by Melissa Faye
“I’ll be ok,” I said. “It was strange being in another community last time, but I’ll be a bit more used to it now I guess.”
“I wish we knew Sven and Daphne better,” said Breck. “They’re friendly, but I don’t know that I trust them. If you’re identified, will they give you up? What if you’re alone in the Med and get caught? Where do their loyalties really lie?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t know that they know where their loyalties lie either.”
“Daphne has been really sweet about the baby,” Etta chimed in. “She doesn’t believe in the community system, like us, but I don’t think she cares too much about cloning one way or the other. I think you should trust her, Yami. Even if it’s hard.”
I WOKE UP EARLY THE next morning and met Sven and Daphne at the west side of the camp. I had my packed bag as well as an empty bag for holding the supplies I’d be gathering. I didn’t want to wake up Breck and Etta, so I sent them a message letting them know I was leaving.
Daphne was particularly eager to go on the trip. “I haven’t left the camp since I got here!” she said to me while we followed Sven out of the camp area. “It’s been ages since I left my community. And I’ve never been to another one.”
Sven reminded us where we were going and which roads we would take. We walked at a quick pace, barely short of a run, and stopped only for lunch and dinner before camping out. The air was cold and snow was a possibility, so we wore thick layers and had extra blankets packed for overnight. Our bags were heavier than I would have liked, but there were no other options. I messaged Breck again before we went to sleep.
The next day, we continued our trek through a snowy area, carefully skirting patches of ice. We had to slow down, and it was easier to talk. Daphne told us about how she ended up leaving her community. “I was working in Leadership and Records, and my internship had just started,” she said. “I made friends with an older woman there named Rebecca. She encouraged me to dig around to get to the ‘good stuff,’ as she called it. I didn’t realize she was sort of pushing me towards records I wasn’t supposed to be looking at. Once I realized how much was going on that no one knew about, I realized I had to do something about it.”
Sven walked ahead of us and didn’t look back as Daphne spoke, but I could see his shoulders tighten. “What happened next?”
“Rebecca encouraged me to join the Underground. There were people of all ages there, about twenty or thirty, and they welcomed me in. They had been recruiting for a while and were waiting to have more members before they took any action. Apparently they had had many more members several years earlier, but lots of them either disappeared or left the group in fear. Of course, now I know they didn’t disappear; they were banished.”
“I had a mentor who disappeared,” I said. It wasn’t something I talked to anyone about, but it felt right to share my experience with Daphne. “She was always talking to me about the moral issues she had with cloning and with how the community was set up. Then one day, she told me the F-Lab was a hoax. I never saw her again after that.”
“It would be helpful if we had a registry of ACers,” Sven said from a few feet ahead. “Too many people have been banished over the years and never seen again. It would be helpful if we could track down loved ones and organize reunions.” He still wasn’t looking at us.
“Who did you lose, Sven?” I asked. He was silent for a few moments. We forked left around a small frozen pond and up a steep hill before he responded.
“My wife,” he said. “She was part of the Underground, although it took me a while to understand what she was doing. I started to tag along to meetings with her when I found out they were plotting to assassinate the Chancellor. I was disgusted. I hadn’t been part of the group long enough to understand why they would do something like that. My wife and I argued about it for days. We had a big fight one day, and she left to join the others. The next day, I found out that there was an assassination attempt. I don’t know what happened, but five people were banished and two people were killed. One was my wife. I don’t know why it was her, or who killed her.”
Neither Daphne nor I spoke. This was exactly why I didn’t want my friends involved with the Underground. An assassination attempt was as immoral as faking F-Lab work. No, I thought, it was much worse. Violence couldn’t possibly be the only solution.
“If we had a registry, you could find the people who were banished,” I reasoned. “You could find out what happened to your wife. I could find my mentor.”
“But it would make it much easier for community leaders to find us,” said Sven. “We could never do it.”
“I wasn’t banished from my home,” Daphne said. “Rebecca ended up disappearing after some group members destroyed a shipment of DNA while it was being delivered to our cloning center. When I couldn’t get a hold of her, I ran. I thought I would be able to find her. I knew all about the ACer camp. I found this one, but Rebecca wasn’t here.”
We walked in silence until lunchtime. I nibbled on a protein bar, my mind busy thinking through what Daphne and Sven had been through. How could people be brave enough to walk away from civilization?
“Daphne, are you an anti-cloner?” I asked her about an hour later. Sven had walked ahead of us looking for a road we were expecting to run into. Daphne cocked her head in surprise.
“How can I support cloning?” she said. “It’s not working. It’s another government lie, isn’t it? Cloning works when it’s a way to increase the time we have to find a solution for the fertility crisis. We haven’t made progress in hundreds of years, though, and now the government has stopped looking. Cloning can’t be a permanent solution. It’s unethical.”
“I’m not sure I understand, though,” I said. “Couldn’t we go back to doing fertility research?”
“I guess so,” said Daphne. “The fact that someone is pregnant, that Etta is actually pregnant with a baby, has left me feeling less convinced either way. But I don’t believe fertility research is going to do any good in the long run. We’ve spent too much time on it. And as long as the government hides so much from us, it’s like all of our choices are taken away. I should be able to talk to my other clones and decide if we want to do this anymore.”
I chewed this over in my head. I wanted to have the free will Daphne claimed we didn’t have. But I also wanted us to finally get to a solution. I couldn’t stop thinking of Etta’s pregnancy. I was a little jealous of her, I realized. She was the solution everyone wanted to find.
Chapter Eighteen
We got to the community first thing the next morning well ahead of schedule. Just like when we went to Glenwood Pines, it was safest to enter the town early. The streets of Older Springs were nearly empty. And as with Glenwood Pines, the community set up was very similar to Young Woods.
We had reviewed our plan a dozen times while we walked. Sven was going to a market to pick up some newly available nutritional packs for the camp. He would get as many as he could carry, which might mean visiting a few different markets in town to avoid raising suspicion. Daphne was visiting a home goods store to purchase housing supplies, including blankets and pillows, and some medication and toiletries. I was headed to the Med’s storage facility, which was right behind the building. While we were all taking a risk of being discovered because we weren’t going to be recognized by the residents, I was in the most danger. I wouldn’t be paying for anything. I would be stealing. At least we had Ravi’s help in creating a navigation map. He assured us that the sanitation schedule didn’t overlap with our mission.
The three of us split up, walking down different streets. I looked at the timer on my TekCast. We would spend no more than three hours in the community, which should be enough to get in and out without causing alarm. I walked quickly by myself towards the Med, following Ravi’s route.
People were leaving their apartments to head to breakfast or go to work. Some shift workers, like those in agriculture or maintenance, were already working. A few
were getting back from an overnight shift. Most people worked daytime hours and didn’t need to be at work until eight or nine. It was only seven.
I kept my eyes straight ahead while I walked. I was wearing the baseball cap Ben had given Etta. It hid my face enough for me to feel safe. I reached the Med and took the next street over to get to the storage facility. As we had predicted, the doors were unlocked.
The storage facility was dark and eerily quiet. I flicked on the flashlight function on my TekCast and looked around to get a sense of how things were stored. I didn’t have much experience with the storage facility in Young Woods, but I knew a little about where more expensive equipment was kept versus everyday supplies. I pulled up the supply list and Etta’s drawings, and then began to walk down row after row.
Some of the supplies on the list were too technologically advanced for the ACer camp to keep around. Many of the supplies wouldn’t be available anywhere, because their only use was in labor and delivery. Matana and I had determined alternatives as needed. I found a heart monitor that we hoped would work as a fetal monitor, and added it to my bag. I found forceps in a section of outdated supplies. Surgery was usually performed using robotic technology, and forceps were no longer necessary. I located a catheter and added it to my bag. I found a clamp we could use to cut the umbilical cord. I found some sterile pads and blankets to keep the baby clean once he arrived.
There were only a few items left on my list when I heard the door to the storage facility open. I snuck behind a rack of shelves full of petri dishes and syringes, quietly sneaking a few syringes into the bag. I peered around the corner.
It was a sanitation worker there to clean the building. I cursed under my breath. Li Fa must have set this up – Ravi promised I wouldn’t see anyone, but here was the Med janitor. After all the time we’d spent in the camp, it was unacceptable that Li Fa still didn’t trust us. And what if I was caught? My heart beat faster and sweat formed at my brow at the thought.
While it wasn’t completely out of the norm for someone my age to be in this building, it was unlikely that an intern would be there alone at this time of day. I looked down – I had taken off my insignia, but my TekCast was outlined in Gray. I didn’t know what I would do if I was caught; there was no good reason for another Gray to be in the building. I watched the maintenance worker carefully. He was going down one aisle and up the next. With careful timing, I should be able to escape.
Unfortunately, there were still several items on my list. Now I needed to find a few medications and chemicals that Etta or the baby might need to regulate pain and hormones. I was still near the section of outdated supplies, and picked up a few packs of sutures. Getting to the chemicals was going to be more challenging, as it would mean crossing the room and crossing the maintenance worker’s path.
I held my breath, thinking through how I would make this work. When the worker went down a row, he faced in one direction. If I sneaked quietly across the row behind him, I may be able to go unnoticed. Before I made my move, I grabbed a hook-like tool, a speculum, and a few extra IV bags. I continued to watch the worker from between items on a shelf. He was getting closer to my row.
I passed by a row with tools used to fit in surgical machines, including medical sponges. Those would help contain any unwanted bleeding during labor. I looked at my list again. All that was left were the medications located on the other side of the worker. I watched him more carefully and when he turned down an aisle, I counted to five slowly in my head. Then I tiptoed quickly past the aisle.
I almost cursed aloud when I heard a box of tissues drop off a shelf behind me in my hurry. I froze in place, hidden by the shelving unit between me and the worker. I tiptoed a little farther away, watching the man react.
He swung quickly around, confusion written across his face. I watched him walk towards the fallen tissue box and pick it up. He looked around the aisle for a sign as to whom or what had knocked the tissues over. I carefully backed away from him, looking around for a place to hide if needed.
Suddenly, he turned the corner and stared straight at me. His eyes were wide. I didn’t know what to do, so I put on that fake grin I was getting so good at.
“So sorry for bothering you!” I said. I waved politely, as if this was someone I knew. “I’m an intern. I forgot to gather some supplies yesterday that the doctor had asked for. I hope you won’t tell.”
The man still looked confused and shocked.
“I’ll be out of here in a moment. I promise.” I gave another awkward smile.
“You don’t belong here, miss,” the man said. “You aren’t Gold. How did you end up here?”
“Doctor Lee,” Hopefully the maintenance worker didn’t know all the doctors’ names.
“Doctor Lee? I never heard of him,” he said. He stood leaning forward as if to pounce. I inched backwards slightly.
“He’s been with the Med for a long time,” I said. “I guess he’s pretty quiet. Keeps to himself. You know how some people can be around here.”
“Huh.” The worker was still unsure what to do, and stepped towards me.
“Really, I should be on my way. My shift starts soon. I’m working on repairs, and the doctors are always asking for me to run and get them these supplies. Do you mind if we keep this between us? I’ll get in trouble if someone knows I messed up on my supply run yesterday. Bosses, right? I’m sure you got in your own fair share of trouble when you were an intern, right?” I gave a mischevious smile, like I was sharing an experience with the man. I held my breath as I watched him step backwards.
“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I made my own mistakes. You wouldn’t think maintenance interns would mess up, but me and my friends, we sure did. Missing shifts. Using the wrong equipment. Stuff like that. I only recently got assigned to this building. It’s a prime spot.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” I said. “Lots of expensive supplies in here.”
“Ok, miss, why don’t you hurry along,” the man said. I exhaled quickly, trying to hide it with a pleasant laugh. “Don’t want to get yourself in more trouble.”
“Thank you so much!” I said. “I appreciate it.”
I stepped around him towards the door.
“Wait!” he said. I froze, then turned back towards him. “Why aren’t you in uniform?”
“Oh, you know,” I said ambiguously. I was eyeing him carefully as suspicion returned to his face. I wanted him to feel like he was in on something, like he knew what was going on around here.
“I’m not sure –“ he mumbled.
“Well, thank you again!” I said quickly as I backed away some more. Not too fast, Yami, I told myself. I had to keep myself from breaking into a run. I watched the man as he cocked his head to the side in confusion. I smiled again, this time barely able to keep the grin on my face for more than a second. I waved again, turned, and leapt out of the building.
Now I was going to draw more suspicion with a large duffle bag on my shoulder. Every hair on my arms stood up; I tightened my ponytail. I had to get back to camp. I walked down the streets, pulling the baseball cap low over my face but still smiling at a few faces as I walked. People stared at me, probably confused at the new face in their midst, but I kept walking. I pretended to wave at someone just over an older man’s shoulder, which seemed to alleviate some of the tension in the air. I didn’t stop, even when someone pointed at me and tried to get my attention.
It was all I could do not to take off in a sprint. It hadn’t worked in Glenwood Pines, and I knew it wouldn’t work here. I passed by the market where I could see Sven making some purchases. I saw the Home Goods store where Daphne was hopefully having more luck than I had had. I picked up my pace as I saw the town gate. I looked around carefully to make sure no one was watching, and sneaked through.
Once I was outside, I took off, running towards the space where we had hidden the rest of our supplies. My heart pounded as I found the shady area where our backpacks were stored, and I slipped on a patch of ice I notice
d too late. I fell on my face and got the wind get knocked out of me. I lay in place, trying to get a sense for which way was up. When I finally sat up, I felt my face and hands for bruises. There was blood on my cheek and a row of scratches running up my left arm from where I had tried to reach out to break my fall. I couldn’t do anything about it right now. I was feeling dizzy, though, and worried I would lose consciousness. I may have a concussion, I thought. I can’t let myself fall asleep or pass out. I curled up tightly behind a large rock near our supplies and waited for my companions to return.
I was still shaking from my fall and adrenaline flooded my system. I felt myself sway a little bit, and started to list all the names of the interns who I worked with at Young Woods. The names twisted around in my head and I couldn’t quite get a grasp of them. Before I knew it, I had passed out.
I woke to see Sven standing over me, gently tapping my cheek. With my eyes half open, I looked at Sven and saw a gentle look on his usually stern face. He reached into my duffle bag and pulled out some gauze to clean up my wounds. I lay perfectly still, grateful to have a familiar face to stare into.
“Don’t let yourself pass out again, Yami,” he said softly. “Stay with me. You’re going to be fine.”
I nodded, focusing on the contours on Sven’s face. He was almost handsome, except for his stoic demeanor and the permanent wrinkles on his forehead. I understood now why he was so unreachable. He had lost his wife, and had no idea how it had happened. I thought back to his story, and Daphne’s, focusing on every detail I could remember. Daphne arrived and gasped when she saw me. I gave her a weak smile and tried to sit up. Sven helped me hold myself up, leaning me against his knees as he sat behind me. I should have trusted these people all along.
“What happened?” Daphne asked.
“I – I was running back here. I fell on the ice. I think I hit my head,” I said.
“It could be a concussion,” said Sven. “Yami, stay awake, ok? We can stay here for a few minutes, but I think it’ll be good for you to get up and walk with us.”