Nurture, Cliques and Green Skinned Freaks

Chapter 4

Another Slice of HAM

Mummy insists on coming with me to watch the match. I know Mum and Dad are worried because of HAM chasing me at Elys. So here we are. The stands around the Imperial school football pitch are bigger than I thought they would be, but obviously nowhere near the size of somewhere like Old Trafford. The sun is already sinking as we arrive. The grass has the unmistakeable smell of genetic alteration. It's been engineered to stay as green as I am in all weather.

There's a man pointing where people should sit. He gives us a grim look.

"Alright. Take her over there," he says, pointing at the opposite end of the stand which has a small separate section.

Mummy sniffs and takes my hand, leading me away. At the other end of the stands, there are two young couples. One is a hybrid girl with a human boy and the other is a hybrid boy with a human girl.

Oh my, my bio-brother and his girlfriend look very busy. They're hugging tight, their lips locked together... I avert my eyes quickly. Mummy leads me to the bench with the human boy/ green girl couple.

The girl looks up. Her shiny, green, heart shaped face breaks into a wide grin. "Heyyy sis." Her husky voice sounds even lower than mine, but more pleasant.

"Hi I'm Kristin and this is my mum," I say smiling.

"Hello dears," says Mummy, smiling a little.

"I'm Sofie and this is Lucas," rumbles the girl, patting the boys arm. "We're delighted to meet you. Lucas talked me into watching the match, didn't you schatzchen? I can't say 'no' when you look at me with those pretty eyes."

Lucas blushes a little. "Well my brother is playing." He does have pretty eyes. They're a pretty shade of light hazel. His mop of dark brown hair falls into a fringe, almost covering them.

"How nice," says mum, clapping her hands. "Kristin's friend is playing as well."

Sofie slips her arm in Lucas's and rubs her cheek against his, purring. They kiss and snuggle together. Aw, I'm so happy for them, I'm starting to feel glowy inside.

Sofie takes a sapphire bar out of her pocket and starts munching. "You know, I wish they'd get started," she says, her green cheeks bulging. "I think that that poker faced kerl who told us to sit here doesn't approve of our kind, eh Kristin?" She gives a strange affected voice, trying to mimic the fellow who directed us to this stand: "get over there while I glare at Lucas! I disapprove of DNA mixing and I'm not shy about it! I might as well join HAM."

Mummy tuts. "Don't speak of such things to poor Kristin. She was chased by madmen from HAM last week."

I squirm. Oh mum! I know you're looking out for me, but did you have to mention that?

"Oh my sweet, I'm sorry." Sofie leans her face close to me, anxiety in her dark eyes. She has a very straight nose and full, pouty lips. She wears the colour green so much better than I do. Of course, I would be one of the last hybrid girls to find a boyfriend based on my looks. Sofie's whole face seems to glow and I can smell an exciting sweetness about her that's not to do with the sapphire bar.

"Oh! Congratulations!" I exclaim.

Sofie grins more widely and rubs her belly which is already visibly swelling, despite her thick sweater.

"You're going to have a baby, Sofie?" Mum sounds incredulous. "But you're both so young."

Lucas speaks up. "If it makes Sofie happy and purring then it's the best thing for both of us."

Sofie beams. Her teeth are so white and even, although they're now blue tinged because of the sapphire bar. "It is a dream come true, Ma'am. I know I have to keep my dreams possible. I'll never be Prime Minister or anything like that. My first dream was to be a post lady, but my pre-K teacher talked me out of it. Said dogs would chase me and that was the end of that dream. But later I dreamed about having a life with Lucas, my true love," she holds up a hand, displaying a silver ring on her ring finger, "and I wish noone would make snobbish comments about me and my tall, pale, handsome love."

Ah. I hope Mummy's not going to press her for details of the snobbish comments.

Fortunately Mummy doesn't. She sighs. "People can be so insensitive. But your in-laws were sensible, now weren't they?"

Sofie grins. Her shining face glows in the sunlight. "They've come round. First we had to meet in secret, eh schatzchen? Your bedroom was a secret enough place."

Lucas nods. "Just as well you can climb, Sofie."

Sofie winks. "The front of your house was nothing like a cliff face."

"That's sweet, but I wouldn't encourage Kristin to go that far," says Mum.

"But that is really romantic," I say quickly.

Sofie flicks a strand of her long dark hair away from her heart shaped face. "Climbing is not so impressive. I would have preferred to fly through the window, like a wicked witch and then carry Lucas away." She puts her arm around Lucas. "If only I could fly. I would have swooped in on you and you would have woken up to see my glow in the dark face." She rubs her cheek against Lucas's and they kiss.

A bluebird flutters down. Genetically Engineered Birds are also GEBs. Bluebirds are a special type of jewel bright bird, created for their docility. I've brought some seed for them and pour some into the palm of my hand. The GEB lands on the bench beside me and pecks at the seed as I hold it out.

Sofie watches. "Now that little GEB can flutter by as he pleases. Too bad we weren't given that gene."

It's almost time for the match. I notice a stage set up across the pitch from us. It must be for the presentation at the end. A shining metal statue of the figure of justice is positioned on the stage reflecting the sun's rays. The whistle sounds for kick-off. I sit up and take notice as the players come out onto the field. Gannon is there. Sofie whoops and yells advice at the players a lot, but I must admit that I'm not that interested in the game, I'm mainly interested in watching him. His pale, muscular legs are bare as he pounds down the pitch...

"He's your friend?" murmurs Sofie who can see where I'm looking. She murmurs so softly that only I can hear. I smell the sweet smell of her breath.

"Yes and I hope he'll be sport captain," I reply equally softly in my husky whisper.

Night falls and the flood lights come one, bathing the pitch in a cool glare, tinged with ultra-blue.

A vibrantly pink neon-nightingale, another type of GEB, alights on my shoulder tweeting its happy song. I take out the GEB seed again and begin to pour some into my hand.

But wait. I hear something else. Something in the distance. Outside the stadium, in the night.

"Hybrids are Genutec's evil spawn,

Let us cry 'they should not have been born'..."

The unmusical chanting of men's voices in the distance! The nightingale flies away.

"Listen to the cheering!

The time to purge is nearing!

And then our flag will fly,

Blood red against the sky!"

"No!" Sofie's dark eyes are wide. The flood light shines off her green face. She shakes her head, causing the waves of her long, emerald tinted hair to ripple and bounce. "HAM are outside the stadium!"

I feel a shiver up my spine. She's right. Mummy and Lucas are both puzzled.

"I can hear their foul chant," rumbles Sofie, clenching her green fists and breathing hard through her nose. "Kristin, you must be able to as well."

I nod, my throat tight. Mummy puts her arm around me.

"Well they can't get in here, surely?" says Lucas, but he looks uncomfortable.

Suddenly the flood lights flicker and die. People murmur and protest. It's all dark, except for the light of the sickle moon above. OK, I have a really bad feeling about this.

Oh! The whole stadium is now bathed in a dull red light! What's happened to the flood lights? And the stage across the pitch... I feel an icy chill, mummy gives a little cry and Sofie makes a growling noise in the back of her throat. The stage is surrounded by men in deep red hooded robes. They're holding little torches shaped like skulls and electric power hammers. The figure of justice is gone and replaced by this likeness of a huge skeleton with burned sinews. I feel a bit sick. It looks like a statue of the Extremely Superior Hominid.

A man in hooded robes stands on the stage. He holds an electric power hammer in his right hand and a skull torch in his left. He holds the hammer high, brandishing it against the starry sky with its sickle moon. He speaks and his cold voice resounds throughout the stadium.

"Greetings fellow humans. I implore you to listen. Humanity are all one big brotherhood - all comrades. We have come here tonight to warn you against a menace - a taint - a cancer growing in our midst. The greatest threat against red blooded humanity. I speak of the green monsters spawned by Genutec."

The stadium erupts in booing and calls for HAM to clear out.

"Abschaum!" snarls Sofie as Lucas yells his indignation.

Mummy puts her hands over my ears. "Don't listen to that dreadful man."

"I can still hear, Mum," I remind her. Nothing can shut out the amplified voice.

The HAM member gestures with his hammer towards the skeleton. "See this? The Extremely Superior Hominid. The Dextror. That abomination Genutec created after they sowed the seeds of the hybrids. The monsters are all the same. Is Genutec's arrogance not appalling? They were as evil as the proponents of Eugenics in the twentieth century. How dare they say that the human genetic design is at fault? Genutec were as vicious as those eugenicists who spoke against our physically handicapped comrades."

Ouch! I squirm in my seat. I try not to hear the voice which is making my eardrums rattle.

Sofie is shouting some very hard things against the speaker. Mummy hugs me tight. I'm so glad she's here. If only Daddy were here too.

Security have finally arrived in force and are backed by a crowd of players and spectators who are yelling and throwing things at HAM.

"Kristin, we've got to go," says mummy her voice tense, tugging at my arm.

"Wait!" I rasp as realisation strikes me, "we've got to make sure Sofie's safe, she has her baby." The desire to protect wells up inside me. Sofie carries my niece or nephew in her. I will absolutely not leave her if she's not safe. A bright gold GEB flutters down and alights on my shoulder, singing a long soothing note that makes me feel warmer inside.

"Kristin..." Sofie turns her bright green face to mine, but at that moment my heart leaps as I see Gannon hurtling up the stairs towards us, his freckled cheeks flushed rosy pink.

I run forward to hug him as the gold GEB flutters around us. "You've come back to me," I rasp as I bury my face in his shoulder and smell his delicious scent. It's been too long already...

"Listen!" he grips me by the shoulders, "HAM have scattered, but they're very much at large."

Gazing into his perfect face I can forget that anything as unpleasant as HAM even exists and want to kiss the tip of his cutely formed nose.

"Greetings, foul creatures!" The creepy voice of a man in red hooded robes seeming to glide up the steps. He's brandishing one of those hammers. I feel an icy surge of terror. Mummy screams and Sofie draws back her dark green lips, making a hissing sound. Quick as a flash Gannon brings his fist hard on the man's forearm and he yells and drops the hammer. Gannon kicks it away.

I can smell the HAM member's scent and it's... wrong. Not a genetic defect. But it's the stink of a serious flaw...

"In tainted Britain traitors to humanity must pay," he gibbers and pulls out a rusty knife from the folds of his deep red robes.

"Want to bet?" The husky voice of my biobrother who was in the stands when we arrived. He dashes up the stairs, his green muscular legs propelling him faster than any human can run. He swings his bright green fist with startling speed and deals the HAM member a blow that sends him reeling. He drops his knife, staggers and falls over onto a seat.

The gold GEB flutters down and now perches on my shoulder. My brother is breathing hard, his shiny green face looks strange in the red light.

"You fought him when he had one of those hammers?" he asks, glancing at the electric hammer on the floor by the seats.

"Yes, Gannon had absolutely no fear," I say nodding. Oh my, I'm so relieved I feel weak and giddy.

Gannon gives his modest shrug that I remember so well at Elys. "I couldn't let the young ladies face danger, now could I."

"Well no of course not, you are the credit to humanity," says my brother, "the HAMmy psychos shouldn't call themselves human."

Sofie grimaces. "Oh planets, my baby's kicking. We've all got to get out of here."

"We're not out of the woods yet," says Gannon, pointing down the steps.

Two more HAM members are sweeping up the steps towards towards us. "Let's take them together," rasps my bio-brother. I feel pretty sick. I do not want there to be any more fighting.

But at that moment a bright nova light shines on us and an amplified voice sounds: "THE POLICE ARE HERE. HAM - DROP YOUR WEAPONS."

The hooded men throw down their hammers.

"We meant nothing, we were just picking up our comrade," one of them calls.

"Yeahhh right," jeers Sofie.

The gold GEB flutters down and alights on my shoulder again.

The HAM member lying sprawled on the seat suddenly sits up. "There will be no surrender!" he calls and leaps forward. I start back as he snatches at me and his rank scent invades my nostrils. The golden bird flies into the air. Oh dear Moon no... he's grabbed the golden bird and squeezed it so tight it gives a terrible squawk and hangs limp in his grasp. Poor little thing!

"All mutants produced by twisted technology must die!" roars the HAM member. My bio-brother brother grabs his arms and wrestles them behind his back, but he continues ranting.

"Unhand me mutant filth! I will purge all green vermin! Tainted Britain must be purified!"

"Ow! No biting!" my brother cries.

Security arrive and drag the HAM member away. He yells back at us: "I'll get you all! You'll see! I'm a hero! Pure human blood marches through my veins and I'll prove it over your dead bodies! Death to Genutec filth! Death to those who defend them!"

The dull red flood light flickers and then turns back to its normal icy white shine.

I'm feeling a bit sick, but Gannon puts his arms around me and I lean against him and rub my cheek against his. I want to melt into him. I'm aware of Sofie smiling and hear her voice, too soft for the human ear: "I really wish you both the best of luck sis."

Mummy and Sofie surround us and shower him with congratulations. It's kind of scary, having so much to lose... but in a good way.

Slang Used

Schatzchen = sweetie

Abschaum = Scum

Kerl = Guy