The Paler Epidermis

(From "The Paler Epidermis")

 

“EMPRESS.”

The guard’s handsome, dark features were frozen as he opened the door to the Imperial Chambers and bowed low. Inside, another equally tall dark man, turned from his telescreen to watch her. The thick endless plait of a thousand intricate cornrows arched high around his head in gold-lit filaments.

 

An Emperor Crown.

 

His red silk robes carried the gold insignia of Angola, and Jasmine nodded in quiet relief. Her casual greeting belied the tortuous journey she’d undertaken to find him. “Hello, Linus.”

 

His nod was a subtle, cool acknowledgment. “Jasmine.”

 

“Surprised I found you, big brother?”

 

“Surprised it took you so long.”

 

Neither one offered an embrace as she moved closer to look up at the screen. He had followed her entire journey from Port Leith to Andulo City, where an Infiniti solo sub had taken her beneath the Atlantic across a world that had been flipped 180 degrees on the map. Old North Africa was now a watered, fed, and aerated silicon-domed Protectorate, apartheid in all but name. Lighter skins lurked there; kept separate to contain any contamination they might carry.

 

She’d given the region a wide berth. Instead, she’d trekked from the Gulf of Guinea up to Ghana, along the hidden paths: twisted ribbons of dust that fretted their way under the soles of her feet. She’d cried at the clean sweetness of the spring waters she had discovered and drank from. Everything here had been neutralised, detoxified, or annihilated. In this region the only threat in the vicinity was her.

 

Or, more precisely, her pale skin.

 

But as both she and her brother could both attest. fear always bought illogical behaviour. Once her melanin inserts had stabilised and her skin darkened to a safer honey, she was able to fly openly to Bie. Her straight blonde hair, now dyed ebony, had been difficult to dress.

 

Thankfully, her mother had at least had the grace to transfer some birthright skills to her daughter before abandoning her. Like her stolen purple silk, the Empress Crown she’d created before entering Andulo City was permissible only by state decree.

 

She returned her attention to the online feed of global events. Europe and North America were scarlet tattoos, all their movements tracked meticulously. The rest of the world, polka dots ranging somewhere between pink and amber.

 

Jasmine smiled at him. “You’ve become paranoid, big brother.”

 

“What, even more?” Now Linus grinned in warmer camaraderie. “We’ve had to. We’re protecting the future. Our future this time. Those who returned earlier have worked very hard to keep all progress hidden. We monitor events on the Other Side. A society spinning on its head. Literally.”

 

She nodded. “Indeed. Yes, well, once white skin and green eyes became a liability, I thought it best to prepare my own escape.”