Firstborn, II

II


We were lucky we weren’t caught outside our rooms. The Doctor arrived with assistants before breakfast.

The assistants grabbed me, all of my possessions, and moved me out. I was placed away from the rest of First Hatching, in a new suite by myself. I stayed out of the way once I was placed in the new suite. The assistants charged in and out, moving furniture and equipment. No one spoke to me, and I did not even see the Doctor once I was inside. Did it have something to do with Azure and I getting out? Where was it? I huddled on the pallet. It was the first time I’d been alone.

They locked the door on their way out, but I didn’t examine it right away. The Doctor must be coming to tell me what was happening. The assistants forgot my breakfast, too. I could feel my stomach rumbling, but I strove to put it out of my head. Why was I alone?

Some time later, my partner was moved in. He joined me in the back, choosing to sit in the corner than on the pallet with me. Still no more sign of the Doctor. Looking at my partner, I had a feeling it wasn’t my activities with Azure that got me locked away.

The assistants didn’t move as much stuff in this time. They left us with only one pallet, too. Were we supposed to sleep together? That seemed odd, somehow; I hadn’t shared a pallet with my sibs since I had been old enough to follow the Doctor on his rounds. Before that we’d all be in a box with sides so we wouldn’t roll out and hit the floor.

There was still no breakfast in sight. I could tell this was going to be a long morning.

“Hi.” I said to my partner. Talking was not encouraged in the Doctor’s presence, but maybe it was okay here.

“Hi.” His eyes weren’t my shade of golden, but had a hint of green. I thought it was a striking resemblance against his jet black fur.

“Did they feed you?” I wished I hadn’t asked as soon as I said it. Thinking of food made me hungrier. He shook his head. “Me, neither.”

“I am called Audrey.”

I was surprised by the sudden smile on his face. “So did the Human one name you, too? I am Laas.”

“The Humans seem to like names. I don’t think the Ixi even distinguish between each other.” I caught myself smiling, too. He seemed okay. I wondered if Azure would like him. Then I wondered when I would see Azure again. I hoped the door didn’t have a new lock like the Ixi. I was still a bit afraid to check.

“I saw you in the halls the other day. How did you get out?” Laas sounded curious.

“Didn’t you meet your Ixi parent?”

“Well, yeah, but what’s that got to do with it?”

“They’re shape shifters.”

“So?”

Laas’s frustration was evident in his tone. “It, my parent, taught me, a little. That’s how I get out.”

“It didn’t teach us.”

“Usually does it when you’re alone with it.”

“Alone? I’ve never been alone with any parent. I’ve always been with my sibs, except when I was with you and the Doctor.”

I didn’t have an answer for that. Was I the only one who’d followed the Doctor on rounds? The only one to have traveled in the Lair? “Uh, did the parents visit you in your hatching suite?”

“Yeah. Didn’t yours? I mean, most of them. The Doctor said some of them were vicious and couldn’t be trusted with us. He only allowed the Ixi one day, and there were four assistants rather than two that day.”

“Which ones?”

“The Sizen, the Jorea, and the Tual.”

“That’s silly. The Sizen was harmless, and the Tual never hurt me either.”

“The Rhonquain bothered my sibs. What? What about the Jorea?”

“Mine was Jorei, male. He definitely wanted to kill me. The Rhonquain was fine though.”

“I liked her well enough. It was my sibs who didn’t like her.”

“I liked her, too.”

“What were they like?” He asked me like I knew it all. “The others?”

“I don’t think any of our parents were the same.”

“I just want to know what they were like – you know, the ones I didn’t get to meet.”

I was thinking about it. I shouldn’t. We almost got caught, Azure and I. The Doctor was in town for who knew how long. It wasn’t safe when the Doctor was in. “Did you even see pictures? It would be hard to figure out who was yours without that.”

“How many of them are there?” He looked bewildered.

I had to think about it. It had been awhile since I had gone on the rounds. “Twelve Humans, four Rhonquain, seven Sizens, three Ixi, fifteen Biagda, ten Jore, nine Tual, and six Vier.” I was counting them on my fingers. “There are a huge number of half-breeds. There are more of them than the pure bloods. I think there are more than I’ve seen, but the Doctor doesn’t take me beyond those corridors.”

Laas was quiet for a long time. “I had no idea there were so many.”

“When you saw Azure and I, we were walking to be able to travel the distance to visit the Ixi more easily.”

“How long does it take to get there?”

“I think it was about an hour. We had to be careful to get back before lunch.” Uh oh, I’d thought about food again. And I heard Laas’s stomach again.

“Do you think they’re going to feed us?” I could tell it took a moment for the rest of it to sink in. “An hour?”

I nodded.

“I’m so hungry.”

“Me, too.”

The silence stretched a long time.

Lunch was served. Perhaps they just forgot about us this morning. Meals were served again.

The Doctor saw us the next day. We were nervous. I had never been away from my sibs that long. I knew Laas had never been away from his before.

The Doctor rarely spoke to me, and today was no different. He let both of us follow on his rounds. What had changed? Why were Laas and I suddenly been separated from the only home we’d known?

Laas stared at everyone we passed. We were going toward the Human Corridor. We passed dozens of half breeds. I knew they were half breeds, but only because I’d heard from the Vier. They all seemed strange to me. It must be worse for Laas, who’d never seen them before.

After the Human corridor, we were sent back to our suite. The new one, not where our sibs were. An assistant escorted us back. Laas was favoring his feet the way Azure had done the first time we’d visited Leia.

The first night Laas had slept on the floor, not wanting to give into the Doctor’s new furniture arrangements. The second night I convinced him we’d be okay on the pallet with me. I think he was just too sore to argue. I groomed his mane like Azure had done for me so many times. None of my sibs had fur as dark as his. Deep brown, yes, but the deep black of the night when the Lair was silent, no. One of his sibs was golden with a hint of orange, but Azure was the only blue one. We missed them terribly. I wondered when we’d be allowed to see them again. I kept hoping the Doctor would leave again. When he did, I would see Azure and the others again.

Why did Laas and his sibs have the parents visit them? Why did they only get to meet five? I watched Laas sleep awhile. The Doctor’s rounds were quite long and involved. I hoped we’d go again tomorrow. It helped keep our minds off our sibs.

The Doctor kept allowing us to continue on rounds in the mornings. The other thing to change was the food. I didn’t like it, but I ate it anyway. We never had a choice for what was being served and I wasn’t about to go hungry.

The fourth night after we’d moved, we were served something that made us sick. That must have been the cause, because halfway through the meal it hit both of us. My stomach had never felt that way before. It was churning, unsettled, and I lost all the dinner I’d eaten so far. Nausea rolled over me in waves. I had to crawl toward the alarm because the floor was moving so much I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t reach it from all fours, so I tried to use the wall for support to stand. My fingers closed over the switch and pulled. I fell, then, back to the floor, retching. I hoped the assistants would arrive soon. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, faster than I remembered it ever beating.

It didn’t take as long as I thought it would. They placed us on stretchers that I’d seen used before in the Doctor’s Lab on less-than-willing people. That image gave me a strange sense of foreboding. I couldn’t focus on it, or anything else. I shut my eyes against the purposeful movements so I might be able to stop retching. Everything was spinning so fast I couldn’t even concentrate on where they were taking us. Now I noticed the pain, too, pain in my mouth and throat. I passed out before we even got where we were going.

When I awoke, I was back in my suite on my pallet with Laas by my side. It was dark everywhere, so it must be nighttime. He was breathing slowly, so I was sure he was asleep.

What had happened? Could the food have done that to us? I wished the Doctor would tell us, but I had a feeling this would be like all the other times I asked something. He’d never given me an answer when I asked a question. He always ignored me.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position. How long had I been out? I felt like I hadn’t moved in ages. I was hungry, too. I tried not to disturb Laas. I’d feel horrible if I woke him up and we were both hungry. He didn’t stir, though, and I was envious of his sleep. I really wanted to see Azure.

I slowly moved off the pallet. I had to lean against the wall when I got up. I felt a little dizzy, but it passed quickly. Fortunately, the new suite was identical to the old one. When I got to the front room, I ran into an assistant. It had been in standby mode, but when I entered the room it came online. It set food out for me, and stood in the corner. I guess I wouldn’t go see Azure tonight. I probably wouldn’t have gotten far anyway, I felt really weak. I sank into the chair and started to eat. Whatever it was, it wasn’t anything like the last meal I had, so I didn’t think anything would happen to me for eating it. When I finished, I went back to the pallet. I was so tired, I could sleep for days. Laas was awake when I returned. I pointed back the way I’d come. “Assistant in front has food.” As soon as I curled up on the pallet I was asleep again.

When I woke the next time it was light out. Laas was stirring beside me. It seemed okay that we slept on the same pallet now. Sharing blankets was another thing; I had to have my own. I figured out the first night that we weren’t good at sharing, and it gets cold at night in the Lair without one.

Time had passed while we were sick. I only figured out how much when the Doctor left again. It had only been two days since I was back up and around. Directly after breakfast, I left. Laas followed, if only because he couldn’t stand being left behind. He was very interested in the trick, just like Azure.

We had to stop twice to rest before we found my sibs. I realized I should’ve dropped Laas off with his sibs first. It would have been kinder to allow him to visit his family, too. It was too late once we were at the door. Azure heard us coming and opened it for us. I had to make introductions all around. At least I didn’t have to explain the gender thing to Laas. We could tell the difference, even if nobody else could. Even the Doctor couldn’t do it, he’d had us tagged. I noticed when the assistants scanned my sibs for checkups. The Doctor had answered my question by accident, explaining the tags were to help him remember each of the residents. It labeled species, gender, age, history since arrival at the Lair, and special circumstances, if any. I was curious what mine said. How do you label a species you were trying to create? We had eight parents; was there space for all the information that had to be included for that kind of hybrid? What special circumstances might be included for us? I had to keep wondering, though, because the Doctor never told me.

I was so happy to see Azure I forgot about Laas’s siblings. I liked all the others, too, but Azure and I had always been closer. Before lunch, Laas and I scooted out. The return trip was much better because we didn’t have to rest nearly as much.

After lunch, we set out to find Laas’s siblings. I looked at them, silently comparing to my sibs. I was russet, Azure was blue, the rest ranged from golden to chocolate brown. Laas’s siblings were different. He was black, one was cream, one golden, and the rest were shades of brown. Mostly all browns, in his hatching and mine. Was it just going to be our most common color? What would happen when the Doctor managed to breed us – would brown still be the most common?

Laas and I made it back before dinner. I didn’t remember any of his sibs’ names. I wasn’t sure he’d remember any of mine, either. It didn’t really matter, I suppose.

“Are you sure you want to go with us?” I asked him, I had to make sure.

Laas nodded. “You’re not going without me. I want to learn that thing you do.”

“It’s not just because you don’t want to be left alone here?” I knew that could be a very powerful motive for some of our siblings.

“Well, partly, but I think it would be really cool to learn.” He seemed so sincere. I wanted to take him, but I was worried. The first time I took Azure to the Ixi, we almost got caught. I was not about to get caught again. Since that time, though, I thought I’d gotten the Ixi to understand about the time limits.

What I’d learned about them when I’d visited, they ate much differently than we did. They were smart, though. It only ever took once for Ixi to learn. The Doctor didn’t agree with me, I knew, but it didn’t matter. He had a lot to learn about Ixi. How could he speak disparagingly about Ixi unless he really didn’t know what they could do? He knew about the shape shifting, of course, but what about the rest – the teaching, the understanding, the knowledge? I could only conclude he really didn’t know.

Laas had trouble keeping up, like Azure had on our first trip. I had planned for that, and rushed him through breakfast. Azure met us at the midway point between our suite and my new one. I wasn’t sure Azure could make it all the way to Ixi corridor by itself.

I shouldn’t have worried, Azure remembered everything very well. Laas was the holdup. We kept dragging him along. I felt bad, he must be getting sore, but he was the one who wanted to join us. We finally arrived at Ixi corridor, and we split up. The Ixi we were looking for were side by side. Laas visited his and we visited ours. The familiar pulsing woke us from the meditation mindset we’d entered. Azure and I dragged Laas back. It seemed like a fast morning. Always did, around the Ixi.

Azure lunched with my sibs and came back for the afternoon. “I want to practice with you, Audrey. The others always laugh at me when I put on spots.” So the three of us practiced together. Laas had a lot of trouble. It took him all afternoon to sort things out enough to change his color from black to gray. He looked crestfallen at Azure’s spots.

“Don’t worry, you’ll learn. It takes time.”

He nodded, but I could tell he didn’t really believe it. It was hard to think Azure had only been practicing a few weeks – it was almost able to bend its shadow out of sight. The only reason I could still see Azure at all when it hid was because I knew what to look for. Laas didn’t have that knowledge yet. I bet the Ixi would be proud of Azure.

I wasn’t making nearly the progress Azure was. The illness set me back. I had been able to keep up with Azure until our separation, then I got sick and now I had trouble managing the stripes. I tried harder, forcing myself into the changes, knowing I’d been there before. I may not be as good as Azure anymore, but there was no reason I couldn’t be as good as I was before I had been sick.

Azure took off right before dinner. I was afraid it wouldn’t make it back, but I didn’t hear any alarm. That boded well. The only time I’d heard the alarms was the day the Ixi got out. I’d been following the Doctor on rounds, when a hideous noise erupted along with flashing lights in the corridors. The Doctor had run to find the Ixi had escaped their cells. They hadn’t had force-fields then. The Doctor hadn’t remembered I’d been following him. That was why there were only three Ixi now. The fourth had died in the escape attempt. The Ixi had tried to explain to me why they were leaving, but I hadn’t understood it. Something about wanting to go home, I understood that now, but I still didn’t understand the reason they’d chosen that particular moment – they were done playing. I couldn’t understand what they were playing at, or with, or whatever. A lot of what the Ixi tried to tell me didn’t make a lot of sense. They were just difficult to understand.

It had taken the lessoning to make me understand the Ixi better. Not that I understood them, that was beyond me, and probably always would be. I knew they were trying to explain some things to me – us, I’m sure it wasn’t just me – and we weren’t getting it. How long would it be before they gave up?

Our only choice was to try again tomorrow.