she tried anyway. She used various combinations of symbols but couldn't guess how to open it. She continued, desperately hitting the portal.
The alarm sounded in the control room. Someone is trying to open the entrance. Pilot quickly looked around. Women was not nearby. "Damn humans!" Fear and anger covered his face. He ran fast to the exit until she makes some stupid thing. By the time he reached her, the entrance opened. Powerful wind immediately pulled her out, but he managed to catch her wrist.
Her hand began to slide out of his hand. He was struggling to keep her.
"Let me go!" She screamed. A gentle voice echoed in the wind, but not David. She turned to the source. "I'm coming." She stretched out her arm to it without seeing anyone.
The wind started to drag him too. He caught her with the other hand, leaning his feet on the walls of the ship so wind don't pull him out too. He took a deep breath and pulled her hard and managed to get her into the ship. Opening immediately closed down.
Elizabeth fell to the floor. She clenched against the wall and held her legs. She closed her eyes shaking. "You have to let me go. Someone is out there. I have to save them from him. I have to stop him.''
He stood beside her and watched her. ''It's too late now. They are dead, all of them, there is no one out there.''
''But ... a little while ago I heard ... ''
He interrupted her. ''You were imagining it, from all the stress. Sacrifice of your own life won't return them. I'll take care of it. You have to stay alive, for the council… for all of you humans… and justice will be done.''
"Why all humans. They are not guilty of this!" She was angry.
"You're guilty of creating such a thing instead of respecting real life. You disobeyed all the instructions we gave you! You never knew how to appreciate the gift of creating life you have. You're capable for such a beautiful dreams, yet you do such a horrible things!
She wrapped her belly with her arms, she knew worth of creating life.
''But, not all of us are like that! She said angrily. ''We need you! I need you! Why would I came here in the first place if we didn't need you!''
He just smiled at that. ''You need us?! We watched you time after time raising your hands against each others, against us… You're so desperate to find us, while you're the ones who pushed us away. You're the one who said you didn't need us! We gave you so many chances to change yourself. But you dishonored each others, your bodies and your home world again and again. So we destroyed all unworthy of gifts we gave you, leaving just the ones pure hearted. And there was peace for a while, but, then again, as time passed, your need for more overcame you. You banished us. So, we left you, left you to make your own destiny. You were even given a Prophet, saint man, who had a spirit of The Creator… and, you destroyed him too. ''
''You think this man?'' she said pulling her cross out of her suit and offering it to him. ''He did that, to save us. He gave his life for us. If he didn't do that, we would be lost. He gave us new life.''
He took it and observed for a moment: ''And again, you are destroying it. You'll never learn, and now, you developed even greater threat, threat to us all, and in your arrogance you don't even see it.'' He put it in her palm again.
She didn't even realize but she understood him completely, like it's her own language. She was speaking it almost perfect.
"I have to go to the town. I have to find him. He must be there waiting for the opportunity to do some more horror. " She told him, watching him with anger and impatience. This creature didn't do anything but misunderstanding her.
"It's not your concern anymore. When storm passes I'll go to the city and find it. It will be destroyed." He replied angrily.
''He'll trick you as well as me! Without my help, you won't be able to destroy it. He trusts me." She warned him.
She felt that something was coming. Far worse than this storm. Something bad. She had been dreaming it last time. She did not know why, but she felt that it was a reality. Something that needs to happen. And soon. She did not tell him what she was dreaming of. She did not know how would he react to it. She felt unworthy at thought she would be the mother of their child.
"Get up!" He pulled her by her hand. They came back to the control room. ''The storm will take some time to pass, so you'll have to wait for a while more. It's still not sure if all the infections on the planet are stopped. Readings for now do not show anything, but we'll know for sure after the rain stop… You have to eat. On our ship you can find the fruit that grows on its own as well as on the ship you came with. ''
''I can't. I don't have appetite. "She replied still feeling angry at herself, at him.
"You have to regain strength from losing blood!'' He warned her.
She almost forgot about it. But she really couldn't eat. She was looking for her cross that was around her neck. She squeezed it in her hand and repeated the prayer dad had taught her. After a while she managed to calm down.
Pilot has been watching her for a while. He had mixed feelings about her. Despise of human kind and compassion for her. She has been through a great deal of injustice, but she was not a cold hearted, she even forgave that artificial thing.
He returned to the control desk. There was no movement in the hologram yet, no being, artificial or real. He reduced the hologram to a miniature size. He tried to catch the signal of other ships, but it was still unreachable. Magnetic field of the planet and storm made its work on it regardless of their technology.
He checked the ship's systems. They have suffered minor damage, but nothing that would affect the work of the ship. He did not have the will to talk with her so he ignored her presence. He did not even ask her name. He didn't want to develop attachment to her. Humans had this ability to make other creatures fond about them, just as easy they made bonds to others.
He looked at her. ''We did not want to destroy you, you were part of us.'' He thought. Recalling the last time he was guarding Eden.
After some time of silence between them, Elizabeth sat in the crio pod. She felt peace only there. She prayed for guidance. A sign, something to tell her what to do, to tell her was it all her fault. She didn't pay attention to the sensation of hunger in her stomach. S
he was watching the pilot. He did not show interest in her presence. She felt more lonely than when she was with David, who was not even a being. He showed more humanity toward her than him. Holding her father's cross, she tried to recall Charlie's face. Everything now seemed so far away, as in some other life. "Am I in the purgery?" She thought.
After a while, the pilot looked back to see what she was doing. He hadn't kept his eyes for a long on her. He took the flute and blow slightly into it. The tone came out of it. He began to feel sorrow. ''Creating melody… The only thing we really have in common. Only thing you really inherit from us.'' He said to her.
Elizabeth closed her eyes. The melody reminded her of the song her mother sang to her when she was little.
Pilot kept silent in his thoughts. He knew he was lost. Their bodies began to decay. First was their ability to create life. In desperation, they sought for many solutions, creating creatures that were not supposed to exist. Now their own creatures are turning against them.
He started to feel tired. It's been four days since he came and found the horror. Although he slept before, he didn't rest. Nightmares completely exhausted him. He dreamed of an unusual dream. A daughter he knows he can't have. And this woman. What would she have to do with it?
He knew storm won't stop any soon. Storms on this planet were often long, but not quite as intense as this one. Something changed. They'll be staying in the ship for some time. Who knows what that machine is now preparing. He'll have to be in his full strength to destroy him. He'll have to protect this woman too.
He was afraid he would try to infect the woman again. He has done this once. He saw this when he met her for the first time. If he develops creatures from black liquid they will all be in great danger. He knew what that meant. If he succeeds, death will colonize the universe. Unimaginable death. Unstoppable. Those creatures are ruthless. He saw it. Long ago.
They were able to develop a vaccine that destroyed the virus, but only if it didn't get into the system of the living organism. Then it was too late. Almost all of his race has been destroyed. Even today, they still feel the consequences.
Elizabeth was lying in the chamber, wondering in her thoughts. She did not even notice when he came off the control desk. She was lost in her memories.
The pilot lay down in the crio pod. Like the first time, the tubes attached itselves to his suit. He immediately began to feel the effect. Energy merged into his body and he felt into deep sleep.
Elizabeth was in deep thoughts. Thinking of everything that happened to her coming to this planet. She used to share her life with David while traveling here. Although he couldn't sleep, he would lie down beside her, to make her feel more comfortable. There was nothing emotive about it, simply a human nature and a desire to not to be alone.
But this night nothing could make her feel less lonely. Actually, if she does not return to Earth, she will stay alone for ever. She looked behind her and saw the pilot laying in the closed pod, surprised she did not notice he lied down.
She got out to watch him. He saved her life, twice now. He slept quietly. She didn't want to wake him, but her loneliness began to suffocate her too much. She decided to open his pod just to see she's not alone. Gently, she pressed the symbols and the door quietly opened. She was grateful she did not wake him up, she wouldn't know how to explain why she did it.
There was no fear on his face this time. She observed the pod, it was like it's connected to his body." Probably that was why they could survive so long." She thought.
She watched the space around her. In all that confusion from everything that had happened since her arrival on the planet, she didn't manage to look the ship at all. She saw that it had a different design while he was dragging her to his ship the day he found her. It was also different from the inside.
She was not sure if he would allow her to look around it. Probably she wouldn't allow him do that too, after everything that happened. He did not try to kill her, but he did not show signs of friendship too, he only help her to survive. She did not know if they are otherwise "cold" or it's a reflection of what they feel for the human race.
She looked behind herself to make sure he was sleeping then went to the control desk. Main system was still on so she decided to see into it. Maybe she finds valuable information about this world, or human race. She looked for the activity log. She found out that the pilot was supposed to look after some medicine project that was enveloping here. He was also visiting few other planets. But she couldn't enter in that activity log. She just managed to find report about it that was saying Project failed, and for planet ''Oris 1'' In development. This planet was named Eden 2. She remembered than Engineer from that moon named Earth Eden. Was this another attempt of them creating life? Were they just an experiment?
She felt great disturbance in herself because of it.
She was almost floating in his enormous chair. After a while of searching through his activity log she begun to feel tired. Still hungry but too exhausted to look for something to eat. Soon she fell asleep in the chair.
She felt like floating. All around her stars began to form. Under her feet billion of stars, she was walking around Milky Way. Beautiful scenario around her. She heard whispers, soft. She barely understood what was saying.
''Did you found…''
She turned around herself to find source of the voice.
''Capable for such a beautiful dreams…''
But no one was there. She closed her eyes to focus more on the voice. But then it went silent.
She opened her eyes. There were no more stars under her feet. She felt ground under it. Night sky, mountains and trees formed in front of her: ''But how…?'' Then she heard it again.
''Did you found your answer?''
''Who are you?'' She asked.
In front of her was camping fire. Someone was standing nearby. He turned. It was her father.
''Elizabeth'' He called her.
She started to cry. ''Dad? Is that you?'' She looked at him. His face was changing, taking the form of a humanoid with black eyes. Then it was him again.
''I love you!'' He said to her.
Before she managed to say that she loves him he disappeared. Again she heard voice.
''Did you find your answer?''
''What answer?'' She asked and turned around. She heard the words again, but no one to whom it belonged.
Then again she saw someone in the distance.
''…such a horrible things!''.
She saw a person, her father. She moved toward him, but coming closer she saw that it was someone else. Marble, white skin. Holding a child of the same skin color. Girl. It was the Engineer from that moon.
Girl turned and shouted to her "Mom!" She ran toward her and took her by the hand. Elizabeth observed her, she knows her, it's her child. Smile appeared on her face. She looked in the direction of the person in front of her.
He was watching two cities in the distance. Their own and human. They were moving towards each other fast. They collapsed into each other with great force. The screams of humans and Engineer voices echoed in the air. Tears formed on the marble face of the Engineer. He reached with his hands toward the cities, but they disappeared.
''Dad…?'' She whispered.
''No!'' He said.
Suddenly she woke up. She couldn't breathe. Her vision blurred from exhaustion. Someone stood in front of her. She felt someone's palm on her forehead. He stood and looked in front himself, as if he was looking at something far away.
"You shouldn't be here." He told her. He removed his hand from her forehead, still under the impression of what he saw.
She got up quickly from the chair and moved away, but she hold her gaze at him. He was still standing motionless, as if he was paralyzed. She suspected he saw her dream, just like David, but she didn't dare to ask.
He turned sharply and looked at her. ''You'll have to refresh yourself and change that fabric. ''
She looked at him in confusion. ''What...?''
''You're bleeding. ''
She didn't notice that the menstrual blood had penetrated through her suit. It's been a day or more since she put the fabric on. ''I have nothing more to use for that. ''
''You will use our gauze, you don't have to change it until the end of the cycle, it will absorb all the fluids. ''
''Would not mind fresh clothes too'', she said with sarcasm in her voice. "Do your women use it?" She asked.
He didn't answer her. A feeling of discomfort appeared on his face.
"What happened?" She said before she realized.
''Have not you found out yet?'
''What?''
''The reason for your creation? ''
''No! But I think I understand. "She said coldly.'' Experiment, nothing else. ''
"You're close, but far from the truth. ''
"I won't find answers here, won't I? Neither you'll give it to me, nor any of you."
''Is there a single answer?'' He asked her. ''Come on, if you do not change it, there may be an infection.''
With discomfort she went with him. He was right, but she didn't want to be close to him while she was taking care of her hygiene. In fact, she wanted to get away from him, even though she was safe here. But only partially, until judgment comes.
Someone was hiding in the shadows of the city. A quiet, soft voice spread through the interior of the city, and disappeared.