The Labs (The GEOs Book 2)

by Ramona Finn

  “Welcome, Tylia,” R.L. Farrow said, spinning around and leaning forward from his tall-backed chair. He wore a shiny white suit and his dark hair was slicked back from his face. He looked more handsome than ever, and there was an air of energy about him. If I hadn’t known that he was at least 90 years old, I would’ve thought he was close to Ben’s age. He probably had some sort of fountain of youth at his disposal; that was something my parents used to say when they saw him on TV. Now, face to face in his office, I had to agree with them.

  “I see that you’ve made yourself at home here in the Greens,” R.L. Farrow began as he gestured to one of the chairs on the opposite side of his desk. I sat, because I didn’t have the nerve to disobey this great man.

  The chair was so big, I must’ve looked like a small child in it. R.L. moved around his desk and perched himself at the edge of it. He had on shiny white shoes that showed white socks as he swung his leg back and forth. “I hope you find it to your liking.”

  “I’m sorry I ate the apples,” I blurted. “And the peaches.” My hand went to the spare peach in my tunic pocket. I considered returning it to him, then changed my mind. That would be really dumb. He wouldn’t have called me all the way in there for taking fruit.

  He laughed. It was a quiet, nasal laugh. “You can eat as many as you want. Goodness knows, we have far more than we need.”

  “So, why can’t you send some to the Geos?” I couldn’t seem to stop myself from saying the first thing that came into my mind. I figured that, if I was going to get in trouble for angering Ben, I might as well lay all my opinions out in the open.

  “This surplus is a very recent accomplishment,” he said with a wide smile. “I might just do as you ask.”

  I watched him as he pulled something out of his pocket. I couldn’t see what it was until he opened his hand in front of me. I gasped as I saw the tiny orange quartz hanging from the colored strands of cloth. My mother’s necklace! My hand went to my throat. I’d assumed the medics had taken it when they’d removed all my clothes and belongings in the medical wing. I reached for it, but R.L. Farrow pulled away from my reach.

  “I had the medics keep this for safety,” he said. “I assumed it was important to you.”

  “It’s from my mother,” I said, trying to hide my nervousness. “My father gave it to her on their wedding day.”

  He rolled the necklace over in his hand. I gulped. Skylar Two’s vial of the Virus was still attached to the back of the quartz. Did R.L. know what it was? Was that why I’d been summoned?

  I braced myself for the accusations.

  Instead, he took my hand and placed the necklace in my palm.

  “Well, clearly it’s an heirloom,” he said gently. “And quite appropriate for this occasion.”

  “What?” I clutched the pendant and the vial tightly in my hand.

  R.L. got to his feet and went back behind his desk. He was all business now as he swished his hand over the computer screen. The 3D goat disappeared. It was replaced by several equally impressive 3D documents with lots of numbers and charts floating between us. “I have all of your test results at last, and it has been confirmed—several times, actually—that you are indeed the best match for Ben. Together, it is highly likely that we will be a step closer to what we’ve been working for.”

  “Wait…so…we’re still on?” I was just about spluttering. “But I thought Ben…didn’t….”

  R.L. frowned. “I know about the little spat you two had.”

  How did he know? Had Ben told him, or did he just know everything? Either answer was terrifying.

  “Spats are normal between couples,” he continued. “Goodness knows, I’ve had my share with my wives. Ben’s mother still gives me trouble.” His eyes took on a faraway look, and I couldn’t help wondering where he’d gone in his mind. “However, this is about more than just romance and feelings. This is about achieving a successful future for all people. Producing the offspring will be a given, but I think an actual partnership, or marriage if you want to go down that path, will set a good example for the rest of our population. It was Ben’s idea, and he’ll come around soon enough. Your partnership will happen; I’ve decided it’s a good idea.”

  So, that was it then. R.L. had decided and it was going to happen, no matter how we felt. I supposed the other choice of keeping it very clinical would have been weird, too. I couldn’t picture my children living in the Greens and not knowing me. I couldn’t picture having children, period.

  “I’ve told Ben my wishes, and all there is to do now is to set a date for the ceremony. You two will live together and raise your offspring. That was Ben’s specific request. I assume he’s consulted you on this.”

  “I, uh…” What could I say? The last time Ben and I had talked, that’s what we’d agreed on, I thought. I was under the impression that I’d have time to think about it. But if this was what Ben had told his father, he couldn’t be that angry with me, right? “Yes, that’s what Ben wants.”

  R.L. leaned closer. “And what do you want?”

  Looking into his dark eyes, I really believed he wanted to know.

  This was my moment. I could walk away from all this right now and return to my old life in the Geos. My mother would never get her treatment, and I’d never see Ben again. I’d probably never see Skylar Two and the Rejs again, either, since I’d have failed my ‘mission’ in the Labs. Perhaps I didn’t have a choice.

  “I want what’s best for our people,” I told him. It was, after all, the truth.

  “Excellent choice,” R.L. said, rubbing his hands together. “Good girl.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  R.L. Farrow called in two clone assistants. These were girls—they looked about my age, but with clones, I couldn’t be sure. They were dressed in the same outfits as Max and Dax were, but their badges were different. They were gold plated and a lot shinier.

  “This is Tia, and this is Lia,” R.L. said to me. “They’ll be in charge of all things ceremonial.”

  The clones nodded to me once, without so much as a smile. I bit down on my cheeks so as not to laugh at the rhyming names. Who’d come up with the clone-naming algorithm? It was a little ridiculous.

  Lia and Tia seemed very comfortable talking to R.L. Very different from my old friends, Max and Dax. Together, they discussed the plans for our partnership ceremony while I watched from my large chair, rubbing my mother’s pendant between my fingers…and also being careful not to bring attention to Skylar’s vial of Virus.

  I barely registered a word in three. My whole body had gone numb, and with every idea for flowers, or suggestion for which Sky Lab to use or which Elite was worthy of an invitation, my limbs grew weaker. It was only when one assistant turned to ask me what my favorite color was that I realized I wasn’t breathing.

  “I don’t know, really,” I said dumbly, inhaling at the same time. “Maybe, orange?” I opened my hand to look down at my mother’s pendant. It was pretty.

  The assistant, Lia, scrunched up her nose and pretended it was a great idea. “We might be able to get some fire lilies for your bouquet,” she said.

  For the rest of the conversation, I was pretty much excluded. When it had all been planned out and scheduled and put into a spreadsheet, R.L. let me go. He even gave me a hug as I turned to leave. I was overcome by the waft of a strong floral mint scent coming off of him, and it made me conscious of how I might have been smelling. Overall, it was awkward.

  As I walked back to my apartment, I replayed all the details of what had been discussed in my head. Our ceremony was to happen in five days, and I was to report back to R.L.’s office the very next morning for a fitting. I was getting a new outfit for the ceremony. I knew nothing about formal outfits, and I wished my mother could be there to help.

  My mother! I’d forgotten to ask R.L. about my parents. When we’d last met, he’d promised to transport them in his private ship. When was that going to happen? I turned back, hoping to at least catch one of the assistants
to ask her if my parents were on their way, and that was when I ran headfirst into Ben.

  “Ow!” I rubbed my forehead.

  “Whoa!” He held me back by my shoulders. “In a hurry much?”

  “I’m so sorry.” I shook away my preoccupations. “Did I hurt you?”

  He laughed, and then became serious. “Bumping into me didn’t hurt, but that doesn’t mean I’m not feeling hurt. We haven’t talked in a whole day. I missed you.”

  “You didn’t come after filming last night,” I said, feeling as if he’d just made it my fault we hadn’t talked.

  “I did,” he said. I looked him in the eye, startled. “I stood outside your door for at least ten minutes. It was really late, and I couldn’t decide if I should disturb you just to let you know I was sorry.”

  Was that true, or was he just trying to charm me? “You should have woken me.”

  “I debated that, but I didn’t want to interrupt your sleep.” He looked down at his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets. Guilt or awkwardness? “After you left the studio, I ran after you, but you disappeared so quickly.”

  “You told me to head back,” I said, working hard to control my tone.

  “I did, and I’m sorry. I thought I was doing what was expected of me. I even considered skipping the shoot to come after you.” He shuffled his feet. “But I can’t afford to miss an episode and risk getting in trouble.”

  “Trouble? You? You’re the favored son!” It had sounded a little harsh, but I didn’t feel like softening it.

  His brows knit tightly together. “For now, I am. But who knows about tomorrow? You don’t know yet, how easy it is to fall from grace. I watched it happen to my mother…” He didn’t finish.

  The entire population of the Geos had watched it happen to Sue-Jane. I remembered because my parents were particularly offended that her private suffering was made so public. One day, she was hailed as the mother of all future generations, and the next, she was hauled off by clones to a rehabilitation facility. She never saw it coming, poor thing.

  But for Ben, at least for the next five days, he would stay in favor. R.L. had been in a rare mood when I’d left his office. Ben was safe for now. But how strange that this was what he worried about. I doubted that he’d ever fall from grace—unless our kids turned out to be regular, non-immune humans. Did he even know our ceremony date had been fixed?

  “Well, what about this morning, then? You could’ve come over.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, you haven’t been home all day,” he huffed. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  The idea of him running around searching for me kind of made me feel better. I liked the idea that he had to work to get to me. I told him about my visit to Kev’s and how he’d taken me to the farms.

  “I have a place even better than that,” he said, taking my hand and then letting it go immediately. “I’m sorry I lost my temper with you. I behaved monstrously.” He stared down at his empty hands, looking like a lost child.

  My heart melted, just a little. The image of him waiting outside my apartment, and with understanding his worries a bit more, made me realize that I may have misjudged him. Ben was always on his toes, trying to please everyone and never getting into trouble. He was clearly torn. And being paired with a troublemaker like me couldn’t be easy. I’d allowed my angry thoughts to turn him into someone he wasn’t. I reached back for his hand and held it between both of mine.

  “So, where’s this special place?”

  His crooked smile lit up his whole face. Those dimples that came with it turned girls in the Geos into mush, and they were doing their job on me now.

  “You’re the best,” he said.

  Ben led me down the paths that Kev and I had taken that morning. We walked down hallways that I was becoming familiar with, all the way to the edge of the dome. We went past the elevator that Kev and I had taken and walked all the way to a blank wall. There was no left or right turn, no sign on the wall telling us where to go, and no indication that this was anything other than a dead end. Ben put his hand against the wall’s smooth white surface. It lit up, tracing a line around his hand. A door appeared. It slid open to reveal another hallway that looked almost identical to the one we were in.

  “This is the family’s section of the Greens,” he said sheepishly. “You’ll be used to it soon enough.”

  I had nothing to say. I had figured out that certain sections of the Greens were limited to the family, but each time I was introduced to another ‘secret’ doorway, I was surprised.

  He led me through the private hallway that led to a private elevator. There were no numbers on the elevator buttons, but he seemed to know where he was going.

  “This entire wing is off-limits to all but the family. It goes around this side of the dome and links back to where our apartments are. I like this side because it’s quieter, and I don’t have to deal with stares and questions, and sometimes strange requests from the Elites.”

  The elevator ascended with so little movement that I thought, for a moment, we were standing still.

  “What’s the strangest request you’ve ever gotten?” I had to ask.

  His ears turned a bright pink. “So, you know how the cast goes down to the Geos once in a while to see our ‘fans’?”

  I did. It was the highlight of the month for my friends—Viv, especially.

  “That was my idea because I thought we owed it to our viewers.”

  Had anyone told him The Cure was practically mandatory viewing in the Geos? It wasn’t like we had anything else to watch.

  “Well, once, a lady older than my mother asked for a piece of my hair. She had scissors and was about to cut off a section. When I said no, she asked for a section of my tunic sleeve. She said she wanted to keep my scent near her pillow at night.” He shuddered.

  “Wow, weird!” I laughed. “But I have a friend who would totally get that. She fantasized about kissing you a lot.” Should I have given that away? Viv would kill me if she knew.

  Now, his face was as red as his ears were. He stared down at his feet, but I caught sight of those dimples. It was kind of sweet watching him get embarrassed.

  And then, the elevator door opened into the outdoors.

  Instinctively, I held my breath. Ben took my hand and practically dragged me out. “It only looks like the outside,” he said. “Trust me, it’s covered.”

  He pointed upward. Past the tops of the trees, I could just make out the edges of a transparent dome against the evening sky beyond it—a ceiling. But there wasn’t much of it to see. This place was a forest, with dense, pointy trees that reached to the very top of the dome. The sky beyond was a bluish grey, and the full moon was so large that I could almost reach out and touch it.

  Ben led us into the forest. The floor was covered with a soft, cushy layer of leaves and twigs. There wasn’t a lot of light, so once or twice, I tripped, only to fall into Ben’s arms. He wrapped his arm around my waist, and we continued to walk deeper into the trees.

  “It smells so wonderful,” I said. “I never imagined that green would have such a strong scent.” I didn’t add that the trees where the Rejs lived were completely different. Even the trees in the farm area were different. The variety of trees was astonishing. How much had we missed in the Geos?

  “This is a temperate rainforest,” Ben said, guiding me over a protruding root. “Our silviculture specialists have even figured out how to maintain the water cycle—so it might actually rain sometime soon.”

  “Silviculture?”

  “They study and maintain the forests in the Sky Labs,” he explained. “It isn’t easy to grow forests up in the air.”

  I rolled the new word around on my tongue just as we stepped into a small clearing. Moonlight streamed into the middle of the small circle of trees, lighting the floor up with a silvery sheen.

  “Here,” he said. “This is where I like to come when I need time to myself.”

  We sat down on the
soft floor, cross-legged and facing each other. While I admired the scenery, Ben played with my fingers.

  “It’s funny,” he sighed, running his fingers over my palm. “But I can actually relax when I’m with you. Everyone in the Labs expects something from me. The family, the crew, the Elites—they all have a picture of who I should be. I was created from before birth to be this…standard, for our people. I’m the face of the show, my genetic make-up is our future, and I’m the ambassador to the Geos. Yet, I can’t be myself…partly because my mother made a mess of her life and I feel like I’m constantly apologizing for her, and partly because Father keeps pushing me into the forefront of everything we do. So, I’m always on, always pre-empting expectations. I’m always scared and stressed. But not when I’m with you.”

  His words poured out of him like a broken water pipe. I’d never heard him speak so fast or reveal so much. It was as if being in this place removed all the walls he’d put up, and now I was seeing the real Ben Farrow.

  “You have no idea how happy I am that we’ve found each other. Life is going to be so much better.” He stroked my fingers, giving me goosebumps.

  “But this is your home,” I said. “You have so much.” It wasn’t like he’d ever suffered in the dank underground.

  He shrugged. “Home should be where you feel safe, and can be yourself; I’ve never had that as the ‘favored’ son.” He’d made air quotes with his fingers. “I don’t know if people want to be my friend for me, or for how close they can get to my father. Aside from my sister Chen, I’m not sure I’ve ever had an actual friend. Because of my position, I don’t make friends easily. But I discovered, watching you, that I’m not even good at fitting in.”

  “Me? Fitting in?” I laughed. “You don’t know me very well, do you?”