Copyright of Daniel Boshoff 2019
***
This book is dedicated to:
Anton, the father who always encouraged me to try new things
Mishak, the brother who read the first draft and told me he loved it
And Anya, whose support never wavered
With love,
D.B.
***
1
In a light that wasn't night and wasn't day the jaws of the tide gnashed at a gray shore. A loud TV, half buried in the sand, broadcast static. Above the tide line a row of looming giants cloaked in leaves argued with the wind, while coiled among their roots drowsy snakes begged the two to hush.
Hussshhh...
Her eyes shuddered open.
Grimacing, she surreptitiously wiped a line of drool from her chin and smeared it onto the passenger seat, glancing up to make sure the driver hadn't seen.
Something was different... She pushed herself upright, blinking the sleep from her eyes, and peered past the shrinking circle of condensation her breath had left upon the window. A smile crept onto her face: the cactus-riddled desert that for the past eternity had been her only view was finally gone. Outside the window now was nothing but a bare concrete wall, and what a welcome sight it was. A bank of fluorescent lights above provided the light formerly radiated by the Arizona sun. The hum of tires on tar that had lulled her to sleep was no longer present either, replaced by the hiss of gas escaping pressure – the sound that had invaded and twisted her dreams before eventually dragging her from them. They were in an airlock. They had arrived.
She noticed her knees bouncing while she waited for the airlock to finish oxygenating and made an effort to still them, chewing a fingernail instead. The apprehension mounting in her belly had neared such a pressure by the time the airlock finally reached breathable levels of oxygen saturation that she thought she too might release a little gas. She was able to restrain herself. For now.
“This is it?” she asked the driver as the door before them slid up, just to make sure.
He nodded without looking back at her.
The van hummed silently into a large parking area occupied by several staff transports lined up at a charging bank, as well as a few muscular machines she guessed were used for maneuvering experimental space shuttles and their affiliated equipment.
The driver pulled up in front of a sliding glass door to one side of the parking area. “Here you go,” he said. “Someone'll meet you inside. They know we're here.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She clambered from the van and shouldered her tog bag. The driver pulled away without a 'goodbye'.
She walked toward the glass door, peering earnestly through it in search of a 'toilet' sign. It would be nice to get that out of the way before meeting the others. It would be nice if the others were friendlier than the driver.
The glass door slid open automatically when she neared it, allowing her into a sort of hallway. Scarcely had she stepped inside when a trim woman with a tight bun of dark hair whizzed around a corner at the opposite end and came towards her at a speed that was impressive considering her choice of three-inch heels. The heels made a loud click-clack sound on the tiled floor as she approached. The woman's skin was chalky, her face angular and feline so that when she smiled Evelyn felt like prey.
“Welcome to TAD, Evelyn,” the woman said, thrusting out a hand. “I'm Anna Scarborough. Call me Anna.”
Evelyn took the offered hand. It was cold. “Hi. Thanks. Um, TAD?”
“Test And Development.” Anna Scarborough whipped around to face the way she had come. “The others have all arrived. If you'll follow me?”
She click-clacked back down the hall. Evelyn fell in behind her, feeling stupid for missing the acronym. It wasn't like she didn't know where she was.
Anna Scarborough led her round the corner, where they came to another automatic sliding door. This one opened to let them into a narrow walkway linking to another building.
“All the buildings here are sealed off from each other and kept at a positive pressure that's closely monitored by Ciso,” Anna Scarborough informed her in the typical way adults have of talking to younger people as though they don't know anything. “If an air leak is detected Ciso can seal off the affected area until the leak has been located and repaired.”
“I see.” Evelyn said, because she did. Where did this woman think she'd been all her life? Partitioned buildings like this were commonplace since the Bloom. “Um, sorry,” she said, pausing before the door at the end of the walkway, “but is there a loo I can use?”
Anna Scarborough nodded towards the door. “Don't worry, it's the first room in the first building after the parking lot. The drive in is long,” she added with a smile in her voice.
Evelyn's bladder quivered in relief.
She didn't waste any time making use of TAD's facilities. As she washed her hands, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her shoulder-length brown hair was still a bit mussed after falling asleep in the van. She patted down a few unruly strands and stared into her own tired brown eyes. “You're here,” she said softly. “You're really here. You look like crap, you're nervous as hell, but you're here.” With a nod, confirming her acceptance of the situation, she straightened up and strode out of the loo to find Anna Scarborough waiting patiently.
“Ready to meet your fellow interns?”
“Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose.”
Evelyn followed the only person she knew in the state of Arizona into a hallway lined with doors. Whoever designed this place sure loves hallways, she thought.
“Okay, here we are.” Anna Scarborough pushed open the second door on the left and ushered Evelyn inside.
They entered a conference room with a large oval table in the center. Several teenagers sat around the table. A round skylight set in the center of the ceiling dispensed a decent quantity of sunlight into the room, making it far more inviting than the electrically-illuminated corridor. Evelyn, relieved not have to walk down another hallway, studied the teenagers, who she presumed were the rest of the interns … except that one of them wore a smock and was busy sticking a syringe needle into the arm of another. The face of the girl having her blood taken was very pale, but also very pretty, Evelyn thought, framed with perfect blonde curls like the women on magazine covers. The girl grimaced as the needle pierced her flesh, but remained very pretty. Some people were just like that. Evelyn watched the syringe turn red as it filled with blood.
“Wow, I've never seen someone bleed so much before, Holly.”
Evelyn turned to look at the boy lounging opposite the pretty girl. He appeared to be of Asian heritage and had bright blue streaks in his hair, which was tied into a top-knot. Evelyn liked his T-shirt: black, with a print depicting several kittens in lab coats. She had a feeling he was one of those people who could slouch in any kind of chair, no matter how straight and rigid the backrest.
“Shut up, Kenji, or I'll come and bleed on you.”
“Gross. Oh look, a new person.”
Anna Scarborough stepped forward. “Everyone, this is Evelyn.” There was a chorus of “heys” and “hellos” from the kids in the room, then Anna Scarborough gestured towards the young man in the smock, who seemed to have finished with the pretty girl. He placed his blood sample on the table while she rubbed her arm in relief.
“This is Dr Stein, from our medical department.” Anna Scarborough went on. “He'll need to take a blood sample, if that's okay with you Evelyn?”
Evelyn stiffened. “Um, why do you need a blood sample?”
“We just need to make sure we can look after you all properly while you're with us. Everyone else has already had theirs taken.”
Her eyes darted around the room. “Look. I...I'd rather not.” Why was
the idea of having her blood taken making her feel so anxious?
“Uh oh,” Kenji piped in. “Looks like you're not the only one afraid of needles, Holly.”
Evelyn blushed. “No, it's just . . . look I don't want you taking my blood, okay? It didn't say anything about that in the forms you sent me.”
Anna Scarborough opened her mouth to argue, but a deep voice from the doorway cut her off.
“Don't worry, Miss Scarborough.”
Evelyn spun around to see who had spoken and nearly fainted. Standing in the doorway, a navy sweater stretched over his broad torso, stood Damien Reyner, founder and CEO of OrbiCor, and the main reason Evelyn had applied for this internship. She found herself wondering how he got his signature black beard to glisten like that. The thought that he probably applied beard oil every morning ruined the illusion that he was above the rest of humanity. This made her feel disappointed, so instead she decided it must be natural.
“Evelyn had her medical tests done at her local hospital and sent us the results last week,” Reyner continued. “Remember?”
“Oh. Yes. Of course, Mr Reyner.” Anna Scarborough looked like she had no idea what he was talking about, but clearly had no desire to argue with the boss.
Evelyn felt herself blushing. She too had completely forgotten about the medical exam she'd had done last week or she would have mentioned it. She suddenly remembered it clearly: nurses and doctors, all smiling reassuringly; white hospital walls; the smell of disinfectant …
“A word?” Reyner peered at Anna Scarborough, gesturing into the hallway behind him.
“Certainly.” She stepped out, followed by Dr Stein and his blood samples. Reyner closed the door behind them, leaving the eight interns in the kind of awkward silence that only occurs with groups of teenagers who don't know each other.
The boy called Kenji broke it. “I hope they feed us soon. I could eat a horse.” He leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach.
“You know there are only like ten horses still in existence, and you'd probably go to prison if you ate one.”
Evelyn turned to look at the girl who had spoken. She was short, probably just over five feet, and her delicate features were accentuated by a pixie haircut and heavy black eyeliner that matched her hair. She also had several piercings on her face, including a ring through the middle of her nose and studs below both cheekbones. Her bright purple eyes were evidence of retinal surgery. Evelyn thought she looked kind of cool, though also a little scary.
The purple eyes fixed on hers. “Hey, I'm Brenner.”
Realizing she'd been staring, Evelyn quickly looked down. “Oh. Um, hi.”
Brenner continued to introduce the others. “This clown is Kenji, from Cali.”
“Kenji from Cali, I like it.” Kenji said.
“Next to him is Nelson, from South Africa.” Brenner pointed out a large, neatly dressed boy with deep brown skin and round features. He smiled at her.
“How's it,” he said, in an accent Evelyn found quite intriguing.
“How's ... what?” She frowned.
Nelson laughed, “Oh, no. Howzit is a South African greeting. It just means 'hello'. So, hello.” He spoke in such a pleasant way and with such warmth that Evelyn couldn't help but return his broad smile.
Brenner moved on to a surly-looking boy with dark hair and gray eyes that smoldered beneath a proud brow. “That's Matthew, from …?”
Matthew ignored the question in her voice and glared at Evelyn, who gave him an amicable nod. He didn't nod back, so she looked away uneasily.
“Oh-kay,” Brenner said, trying to cover the awkwardness of Matthew's behavior. “Moving on. That's Clove from … New Orleans, right?”
“That's right. Hiya.” Clove gave a friendly wave. Her brown eyes were bright behind a pair of green-framed spectacles that offset her Creole complexion. “Born in the Bayou and raised on gumbo.”
Evelyn found herself taking an instant liking to Clove, who seemed naturally comfortable around the new group.
“... And that gorgeous creature over there is Holly.” Brenner continued, flashing her purple eyes at the girl who had just had her blood taken.
Holly pushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear self-consciously and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and I'm into boys, not girls.”
“That's what they all say at first.” Brenner winked at Evelyn, and Kenji laughed.
“Jeez, you're gonna chase all the real girls away, Brenner. Keep it in your pants for Christ's sake.”
Brenner raised her eyebrows at him. “Excuse me? Real girls?”
“Hey, look, I didn’t mean …”
Brenner gave him the finger. “That real enough for you?”
Kenji held up his hands, looking contrite. “Sorry! Sorry. I didn't mean it like that.”
Brenner huffed, but seemed to accept the apology, though Evelyn couldn't tell if it was sincere. She already had the feeling that very little Kenji said was sincere. In addition to his apparent knack for slouching, he also seemed to be one of those people who made a joke out of everything.
Evidently the introductions were over, for Brenner smiled at Evelyn and went to sit down. Evelyn's eyes moved to the far end of the table, and realized one person had been left out. A strange-looking girl sat apart from the others, seemingly oblivious to the world around her. She was strange-looking mostly because she had no hair, but also because of the way she was sitting: completely still, eyes closed, her thoughts probably in some other place.
“Who's that?” Evelyn asked softly, leaning closer to Brenner.
“Oh, her name's Seren.” Brenner followed her gaze. “That Anna woman told me she was hand-picked by Damien Reyner himself. Apparently she's some kind of prodigy.” Brenner frowned. “She's been like that since I got here. I think she's meditating, or something.”
Evelyn continued to watch Seren, fascinated. There was an expression of absolute calm on her face that seemed almost inhuman, like a painting. Suddenly Seren's eyes snapped open and locked onto hers. They were blue, very blue, and her placid expression had vanished, replaced by … something else; irritation – or condescension, Evelyn wasn't sure.
Just then the door opened again, giving her a welcome excuse to break Seren's gaze. Damien Reyner reentered the room, immediately commanding all of their attention with his impressive presence. He looked around at the interns with a smile that Evelyn thought looked somehow forced.
“Sorry about that,” he said, rubbing his hands together and striding over to the center of the table. He planted his feet apart and faced the interns evenly. “Hi.”
The interns chuckled nervously. “Hi,” some of them replied.
“I'm Damien Reyner, and I'd like to personally thank you all for joining us here at OrbiCor for this, our first internship program. Welcome to TAD.”
“Mr Reyner, sir, what an honor,” Kenji gushed. “May I just say that your work has been an inspiration to me since … well, since forever, pretty much.”
“I’m glad to hear that Mr Sakura,” Reyner replied with a pleasant smile. “And allow me to congratulate you on your incredible breakthrough in the–” He glanced around conspiratorially. “Well, I suppose we can’t talk about it, can we?”
Kenji puffed up proudly and glanced knowingly around at the others. “Nope. Top secret.” He paused, frowning at Reyner. “Wait, how do you...?”
“How indeed,” Reyner winked. “Anyway, even disregarding your youth, your work is impressive.”
“Mr Reyner …” Kenji looked like he was on the verge of tears. “Thank you.”
“The same goes for all of you.” Reyner turned to include the rest of the interns in his speech, “Each of you was carefully selected not only for your interest in science and the future of space exploration but also, and more importantly, because of your character, and because all of you are, in some form or another, innovators.” His eyes traveled around the room, falling on each intern briefly before moving on to the next. “I have always valued innovative
minds and the fresh perspectives and approaches they bring above those of so-called 'academic prowess' who possess the boring ability to read, retain, and regurgitate knowledge, and for one very good reason: progress.
“Mankind, you see, was engineered with an insatiable desire for progress, and in our unsustainable race to progress beyond our means we have all but destroyed ourselves. This is because throughout history progress was achieved not by innovators, but by those who copied the work of innovators: reproduced it, scaled it up, packaged it, and sold it without thought of the consequences. And so here we are,” Reyner spread his hands, a sad look upon his face, “the most advanced civilization ever to have stood upon this Earth, and the Earth is dying. It is our fault.”
Evelyn shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had expected a welcoming speech, an inspirational delivery peppered with light humor the way she'd seen Reyner speak on TV. This address had turned unexpectedly dark, and it was making her feel on edge. But Reyner wasn't finished.
“I see you squirming in your seats. I too, am squirming. We do not like to face uncomfortable truths, like the one we must all face if we are to progress any further. We are the problem. The only question is: how do we solve it?”
When he didn't continue, a husky female voice spoke. “When I encounter a difficult problem, I find that it helps to take a step back.” Evelyn followed Reyner's surprised gaze and found herself looking at Seren.
“I agree.” Reyner said, nodding thoughtfully. “Taking a step back from a problem can do wonders for one's perspective. But how do we take a step back from ourselves?”
Seren smiled, and for a moment Evelyn thought she didn't look that strange at all. She looked strikingly pretty. “How, indeed?”
Reyner returned her smile. “Well, enough of this dark topic. I have an even darker one I'd like to discuss.” His eyes flitted around the room and he bounced a little on the balls of his feet, like a kid who could barely contain his excitement. “Who among you knows anything about dark matter?”
There was a moment of silence while the interns glanced sidelong at each other and at the floor, none wanting to speak first.
The Cloud Page 1