The Prophecy Chapter Two

The stranger was walking over towards them.

‘Hi, you guys,’ he said. ‘Can I introduce myself? Gabrizan Taylor. I’ve just come in with my folks. My old man’s involved with the Cloud Project.’ He shook the hands of those people nearest to him.

How cute, thought Marijam. Where on Terrestra did he learn that?

Gabrizan stretched his hand out towards her. Marijam was annoyed to find herself trembling slightly. She felt as if her chest was going to burst. Her cheeks flushed bright red. This time not because she was embarrassed or felt uncomfortable. This was exciting. Even so, she was glad that it was too dark for anyone else to see. Two deep blue eyes met hers and she felt as if she was being drawn in.  Before she could take his hand, though, Rainer interrupted.

‘How come you’re here, then?’ he asked. ‘I thought the Cloud Project was based in Melbin.’

Gabrizan appeared thoughtful for a second or two.

‘Well’, he said suddenly, ‘you can hardly see the Northern lights that far south. If that’s what they are. Both of my parents are here to investigate them.’

‘Will you be schooled through Project 57?’ asked Sadie.

‘I think so,’ said Gabrizan. ‘It’s similar to the Alexander Project we did down there.’

‘Oh, I hope they’ll put you in our Social Unit then,’ said Sadie.

‘I guess they will,’ said Gabrizan, smiling warmly at Sadie. ‘They suggested I came here.’

Marijam’s fingers were pressed into her palms. Hands off, he’s mine, she thought, trying to catch Sadie’s eye.

The excitement was growing in the Laguna. People were now squashed up against the dark walls of the cave. Marijam sipped her nectar slowly. As the sweet liquid smoothed the back of her throat, she began to feel like she belonged.

Gabrizan was deep in conversation with Rainer now. She could not hear what he was saying, but they were both frowning. Every so often one of them would shake his head or rub his chin thoughtfully, occasionally looking up at the big screen and pointing to something.

Probably trying to work out what has been happening, she thought. She wanted to join in but knew that if she tried she’d be tongue-tied as usual. And anyway, it was actually quite nice just sitting there watching him. His blond hair and his brown skin fascinated her. She couldn’t help noticing how tall he was.

‘Hey,’ said Sadie, ‘what are you staring at?’

‘Oh, nothing,’ said Marijam, going red again.

‘You don’t fancy him do you?’ asked Sadie.

Marijam turned away from Sadie. She was certainly not going to answer a silly question like that.

She was facing the two boys directly now. Gabrizan waved and smiled. She just about managed to smile back.

I hope I don’t look stupid, she thought.

She saw Gabrizan mutter something to Rainer. Both of them looked at her again. Rainer gestured with his hand towards her.

They’re talking about me now, she thought and tried to get away, but she was hemmed in. Gabrizan was walking straight towards her. Rainer stayed behind, and Sadie rushed straight towards him.

Thanks, Sadie, thought Marijam. She couldn’t cope with this sort of thing. She wanted the comfort of her room with the skylight and the dataserve.

A hand was held out across the table. Marijam leant forward to take the hand. She was trembling.

This is ridiculous, she thought. I’m behaving like a complete idiot.

The handshake was firm. She wasn’t used to people her own age shaking hands with her. And even an adult’s hand had often been limp and damp.

‘I’m Marijam Kennedy,’ she managed to say surprisingly calmly. ‘I’m on Project 57’.

‘Hello, Marijam Kennedy,’ said Gabrizan slowly. ‘I’m really glad you’re on Project 57. That’s where I’ll be schooled. Let’s hope they have a meet soon.’

He’s flirting with me, thought Marijam. He’s flirting and I actually think I like it. But I don’t know what to do.

He was smiling at her now, his eyebrows slightly raised.

Suddenly the News screen sprang into life, and filled with her father’s face.

‘This is a special announcement for all seniors,’ he was saying. ‘What has happened tonight is of monumental importance and is going to change dramatically our way of life on Terrestra.’  Frazier Kennedy paused. People gasped. Some reaffirmed their opinion that what had happened tonight was something to do with the poison cloud moving. Others also speculated what had caused that to happen. When everyone had quietened down again, Frazier continued.

‘Obviously you will wonder what I mean by that remark and you will no doubt have many theories about what actually happened tonight. What has happened is much too important to discuss via a News screen. Therefore, all seniors are to return to their homes immediately and be ready for a meet in their normal Project Room at 9.00 a.m. sharp tomorrow. And allow plenty of time for the journey. Everyone else has also been called for a meet at their work centres. The transport systems will be overloaded. But don’t worry, and sleep well. It is just good news.’

The screen went blank again. There was silence at first. Then some students pushed towards the exits. Others got in their way as they lingered behind, unwilling to be sent home when there was so much to talk about. Gabrizan stood to one side as Marijam struggled out from behind the table. He walked behind her as she turned towards the door. He kept close to her most of the way towards the transporters. The crowds left them little other choice. She didn’t want to turn and look at him. That would have seemed so rude. But she knew he was at her side all the time. That made her feel proud, as if she were royalty, and she was sure everyone was looking at her.

I am being ridiculous, she thought.

‘This is where I leave you,’ said Gabrizan, as they arrived at the A Transporters Deck. The grey platform was crowded. Already she could hear the high-pitched whirring of one of the steel-nosed jet-trains. The usual swish of air as the machine hovered near the platform told her she was going to have to leave this fascinating person very soon.

‘Save me a place at the meet if you get there before me,’ he added putting his hand gently on her back. ‘And if I’m there first I’ll save you one.’ He smiled and winked.

Marijam felt a big lump in her throat.

‘See you tomorrow then,’ she managed to just about whisper.

*   *   *

‘You look very smart today, sweetie,’ said Frazier Kennedy.

Marijam plucked nervously at the edge of the navy tunic.

‘Not that you need to dress up. You’ve inherited your mother’s good looks,’ her father continued. Then he laughed, looking at himself in plastiglass window as the private transporter pod they were using sped though the dark tunnels. ‘You certainly didn’t get them from me.’

If only you knew, thought Marijam.

She had had no trouble feeling wide awake this morning, despite not getting to bed until well past midnight, and then being too excited to sleep for most of the night. She had dressed really carefully today, something a bit better than the grey ripon tunic, but nothing too showy. She was fairly confident that the well-cut navy suede-effect tunic was just right. And she knew exactly why she had made an effort with her appearance.

There was just one other person in the room when Marijam arrived at the room designated for her group’s meet.  Her heart started pounding as she went through the door and saw him.  Gabrizan signalled with his head that she should sit next to him. She felt herself blush again.

‘It certainly seems clear out there,’ he said as she sat down. ‘Have you had a look yet?’

She hadn’t actually. She realised she hadn’t bothered looking through her skylight when she got back the night before. She had had other things on her mind. She shook her head.

‘Anyway,’ said Gabrizan, leaning back into chair, his arms jangling limply at his side and his legs stretched out in front of him. ‘I want to know all about you.’

As the others arrived, Gabrizan punched questions at her.

‘Do you have any brothers and sisters?’ he asked.

‘No,’ she replied. ‘I’m an only child. What about you?’

‘Just one sister. Is it as good as they say, then, being the only child?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know really… it’s a bit lonely sometimes…,’ she answered.

‘Makes sense. There couldn’t be another as gorgeous as you.’

Marijam felt her cheeks start to burn. She tried to be polite and ask him similar questions back, but his answers were dismissive. His home was fairly ordinary. He wanted to know about her. And he seemed to find her answers so interesting and delightful that she really began to feel important. His eyes smiled at all of her answers.

Soon the room was full. The dataserve’s tinny voice proclaimed that all students on Project 57 were present. Frazier walked into the room.

‘Right, folks,’ he began, ‘you will be pleased to know that the speculation was correct. The poison has indeed dispersed. Every single trace of it has vanished and in one night of astounding electrical activity. We are not quite sure how or why it happened yet, but the main idea we have so far is that some strong force entered the cloud and seeded it, just like they used to in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.’ He then showed them pictures of rain clouds over the African mainland from the year 2005. Small primitive aircraft had flown into them dispersing chemicals, which helped the clouds to release their moisture. ‘The case is a little different here,’ he added. ‘Something has set up electrical charges within the cloud. We believe it is from a type of metal not found on Terrestra, as we have already tried this with every metal known on Terrestra. This has discharged the poison from the cloud. That was what produced some of those glorious colours you saw last night.’

Marijam noticed that Gabrizan was now sitting forwards on his seat, his knuckles white as he gripped the sides. There was a slight frown creasing his forehead. Marijam caught his eye and he relaxed, flashing her a wide smile. His eyes danced again for a few seconds, but then the concentration came back.

Frazier was now showing pictures from the night before.

‘You are a very privileged group,’ he said finally ‘to have witnessed something like this in your final year of schooling. There are five research places now open to students of Project 57. Anyone interested can apply through InterEducation as usual.’

Everyone sat in silence for about ten seconds, then everyone started talking at once.  Questions were shouted out without the normal order and discipline in a school meet – especially when the Head of Education was there. Frazier Kennedy did his best to answer them, but even he was not his usual unflappable self.

For a short while Marijam forgot who she was sitting next to. Even Gabrizan seemed less important than the news they had just been given. So the poison cloud was gone after all that time, and it had gone so quickly in just one night of the most fantastic light display she had ever seen.

‘Are you going to give it a go?’ asked Gabrizan, now sitting back in his chair again, and pulling her out of her day dream.

A little thrill of excitement ran through her as she looked at him.

‘I think I’d like to,’ she managed to say. There was a strange lump in her throat and she thought her voice came out a bit squeaky. She was really interested in the project, but she was fascinated by him.

‘Well, I’m going to,’ said Gabrizan. ‘Hey, don’t you think it would be good for the two of us to work together? Maybe we could take on a joint research project. It would be a great Part II.’

Wouldn’t it just? thought Marijam. Especially if I was doing it with you.

‘Will you meet me later?’ asked Gabrizan, as they were about to leave the seminar room. ‘There is something I think you would really like to see.’

‘Oh, just one thing,’ called Frazier Kennedy as the students started to make their way towards the exit. ‘No-one will be allowed up to the surface for a while yet.  We need to carry out further tests, then get it ready. We’re pretty sure it’s safe out there, but we must be certain. We think the strange metal entered Terrestra’s atmosphere randomly, but we have to be sure that it was not fired or planted there by people from another planet. Also, it will take some getting used to the outside air. Anyone caught going out before the all-clear is given will be dealt with severely. Everybody needs to get used to the idea anyway. But,’ he paused. There was a twinkle in his eye. ‘Some of the outer plastiglass comes off the windows straight away.’

‘Intersection Q5A. Seven fifteen,’ Gabrizan whispered.

Marijam turned to see Gabrizan walking away from her. He waved and grinned.

*  *  *

‘Well all I can say is,’ said Louish Kennedy, looking at her daughter in the silver silk, ‘he must be a pretty important guy. I’ve never seen you look so well-groomed. It’s good to see you get away from that dataserve a bit as well.’

‘It’s the new chap, isn’t it?’ said Frazier, grinning hugely. ‘That’s okay by me. He’s quite a man. Got his application in for Project Northern Lights already. And it’s looking good!’

Already? thought Marijam. How on Terrestra had he managed that? She would have to get cracking. But not tonight. She briefly thought of the chaos she’d left in her bedroom. All of her tunics were strewn across the bed. It had taken forever to decide what to wear, and even now she wasn’t sure. But it was time to go. The silver silk would have to do.

*  *  *

Marijam had never been to Q5A or even to this side of town before. It was right where this cave network ended. A transporter system could take you to the next network, but it would usually take a long time for one to arrive.

There was something dull and tarnished about the caves here. They looked as if they had not been cared for in a long time. Marijam was so nervous that when her arm brushed one of the sides, she sprang away, startled.

‘Leave me alone!’ she shouted. It had only been the bare rock, though. She put her hand on its surface. It was cold and clammy. Obviously, it had not been dehumidified and damp-proofed like the other cave networks she knew.

‘You look gorgeous,’ said a voice. Marijam jumped again. She hadn’t seen him there, standing in the shadows.

‘Thank you,’ she managed to remember to say.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘You’ll find this unbelievable.’

‘Where are we going?’ she asked.

‘Don’t be frightened,’ he said. Could he see how much she was shaking? ‘Nothing’s going to hurt you.’

She followed him along the cave path. It was really rough just here. There were loose rocks, which you couldn’t actually see, all along the pathway. Marijam tripped several times. Once, she fell to the floor, grazing her hand.

‘Are you all right?’ asked Gabrizan, moving towards her. He sounded concerned.

‘I’m fine,’ she said, quickly getting back up before he could help her. She wasn’t really. Her hand was throbbing. But she felt too embarrassed to admit that she was hurt. He might think she was clumsy.

What a silly time to wear a silk tunic, she thought.

It was really hard to walk. And it was so dark here. She supposed it was because they were so close to the edge of the cave network. Every so often, Gabrizan turned to see whether she was still coming.

‘Nearly there,’ he said, as they came to a real bit of cave where it was even more difficult to keep going.

‘Here,’ he said a few minutes later as they arrived in front of a steel door.

Gabrizan took a strange looking object out of his pocket and started to work at the door’s lock with it.

‘What’s that?’ asked Marijam?

‘Have you not seen one before?’  Gabrizan was not looking at her. ‘It’s a just a little gadget I always carry with me. It’s especially good for opening stubborn doors.’

In seconds the door was open. Marijam realised what was happening. She remembered her father’s warning about how it might not be all right outside and how people would be punished if they were caught.

Gabrizan turned to face her.

‘It will be all right. Really, it will. Trust me.’

Marijam’s mouth went dry. The shaking became worse. Gabrizan was still staring at her. His eyebrows were slightly raised as if he was asking a question. He smiled slowly. Of course she could trust him!

‘I’ll be behind you all the way,’ he said. ‘It’s only a few metres up here. But you might feel funny when the air hits you.’

Carefully, Marijam stepped on to the first rung of the metal ladder. She made her way up slowly. She was afraid of what she was going to see at the other end. Gabrizan didn’t say anything as they went up, but she knew he was behind her and that reassured her.

‘We’re half way there,’ he said suddenly.  ‘Just another twenty rungs to go.’

Marijam could feel the air on her face now. It felt like the way the water from the cooler tasted. Of nothing, but cool and fresh. Everything seemed to be jumping around and she couldn’t focus her eyes on anything.

‘Careful,’ said Gabrizan, gently. ‘Don’t breathe in too much at once. You’re not ready for the natural mix yet. There’s actually more oxygen out here than in what they pump through the caves.’

How does he know? thought Marijam. How can he know it’s that safe?

Marijam couldn’t help feeling excited, though, as she came to the top of the shaft. She felt even dizzier as she let go of the rungs and pushed herself onto the surface of Terrestra. There was something soft and powdery beneath her hands. Pink dust.

‘It’s been scorched,’ said Gabrizan, coming up behind her. She was glad he was there. It made her feel safe. ‘It will soon be green again, though,’ he added. ‘Now that the poison cloud’s gone, they can bring the plant life back.’

‘How long do you think it will take to come back?’ she asked. After all, the cloud had arrived gradually. No-one had realised at first. But she remembered from her history lessons that the plants had started to die and then people started to cough and choke on the bad air. The authorities at the time had decided to get everything that lived underground. Would it come back just as gradually?

Gabrizan shrugged.

‘I guess it’ll take a while,’ he said. ‘Oh, but just look at that,’ he said, pointing towards the dark blue sky.

Marijam stared at the stars. They seemed so near, and she could see so far. A bright moon was shining. It seemed to Marijam brighter than the sun usually was.  There was no plastiglass or rim in the way. A breeze tickled her neck. There was the faint scent of something a little familiar but which she could not name.

‘What’s that?’ she said.

‘What?’ asked Gabrizan.

‘That sort of green smell,’ she replied suddenly realising it was what the greenhouses smelt like, only not so overpowering.

‘I wonder…’ He grabbed her hand.

Gabrizan walked rather quickly. Marijam found herself slipping on the pink powder. It was so different from walking on the special surfaces in the caves. Each step took longer as she kept on sliding back. Soon she was out of breath.

‘We’re nearly there,’ said Gabrizan.

Marijam could hear water rushing. It sounded like a huge tap running. The ground beneath them had stopped being soft and had now turned into solid rock. It was hard and cold beneath her feet. Gabrizan stopped suddenly. Marijam shivered. Gabrizan put his arm around the waist and held her closer.

‘Look,’ he said.

In front of them a waterfall tumbled over the rocks.

‘Can you see it?’ asked Gabrizan.

Marijam looked to where he was pointing. Nestled in the rocks were a few strands of green.

‘That’s what you could smell,’ he said, ‘ferns which have lived despite the poison cloud.’

Marijam breathed in deeply. She could taste the air. There was something sweet about its dampness, and underneath a taste of something like fresh salad. The breeze danced around her cheeks again.

‘How did you know it was here?’ she asked Gabrizan.

‘I’d seen there used to be a waterfall on the map,’ he said. ‘And when we noticed the green smell, I guessed it was still there.’

Marijam bent down and touched the ground beneath her. Its hardness and rough surface startled her. She drank the air, swallowing mouthfuls at a time. She looked up at the sky again. She had never seen so much sky. She  had never seen its blueness properly before. The poison cloud had always cast a grey shadow.

‘It is so amazing,’ she said quietly. ‘So …. it’s hard to describe… well, alive, I suppose..’

But there was something else.

Marijam turned to face Gabrizan. He was staring at her, his eyes wide open.

‘What I see is also fantastic,’ he murmured.

Marijam suddenly felt uneasy. Yet tingles of excitement ran up and down her body. Gabrizan touched her face gently.

‘You’re so beautiful,’ he said. Then he laughed suddenly.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘We’d better get back. Being outside for the first time is too much of a shock.’

But Marijam knew they would be back. Oh yes they would! Outside was definitely good!

Peace Child, The Prophecy, The Z Zone Four

She held her breath as he latched on to her nipple. There was always a sharp pain as the milk came down and it was matched each time by a sensation of shrinking in her womb. Six weeks now after the birth, she was still bleeding. Every time she fed him, she bled more.

‘It’s  natural,’ said Narisja. ‘Whenever He sucks at your breast, your womb will shrink. He will make you slimmer’

It felt as if he were biting her. She imagined that there were huge teeth inside that tiny mouth. They only came out when he wanted milk. The rest of the time they lay hidden behind the innocent gums.

The pain lasted a few seconds. Then the other pain would start. The dull ache in her womb, which minutes later would be relieved as a fresh spurt of blood trickled into the pad she wore between her legs.

Then she could relax. It made her feel sleepy as the small child sucked slowly at her breasts. Sometimes, she thought of when Gabrizan had touched her there. She had loved that too. Now, though, that seemed wrong.

These are for the baby, she thought. These were never meant for you.

The child patted her breasts as he fed. It felt right. Every now and then, he stopped. Then he would start again. The Mother knew instinctively exactly when to move him from one side to the next.

‘You are doing well,’ Narisja said. ‘The Child is gaining weight rapidly. And look how his cheeks are filling out.’

But the Mother could see the worry in the old woman’s eyes.

The Mother looked at her child. She couldn’t love him. She enjoyed feeding him, but that was all. It was Saratina who patted him afterwards, and cooed at him and made the funny grunting noise, which were her only words and which he seemed to love.

All the Mother could see was blackness. He was a parasite, feeding off her, taking away her life. He had forced her to live here, to abandon the life where everything was right, where everything should have been wonderful.

She was glad, though, that she was still the Mother, the Queen Bee, the most important member of the hive. She allowed Narisja and Saratina to serve her every need. They brought her food and drink. The old woman made her drink gallons of the cave water.

‘You must take in so much fluid,’ she said. ‘The baby is taking most of yours.’

The regime of the nightly porterbeer continued.

‘He needs the iron as much as you,’ said Narisja. ‘You need it still. You must be strong for the sake of the Peace Child.’

The baby always slept well after she had drunk the porterbeer, and that allowed her to sleep for five or six hours at night.

The two other women dressed him and changed his nappies. The Mother watched, glad that she did not have to handle the stinking mess. The baby squirmed and yelled as the women pulled his clothes on to him.

How can anyone love that? the Mother asked herself. It’s not a child. It’s just a demanding lump of flesh, a food processor.

She stopped caring about her own appearance. She would never have washed if Narisja had not made her. The older woman also made her clean her teeth, often having to force her mouth open and brush them herself.

‘You’ll lose your teeth if you don’t take care of them,’ she said to the Mother. ‘The child has taken a lot of your calcium.’

It was Saratina who stroked the Mother’s hair and brushed it a hundred times morning and night.

The Mother just turned her face to the black wall of the cave, and that was all she saw: blackness going on forever. She could not see a future for herself and her child. She could not even recognise that she had a child.

She did see, though, that Narisja and Saratina were becoming more and more concerned about her and the Child.

‘She won’t touch Him unless we make her,’ said the old woman. ‘She almost seems afraid of Him.’

Saratina grunted sympathetically. She bent over the Child’s crib and stroked his cheek.

‘Even the Peace Child needs mother love,’ said Narisja. ‘What can we do?’

Saratina just shook her head and looked sadly at the sleeping baby.

Narisja sighed.

The Mother listened. They were right. The baby did need mother love. But I just can’t move towards him, she thought. I am frozen.

The baby carried on gaining weight and he looked healthy enough. The Mother also seemed to be thriving. Her figure was trim again and she was less pale than she had been straight after the birth. Yet there was something not quite right. She seemed to be in a dream.

Ben-Menriah continued to come every week. He loved to play with the Child.

‘You will be a fine story-teller,’ he said. ‘You carry the stories of the world in your soul.’

He was happy to throw the Child over his shoulder and pat his back after he had been fed. The baby would give a loud burp, often puking the last of his milk over the Wiseman’s shoulder.

Narisja would fetch him a cloth and wipe his tunic.

‘Your clothes will be ruined,’ she said.

But Ben-Mariah would only laugh. ‘What do a few soiled garments matter when I’m holding the fulfilment of a prophecy in my arms? Besides, baby spittle smells sweet and soon washes out.’

Then, when the babe was settled and asleep again, Ben-Mariah would continue with his tales. The Mother listened. There was a little comfort in them, but they lacked the excitement they had brought her earlier. Then always, before he went away, there was the whispered conversation in the entrance to the cave.

‘So there’s no improvement?’ he asked.

‘No, she still does not seem interested in the Boy,’ said Narisja.

Ben-Mariah would shake his head sadly. ‘Her soul is sick,’ he said. ‘We must find the story which will cure it, if the Boy is to grow strongly.’

She heard every word that they said about her, but she did not give anything away. She continued to stare blankly at the cave wall.

The Mother finished the feed, and handed the baby over to Saratina, who burped him, changed his nappy, rubbed noses with him and giggled at him and then laid him in his cot. She bent over and made her cooing, grunting little noises at him, just as she did every time she laid him down. Suddenly she cried out. Even the Mother was alarmed, and wondered whether the Child was hurt.

Saratina rushed over to her and grabbed her arm. She had to follow her to the crib. Saratina was pointing excitedly at the baby, squeaking and clapping her fists together.

‘What is it Saratina?’ asked the Mother. ‘What’s the matter? What’s happened?’

‘Mmm!’ insisted Saratina.

The Mother looked into the cot. Kaleem was lying on his back, his feet and arms kicking in the air. His deep blue eyes were looking into hers. For a second she saw his father and then she saw something of her own father. The baby smiled and giggled.

Something changed in her.

‘Does the Peace Child have a name now?’ asked Narisja.

‘Yes,’ replied the Mother. ‘He is my Kaleem,’ she said, stroking his cheek. ‘My precious child’

She took him out of his cot and held him close.

The Prophecy The Z Zone Two

The body of the Mother carried on growing. She became less comfortable. The shine went from her hair. The tremendous energy had begun to wane, as she found her now huge form harder and harder to move.

She could feel the baby moving almost all of the time now. What before had seemed a neat trick, a sweet moment, now became an annoyance. The outline of the foot appearing on the belly now meant a kick in the stomach, heartburn or an uncomfortable feeling under the ribs.

She found it difficult to eat. There was no room for her food. The baby was taking up all of the space inside.

She moved less, and when she did move, she felt heavy and ugly.

I’m glad he went, she told herself. I’m glad he can’t see me like this.

‘The head is engaged,’ said the old woman, one day as she felt the Mother’s belly. ‘The baby will be here soon.’

At times she would walk around their cave home. She had to walk, even though she did not feel like it, because if she didn’t her legs would cramp up and she would have excruciating pains travelling through the whole of her body.

As she walked, she could feel the head of the life inside her bouncing on top of its exit. She was sure that at any second it would just fall out.

I wish the baby would hurry up and come, she thought to herself.  I would like my body back.

But  then she would feel sick with fear. The old midwife had told her what to expect of the birth. The baby would not just fall out. There were likely to be hours of pain, fluids dripping from her body, blood flowing between her legs, and high temperatures. The baby would not be cute and clean when it appeared. It would be covered in blood, and wrinkled, most likely and with a thick fleshy cord coming from its belly.  But the worst thought of all was of that great head, which she could already feel so keenly, forcing its way through that gap so much too small.

There was going to be very little help in the Z Zone. If they had still had all the technology available in the normal zones, it would have been of little use here. Even the Z Zoners, with the exception of Narisja, had forgotten about birthing and she had not practiced it for many years.

The older woman put the Mother through her lessons. She told her how to breathe - shallow for when the pains were sharp and she wanted to push, deep for when she needed to relax. She showed her how to push, how not to put the energy into her throat but to direct it downwards, and so help the baby on its way.

‘Then we will put Him on your breast and give Him His first milk. That is the milk which is rich in nutrients and fights disease,’ she said. She ignored the Mother’s grimace at the word ‘disease’. ‘You have fine breasts,’ she continued. ‘The Child will be well nurtured from these breasts.’

The Mother shivered. She did not like to think of the child sucking at her nipples. It was animal-like. It was barbaric. It was just not done these days.

They still looked at the book. The Mother slowly found herself absorbed by the story. She imagined the people planning their great city and building the tall tower, which would lead them up to God. She saw them as flesh and blood, not just as the paper cut-outs here, though they did look fine in their silver and gold clothing.

‘Read it to me,’ said the old woman. And the Mother read it, from beginning to end. Her eyes skimmed across the Wordtext sections. She did not need to read them. She knew them so well.

She felt more and more uneasy as she came to the part where the tower began to tumble. It looked almost nothing in the pictures, but she could imagine the people screaming, and the children falling then searching in vain for their mothers and fathers in the debris on the ground.

‘Those poor children,’ she said to Narisja

‘You are bound to think of the children,’ said Narisja, ‘in your condition.’

At least they had mothers and fathers, thought the Mother, rubbing her huge belly, unlike you, my poor little one. She tried to stop the tears as she thought of how it might have been if Gabrizan could have been there with her.

‘It is so good that you are here,’ said the older woman. ‘It is so good that you came to the Zone, carrying the Babel book.’ She spoke as if she had not seen the Mother’s tears. But the Mother knew that her old friend understood her pain.

She could move less now, and the dancing had stopped. She had time to think. And she thought of what might happen after the birth. Would Narisja still keep her prisoner here? One day she dared to ask.

‘Narisja,’ she said, ‘what should happen to me and the child after he is born? Should we stay here?’

The older woman stared at her for several minutes. Then she looked away. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She turned back to the Mother and looked deep into her eyes.

‘The Child will know what is best to do,’ she said. the old woman. ‘We must trust in Him.’

Now it was the turn of the younger woman to look away.

This is nonsense, she told herself. It was just a mistake. They are hiding me behind a prophecy. Then she shuddered again as she remembered that the Stopes programmes had failed, though the Stopes programmes never failed. It was the book, the simple story in which Narisja had so much faith, which had saved her. Nevertheless, she asked herself what sort of life she and the Child would lead here, in the Z Zone.

The days followed the usual pattern. The Mother rested more and more. The older woman completed the chores. One day the Mother woke up, full of energy again.

‘I want to help you to beat the rugs,’ she said to Narisja ‘I want to boil the bean soup and want to move all the dust out of the cave. It must be clean for the sake of the child.’

And she set to, broom in hand. She sang as she worked. She swept and scrubbed, she peeled and scraped. She felt strong. She felt brave. She felt happy. She was reluctant to lie on her bed for the midwife to examine her.

‘I must get on. I must get everything ready for the baby,’ she said.

Eventually she had to let the older woman look at her. There was a fire in the eyes of the midwife as she gently felt around the contours of the swollen belly. The old woman put the listening tube to the lump.

‘Good,’ she murmured. ‘Very good indeed.’

‘May  I go now?’ said the Mother and rushed from the bed. She took the feather duster and started to flick it high up the cave walls. Nothing was going to beat her.

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in the small of her back. She dropped the duster and held her breath, trying to count the pain away. Something warm trickled from the space between her legs. She saw the blood dripping to the floor. A gush of water, warm and steaming, which she could not control splashed around her feet.  Then came the second pain.

The old woman smiled.

‘Good,’ she said. ‘It is time.’

The Propehcy Underground Chapter Four

Marijam stuffed four old ripon tunics into the overnight case. She picked up the pretty pearl and gold jewellery box her aunt had given her. That, with other bits and pieces her aunt and grandmother had given her might be more useful as currency in the Z Zone than Terrestra credits, until she managed to get a false credit account.

She had briefly also thought about trying to make her way to the Citadel, where the Elders lived. She had heard rumours that they could be kind, and they would often help Normal Zoners who got in to some sort of trouble. But she had no idea how to get there. That would have meant delving into even more of the Hidden Information. At least she knew where the Z Zone was. Somehow, she thought, that was just as well. She deserved the poverty of the Z Zone more than the luxury of the Citadel.

She obstinately refused to let Louish help her with the packing. She said she wanted to get her thoughts straight about the Northern Lights Project. Louish had been taken in.

Neither of her parents mentioned Gabrizan’s disappearance again, nor how pale she looked. Oddly enough, over the last day or two, the nausea had all but disappeared. Just a hint of it now and then. Perhaps it was the shock.

Well, she was dressed smartly enough for a science project interview. She was wearing a  newer, plain tunic. She washed her hair carefully and some of the shine came back. She didn’t look too bad in the mirror, even though she still felt completely drained.

Better keep up appearances, she told herself.

The pearl necklace her grandmother left her bought her some Hidden Information. If anyone found out, she would probably have to go to prison for the rest of her life. She shuddered when she thought of her meeting with the Ambassador, as he called himself. She would have sworn he was actually a Z Zoner, but one who spent an awful lot of time in the Normal Zones. He’d been so easy to find, too. Well, she’d known all along that some of the other kids in her social group sometimes accessed Hidden Information just for a bit of a laugh.

But it was nothing to laugh about. What she found out sickened her. She was almost grateful to the authorities for keeping that sort of information hidden. She had just two choices. She could give birth to the baby. That would be painful and could even kill her. Or she could get rid of it. That wouldn’t be all that pleasant either and was just as risky.

Both meant disappearing into the Z Zone. No-one in the Normal Zones would help with either. She would go there to get the help of the Z Zoners in delivering her baby, not in getting rid of it. It was Gabrizan’s baby. This would forever change her way of life and there would be no going back.

Marijam shivered as she thought of the Z Zone. She had found out more about it from the Hidden Information. She had already known that people who could no longer live in ordinary society were sent there. Until she’d got the Hidden Information, though, she had not known that Z Zoners did not have enough food, light and clothing. She had not realised that they had few dataserves and that any technology they did have was years out of date. The only concession they had to modern Terrestran life was a completely normal diastic system. The population there was getting thinner - maybe one day it would die out altogether. Would it though? she asked herself. Wouldn’t there always be misfits who needed hiding away?  She flinched as she remembered what she had found out about birth control in the Z Zone. They had a full Stopes programme going on there. Not even Z Zoners got pregnant these days. But they also rarely made it to the hundred years and switch-off. They didn’t die of illness. They became tired, literally worn out, or they starved. They did die, the old way, and the average age for death was forty-five.

Marijam bit her lip when she remembered what it had been like getting that Hidden Information. No wonder they kept all of this from normal people. It was horrific.

Marijam looked around the room which had been hers for as long as she could remember. She had just a little more space in her bag. What else should she take? Then she saw it. Another gift from her grandmother. Oma had given it to her on her switch-off day. It was a book, a children’s picture book. Most stories were told in super-four vision these days, but this antique was beautiful. She found it hard to decipher the old-fashioned text.  She knew the story off by heart, though, and she loved the pictures. She quickly flicked through the finely detailed paintings of the tower leading up to the sky. She loved the puzzled expressions of the people who found that they could not understand each other after they had tried to reach God.

Marijam heard her parents in the entrance hall to the apartment.

‘Are you coming?’ called Louish.

‘You go ahead, I’ll catch you up later,’ replied Marijam, trying not to let her voice tremble. It was really scary to think that she would never see her parents again.

The vacuum doors closed. Marijam stuffed the book into her bag. She took one last look around her room.

‘I’m sorry, Mum, Dad,’ she whispered.  She thought about what might happen to her father after she had left. Would they allow him to carry on as a service head, if he couldn’t even deal with his own daughter? Just as well that he didn’t know why she had left.

Then she too walked out of the apartment.

The lifts to the surface had long queues to them. People chatted excitedly and jostled one another to get to the front of the queue. They won’t half feel dizzy, thought Marijam, when that real air hits them.

She decided it would be easier to get to the Z Zone across the top. The tunnels were so complicated underground. Many of them were blocked where roofs had caved in. The authorities had decided not to repair them. They didn’t particularly want Z Zoners mixing with ordinary people.

I hope they’re not going to spoil everything, she thought. It wasn’t going to be the same with everyone else sharing the outdoors. Oh, it wasn’t going to be the same without Gabrizan.

The lift stopped. A door had been set into the tube which went across the surface. People streamed out. Marijam enjoyed for a few seconds the thrill of breathing real air. But she was used to it, unlike the people around her. They looked dazed. Some clung on to pieces of rock. Others sat down on the ground. One or two were taking great gulps of air. Some medical workers walked about.

‘Don’t breathe too fast,’ they advised. ‘Don’t stay more than ten minutes. You’re not used to the changing temperatures or the natural mix of air.’

‘Isn’t this something?’ Marijam heard one woman say. ‘I’m so glad it’s happened in our life time.’

‘It’s a miracle,’ replied the man at her side.

Marijam put her hand to her tummy. I suppose this is a miracle as well, she thought. Only I think I’m off miracles.

Someone suddenly tapped her arm. She jumped.

‘It’s amazing, isn’t it?’ said a too familiar voice.

Marijam turned to see Ponty Davidson. ‘Yes,’ she replied, ‘though it makes you feel funny, doesn’t it?’ I hope he can’t see I’m already used to it, she thought.

‘Will you walk a little way with me?’ asked Ponty. His breathing became shallow.

‘I, er I think,’ stammered Marijam. ‘I think I need to go back in. I’ve already been out quite a while.’

She walked away from him, back towards the opening in the tube. She stopped at the entrance and turned to see what he was doing. He staggered a little and one of the medical workers came up to him. She watched him sit down as two of the medics now spoke to him. Then, his head was down between his knees. It was safe for her to go now. He would not see her.

She set off again. She went behind Ponty and the two medical workers. He was recovering. She must hurry. She quickened her step.

‘Marijam,’ she heard Ponty call. ‘Where are you going?’

She pretended not to hear. She walked faster and faster until she was almost running. The ground became rougher. She would have to be careful. But she didn’t stop until she could no longer hear the crowds. She turned once more to look. No one was following and most people seemed to be making their way back to the open tube.

She sat on a rock at the side of what was left of the road. She took out the map she had got from the Hidden Information. This was scary, oh so scary. I need to go south she thought. She looked up at the sun. It was high in the sky and straight ahead. One of the old twenty-third century roads could still just about be seen.

Well, this is it, she thought. She lifted her bag on to her back. She couldn’t walk too quickly across Terrestra’s broken surface. Yes, she was following the old E723 Super Highway. There were bumps and cracks everywhere and places where there was no road left, only a patch of mud. Sometimes the road had caved in completely and Marijam had to climb in and out of a huge hole.

You never know, she thought. This might hurt the baby and then there might not be a problem anymore. Then she felt ashamed of thinking that. After all, this was Gabrizan’s child who was growing inside her.

A couple of times she sat down to rest. She was able to use the mini compu to tell her the direction. She knew, though, that soon she would be in the area which was not mapped by Standard Information.

Then one time she sat down and pressed the button on the mini compu. The screen was completely blank.

That’s it then, she thought. I’m on my own now.

The sun was beginning to set. Marijam studied the map again. The Logan cave must be another couple of kilometres from here. Then she would be in the Z Zone.

Marijam felt as if her heart and her stomach were chasing each other as she trudged along those last two kilometres. Once she went into that cave, there would be no going back. She could still change her mind now and go home. Explain everything to her parents. Surely her father would find a way out? No. It would ruin his career as well. Better this way.

It was completely dark by the time she arrived at the cave. A faint pink glow came from the entrance. Marijam could hear a soft noise. Was it their old mechanical machinery? Were they managing better now that the surface air was breathable again?

Marijam followed the tunnel which led down underground. She could see where the pink glow came from. The pathway was lit with strange burning lights. She supposed it was some sort of gas. There had been nothing about that in the Hidden Information.

It was cold in the caves. The ground was uneven, not like the solid floors of the normal zones. It was mainly made of dirt, with some bits of natural rock here and there. She suddenly remembered her first climb to the surface with Gabrizan. The path to the exit had been just like this. A pain that was almost physical shot through her as she thought of Gabrizan. Then something else happened. Her womb seemed to contract. Then there was a real pain.

I’m going to lose it, she thought. I shouldn’t have done this.

The pain stopped almost immediately. There was a strange tickling sort of feeling, like tummy butterflies, but a little lower down.

‘You’re moving,’ Marijam whispered as she put her hand over her stomach.  Gabrizan’s child was moving. So this had been the right thing to do.

The noise of the machinery grew louder. Marijam could also hear people’s voices. Her heart started crashing into her ribs now.

‘Sorry, baby,’ she muttered. ‘I don’t want to scare you, but I’m terrified.’

Marijam heard a sudden movement at the side of her.

‘Hey, what’s this then?’ a gritty voice rasped.

A gloomy figure stepped into Marijam’s path. The smell was the worst. She found it hard not to vomit again. This was what the unwashed must smell like, something she had never experienced before.

‘What do you want, then, little rich girl?’ snarled the man, wiping his hand on the dirty torn tunic.

A second figure came forward out of the shadows. This time it was a younger man. He was just as dirty as the first, and his brown tunic was made of the same rough looking material. But he didn’t seem to smell quite so much. His face looked a bit kinder too.

Marijam could not move. She wanted to run, but she could not get her legs to do what  she asked them. Even if they had moved, she knew she would not be able to get far. She was too tired.

‘Well?’ asked the first man, grabbing Marijam’s arm so hard that she could already feel the bruise forming. ‘Why have you come here? Running away from something are you?’

‘Look, I’ve got some things you can have,’ stammered Marijam, pointing to her bag which was beginning to slip from her shoulders, ‘if you’ll let me stay.’

‘Go on then, get it open!’ shouted the first man, pulling the bag away from her and gesturing to the younger man.

The younger man took the bag and began to empty its contents on to the cave floor.

‘You won’t be needing those here,’ commented the older man, as the younger one piled up the few tunics she had brought with her.

‘No, you’ll be much too cold,’ said the younger man more kindly.

‘That’ll do!’ cried the other man. He snatched the jewellery box.

‘Hey, wait a minute, Franck!’ cried the younger man.  ‘Take a look at this.’ He was holding the picture book. His rough hands were thumbing through the pictures.

‘My God!’ replied Franck. He also now started pawing at the book. ‘Does this mean…?’

The younger man nodded.

Marijam wanted to scream out to him to be careful. How dare such a brute touch her precious book.

Franck’ face was white and there were now beads of sweat on his forehead.

‘Do you really think this can have happened to us?’  asked the younger man.

Marijam didn’t have time to think what this might all be about. The two men quickly bundled her things back into her bag.

‘Ianus, we’ll have to get her to the wise woman,’ hissed Franck.

‘Well, we’d better get a kartje,’ replied Ianus. ‘We can’t risk  anything happening to  her. She looks exhausted already. We can’t expect her to walk any further.’

‘Right,’ said Frank. ‘You sit down there, Miss. Ianus will be back soon.’

The smell was still quite disgusting, but Marijam felt a bit more comfortable now. They seemed to think she was something special. Goodness knows what that was all about, but it was helping. And she was tired. Oh, so very tired. She closed her eyes. She could hear Franck breathing, but he didn’t seem inclined to say anything. When she opened her eyes again, he was staring at her and frowning slightly.

Ianus came back a few minutes later. Then Marijam realised what a kartje was. It was something from the last century. A type of small cart which hovered a few inches off the ground. She didn’t think there were any of those left.  And she thought they had been called carrels. But then, this was the Z Zone. Anything could happen.

Ianus helped her into the small vehicle.

‘You’ll still have to hold on,’ he warned. ‘It can only keep about twenty centimetres off the ground, so it still goes up and down a bit’

Franck climbed in behind them with her bag. Ianus moved the controls, and soon they were rushing forward a little above the ground. There were some uncomfortable twists and turns and quite a few jolts where the ground suddenly dipped away or rose up.

Occasionally they passed groups of people who were working with their hands or on old pieces of machinery. They all wore the rough-looking tunics and had the same leathery skin. Some of them stopped their work and stared at Marijam.

‘Watch out! We’re on important business,’ Franck would call.

Ianus frowned at him.

‘We ought to keep quiet about her really,’ he said. ‘Make out that she’s nothing special. See what the old one says first.’

Marijam was beginning to feel very sleepy. This place was cold and uncomfortable. The people looked rough and it was clear that life was very hard for them. She wouldn’t have chosen to live here if she’d really had any choice. The thought of giving birth actually terrified her. If only she could have told her parents what had happened, or, better still, Gabrizan.

But she was beginning to feel safe. These two rough men seemed to accept her, seemed to have been waiting for her, almost. She had no idea why they thought she was important. But whatever it was, it was just helping her to be accepted and she thought she ought to be grateful.

The kartje stopped in front of a doorway which seemed to lead into a natural cave.

‘Old woman!’ called Ianus.

The door of the cave opened slowly. A woman stood in the frame. Her silver hair hung loosely over her tunic, almost reaching her waist. She peered at Marijam, a slight frown on her forehead.

‘Ah,’ she said. ‘So you’re here. I see you have the Book. At last. Come, we have been expecting you.’

The old lady’s eyes pierced into hers. Marijam wanted to run away. But she knew that all she could do was follow the woman slowly towards the door. Ianus and Franck went to follow her. The old woman put out her hand up to stop them and shook her head. Ianus handed her Marijam’s bag.

Marijam shivered. But this time it was excitement, not fear.