Free Evolution by Jeannie van Rompaey Page A

would be wise not to cross him.
    Another burst of anxious chattering, but once more I have no trouble in restoring order. ‘One last reminder. Tomorrow morning, eight o’clock sharp, you must all report to Thor, outside the door of the compound. I wish you a good night’s sleep and a productive day’s work.’
    Not surprisingly Bathsheba is waiting to see me after the meeting, her face dark with anger.
    ‘You can’t do this,’ she says. ‘You can’t cut down the rehearsal time and you can’t expect actors to do manual labour.
    ‘Oh but I can,’ I assure her. ‘Just watch me.’
    I don’t have to explain myself to her. I’m not her precious Kat. I do, however, assure her that she will not be expected to join in the physical work of the building. She’s not sure whether she’s exempt because I regard her as Kata-Mbula’s deputy or because I consider her too old. I note with a certain satisfaction that, however egalitarian her beliefs, she does accept her exemption from manual work. Like all idealists, her beliefs are only skin-deep.
    The members of the council are hovering around waiting to talk to me too, but I march straight past them without a glance in their direction.
    I thank my colleagues from C99 for their continued work on my behalf and for their supportive presence, before escorting them to the transporter.
    Apart from Thor. He stays, of course. It’s good to have my mate, Thor, here. I have a feeling he’s going to prove indispensable to me.
    We go to the bar for a celebratory beer.
    ‘Went well,’ I tell him. ‘I doubt Athene even noticed twenty males from her sectoid were missing for an hour or two today.’
    ‘Just shows how easy a takeover would be,’ quips Thor, raising his glass. There’s something about the tone of his voice that tells me he’s not totally joking.
    ‘It’s not time yet,’ I tell him. ‘I have to build my tower and city first.’
    Thor takes a gulp of his beer. ‘Maybe we – you – could plan the coup to take place at The Big Event.’
    ‘Maybe,’ I say. It is something I’ve already been considering. ‘When I decide to make my move, I promise you will be the first to know.’

Chapter Six
Police State
    (according to Michael)
Journal
    A frantic text from Lizzy, ‘Come quickly.’
    Nothing else. Really, she is too reliant on me. She expects me to rush over and rescue her from some imagined catastrophe any time she chooses.
    I have an essay to complete on the difference between the theories of Freud and Lacan, so I can’t go yet. It’s due tomorrow morning, the day Father has arranged for me to leave for Hos-sat. I stick at it, tapping away on the computer until I’ve finished it – more or less, although I’ll have to do a quick check in the morning before sending it to the tutor.
    I call Lizzy. No reply. I leave a message asking what’s up. No reply. I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying in Hos-sat, so decide I’d better go the Project now. I leave yet another message asking her to meet me at the Obelisk and dash off.
    She’s not there. I take a risk and weave my way through the narrow streets to her house. It looks deserted.
    The neighbours she told me about are lounging on the steps of the house next door, munching. They are not prepossessing specimens. Their wide square faces and small eyes make them look quite simian. All the males are bare-chested and both males and females have their arms and legs exposed, as if keen to soak up every bit of fresh air theycan. Their mutations are very obvious. Two heads, extra limbs and eyes are not exceptional for humanoids but ugly protrusions such as carbuncles on faces limbs and bodies are rare. They have a preponderance of these ugly lumps. I’d been told that the members of C1 have very basic intelligence, but had no idea they were so physically challenged.
    For the first time I understand exactly how Lizzy and other completes must have felt when confronted with such mutants for the first time.
    I