Chapter 3
This just did not happen. Not in the thirty-fifth century. There was no need for it. It was barbaric.
No matter how she tugged, the tunic would not close at the back. Her breasts were sore. She couldn’t bear anything or anybody touching them. Not even herself. And this horrid feeling every morning, and sometimes at other times of the day. This feeling of fullness, of something wanting to get out, then her throat filling with this foul-tasting liquid, which forced itself out of her mouth.
Gross! She thought as she looked at the contents of the lavatory pan.
That wasn't supposed to happen any more, either. It had been done away with. The diastic monitor picked up any illness brewing - if any did appear and they didn't very often at all - before it took hold, and administered a treatment or antidote in the unit's drinking water. But it hadn't worked this time and the alarm bell had rung.
No alarm bell had sounded on Terrestra's diastic monitors for over two hundred years. They had it all under control. As no one ever came to Terrestra, no new diseases were ever brought to the planet. They knew how to deal with the old ones.
Marijam shuddered as she remembered the fear she had felt as the alarm sounded on her monitor. Fortunately she was alone at the time in the apartment and had managed to disconnect the machine before it had relayed its information to central control. She knew she shouldn't have done that. But it was pure panic. She hadn't known what was wrong just then, but she had known somehow that it was something to worry about - and that it would be best to do that worrying on her own. And she started to do her own research.
She had found out that this horrid forcing of liquid out of the stomach over which she had no control was called vomiting. It used to happen when there was something wrong with the digestive system. Nobody had things wrong with their digestive systems any more. She had not known why this was happening to her.
She'd found another answer just yesterday. The answer had terrified and puzzled her. Vomiting also used to happen often in the first stages of pregnancy in the old days when babies were gestated in a human womb, not in artificial incubators as they were now.
Surely she had received the Stopes treatment as a child? She rechecked her medical record. Certainly, it was there. And surely Gabrizan had done the same?
So how had this happened? She must talk to him. And last night had been the one evening she hadn't seen him since that first time at the Waterfall when he had kissed the back of her neck, sending ripples of excitement through her …
Gabrizan had had his interview yesterday for the Northern Lights Project. He had had to stay overnight at the Nuffield Centre.
Would she hear something soon?
On cue, the dataserve kicked in. There was an important message for her. She held her breath.
Her father's picture came on to the screen. He had his official face on. It was probably a recording then, and not a live message.
Marijam smiled to herself. She didn't know whether she liked him most when he was just being Dad or when he sat there as now, looking wise and dignified and seeming a whole ten centimetres taller.
"Well Miss Kennedy," her father's official voice spoke. "Good news. You are invited for interview to join the Northern Lights Project as a research student. On successful completion of your Part 1, you would be able to proceed to becoming a full research fellow." Frazier Kennedy then grinned at his daughter. "Well done, sweetie," he beamed.
He really looked happy for her. For a few seconds Marijam felt pleased as well. Then it happened again. That uncontrollable wave of nausea. She ran towards the bathroom.
Just in time, she managed to bend her head over the toilet. The vile orange fluid came up again.
This is really gross. But really, thought Marijam. This can't be happening. It just isn't done this way any more. Why hasn't the Stopes programme worked?
What was she going to do? She must find Gabrizan. Perhaps he would know how this had happened. Was it something to do with him? After all, just how much did she know about him. That he was kind, and confident, and he seemed to know the answer to everything, and that he was extremely good-looking. But he never gave much away about himself.
Pull yourself together, gal, she said to herself as she made her way back to her room. You've got some important business to sort out here.
The dataserve was whirring away.
"Downloading joining instructions for the Northern Lights Project interview," said the tinny metallic voice.
"Relate," said Marijam. She really could not resist finding out what the message said.
"Your interview will take place on level 6, lab 10 at the Nuffield Centre," she read. "Please report 15.30, Day 79, 3500. A transporter pod will be sent to collect you at 14.00. Please bring overnight bag. Interview procedures take 24 hours."
Lab 10! That was where Gabrizan had had to go yesterday. Perhaps he would be going back there? Perhaps they would be able to work together. If she was allowed to work at all, of course, now.
What was she going to do? Was it her fault? She had really trusted the Stopes programme. And assumed Gabrizan had too. Was she some sort of freak that it wouldn't work on? Should she tell her parents?
She couldn't bring herself to do that. How could she let them know that their daughter was a misfit, a quirk of nature?
At least Gabrizan was due back this evening. How she was going to tell him she couldn't begin to think. But it would be good to see him.
She didn't look too bad in the blue velvet tunic. It was the best colour for the moment. The only one that didn't make her look even greener. But it still wasn't a pretty sight that greeted her in the mirror. Her hair seemed to have lost most of its shine. There were dark circles around her eyes. She had not been able to sleep well for the last two nights. Her face was white.
What will he think? she asked herself.
He had said he would meet her at the Waterfall. Marijam felt dizzy as she made her way up the rungs in the tube. She was used to the fresh air now, but feeling so ill and being so worried seemed to make her unsteady. Even so, it was still a thrill to breathe the natural atmosphere and taste the delicious green smell. And it would be good to see him. Even if she did have to give him this unbelievable news.
Marijam was a little early arriving. At least that way, though, she could sit and think what she should say to Gabrizan when he arrived. The sound of the Waterfall was soothing somehow. She surprised herself by beginning to feel quite cheerful. She was so looking forward to seeing him.
She had been coming up on to the surface for eight weeks now. Everything seemed so much more alive up there. The running water fascinated her. It was moving on its own. Not like in the water channels in the caves. It wasn't driven by motors. It smelt so different, too. She dangled her hand into the pool that formed at the bottom of the fall. It felt silkier than her finest tunic. A soft breeze moved one of the ferns. It looked as if it was waving to her. Marijam was fascinated by the shoots of green which were coming up through the now much browner earth. It was incredible to think that it was only just eight weeks since the poison cloud had lifted. Already the planet was beginning to get back to how it had been.
What was it going to be like when the others came up to the surface in two days' time? She was going to have to pretend she was surprised too.
It was beginning to get dark. Marijam shivered. Where was Gabrizan? It wasn't like him to be late. She was beginning to get cold. It hadn't been this cold before up on the surface. The sun was going down rapidly now. There were some clouds forming on the horizon. The first ordinary rain clouds since the poison cloud had disappeared.
Marijam decided to walk a little way up the path which led from the base of the waterfall to the cliff above. It must have been a natural path, because it was still easy enough to walk along, even though no-one had been along it for over 1200 years - apart from when she and Gabrizan had been up there a few days ago. She just loved the view from up there. She could stare for hours at the pink and grey rock which was getting a lace-like coating of green.
By the time she reached the top, though, the sun had gone all together. The clouds were so thin and scanty it was still possible to see the night sky. But she couldn't see land like she had the other time.
Marijam sat and stared at the stars. They were so clear and bright compared with how they had looked from behind the plastiglass and further dulled by the poison cloud. Time never seemed to matter to her and Gabrizan when they were out there.
Only it wasn't "they" tonight. It was just "she" now. Marijam shivered again. She pressed the controls on her wristband. 20.30 already. He had never been this late. In fact, he had never been late. Now it was more than an hour after the time he'd said he would come. Why didn't he use the mini compu? Was he so far away that he was out of range? Perhaps being outside made a difference.
Marijam wasn't so sure she liked it out here so much now that she was on her own. It was getting colder and colder. She touched the button of her compu.
"Gabrizan Taylor 0051," she said, after the tinny voice had asked whom she wanted to contact.
"Unavailable," squeaked the robotic voice. Not out of range. Nor occupied. Just not available. It seemed as if his interview was taking longer than they had expected. Oh she hoped he would get on the Northern Lights Project. And that she would, too. It would be great to work together.
Except there was just this one little problem. Well, no it was actually quite big really. Another wave of nausea passed through Marijam. Only this time she knew it was not to do with that strange biological change that had taken place in her body. Not directly, anyway. It was because she didn't think she could face the other changes which were about to happen.
She shivered again. Well, it was obvious she wasn't going to see Gabrizan tonight. He just must have got held up at his interview. It was almost a relief not to have to give out this dreadful news tonight. Even though she missed seeing him.
Marijam was quite glad to get back inside, in the end. It was more frightening and less of an exciting adventure to go out there alone. She was feeling tired as well. Perhaps she would sleep better tonight, now. She was looking forward to her bed in any case.
The lights were on in the communal room of the Kennedy apartment when she arrived back. Both Frazier and Louish Kennedy were sitting there in silence. Their faces looked grim.
"Well, did you see him?" asked Frazier. Marijam had never heard him sound so angry.
"Did he turn up for you?" he demanded. "Because he sure didn't turn up for his second interview!"
"We tried to get you on the mini compu," said Louish. "Only we couldn’t get through."
Marijam wondered whether it had been because she was outside. But then her compu had communicated with the centre. Perhaps it could get to the centre but no further…or perhaps they had called just as she was trying to call Gabrizan.
"He's a waste of space," hissed Frazier. "We'd set up a really expensive programme for him. No-one else could do what we had in mind for him."
Then Marijam realised what her father had just told her. Not only had Gabrizan not turned up to see her this evening, he had not turned up for the second part of his interview. He had disappeared. He was gone. She was on her own now.
The nausea came again. She managed to mumble something about being tired, and hurried off to her room.
She just made it to the bathroom in time again. Now it came as a relief to throw up the heavy feeling out of her stomach. As if she was giving way to all the tension that was inside her.
She came back from the bathroom and collapsed on to the bed. The tears started. She could hear her parents' muffled voices. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but that her father had sounded angry and her mother concerned. She heard the door open and her mother say, "Can’t you see how pale she looked? That boy has hurt her."
Marijam closed her eyes. Then there was nothing. Just peace and blackness. Marijam hoped she might never wake up.
