The Garden

The Garden
By Joe Nelson

Adam and Eve were humanity’s last hope. Two experimentally genetically altered human beings designed to live naturally on the planet of Nova-Eight and discover a way to alter the planets atmosphere for the rest of humanity’s survival.
Born natural geniuses the pair had found even the most complex teachings of the scientific world to be trivial to their intellect. Between them they boasted an IQ of over six-hundred and as such they were chosen by the increasingly desperate human race to spearhead the “Garden Project.”
In AD 2841, humanity came to the terrifying conclusion that the Earth was dying. There was no possible way to stop the slow de-pressurisation of Earth’s atmosphere and in less than ten years no life would be left on the planet.
Fortunately the discovery of Nova-Eight, a distant planet in the furthest reaches of space was deemed almost habitable. Only a slight change in the atmosphere was needed for humans to be able to live there. This was Adam and Eve’s task. To ensure the survival of the human race. However, it was a task they were doomed to fail.

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The final video transmission from Earth was the stuff of nightmares. Teacher didn’t speak from mission control as he had done every week for the past six years. Neither did his predecessor Edwards, who spoke for the four years before that. In fact there was no sound at all on the recording only the eerie sight of everyday items floating gracefully in the empty atmosphere.
Earth was finally dead. Sometime since the last transmission Event-Zero had happened and all the air, the warmth, the gravity and the life had been sucked into space. It was a husk now. No trace of life remained on that once vibrant planet.
Adam turned the screen off. He considered how he would tell Eve, she had been upset enough as it was and he didn’t know why. Eve was the solid one, she rarely got upset and had always seen humanity’s destruction in a cold and clinical light. 
Maybe that was because she never really thought about it or maybe it was denial but as cruel as it sounded neither of them really cared about humanity’s fate. Ten years, billions of light years away had a way of numbing those kind of feelings. Besides, even before they were sent here they didn’t have anyone but themselves. That was the most comforting thought of all. No matter what happened from here on in, at least they were together.

Eve sat on a rock, watching the green dawn through tear filled eyes, her pale blonde hair dancing in the gentle wind. The nights on Nova-Eight lasted for six hundred and two hours, so the dawn had always felt special to her.
She turned upon hearing the approaching steps of Adam. His tall frame walked wearily towards her, his face was grim and she looked away once more, unable to look him in the eye. Tears were rolling down her pale cheeks as he sat beside her on the rock and watched the twin suns rise over the horizon.
         “I’m sorry.” he said, his voice breaking with emotion.
Eve did not acknowledge his words, she couldn’t. It was too painful. It hurt Adam too but he was surprised she had been so affected. After all, they were both in this together weren’t they? Whatever happened to her happened to him as well.
He twirled a lock of his dark hair between his fingers, it was something he always did when he needed to think.
         “You could at least say something.” he said after a moment, irritated by her lack of communication. She turned to look at him, she was distraught.
         “What’s to say Adam? We failed. It’s over.”
Adam stared at her a moment longer as she held her head in her hands and wept. She was right, humanity was dead and it was a terrible thing but they had been together for ten years and she had never shown this kind of emotion before. He stood and walked away confused, leaving her to her despair.

The Garden was the cradle of life for Nova-Eight. Or at least it was supposed to be. In ten years it had grown from a greenhouse the size of a football pitch to a jungle the size of a small country. Yet despite the industrial bio-filters, growth chemicals, molecularly  enhanced water and solar filtration systems, the atmosphere of Nova-Eight had changed little.
Adam stared at the decade of labour before him. The lush greenery seemed to mock him with its abundant life. He thought about destroying it all. Setting a fire and walking away. After all they didn’t need it. They were the last two people left alive in the whole universe and they could survive on their own. His mind soon changed and he turned to leave but the graceful form of Eve stood in the doorway blocking him.
         “Did you read this?” she asked, brandishing a copy of the months atmospheric output statistics.
         “It doesn’t matter Eve. Their gone, their all gone. You said it yourself, its over!”
Eve flicked open the report and pointed at a page
         “Oxygen output is at its highest rate since we got here. The atmosphere is 70/30 in our favour at this rate in six months the atmosphere will be breathable by humans.”
Angry at her stupidity he knocked the file out of her hand and screamed at her
         “Christ woman! It doesn’t matter because they’re all DEAD!”
She looked at him lovingly, tears forming in her eyes once more
         “It does matter Adam.”
Adam exhaled, trying to control his anger and frustration. ‘Screw it’ he thought, I might as well humour her
         “WHY does it matter Eve?” he asked sarcastically.
Eve approached him slowly and put her face closer to his          
         “Because I’m pregnant.” she whispered before kissing him passionately.