The Seeds of Sand

Chapter 7. Gemda

I woke up the next morning and Muq was sitting next to me, staring out into the sea of sand. The wind was blowing, and we were high above the fields of agave. It was nice here. Actually, I didn't want to leave. I liked having our little tribe of Dassan, Chaina and Nolly, but somehow I felt this was only a resting place.

I knew my name was Gemda, but that was really only an acronym. All of the Hulants were Gemdas because they were hybrids. Gemda was really just another name for hybrid. Who was I exactly? Where did I come from? I was just newly hatched in 2050. How long had I been sleeping?

Muq turned to me like he had something important to say. I did not know if that was something good or bad.

"Gemda," he said softly. "Are you ready to hear more about the Gemda project?"

I turned over to my side like a little kid waiting to hear a bedtime story and said with confidence, "Yes, Muq. I am."

"In the year 2012, there were a series of strong solar storms. In this year a team of scientists decided to create a series of genetic hybrids. You and the rest of the Hulants came from a laboratory where the expertise was plants. There were other labs on Earth where there were all kinds of Gemda projects and Sahi projects like me."

"There were several scientists working on the project, but the two main scientists were Marie Carrow and Diego King. Marie dedicated her life to the research of agave and was willing to be a test subject for the Gemda project. Gemda, you carry inside of you Marie's DNA. You were Marie in a former life."

The first clue was complete. I was Marrie Carrow. I was a scientist with a mission. That put a smile on my face. I somehow felt more whole – a big part of me was now there. Marie must have been a very special person to dedicate her life to science.

"Muq, that is so cool. Can you tell me more?"

"Marie felt strongly about her mission in life. As she and Diego worked longer on the project their affection for each other grew. But there was a difficult decision that had to be made, and Marie made the ultimate sacrifice, which was her life and time with Diego. Her body was frozen so that all of the Gemda Hulants could live. She believed in the project that much. Gemda, you are the first and strongest of those Hulants. You lived to see part of that world Earth, but then you were frozen alongside Marie and now you are revived."

"Muq, do you know any more?" I said

"The rest of the information I do not have access to. There is something about the Gemda project, Marie Carrow and Diego that I cannot access. I've been programmed with a strong desire to protect you, which means that someone in that team erased those sections of my memory but also wanted me here to guard you. You are important Gemda. There is something about your past life that means something significant. We have to find out more, and we have to do it before another Gemda does."

"Why us? Why do we need to do it? I'm sure that there are plenty of other Gemda hybrids that are strong, smart and willing to lead and make hard decisions." I said.

"Because you are smarter than them Gemda. You and I understand the laws of science. You were the first Gemda that was created and survived. You ask the right questions. You have the desire to survive and create life here on Earth and on other planets. The other Hulants don't. You heard Dassan. Those Hulants fight amongst themselves. They are short-sighted and selfish. You are a leader. You have the blood of Marie Carrow and all that she fought for in her life. She was a visionary, and you are, too. You just haven't realized it yet."

What Muq said was a lot for me to take in. My seed had just cracked and opened. I had been asleep from 2012 to 2050. I had been in stasis for 38 years. In human years, that was a a half of a lifetime for some. Yet I was just a baby in this world. How could I be an expert?