by Ramona Finn
His words were familiar. This was what Bree used to say. It was all supposed to be a silly conspiracy theory that the youth believed in, though, not something that was real. But then, look at the girl she’d become. Had she settled into complacency, believing that Ben and I were going to produce the immune children who could save the Geos? I believed it. I was hanging onto the hope that the next generation would live on the surface with no fear of the Virus. Was that wrong? Viv had said something about the Farm Union becoming restless, but that nothing would come of it…like it had always been. Maybe there was something to Skylar Two’s argument.
“The Rejs are desperate,” he continued. “We’re more willing to work with the Unions now.”
“To what end?”
He scratched at his chin. “It’s time for those of us who live out here to get a share of the Sky Labs. But we need the Unions to help us force the issue. Fight if we have to. There’s plenty of space up in the Labs, right?”
This argument again. Was this the new solution that the people in the Geos, and now the Rejs, were thinking was our future? What could I tell Skylar without getting us all into far more trouble? Yes, I believed there was space. At least in the Greens, I knew for sure there was. I could only guess that about the other Labs. But I didn’t want to get Skylar’s hopes up. He would surely start a war to get his people into the Labs. And what if I was wrong? Could I be responsible for toppling the system that had kept us all alive until now?
So, I shrugged. I wasn’t ready to do confirm his theories yet. I needed more time, more information.
“You’re the perfect candidate to help us persuade the Unions…you’re one of them who has become an Elite. That’s rare. You can tell them the truth about the Cure not existing, Ty. You can tell them the Rejs are allies, or that we can be. You can get us intel from the Labs!”
“You’ve got this all figured out, haven’t you?” I asked. His expectations of me were dizzying. “But you overestimate me. I don’t have that kind of influence.”
“So, we all keep suffering down here while the Elites get everything they want? And you forget all about the rest of us?” He huffed, nostrils flaring. “Who decided who gets to live it up and who has to suffer? Wouldn’t you want your friends and family up there with you? Are you so afraid that if we come to stay, you’ll lose your new way of life?”
Those were the exact thoughts I’d had when I’d first met the Elites, that day in the cafeteria. How had I forgotten that?
Skylar Two had a point. There was plenty of room to share, and if the Virus was spreading, we had to move fast.
“Will you help?” He looked as desperate as he sounded.
I couldn’t think clearly. So many conflicting thoughts raced through my mind. Then I thought about my parents, who might still be stuck in the Geos somewhere. Who knew how long it would take R.L. to keep his word? There was a high possibility of my mother dying before she could get to the Labs for the kind of medical care she really needed. A door creaked somewhere in the distance. Skylar Two jumped and peered around the crates again.
“They’re coming,” he whispered, leaning into me. His body being up against mine made my body react so strangely, I barely noticed what he was doing. He pried open my hand and placed a small object into my palm, and then he closed my fingers around it. “This is a flash drive. It’s mostly empty, but there’s a file on it that gives you instructions on how to contact me. When you get back up there, find a way to download a schematic of the Labs. And a schedule of EF shifts. Look for a time when no one is paying much attention to security. Once you’ve got that intel, the file on this drive will instruct you on how to get it to me. We need you to be our inside person. Will you do that?”
He was leaning so hard against me that I could barely breathe. His eyes pierced right through me as his desperate plea rolled around in my mind.
I found that I was nodding before I even understood what he was asking of me.
“And when you see your father, beg him to convince the Union heads that the Rejs are on the same side as the Unions.”
My father? He barely ever left our home. What could he do? But there wasn’t time to ask. The sound of EFs marching down the hallway grew louder with each second.
“Promise you’ll contact me soon,” Skylar Two said. Somehow, he had my helmet in his hand. He placed it over my head and wrapped his arms around me. My first thought was that he was going to hug me, that all had been forgiven between us. Then I realized he was sealing up the back of my helmet. My heart dropped into my stomach. As the helmet made that sucking sound to indicate it was working properly, Skylar Two’s breath fogged up the outside of my face mask. “We don’t have time, and we’re counting on you.”
“I …I…promise,” I whispered breathlessly.
“I knew I could count on you,” he said. His smile was familiar and heartwarming, but his eyes were filled with sadness—sadness that I knew I’d put there. My heart broke a little more.
The scraping of boots told me the EFs were just around the other side of the crates. Before I could catch my breath, Skylar Two disappeared somewhere into the darkness behind me just as Killian’s head peeked around a crate.
“I’ve found her,” he said loudly.
I was panting so hard that it took a moment for me to collect myself.
“Are you all right?” he asked, sounding concerned.
“I…got…turned around,” I said, trying to keep it together. “I’m not good with directions.”
Ben appeared in front of me. “I was so worried we’d lost you.” He wrapped his arms around me, and I allowed myself to feel safe again.
“I need to see my parents,” I said as I pulled away from him.
Ben nodded. “Okay, let’s do that quickly, and then we should get back to the Greens.”
As we walked back out to Union Hall, I saw it was empty of people. It was mid-shift, I realized, and no one would be out and about at this time. I led the way to my home, but my mind kept whirling with confusing thoughts. I knew from Viv’s words that my parents didn’t live in our old home anymore. Did Ben know that? Was I supposed to know? As I worried about where my parents were, I decided that I should just play dumb. If Ben knew anything, surely he’d correct me as I headed to the wrong home. I walked on in silence.
I’d just seen Skylar Two again, and I wished we’d had more time. I’d hurt him, and I hated that. But there were more important things to worry about than our feelings for each other, weren’t there? And how could I be thinking about Skylar Two while the boy I was engaged to was walking right beside me? The discomfort that had started with Skylar Two spread throughout my body. The Rejs expected me to be their spy. I didn’t know if I had it in me. But, at the same time, what choice did I have?
Chapter Twenty
The door to our home was locked. It had never been locked before. I knocked several times. Ben tried, too, but no one answered. So, he didn’t know? I asked neighbors where my parents had gone, but no one knew. They’d all assumed my parents had come to live with me. I tried not to look at Ben during those moments, but I could feel his body tensing up.
Finally, I went to the computer panel set up at the entrance of our neighborhood—or, really, the entrance to the corridor that led to the twenty-something dwelling areas that I’d called my neighborhood.
The light felt dimmer than it had been before I’d left. The skylights in the Geos were few and far between, so artificial lighting was provided by the tracks along the ceiling. They’d always been dim, but now it felt as if they were losing power. I couldn’t help thinking that the coders weren’t doing their jobs right in maintaining the systems.
“Amara, please locate Tyler and Lia Coder,” I said to the computer.
“Tyler and Lia Coder have been transferred.” Amara pulled up a map of the Geos and a small red dot indicated where my parents were now living. They’d been moved to the medical sector, where the medics lived and worked. The Geos dwellers living in that sect
or were rumored to have the best lives available in the Geos. They were closer to the surface, and their neighborhoods were built under enormous skylights so they got a lot of light. I’d never been there, but I was glad my parents had a better home now.
“Father will get them up to the Greens as soon as it’s safe,” Ben tried to comfort me on the way to the medical sector, but I had no words for him. R.L. Farrow had been putting this off for so long. I wasn’t sure he’d ever fulfill his promise. But then, I had no proof. I was just frustrated because, no matter how good a neighborhood it was, the medical sector was still in the Geos.
We had to get on the Geos shuttle to get to the medical sector. The shuttle was an old train that rattled loudly along rusty tracks. I learned from my dad that these train cars were a relic from the old world when humans lived on the surface. They served our Geos community well, transporting us from one Union sector to another. Kev and I had ridden one on our way to the Acceptance training rooms. But other than that, I’d rarely had to travel in them. Now, Ben and the EFs just walked me onto the shuttle without worrying about using transport vouchers or anything. Being an Elite had its privileges.
The medical sector was the farthest along the shuttle route. It was as bright as it was rumored to be. The hallways were cleaner and, from the distance between doors, I had to guess the homes were larger. Ben led the way, following the map that he’d downloaded from Amara. My parents’ apartment was right at the farthest edge of the medical sector, as if the medics didn’t want to be reminded that coders lived amongst them. I hated how the Unions kept us apart from each other. We were all people living in the Geos. No matter how nice our homes or sectors were compared to the others, we were still living underground. We weren’t living the luxurious lives that the Elites were. So, the Unions making us believe that some of us were worse than others didn’t make any sense.
I stopped in my tracks.
Could this be a deliberate tactic? The Unions keeping us separate would be the perfect way to ensure we never came together to fight those who would oppress us.
“Is something wrong?” Ben asked, taking my elbow. “We’re almost there.”
I kept walking, and watching him, searching his face for answers. Ben was a Farrow. He was a ‘favored’ Farrow, probably at the top echelons of leadership. How much did he know about their tactics to keep the peace, to keep the people content? When I became a Farrow, would they let me in on it, too? Or was this a strategy cooked up by the very top dog alone, as in R.L. himself? As Elites, we benefited from the peace that the Unions offered by being separate and suspicious of each other. And once my parents were moved up to the Labs, they would benefit, too.
But…was that enough? Could I leave things there, hoping that the Cure would come soon? Skylar Two’s anger and desperation seeped into my soul, and I couldn’t shake that emotion away.
“We’re here,” Ben said, jerking me out of my thoughts. He knocked. There was no answer. Killian moved up to knock for Ben. Still no answer.
“Is this another dead-end?” I was losing my patience, but it wasn’t Ben’s fault. Still, I didn’t make much effort to hide my irritation from him. “Someone’s playing us.”
“No, that’s not what’s happening here,” Ben said, but so gently that it was as if he was talking to a small child throwing a tantrum. “Perhaps they’re at work.”
“My mother hasn’t been able to work for years.” I’d never said those words out loud. I whipped around to check if anyone was listening. The hallway was empty, as it should have been. Most people were on shift or asleep at this time. I lowered my voice. “My father worked both his and her shifts, so we wouldn’t lose our food rations.”
Ben frowned. “I had no idea…” He trailed off.
“How could you know?” I had much more to say, but he looked so upset that I just couldn’t go on.
“Tylia?” a weak voice echoed off the pale walls. “Is that you?”
I turned around to see two familiar people walking down the hallway. They were far away, looking about the size of my hand when I recognized them as my parents. My mother was skin and bones, and she looked as if she might break at any moment. She’d aged a lot since the last time I’d seen her. My father was holding her around the waist with one arm…but she was walking! I didn’t remember the last time I’d seen my mother out of bed. My vision blurred with hot tears fogging up my face mask. For the first time since I’d left for the Acceptance, I felt as if I was home again.
I ran to meet them even as Ben tried to stop me. The moisture in my helmet made it hard to see. I stopped to pull it off my head.
“No, Tylia!” Ben cried. “It’s too dangerous.”
“If the medical sector isn’t clean, then nothing here is,” I said, throwing my helmet to the ground. I closed the distance between my parents and me. I threw myself into my father’s arms. Then, more gently, I hugged my mom, trying desperately not to sob out loud. My suit crinkled stiffly, but I didn’t care. Dad wrapped his arms around both of us, and for the longest time, all there was between us was the sound of hearts beating and the warmth of their breath flowing over my suit.
“What are you doing here?” My father finally broke the silence. He pulled away and looked past me to Ben. “Young Mr. Farrow? You’re here, too. Please, come inside our home.”
I’d never heard my father be so polite to a Farrow, but then, he’d never met one face to face as far as I knew. Behind their backs, he’d had plenty to say about them. We walked slowly back to their door. I held my mother by the elbow, so shocked to see how frail she was.
“You’re walking,” I whispered to her.
She nodded with a smile, but she was breathing heavily.
“Don’t talk,” I said. “Let’s get you inside first.”
My father touched his palm to the door panel, and it opened to reveal a small but well-lit apartment. I helped my mother inside and lowered her into a comfortable looking armchair. It stretched out into a bed, and she could control the recline with a panel of buttons on the right arm. I was impressed. Ben and the EFs followed behind. The EFs took their place against the wall by the door.
“Oh, my girl,” she began. Even her voice was weak. “You’re home.”
Something gripped my heart so tightly that I almost couldn’t breathe. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was only there for a short visit.
“Mom, you’re looking good,” I managed to say without bursting into more tears. “You’re getting your meds?”
She nodded. Her eyelids fluttered, and I could see she was struggling to stay awake.
“Nari’s been good to us,” Dad said, offering Ben a glass of murky water. To his credit, Ben took it without grimacing. Then Dad, realizing Ben couldn’t drink it without removing his face mask, laughed awkwardly.
“Oh, never mind,” Ben said, reaching behind his head. “If Tylia says it’s safe, I’m going to risk it.”
He removed his helmet. I could see, out of the corner of my eye, that the EFs stiffened in shock. But they didn’t dare stop him. I couldn’t have been prouder of Ben. He was doing everything he could to make my parents feel comfortable. When our eyes met, I gave him the most heartwarming smile I could muster.
To top it all off, Ben took a sip of the water.
Dad smiled and kept talking. “Nari’s been making sure Lia gets all her meds and insists on seeing us once a day. That’s where we were when you arrived. Lia’s been able to walk there these last few days. She’s getting stronger.”
“That’s good news,” Ben offered. He sat on the small couch across from us. Dad asked if he wanted a snack, but Ben declined politely. I was glad. There usually wasn’t enough food to give to a stranger, but my parents were always mindful of their manners. It was something they’d tried to teach me, too.
Ben went on to explain the reason for our visit to the Geos. My parents weren’t surprised to hear about our engagement. I guessed they’d been watching the show faithfully since I left. I couldn’t te
ll from their expressions whether they approved or not. I desperately wanted a moment alone with them, so I could get the real story.
“It’s good to hear that there’s hope, then,” Dad said when Ben finished. “I’ve always known that our Tylia was special.” He reached over and squeezed me on the shoulder.
Killian, who’d been standing as still as a statue, moved his hand to his ear. He was receiving a message through his comms. I held my breath, hoping it wasn’t to tell us it was time to leave. We’d just gotten there! Killian walked over to Ben and whispered something in his ear. Ben’s frown grew deep. He stood up, carefully placing the glass on the small side table by the couch.
“My apologies, but there’s something I must look into rather urgently.”
“Nothing’s wrong, I hope,” Father said, standing with him.
“No, I don’t expect so.” Ben spoke so formally, I was taken aback. This must be how Ben was when dealing with official business. Killian handed him his helmet, which he slid on with ease. “But it requires my attention. Please excuse me. I’ll be back for Tylia as soon as I can.”
“Take…your…time,” Mother said breathlessly, but with a mischievous gleam in her eye. She patted my hand and I smiled back at her. We’d get our chance to be alone now.
Ben and the EFs left me in my parents’ new home. As soon as the door slid shut, there was a collective exhale in the room. Dad came over and gave me another hug. I’d never been hugged so much in my life. In our ‘before’ life, I couldn’t recall a single moment of affection. And now they couldn’t stop touching me.
“Are you all right?”
Dad sounded so concerned, I felt the need to reassure him, even if it wasn’t entirely true. “I’m fine,” I said, wishing more than anything that I could take them back to the Greens with me right this moment.