[Chapter 2] — The Search for Everlea
“Evee! Get inside! There’s a storm coming in fast!” Gage yelled at the 12-year-old picking flowers in the field. His wife Megan prepared dinner in the kitchen while Gage stood on the wraparound porch just outside, calling for the child until finally she gave in and came inside.
“I’m not going to melt, you know.” Evee mumbled under her breath as she came walked by him.
“Maybe not, but if you don’t eat your dinner, the wind might just blow you away!” Gage teased her as he followed her into the house, securing the storm door behind him.
“Momma Meg, Papa Gage is teasing me again!” Evee whined as she entered the kitchen and hugged Meg from behind.
“Oh, Gage, would you leave that poor child alone! Don’t you think it’s hard enough?” she chided Gage softly, love entwined in every word. Meg was a loving and nurturing woman, but she was also very honest. She had never led Evee to believe that she and Gage were her real parents. She had been the nurse that attended Evee’s birth, who had taken her out of the tent and listened to that poor girl’s screams. She couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, but it sounded like “Evee” so that’s what she’s called the little girl. It broke Meg’s heart to walk away with the girl’s child, but she knew that the only way to protect the newborn was to get her out of that Camp.
Meg and Gage had not met until the voyage to New Earth, and by that point Meg was not able to have children. She wasn’t too old; she’d had an accident that led to a stillbirth in transit that resulted in the need for a full hysterectomy. Her husband shunned her, and later she and Gage had met. When Meg and Gage saw what was happening on New Earth, and how the government fell, they knew they wanted no part of it. They had found some like-minded people who wanted to separate from the camp and establish themselves elsewhere. The night they were due to leave, Meg came in with a tiny baby and told Gage what she had been told to do. They knew they had to protect this child, so when the group left that night Meg had baby Evee in tow.
Meg had always hated that they left without Evee’s mother. It ate away at her as the child grew, taking her first steps and saying her first words. These were things that the child’s mother should be experiencing, and while Meg was grateful to be able to watch Evee grow, she always kept that poor screaming child in her mind; a mother who was still a child for herself, yet the love of a mother’s bond with her baby no less present. As she grew, Evee surpassed most everyone around her; she was incredibly astute, easily reading and acting in a situation with a wisdom far beyond her years. She learned how to read by age three, was teaching older kids to read by age 4, and was doing college level coursework as a twelve-year-old. Her teachers had a difficult time finding appropriate work for her as many of them were only Educators to the secondary level and Evee was in college level. She could do advance math in her head, memorize an entire dance routine in under 30 minutes to perfection, sing in every old language that had music, and read and write in as many languages.
The girl was the spitting image of her mother; with one striking blue eye and one dark green eye, surrounded by long black curls. Evee was nearly the age her mother was when she gave birth to her, and that further pained Meg. She raised the girl knowing the truth about her existence, knowing that her mother cried for her as she was taken away. She also knew how much she and Gage had regretted not being able to get her mother out with them, but there had not been enough time before the group of separatists moved on to their new location. Missing that departure would mean not being able to follow, as there was no definitive plan on where they would settle shared with the group. They just knew that they were leaving here and going far enough away that The Cult wouldn’t be able to interfere with their lives. Meg refused to take the chance that this child would grow up to endure the same fate as her mother.
So, they left with her, and raised her to know everything. Made sure she knew how special and loved she was by them and her mother. Meg didn’t know the girl before assisting in Evee’s birth, but she saw the love in the girl’s eyes when Evee was laid on her chest and heard the love in the girl’s voice as she screamed after them. She didn’t need to know that Evee’s mother loved her, there was no doubt. So, Meg made sure that there could never come a time where Evee could be hurt by a lack of information or miscommunication as to who she and Gage were to Evee. She never wanted there to be a point in Evee’s life where she questioned whether she was loved.
Two years after leaving the camp, a party was sent to rescue the First Women. By that point there were many separatist groups, which included a reforming and ever-strengthening government in the form of the Council; these groups had collaborated as quickly as they could manage to rescue the women still in captivity with the Cult. It had been an interesting battle, as the weapons the groups used were of a far lesser quality than what the Cult had stolen from them; but they’d had a limited amount of time to make weapons for those that had volunteered for the mission and less-than-perfect fabricators. Only one group- the group that the Council was the head of- was able to get a fabricator out, and it was an older model that had seen better days.
The conditions the women were found living in were improved from when the groups had left the Camp, but they were still unsanitary. Many women had died of disease or injury, and they were led to believe that Evee’s mother may have been one of them. With little to no healthcare, medical supplies, or medications some of the women had succumbed to beatings doled out by the Cult members. The women that were rescued who had been captive at the same time as Evee’s mother had told the Separatists that she had last been seen attempting to escape the camp over a year before; they heard the shouting of the men chasing after her, they heard the gunshots, but they were never able to learn the fate of Evee’s mother. None of them even knew her name.
This was hard news for Meg and Gage to process; they had been hoping that they would be able to rescue Evee’s mother and return her daughter to her, safely. Not because they didn’t love Evee, she was their whole world; they weren’t going to be able to have children of their own, so this was as close as it was going to get for them. They both knew, however, that as long as Evee’s mother was out there that she was the rightful parent. They would keep Evee safe while the Separatists continued the search for Evee’s mother. Every living First Woman, and many others who had chosen to leave with them, were rescued from the Camp that day, but Evee’s mother had not been one of them; despite the assumption that Evee’s mother was dead, she never truly gave up hope that she had escaped the hands of the Cult.
After twelve years, there were very few places left to look. There were a few bands of Separatists by this point, and not all of them spoke amongst each other. Pierce County where Meg and Gage lived was very remote, a volcanic mountainous region with rivers running throughout. There was a lot of wide-open spaces broken up by vast stretches of rainforest, everything sprawled on the sides of vast mountains and volcanoes.
There were not many counties like theirs, but there were a few. Some even more remote and off-grid than this one, and theirs was already difficult to reach. There were only certain times of the year that you could traverse the paths to their mountain county; and if you didn’t know exactly where you were going you would get lost and caught up in a flash flood, or break through the line of trees only to fall to your death at the edge of a cliff that was immediately on the other side. Most things came in and out of this county by drone or plane, it was far less dangerous than trying to navigate the paths.
Pierce County focused on medical and scientific advancements, ensuring the general populous had access to basic vaccines and antibiotics, and developed the necessary technology and tools to make life on this planet survivable; sonic saws, laser screwdrivers, sewer borers, construction bots, etc. There were few who could afford much of the technology, most of it went to the government for building cities and infrastructure, but it allowed for a few more comforts than most counties had.
The scientists and doctors were the bulk of Evee’s educational foundation. With so few people able to keep up with the child’s ravenous mind, they had recently had no choice but to turn to the highest intellects in the county to tend to her education and even they were impressed at how quickly she caught on to their projects and ideas. Not only was she able to understand it, she was able to provide engaging and intelligent questions and feedback on each one.
Meg walked her way across the kitchen, the limp left over from her accident that had cost her child still evident; she set dinner on the table and the three of them sat down to eat. They had a dinner time tradition, to each say one good thing that happened that day and one that wasn’t as good. Evee went first, telling Meg and Gage about her day at the lab and what she learned, and ended with being teased “mercilessly” by Papa Gage. She made sure to say this with all the drama that existed in her little body, bringing about muffled giggles from Meg and Gage. Meg went next, saying that the good part of her day was delivering a healthy baby and having another day with Evee, and her not so great news that there was once again no news of Evee’s mother. This was something that was frequently the “not-so-good” part of Meg’s day. She always wanted to make sure Evee knew they were not going to give up until they found answers, and that no matter what came of it Evee was loved.
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“Well, my good part of the day is sitting here with you two eating this delicious dinner! The not-so-great part of the day was waiting to hear on a lead I was following on Evee’s mother.” Gage said this cautiously, not wanting to cause too much upset as he wasn’t entirely sure where it would lead. “I got news that there is a Commander in the Phoenix Centennial who roughly matches the age and hair color of Evee’s mother. Now wait, wait” Gage said pumping his open palm down in a “slow down” motion as Meg gasped and nearly jumped out of her seat. “There’s a problem with this report, and I don’t know if it’s actually her. She has brown eyes.”
This made Meg feel defeated. Evee and her mother had the same eyes, one bright blue and one dark green. This woman couldn’t possibly be Evee’s mother if she had brown eyes. You don’t just suddenly lose incredible eyes like that. Meg pushed her food around on her plate as she thought back to the day Evee was born. She remembered vividly the fear and determination in the young girl’s eyes as she had contractions. Her labor had come on so quickly, and Meg wasn’t called upon to help until the baby was almost crowning, there had been no time to ask the girl her name. Meg chided herself quietly about that one all the time. It was the one time she had not gotten her patient’s name and it was a mistake she’s not made before or since.
“Now,” Gage continued, “we have sent out scouts to find this woman and determine her eye color and identity. As you both know, the Phoenix Centennial are highly elusive and secretive. They never talk about where they’re going or where they’ve been. Most people don’t know them from other men and women, they don’t wear uniforms or any significant identifiers. The only way to know if a someone is a Phoenix is to see the tattoo on their ribs, which is not a body part they reveal. The best way we could think to find them is to seek out all the Guard squads and narrow it down that way. We have no way to tell how long it will take to find all the squads and follow the lead through.” Gage finished almost apologetically, knowing that he didn’t really provide any hope. He held on to the fact that he did not completely take it away, either.
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I must have dozed off waiting for the Centennial to move out; because the next thing I knew, the Army Air Base was coming into sight. I hurriedly put my brown contacts back in before anyone else could notice. Cal, Laura, her three other squad mates, and one or two others were the only people on New Earth who knew my true identity. The Council had heard of the reaction Bruce had to my eyes, and how those around me seemed influenced on an otherworldly level. After I’d given birth to my baby, whenever I looked into someone’s eyes, I have been able to influence them to do as I asked. Somehow becoming a mother brought body and mind to full maturity very quickly, which unlocked my ability. It was this realization that had enabled me to escape from the Cult.
As we parked the truck in the motor pool and unloaded, I turned around to see the closest thing I’d had for a father and mother on this planet. Generals Mark and Lana Hammond were the first people I had encountered after I escaped the Cult’s encampment. Being terrified, nearly starved to death, and filthy, I had come upon Mark and perceived him as a threat; after what I had been through, knowing only men who wanted to harm me for so long, who could blame me? I had locked my gaze on Mark and ordered him to give me clothes and food from his supplies. When Lana noticed his behavior, she followed him to my hiding place and had coaxed me to go with her. Mark and Lana had been hunting during their honeymoon, so they had been alone.
Realizing what I had done to Mark, Lana had given me the brown contacts she had developed herself that could both hide my identity and collar my ability so it couldn’t be used by accident. Lana later developed a pair that could be turned on and off with a neurolink at my will, but the first ones simply dampened the ability and changed the eye color. They were the ones I wore undercover, the ones I wore now. I was eager to get them off and put on the more comfortable, more advanced pair, but I paused in front of Lana and Mark.
“Generals, mission complete.” I stated in an official voice before Lana and Mark opened their arms and I fell into them. “Now that’s over, I need to find her. The worst of the threats are gone, I need to know what happened to her.” I knew my voice sounded muffled and child-like with my face pressed into my adoptive parents’ chests, but I needed the comfort of their embrace as much as I needed to say this.
“We know, sweet girl. For now, get some good rest. We’ll discuss the next steps after you’ve recuperated.” Lana said as she embraced Katerina.
I knew that there was no point in arguing with Lana, so I simply nodded and headed off towards my quarters. Once there, I showered off the feeling of living the last six months off-grid, changed into pajamas and put in my neurolink contacts. These I could wear twenty-four-seven, so if I was awakened by anyone outside my trusted circle, they wouldn’t see my eyes. As I had matured, my ability had also matured. I was no longer required to give spoken instructions to my target, I merely had to will them to do something and it would be forced into the person’s mind and actions. I really had no wish to force people to do things against their will, I’d gotten enough of that myself in the camp. It was a useful tool for interrogation, forcing someone to tell her truths they would have otherwise taken to their graves; but even this was done as a last resort.
I thought back to Bruce’s interrogation. He was believed to be the last surviving member of the Cult, and he’d had a vital piece of information. Aside from being my own abuser, he had also known the name of the woman that might know where Everlea was. It had taken me six months to gain Bruce’s trust enough for him to reveal himself as my abuser, and once I had that evidence, I was able to detain and interrogate him. He had been in that bathroom most of the day, with me gagging him and closing the door when customers pulled up. I would take care of the customer and go back to my interrogation all day until finally the store was able to close. As soon as I had locked the door, I had taken my contacts out and begun the real interrogation. Bruce is obviously not going to give me the information I needed willingly, and he deserves to have it forced out of him, I thought to myself.
“Tell me who the woman was that attended the birth of the First Child.” I had said, glaring into his eyes.
“She-she was my first wife. The one that killed my first child and couldn’t have any more. She had made herself useless, but she was a nurse so I knew she would need to help with the birth of my son… but it was just another useless girl.” Bruce had answered in a monotone voice, his eyes glazed over and staring blankly at me.
“You discarded your wife? How did she kill your child?” I asked through clenched teeth. This man was every bit as awful as she remembered. He made have put up a decent front the last six months; pretending in front of his wife and kids that he was a happy, loyal husband and father but when they weren’t around, he was grabbing tits and ass every chance he got or making some misogynistic comment.
“Sh-she t-t-told me that I w-wasn’t fit to be a father. She said she had wished she had never married me or gotten pregnant but we were young. She wished that I would die, and I slapped her. She fell down three flights of stairs while on board the Ark and broke multiple bones, perforated her uterus in multiple places and she went into early labor. The baby was already dead and the surgeons on board were not prepared for injuries so severe, so they removed her uterus and the baby. They said they patched her up as best they could and that she would survive, but that she would never have children again. She wished me dead and then made herself useless to me. The only way the human race would survive is with healthy children, men to do the real work and women to ensure the continuation of the human race. How was I to be King if my wife couldn’t even continue my line?” Bruce ended in the trance-like state, but waves of my true feelings combined with their true feelings always seeped through to the person being influenced.
“If I heard you correctly, you slapped her because she bruised your ego which resulted in the death of your child and her inability to have children of her own?” I could hardly believe what I had just heard. I knew not all men were horrible, but the ones that went bad were just… unfathomably bad. I would never accept a bruised ego as an excuse for anything. It just shouldn’t be more or less than a learning experience. This man, though… he had taken his bruised ego to whole new levels; Physical levels, then blamed the death of his unborn child on the mother he caused to fall to such serious injuries. He had permanently ensured she would never be able to have children again. “What was your first wife’s name” I asked as she put her contacts back in.
“Meg” Bruce replied weakly. I began closing up the shop and counting the till. I had heard enough, and I had the evidence I needed. The hold my ability had on him was released as soon as he gave me the name, and he began shouting, begging and pleading but I’d paid him no mind.
I fell asleep replaying the sounds of his screams in my mind. I slept fitfully, knowing that I had served myself and my child justice, but still at war with my ability and my confrontation with my abuser. I knew that he deserved the sentence the Council had given him, as had all the others, but knowing that aspect of my story was closed and I was still no closer to knowing what happened to Everlea constantly weighed heavily on me. Images of watching the gas station burn and hearing his screams melted into Everlea’s screaming as she was laid on my chest just after birth. A moment after being laid there, her screams subsided for just a moment and she had opened her eyes and stared into mine for a long moment. She’d had the same eyes as me, and the same dark, curly hair; so much hair! I was vaguely aware of someone snapping a Polaroid photo while I stared down into those beautiful, powerful eyes. Moments later, Everlea was snatched off my chest and I was screaming after her. Everything from that day had otherwise been a blur, especially after all these years, but I remembered the details that mattered: I had a daughter named Everlea who looked just like me, they had taken her moments after her birth and I had no idea where she was or if she was still alive, and that I would do whatever it took to find out.