The Incision of Being by A. J. Jameson

Author:A. J. Jameson [Jameson, A. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-07-22T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

The Harbingers arrived at the Hunting Grounds a few minutes past sunset. They found Liam’s people at the same location as the dead elephant from weeks prior, close to where the others had died.

The Defuncts sat on a fallen tree stump, their faces hidden by the hoods of their ponchos. Annalease’s crew had no such rain gear. By the time they were finished with Salamander it was getting late, and they had neglected to check the weather before rushing to the meeting. The steady rain had permeated through Annalease’s leather hat. A damp tickle brushed the tips of her ears.

“What are we dealing with?” Annalease asked the hooded figures.

They displayed bricks wrapped in plastic. “We’re going to plant these at every air purifier along the UZ,” one of them said.

“Explosives?” Annalease asked.

She glanced back at Robert, seeking his reaction. But he was too far away for his features to be seen clearly through the drizzle. On their way to the Hunting Grounds, he had argued with Annalease about proximity. He didn’t trust Liam, and suspected Liam didn’t trust them. Perched high in a surrounding tree was his preference of placement, but Annalease said that would only make him look suspicious. Plus, she wanted him by her side in case anything happened. They were too short on numbers for him not to be.

But glancing around, Annalease spotted only two of Liam’s people, and the person who had spoken certainly wasn’t Liam. Was he hiding in the brush? How many unseen weapons were pointed at Annalease and her crew?

“A hit on environmental stability,” one of the ponchos said. He extended his hand. “I’m Spider, and this is Moth.”

“Spider and Moth,” Skink said in the curious tone of someone taste-testing a dessert.

Moth shook hands with Skink. “We wear our faults,” he said. “Do you mind telling me what it was they had planned for you?”

Annalease couldn’t help but chuckle at Skink’s apparent confusion; usually she was the source of awkwardness, but it seemed she didn’t quite know how to navigate these two, insect-named rejects.

“Go on, Skink, don’t be shy,” Annalease said.

“I was designed to be part of a trades repair crew,” Skink said. “My specialty was welding in confined spaces. But it never happened because my genome showed potential for MS.”

“Rejected because you were a liability,” Moth said. He stepped forward to steady Skink as she nodded, her heavy head unhinging her balance.

Spider glanced at Annalease. “And you?”

“I worked at a plant that produces circuit boards for residential security systems,” Annalease said. “There’s a protective chemical we spray on the boards to prevent environmental corrosion. Somehow, I developed an allergic reaction to the chemical. The only one in my batch to do so.”

“Perfect templates do not ensure exact replicas,” Spider said. He looked to Robert next.

“It doesn’t matter,” Robert said. “We aren’t those things anymore, and never will be.”

“Very true,” Spider said. He shrugged at Moth, who shrugged back. “It’s kind of an ice breaker we use to ease tension before, you know,” he wiggled the explosive brick in his hand, “we start blowing stuff up.

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