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After the Second fall - Part 3.1

by Simon Underfoot

Copyright 2020-2022, All Rights Reserved

Author's Note:

Welcome to the final novel in the

After the Second Fall

trilogy.

I hope you've enjoyed the story to this point, and I offer my sincere thanks for your interest and support.

As an added bonus for those that might be interested, appended to the final installment, Part 3.3, are various notes, in which you can find some of the 'behind the curtain' things that were rattling around in my head while writing (in case 300K words aren't enough).

Cheers,

Simon

Chapter 1

"Pip, Council Room,

now!

"

"Yes, ma'am," the Adam replied immediately. Executive Director Lilith Collins' reaction hadn't been unexpected, and was definitely justified. Turning to the woman in the transport, he said, "Just stay in here, like I told you. If you need anything, let one of the other Adams know: they will be standing just outside the door."

Annora nodded uncertainly and sat back down, pulling the blanket she had been given tighter around her shoulders.

With a nod, Pip closed the door and turned to Crush, who had been the driver. "Just keep her in there for now. Hopefully, I'll be back soon."

The retired Adam grinned and took up his position while Pip walked quickly to the Council Room.

As he stepped through the doors, he paused, watching Lilith pace angrily around the large space; the other three managing directors were seated in their normal places at the table. Seeing him, Rachel Frazier, Head of the Administrative Functions, rose and walked to him, smiling broadly. As she leaned in to give him a hug, she whispered, "Lilith's not pleased."

Pip risked a smile and a wink to Rachel, then steeled his features and took the spot at the end of the table.

"I'm trying, Pip, I really am," Lilith said loudly, still walking back and forth. "I'm trying to figure out why my Lead Adam thought it was a good idea to kidnap Marbelo's fighter.

"I'm trying to figure out what the

fuck

I'm going to say when the Arena Council comes, and what kind of sanctions they're going to levy on us. I'm trying Pip, but it doesn't make sense. Maybe you can enlighten us," she finished sarcastically.

Lilith was staring furiously at Pip, who didn't respond. "Well?" she demanded.

"When you're calm enough to listen."

Stomping over to stand next to him, Lilith stared up at the seated Adam, her hands clenching and unclenching.

"It's not as bad as it seems," he said calmly, "but I understand that you're frustrated with me. Would you like to take out some aggression?" he asked, learning his upper arm forward as a potential target.

For a brief instant it looked like Lilith really was going to punch him, but the moment passed and she stepped back. "Dammit, Pip, we don't need more drama."

He shrugged and the corner of his mouth jumped, just a little.

Lilith shook her head in resignation and walked back to her chair. "I'm sorry for my temper tantrum. When the transport didn't have the flag on the front, I think I panicked. You're okay?"

"Yes, ma'am, I'm fine, as is my opponent. Her name is Annora."

"Her?" gasped out Geoff Humbolt, the director of Personnel.

Pip nodded. "It might not have been obvious since her head is basically shaved."

At the other end of the table, Lilith's mouth was opening and closing, but no sound was coming out; Director Baker, the Head of Special Projects, looked like he had just received the best present ever. Even Rachel, who usually seemed to know everything, was sitting back in her chair, eyes wide.

"I think it would be easier to recount what happened if she is here -- then you can hear her part of the story directly."

Lilith nodded slowly.

Pip rose quickly and stepped into the hall, leaving the directors to stare at one another. "Fuck me," Lilith whispered to herself.

In just more than a quarter bell, Pip led his former opponent into the Council Room. Instead of a blanket, she was now wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and matching pants, both of which looked ridiculously large on her, despite the fact that she was the tallest woman ever to enter the Complex.

Annora was a full head shorter than Pip, putting her just a little less than twice Lilith's height. Her shoulders and hips were broad, but her frame was lean, giving her a fairly delicate appearance, despite her size. She had close cropped hair that was probably brown, with heavily dappled cheeks and scared eyes; she was holding onto Pip's hand desperately.

Around the table, the directors were back in control of their emotions. Lilith and Geo were projecting professional, receptive airs, while Rachel was smiling welcomingly; Baker still looked like he was ready to dance a jig.

"I understand your name is Annora, is that right?" Lilith asked; instead of answering directly, the woman looked down and only nodded after Pip squeezed her hand. "We're just waiting for the Meister arrive, then we can get started. Is there anything you need: maybe something to drink?"

The large woman shook her head, her face still lowered.

Lilith looked to Pip for explanation on Annora's exceedingly skittish behavior, but he seemed absorbed trying to comfort her. Only a moment later there was a knock and Cassidy, the city's Meister, stepped into the room; she made it two steps before she stopped, stunned.

Cassidy was used to being the biggest person in every room, Adams aside, and she had never met a woman larger than herself. Not surprisingly, she was quite taken aback, given that Lilith's note had only read, 'Important development: your presence required immediately.'

A career politician, the Meister schooled her features quickly and turned to Lilith. "You did that on purpose."

Smirking, Lilith shrugged, then made a brief introduction.

"It's nice to meet you, Annora," Cassidy said. "I can't wait to hear your story."

"We would like to understand the circumstances that brought you here," Lilith added. "Will you tell us?"

The woman looked to Pip, then back to the others, and nodded.

"I'm not a fighter," she began tentatively, her accent thick Northern, the t's indistinct. "They sent me to the Arena because I'm old and have a bad attitude besides."

"There's a lot there," Lilith said cautiously, "so maybe you can explain, since we don't know Marbelo nearly so well as you. What was your role -- your job -- before they sent you to fight?"

"We get pregnant and have babies," Annora replied quietly.

There was a pause as the assembly digested the information.

"No ongoing genetic experimentation?" Baker asked.

"I don't know about anything like that. I lived with the other Mods away from the city. I never left the compound before this morning."

"That could explain why we had no idea," Geo offered.

"And what does 'too old' mean? You're what, twenty?"

"Twenty-six, and Mods aren't allowed to be pregnant after twenty-five. They hadn't figured out what to do with me yet."

"How many... Mods... are in this compound? It must be huge," Cassidy speculated.

Annora shook her head helplessly. "I don't know. I had four friends , but three of them died from their babies."

"How is that possible?" Lilith asked, appalled. "Is it a lack of medicine, or maybe poor medical training?"

"It just... is. It's not the same here?" she asked, finally lifting her eyes.

"Of course not," Lilith rebutted, more emphatically than she intended. "Excuse me, Annora, but I'm shocked. I would say the maternal mortality rate here in the city is well under five percent; the infant mortality is a little higher, but still under ten percent." The Meister nodded her agreement. "How could it be so bad?"

Reaching down and pulling up her shirt, Annora showed a long scar that went from below her waistband all the way to the bottom of her rib cage. "Babies are hard, especially with males, since they leave them in longer. I was lucky to have a female."

"Holy shit," Lilith said aloud without realizing it.

There was another pause, this time longer, before Geo spoke. "It will obviously take some time to understand everything that is going on, so I would suggest we limit our discussions tonight to what happened in the Arena. We can talk through the rest tomorrow, once Annora and Pip have had a chance to rest."

"Yes, of course," Lilith responded. "I'm sorry for diverting the conversation. Pip, maybe you can talk us through today's events."

"Sure, but that part is actually pretty simple," he replied. "Once I was able to convince Annora to stop trying to kill me, we sat down and talked. By the time the light turned red, I knew I didn't have it in me to go through with the fight. Sorry, Director Collins, but this is a line I can't cross."

Lilith waved the apology away. "I don't blame you, Pip, it's fucking awful, bordering on evil. Did the two of you just walk out of the Arena together?"

"No, ma'am. I was afraid there was some regulation against that and I didn't want the city to get in trouble, so after the match was declared a draw, we left through our own entrances. I had Crush standing by, so as soon as Annora ran around the building, she hopped in and we took off."

"And the Marbelo staff?"

"Well, when they came in the Arena and saw that Annora was still alive, they seemed surprised and then excited, but tried not to show it. I didn't see any of them after that."

Lilith looked back to Annora, confused. "They didn't try to stop you?"

"I, uh, don't know. After I shut them in the truck, I ran. You won't make me go back, will you?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

"No," Cassidy stated firmly. "As soon as we're done talking, I will call in some people to draft your petition for amnesty. If what you said is even partially true, it should be very easy to justify, and Marbelo won't be able to make an appeal to the Arena Council or the petition will be filed and made public, meaning all of the other cities will know about their breeding program. There's nothing they can do. Sound good?"

Annora nodded unsurely and let out a long breath, then managed a small smile, which Cassidy returned.

"What if they tried something more covert?" Baker asked.

"I hadn't considered that, but it's a good thought," the Meister replied. "I'll talk with Chief Townes and let him know the generalities of the situation so he can be on the lookout for anything unusual. I'll also bring in Cates. He's been doing a bit of work in Marbelo, so he may hear about something before it happens."

"Thanks, Cassidy," said Lilith. "Annora, there's apparently a lot to be done tonight, including getting you some place to sleep, so is there anything else?"

"Pip said I could stay with him," she replied, not answering the question.

Lilith's gaze locked on the Adam, clearly displeased, but he didn't waver. "It's a security issue, Pip."

"It might seem that way, but she's not a threat to me or anyone here."

"You don't know that, not with certainty."

"That's not the point," he replied somberly. "I trusted my intuition in bringing her here, and I'll trust it again now. Annora isn't going to spend the night alone in an empty concrete room."

Before the Executive Director could escalate the argument, Cassidy leaned over to speak directly into her ear. "Now is not the time for a pissing match. If you push him on this, he will take her with him, and there's nothing you can do about it. In the name of trying to keep him safe, you'll push him away."

The Meister's intercession cooled Lilith's building temper and the rational part of her brain reengaged. "Fine, Pip, but with conditions."

Lilith stood and addressed the assembled leaders. "Director Humbolt and I are going to help Annora get settled; we'll be back in about half a bell and can continue then." Geo rose, not quite understanding what Lilith had in mind, but complying anyway.

Knowing Pip would not be pleased, Lilith led them to Surgery One, relieved to find that Dr. Shepard was still inside following his return trip from the Arena. Leaving Pip and Annora in the hallway, she motioned for Geo to enter and followed him in.

"Hi, Doc, we need your help."

"Of course, Director, what can I do for you?"

Lilith smiled at the formal tone from the old doctor. "I take it you checked over Annora on the ride back?"

"Just a cursory exam. She is generally healthy, if a bit underfed, although sending her to fight is a mockery of the system."

"I don't disagree even a little bit, and that's my issue," Lilith replied. "The way I see it, the strategy to wear down Marbelo's pool of fighters is working well. The only reasons I can see sending Annora, and thus give up a state secret, is that they are trying to cut their losses... or they're up to something malicious."

Geo frowned. "You suspect they hoped Pip wouldn't kill her and had some plan in place?"

The Executive Director shrugged. "Sounds paranoid, right? But I don't care. Pip told us that she was out of sight for a short time after the match, so it's possible her handlers slipped her something." Lilith took a deep breath. "Doc, I need you to go over her with a fine toothed comb. Look for anything she might have smuggled into the Complex. At the very least, get full body x-rays and do an internal exam, as well as anything else you think makes sense. Blood samples, hair samples, whatever. I don't want to endanger anyone here by being careless."

If he was surprised, Dr. Shepard didn't show it; he nodded and turned to make preparations.

"Pip's not likely to be happy with you," Geo ventured, "but your approach seems prudent. Is there anything else you want done?"

"Mars needs to sleep in a different room for the foreseeable future: I don't want our top two Adams alone with her, just in case we're missing something. I would also like you to put two Adams outside Pip's room when she's there, just in case."

"I'll get it done. What about the fact that there are female Adams? How do we deal with the fallout when people here find out?"

For the first time that night, Lilith's mouth turned up in a genuine, aggressive smile. "I've already got some ideas. If it turns out she's clean, we're going to make a star out of her."

"I see our Public Relations director is resurfacing," Geo chuckled, "and that scares me a little."

The pair stepped back outside, where Geo left to make arrangements while Lilith directed Annora into the surgery. Geo was right that Pip was not pleased about being outmaneuvered, but reluctantly agreed with making sure nothing untoward was happening: it was Lilith's argument that Rachel would be sleeping in the same room that won him over.

While the examination was underway, Pip stayed close by Annora, trying to ensure she didn't feel too alone.

After more than a bell, a mismatched couple walked through the doors of the surgery, the Adam much taller than the woman. "Alright, Pip?"

"Good, Mars, thanks. How are you two?"

"Okay, Pip," answered Emily. "Who's this?"

Pip looked to the big woman laying on the examination table. "This is Annora, and it's complicated."

"Good enough for me," Emily replied easily with a grin, walking up to shake Annora's huge hand. "Mind if we stay and visit for a while?"

Pip indicated a chair, which Mars quickly pulled over.

"Where are the girls?" Emily asked as she sat down.

Smiling self-consciously, Pip answered, "Rachel's still in with the rest of the Council. The other three are in the Vale."

"Wait, other three?" asked Mars.

Pip nodded, using the Effect to study Annora out of the corner of his eye; she didn't seem surprised at the revelation, so maybe such situations were more common in Marbelo.

"It's kind of a long story."

"Would you tell us?" Annora asked shyly.

Pip used the Effect to consider the request. Annora had already told him a lot about her city, and sharing information would likely make her more willing to keep volunteering details, which was clearly what the Council wanted, so he nodded. "The women you met when we stopped, they're my... I don't know what to call them, but we're together. Rosie, Maggie, and Anne."

"But I met four women."

"Oh, yeah. Esther is sorta one of us, too. It's complicated."

"Complicated like me?"

"Yeah," Pip responded with a smile, "except totally different."

He went on to describe the events leading up to the current situation, primarily focusing on the highlights; there were some very difficult times in the recent past, so Pip plowed through them as quickly as possible, giving just enough information that Annora might get the general idea, all while Dr. Shepard moved in and out, doing one test after another.

Soon enough, the tale and the examination had both reached their conclusions.

After thanking his friends for keeping them company, Pip led Annora back to his room, which up until Lilith's edict, he had shared with Mars whenever he wasn't staying in the Vale. They found Rachel already there, waiting for them with a smile. Rachel tried to initiate small talk, but Annora was reticent to speak, so Pip soon settled her into Mars' bed at the far end of the room.

Pip woke sometime during the early morning, finding Rachel draped across his chest, as usual. There was nothing he had to do for the entire day, so he closed his eyes, thinking about what was to come. Certainly the Council would want to talk with Annora again, but after that?

Would she stay at the Complex so that Director Baker could take samples from her? Of her? John had talked about the Research & Development department cutting up Pip to see what was different about him, but that had probably been a joke... hopefully.

What about her daughter -- would Annora want to go back to Marbelo to get her?

Would Annora live with him in the Vale? Would he even want that?

Pip heard a sound across the room and slowed time. The space was very dark, the only illumination peeking under the two doors from the hallway. Even so, he saw legs occlude the light at the far end of the room as someone -- presumably Annora -- crept toward his bed.

Moving slowly, Pip slid Rachel off his chest to the right, then rolled onto his left side while palming the stiletto he kept attached to his hip; the figure stopped, and after a long pause, retreated back across the room.

When it was time to get up, Rachel was uncharacteristically hard to wake, groaning incoherently when Pip nudged her. Immediately concerned, he rolled Rachel over and peeled open her eyes, startling her into wakefulness.

"Pip, it's okay, I'm fine," she responded when her mind caught up to what was happening. "Pip, I'm fine, let go," she said again, patting his hands.

The Adam let out the breath that had caught in his throat. "Sorry, Rach -- I think maybe Lilith's paranoia is rubbing off on me."

Blinking to try to clear the still present fog, Rachel sat up. "Maybe not, but let's talk about it later."

It was clear that Pip had questions, but instead he nodded and got out of bed. Across the room, Annora was just rousing, stretching sluggishly. In the dim light that had flicked on to announce the arrival of morning, it looked like she had shed her clothing during the night, so Pip decided to give her space to get herself put back together.

Instead, she stood and walked across the room, entirely unconcerned about her nudity.

"Good morning, Annora. Did you sleep alright?"

"I, uh... no."

"I understand," Pip responded with a sympathetic nod. "Is there anything we can do for you to somehow make this whole situation easier?"

Annora chanced a glance at Pip, then inhaled, building her resolve. "Would you hold me?" Pip was surprised and might have asked a question, but Annora rushed on. "In the compound, we sleep next to each other, and I wanted to ask you, so I got up, but then I was scared, so I laid down again, but the bed is too big, and --"