Chapter 4: The Queen of Genesis
The hotel they were brought to was one of the most beautiful places any of the Mallrats or their friends had ever seen. It was surrounded by an eight foot red brick wall and five acres of gardens and pathways. Guards were patrolling the wall and around the three story, white stucco hotel that had once been a getaway for the richest people in the world. A smaller white building stood several hundred yards away from the hotel itself, which Malik said was his home and headquarters for the Troops. When asked, Malik revealed that his tribe alone numbered two hundred and fifty men and women.
"How many tribes live on this island?" Jay asked curiously. "There are six . . . the Troops, the Crazed Angels, the Farmers, the Band of Enlightened, the Abandoned, and the Wolves. The Troops and the Farmers are the only two with a specific duty. The Farmers number about sixty people, all live on their own farms around the city itself. They grow all the food crops and take care of the animals that we use for transportation, work, and meat," Malik replied. "What animals do you keep?" Lex asked his eyes greedy looking. Malik laughed at him, knowing he was thinking of steak. "We keep horses to plough the fields and to transport workers and cargo from the city to the farms. We also have sheep, goats, pigs, cows, and chickens."
"Transport workers?" Amber asked with a concerned look. "Yes. Those who break the minor laws have a choice of either jail time or working in the fields," Malik answered. Amber's eyebrow raised in disgust. "And what happens to those who break major laws? And who makes the laws, the Queen?" Malik looked at her strangely, taken aback by her attitude. "We consider three things major crimes . . . murder, rape, and cruelty to children and animals. If you are found guilty of murder, you are put to death. Rape equals a life sentence in solitary confinement. Cruelty earns you a sentence of hard labor in the fields under strict supervision, after a year you are allowed out. If you break the cruelty law once more, you are sent to the slave market."
Amber's face grew red with fury as Malik continued. "And as for who makes the laws," he said, "the Queen creates them and they are voted in through the Council of Leaders. We also have a Council of Private Citizens who deals with minor lawbreakers in the Courts. Major cases are sent to the Council of Leaders, with the final decision made by the Queen." They had come to the doors of the hotel by this time, and before Amber could comment, Malik turned to the group as a whole. "Usually citizens kneel before the Queen but you will not be expected to," he said. "You will, however, be required to show her the utmost respect, and when speaking to her you must refer to her as my lady."
All except Amber nodded. Malik opened the giant yew doors and the group stepped into a beautiful hallway with white walls, large Venetian windows, gray granite floors, and an assortment of antique vases, oil paintings, and marble busts that had been collected from the different rooms of the hotel. The group was led down the hallway and into the large room at the end. Two small linen covered tables were placed on either side of a raised granite platform. At the tables sat five people, two men and a woman on one table and a man and a woman on the other with an empty chair between them.
On the platform was a single carved chair, and in it sat a young woman, beautifully attired in a long gown of blue. A diamond tiara rested on her black hair. Four other young women stood behind the chair, two on each side, each wearing a long gray silk dress with a blue sash around their waist. Malik knelt before the woman on the platform and waited for several seconds before rising and going to sit in the empty seat between the man and the woman at the left table.
"Welcome to the island of Genesis," the Queen said with a warm smile. "My name is Iris, Queen of the Tribes of Genesis." She raised a hand gracefully to motion towards Malik. "You have already met Malik, leader of the Troops. This is Althea, leader of the Abandoned (the woman on his right inclined her head), Joker leader of the Crazed Angels (the man on Malik's left raised his hand), Ethan the leader of the Band of Enlightened (the man closest to the platform who was seated at the other table inclined his head), Crystal the leader of the Farmers (she waved), and Gray who is leader of the Wolves (he raised his head proudly)."
Iris gave the leaders of the tribes an affectionate look. "Those whom you see here are the ones called the Council of Leaders. We make the decisions and laws on this island. In the interest of our people, we would like you to tell us who you are and why you have come here." Amber stepped forward after handing Bray to Salene. "I'm Amber, and I am leader of the Mallrats," she said. "You all are Mallrats?" Iris asked. "I'm not," Ebony muttered. "And not all of us here are part of their tribe." Amber glared at Ebony but said nothing. "Who are you then?" Iris asked Ebony. "My name is Ebony," she answered. "This is Slade, Darryl, Lottie, and Ram. The one over there is Cade; it was in his boat we came here. None of us are Mallrats."
Iris' brow furrowed as she looked at Ram. "What tribe do you come from?" she asked, glancing from Ram to Jay. "You two are dressed alike." Jay stepped forward. "We used to be Technos, but we aren't any longer," he answered quickly. "And the rest of you?" Iris asked. "This is Salene and my son, Bray," Amber said in a slightly cold tone. "And this is Jay, Trudy, her daughter Brady, May, Jack, Ellie, Lex, Gel, and Sammy. We are all Mallrats." Iris nodded, smiling at the children with a wistful look. "You told Malik you are from the city on the mainland?"
Amber nodded, crossing her arms. "Yes." "And how was it you came to leave?" Iris asked. "Do you want the long story or the short?" Amber queried. "The basics are all I require, Amber," Iris told her. "Well," Amber began, "to make a long story short, our city was invaded and taken over by the Technos. Eventually the Technos' leader was overthrown (here she cast a glare over at Ram which wasn't lost on the Queen), through our efforts and another's, one who was a Techno himself. The Technos' name was Mega. We soon realized he overthrew . . . the former leader . . . to take over himself, and ended up worse than the original leader. Mega was brought down by the combined efforts of all the tribes of the city, but we didn't know he had been creating a virus."
Here the Council of Leaders straightened up and looked at Amber with concerned expressions. Gray raised his hand. "You may speak, Gray," Iris said quietly. "I would like to know everything you and your tribe knows about this virus," he said. "How was it made?" Amber looked over at Ram. Ram let out a little sigh and stepped forward. "Mega somehow transported several vials of assorted viruses from a lab outside the city," Ram explained. "He figured out how to combine several of the viruses to form a new, deadlier organism. After Mega was captured, a computer program took control of the creation and bred an even deadlier virus, one that could wipe out the entire city, possibly even the entire continent."
The Council began whispering to each other in frightened tones. Iris raised a hand for silence. "How do you know none of you are carrying the virus?" she asked. "The computer program that was to let the virus out was defeated," Ram answered. "It was prevented from releasing the virus. However, the boiler room in the hotel where the virus was located was about to explode, so the city was evacuated. Although I doubt the virus could have survived the extreme temperatures of the explosion, it was safer and more prudent for us to go ahead and leave. As for any of us having the virus, it is highly unlikely as none of us are ill after almost six weeks."
Iris nodded, looking relieved. "I understand," she said. "I am sorry about your home. But what remains now is to find out what you want since you are here. Do you wish to remain, or merely to rest and go on your way after replenishing your supplies?" "I ain't going no further," Cade said irritably, the first time he had spoken in days. "An' it's my boat." "I'd like to stay . . . at least for a while," Trudy said, stepping up and looking beseechingly at the Queen. The other Mallrats, excepting Amber, murmured their agreements. The others, Ebony included, nodded. Iris smiled at them all and stood up.
"I will give you a week to rest and decide if you would like to remain," she told them. "After that, if you decide to leave, we can provide you with a larger boat as well as supplies. If you wish to stay, it will be the Council and I who will decide if it will be allowed." Iris clapped her hands, bringing in several men and women in blue outfits from the hallway. They all knelt to the Queen and then stood to receive their orders. "I would like our guests to be shown to the best rooms," Iris told the blue-clad group before addressing the Mallrats once more.
"You may stay here in the palace, as we like to call my home, until the week is up," Iris said. "You may wash up, and we will find clean garments for you to wear until those you have on are laundered. In two hours I will have dinner; you may either join me or eat in your rooms. You will each have an attendant assigned to you who will take care of your needs. Malik will appraise you of our laws . . . for even though you are guests you will be bound by our rules . . . excepting the rules requiring you to work. I will see you all later after you have rested, and you can tell me more about yourselves."