The Shedders

CHAPTER ONE

Doctors Office - Clarion City

"You're pregnant."

The words struck pure terror into Danae's heart. Her hands convulsed, slim fingers digging into the soft leather of the chair in her doctors' office. Her throat felt paralyzed, words and air caught together in her chest until she thought she would choke.

"You're sure?" She gasped. "There's no mistake?"

"None, I'm afraid." The doctors' narrow face wore a practised look of false sympathy. His silver colored eyes surveyed the taut woman seated across from him as she mentally grappled with the news he'd just given her.

"All the tests for viral or bacterial infection, tumors, cancer and radiation poisoning came back negative." He continued. "The only test left was for pregnancy. It came back unarguably positive. I'm sorry."

"Wha-" Danae paused to collect herself, forcing herself to speak calmly. "What are my options?"

"Well," the doctor leaned back in his chair, steepled fingers tapping against his lips in meditation. "I suggest cashing in your Colonial Stock, taking a long vacation, really live it up." He began.

"No!" Danae exploded, 1/2 rising from her chair. Forcibly calming herself, she sat back down and spoke softly again. "No, I meant, what are my options to stop this pregnancy?"

The doctors' eyebrows rose and he shook his head. "None, I'm afraid. If you'd come to me before you got pregnant..." he trailed off and shrugged helplessly.

"I did not 'get pregnant'!" Danae snapped. "I'm one of the Socup'la. I live too close to the Shield. It makes us infertile, we can't get pregnant! We leave that to the Lo'cl'Es!" she snarled.

"Ms. Carlon, Danae, sometimes there's an aberration in the human physiology. Even the Socup'la can be affected, no matter their proximity to the Shield. It happens. Again, I'm sorry."

"But, I had my exam at puberty." Tears began to pool in her moss-green eyes. "They're supposed to catch it, let me know so I can take precautions against this."

The doctor again shrugged. "As I said, I'm sorry. There's nothing you can do. Enjoy yourself for the next three years."

"For the rest of my life, you mean." she corrected bitterly as she rose and left, slamming the door behind her.

The doctor waited until the echo of the slam faded, then slowly opened Danae's file. A small smile tilted his thin lipped mouth as he read "EXTREMELY FERTILE! SEND AGENTS 12 AND 62!"

Reaching for a pen he added the notation "Emotional, unpredictable. May seek illegal fetal removal methods. Close surveillance necessary."

Closing and sealing Danae's chart, the doctor called his nurse and told her to send it to MedHumCon Central. Once that was taken care of he leaned back and swiveled his chair to the windows that composed the southern wall of his office, giving him an invigorating view of Clarion City Park. He stared out at the purple-hued sky and the thin smile widened, giving his narrow face an evil look.

"The human race has overcome tremendous odds in colonizing distant planets, even adapting to those believed inimical to human life, Ms. Carlon. It must, and will, continue even if we lose a few humans in the process.

CHAPTER TWO

Sky-Pod Apartments

Danae had no memory of events after leaving the doctors' office. She had a brief, vague memory of waiting for a sky-cab, then deciding to wander along Clarion's Mid-Town Walk.

That was the last she recalled until coming to her senses in front of the bathroom mirror in her apartment. Her normally creamy white complexion was an ashy grey and her auburn hair hung in lank tangles around her face. Looking down at herself she noted scratches and bruises on her arms and her clothing was torn in places.

"Yeah, that's what I call living it up." she muttered to herself.

As she opened a cabinet to find the antiseptic her gaze fell on the 1/2 empty bottle of sleeping pills. Her trembling hand changed direction and carefully lifted the pill bottle from where it rested between the lotion and the antiseptic. Cradling it almost lovingly in her palm, she bit her lip as she thought about what those pills might mean. Escape from this nightmare, if there were enough sleeping pills left.

The doorbell chimed and she whirled, almost dropping the bottle. Out of pure reaction, and still clutching the pills like a life-line, she headed for the front door but halted in the living area when the door opened on its' own.

"Girlfriend, these lock picks are too handy. You need one for yourself in case you ever lock yourself out." The petite, chocolate skinned woman who entered waved a card before sliding it into a pocket. "So, where've you been the last two days?"

"Two days." Danae repeated blankly.

"Yeah, you..." the woman paused and took a closer look at Danae, then hurried to her side. Concern colored her voice as she gently took Danae's arm and helped her to a seat on the couch.

"Danae, what's wrong? You look terrible. Here, sit. Now, what happened?"

"I...don't know, Gela."

Sitting down to face her, Gela took one of Danae's hand in hers. "Ok, deep breath. Let it out. Now, two days ago you told me you were going to the doctor. You said you weren't feeling well. Try to take it from there. Did you make it to the doctors' office?"

Danae wrinkled her brow, then looked at her other hand. The one clutching the sleeping pill bottle. Gela's gaze followed hers and she gasped softly.

"Danae, were you...were you raped?" she asked gently.

Shaking her head, Danae handed the pill bottle to Gela. "No. I'm...I saw the doctor. He said, he t-told me I'm ... I'm pregnant."

"Mother of the stars!" Gela swore and dropped Danae's hand as if it might contaminate her, too. Her chocolate skin blanched with fear.

"But, how Danae? Our kind aren't supposed to be able to get pregnant! We live too close to the Shield, it makes us infertile."

"I know! Gela, I know. The doctor said, sometimes there's a physiological aberration and Socup'las can... can be fertile."

"So, what now?" Gela asked.

"He didn't say. He just told me to live it up for the next 3 years." Danae spat out bitterly, rising in an abrupt move.

"Looks like you already tried and it didn't work." Gela said with gentle irony, indicating Danae's torn and scratched appearance. "There must be something you can do." She added.

"The law states no fertile woman who becomes pregnant may have the fetus removed and/or destroyed. From the doctors' reaction, I'd wager that even applies to the Socup'la." Danae spoke in a defeated tone, her gaze going once more to the pills she'd handed Gela.

"I don't accept that." Gela stated stubbornly. "There must be a way out."

"Maybe," Danae said softly. "Maybe there is."

Gela saw Danae's gaze was still on the pill bottle. Moving to the disposer, she threw the bottle into it where it was destroyed in a flare of laser light.

"That's not the answer, Danae. At least, not yet. You've got some time before it's obvious you're... pregnant." Gela paused over the word as if it were too difficult to speak. Clearing her throat she continued. "Let's do some research, see if we can find another answer."

"Once it's apparent I'm pregnant, it'll really be too late, Gela. For all I know, it already is too late. Those pills may have been my only chance." Danae shouted.

"Danae, please. You're my best friend. I do not want to lose you. Give us both a little time. If we can't find another way, I'll help you myself. I swear."

They stood motionless for long moments, Danae's gaze belligerant, Gela's pleading, before Danae seemed to deflate. "Maybe I'm not really ready to die, not just yet."

Gela nodded, relief on her face. "Thank you, Danae."

"Just help me, Gela. Please." was the quiet plea.

CHAPTER THREE

Sky-Pod Apartments -- Revelation

Several months passed as both girls delved into searching for a way out of the pregnancy for Danae. They learned more about their planets' history in that time than they ever had in school.

They discovered that Sirus IV had been colonized nearly 4,000 years ago by humans from a planet called Earth. That those colonists had begun dying off from a mysterious illness shortly after landing. It wasn't until an avid astronomer discovered an invisible pulsar was a near-by neighbor and that it was bombarding Sirus IV with radiation that doctors were able to devise a cure.

The colonial scientists managed to come up with the Radiation Control Shield, or RCS, to protect the humans. When activated, it gave the sky it's purplish hue that let the world know it was still working.

Not long after the RCS went up, there was a terrible upheaval as greedy men and women tried to exploit both the riches and radiation of Sirus IV. Anger turned to unrest and eventually became a cival war.

Once the war was over and peace again reigned, the people divided into three disparate planes of living. The scientific and technological groups built what amounted to small, floating city/pods.

The people living in these floating Pods became known almost sneeringly as the Social Upward Class which became shortened to Socup'la. They rose high into the atmosphere with the wealthier Socup'la owning the highest corridors.

The agricultural and pastoral group remained earth-bound and became known as the Low and Close to Earthers which was shortened to Lo'cl'Es. They tended cattle and crops to supply the bodily needs of the populace. They spread out over most of the arable land, some even taking to the seas and the fishing industry.

The medical, especially the geneticists, lived in between in great, raised buildings and walk ways of steel and glass. They were engineering marvals for not a single walkway, road or park had ground level entries. The entire city rested on raised girders of the strongest metals. This group was simply known as the Tweens.

Because the Socup'la lived so close to the RCS, also called the Shield, the combined effects of the Shield and the small amounts of radiation that leaked through was believed to cause sterility in everyone living in the Pods. Only the Lo'cl'Es were thought to be fertile, so the Socup'la frequently paid huge sums of Colonial Stock to the Lo'cl'Es to have children for them. It was a painful, fatal process, so the womens' families would demand enourmous compensation.

Then Danae learned one final bit of information that chilled her to the bone. The Tweens had discovered the radiation was still killing the vulnerable, such as the very old and the very, very young. The infant mortality rate the first 20 years after the Shield went up was almost 100%. Only a child past the age of three stood a chance of living to adulthood.

The microgeneticists and scientists began tinkering with the female colonists' DNA to induce longer gestation periods and ensure increased infant survival rates. The mother became what amounted to a host for a very demanding parasite that slowly took over her body until she was no longer needed. At that point the fetus would tear it's way out, in essence shedding the body of it's host like a worn out second skin.

"By the Mother of the Milky Way, Gela. Where... how did you get this information?" Danae was aghast.

"Well, I once told you my lock picker was a handy tool." Gela chuckled.

"Stop it, Gela!" Danae demanded, glaring at the woman lounging on the couch across from her. "You managed to delay, cajole, plead, pressure and connive me into waiting one more day or one more week or just a little longer and now it's too late. Women refuse to meet my eyes or shake my hand as if they fear I'll contaminate them. I can't even get a headache suppresor anymore because it is now apparent to everyone that I'm pregnant. What's really going on?!"

The easy going, sometimes bumbling, always cheerful demeanor fell from Gela like a worn out cloak, the soft brown eyes turned hard as glass. Danae gasped and backed up several steps.

"You're right, Danae. I'm with the Medical Human Continuity Center. I'm here to watch over you until your child is born."

"MedHumCon." Danae breathed. "But, we've been friends for years. What, why would..."

"Because we knew you were fertile at your first exam, Danae. And we needed you to stay fertile. We need women like you to keep up the human population on Sirus IV so it doesn't die out. So the colonization effort isn't a failure." Gela spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

"But, but you're killing us! The women who are fertile. How can the human race continue if you kill us all off through birth?" Danae backed up a few steps further though Gela made no move.

"A few must be sacrificed to protect the many." Gela smiled coldly.

"But, what about when a child is born infertile?" Danae slid another step away.

"Then they're raised and trained as I was. To locate and impregnate the fertile."

"Jervin!" Danae gasped, clutching her stomach as if she'd been sucker punched. "Does he work for MedHumCon, too?"

Now Gela's smile was cruel. "Oh, yes. His genetics mixed with yours showed great promise. For some reason, the fertile men at MedHumCon enjoy their work more than the rest of us.

"Jervin grew quite fond of you, you know." Gela continued. "He was actually sad when you finally got pregnant."

"Where is he now?" Danae wanted to know, frozen in place by the torrent of emotions flooding her mind.

"Oh, Agent 64 is fairly popular, both for his genetics and other, less esoteric reasons." Gela waved her hand airily. "I believe he's already out seducing his next genetic match. And don't bother running, dear friend. We have agents everywhere. You'd never escape. We need you to have this child."

The apartment door flew open to reveal two large men wearing MedHumCon jumpsuits. With a scream of pure rage and defiance, Danae turned and raced for the balcony.

As she reached the railing something slammed into her neck. Slapping a hand to the spot, she pulled out a dart. One of the agents lowered a gun with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Staggering, but determined, Danae managed to get to, and fall over, the railing.

Gela tsked and frowned at the agent who'd shot Danae. "You're getting sloppy, Richard. She never should've reached the balcony."

Richard shrugged. "The net's in place."

Gela turned a basilisk glare on him and he shrank back. The three agents went to the balcony to look over the railing. There, in a net five feet down, lay a stunned and drugged Danae. Gela reached for her communicator.

"I need a ride, 041. The fish is in the net and it's trophy time."

"Roger, 12. Inbound now. ETA two minutes." came the response.

"Roger. Out." Gela said, then looked down at the sleeping Danae. "Welcome to Population Control, dear." She smiled.

EPILOGUE -- Three Years Later

Population Control Center

Screams rent the air of room 465. Shrieks of pain and pleas for help passed through the closed door to the medical personnel waiting patiently in the hallway. The cries became gurgles and then a shredding, tearing sound which was followed by silence.

The doctor nodded and an orderly opened the door for the doctors and nurses who were suited in self-contained, sterile environements. They entered and glanced around.

Blood covered the walls and soaked the bed. Bits of torn skin and other gore were strewn about the room, not a surface was spared. And in the midst of all this stood a female child of perhaps three years of age. Bits of skin and tangles of long, auburn hair clung to her blood-covered body as her deep green eyes gazed calmly at the people who had just entered.

The doctor smiled gently at the little girl, going down on one knee to be at her level. "Hello, little Danae. I'll bet you're hungry. Why don't you come with us while someone cleans your room for you?"

The child eyed him a moment, then put a sharply clawed hand gently into his teflex gloved one. She smiled sweetly and said "Hun-ge."

"Yes, child." The doctor agreed as he rose to lead her from the room. "Being born does tend to make one very hungry."