by Aaron Denius
I lean with her. “I just got books from the library and read all I could. I want to sneak past the wall and see it up close. Want to come with me?”
She turns to me. “Atom, you know we are not allowed to leave the compound. Rene has told me many times, as I’m sure he’[A2]s told you. It’s very dangerous out there.”
“Has he ever told you what danger is on the other side of the walls?” I retort. Maybe a little bit too strong, since she scoots back.
“Does it matter what it is? Why else would they have all those drones patrolling the walls? They are obviously there to keep something out,” she scolds me.
“Or to keep us in,” I say.
She stands. “I’m getting tired. I think I’m going to go back to my room.”
“Sleep well,” is all I can think to say. This isn’t how I pictured things happening up here. I’m not sure what I had in mind. I just knew that I wanted it to be different than this.
“You too,” she says with a crack in her voice. I don’t look at her as she heads down the ladder. Instead, I lie back and cover myself with the blanket. I stare at the moon, thinking about how no one has been to the base in over a century. I wonder what it’s like up there or on the colony on Mars. As my mind drifts from the moon to the people on Mars[A3], my eyes begin to get heavy. I wonder if they know what’s happening here or if they’re even still around. With those final thoughts, I fall to sleep.
That night, I dream that I’m being chased by thousands of drones. They chase me through the hallways and out into the grounds of the compound. No walls surround the compound, so I can see the pyramid ahead of me. I run toward the pyramid, but I see Ev standing off to the side of it. She is calling me to her, but I choose to run toward the pyramid to escape the drones pursuing me. I run into an opening, and the drones stop outside and gather around the entire pyramid.
I wake up when the warmth of the morning sun hits my face. I might have slept through the night, but I know I’ll be sore today because the concrete roof offers no comfort. I eat one of my protein pouches and gather the blanket. I’m hoping to get a little more time in my bed before training this morning.
I crawl into my bed and fall right to sleep. I’m not sure how long I was out when I get woken up, but it doesn’t matter; my back is stiff. The pounding on the door amplifies the pounding in my head. I do my best to keep my balance as I walk to the door.
The door feels heavier this morning, and when I open it, I’m surprised to see my dad and Ev instead of Grant. Ev avoids any eye contact and is visibly upset. I want to apologize, but dad’s presence makes it difficult. It’s a private matter that doesn’t concern him.
“Oh good, you’re dressed,” Dad says as he pulls me out into the hallway. I look down and realize I never changed out of my jumpsuit from yesterday.
Before I know it, we’re walking down the hallways. “Where is Grant?”
“You will both train later. Right now, you’re coming with me because I think it’s about time I show you something.” His pace picks up, showing mobility I didn’t think he’d have at his age. He takes us through the last hallway to a door that has always been off-limits. I’ve only seen scientists come through those doors. He puts his hand up to a screen by the door and leans into it. “Rene Anfang.” A light scans his hand, and the door unlocks. He holds it open for Ev and me to walk through.
The halls in this part of the complex are red instead of the blue I am used to. I know that this is the area where the scientists sleep, but that’s about it.
Ev speaks up. “Where are we?
“This is the research and development wing.” Dad keeps walking, and we follow.
“What happens here?” I look around.
“This is where us scientists work and sleep. In that order.” He chuckles to himself; I don’t get it.
He leads us down a couple more hallways to an elevator. We get in, and he puts his hand on another screen. “Rene Anfang.” I can feel it taking us down. After a few moments, it stops, and the doors open. What I see is so overwhelming that I can barely take it all in. It’s a giant room filled with machinery and monitors. Around thirty scientists are working on the various equipment. In the center stand twelve giant tubes. Dad turns to Ev and me. “Welcome to the Center for Genetic and Obstetric Design, or G.O.D. This, Atom and Ev, was where you were created.”
She and I look at each other, not sure what to make of this information. Dad takes us down a set of metallic stairs to the ground floor. The clang of our feet hitting the metal steps pulls everyone’s eyes to us. I get a better look at the twelve tubes and can’t move. Ev takes my hand and grips it tightly. If she was at all angry with me from last night, the shock of what we see before us has changed her mind.
The first two tubes are empty, but the remaining ten have bodies floating in green liquid, five males and five females. It has never been a secret that Ev and I were created this way, but we thought we were the only ones. I feel betrayed, and I just want to run out of there, but I can’t look away. Each one of them has different skin tones and different hair colors.
Dad comes up behind us and puts his hands on our shoulders. “These, my dear Atom and Ev, are the other Genetic Systems. Together you will all be Earth’s regenesis. I know this doesn’t really make much sense to you, and I know you both have tons of questions, but I promise you it will all start making sense soon enough. The answers to your questions will make themselves known, but if I try to explain it all to you now, it will be too much for you to process.”
This catches my attention since Ev and I sit through hours of classes and are fed loads of information to retain in one pass. He’s not wrong, though. I’m seeing what is directly before me, and I have no idea what to make of it. What is the purpose of this? Does it rewrite the purpose I thought I had? I feel like I need to say something. “Why did you bring us down here?”
I don’t think he was expecting that question, because he takes a moment to answer. “These ten will be released tomorrow, and when they are ready, we are going to need you two to teach them. You both are a couple of months ahead of them, and we need you to catch them up to speed, especially in the training room. They will be looking at you two as leaders.”
“Is this why there were the other locked rooms in our hallways?” Ev speaks up. I haven’t thought about that, but it makes sense now. They’ve known that they were going to make twelve of us for a while.
My entire perception of who I am and where I am has been turned on its head. The man I’ve called my dad has become a stranger to me. Right now, the only person I feel I can trust is standing by my side, holding my hand.
Rene guides us down the path between the tubes. It just doesn’t feel right to call him Dad anymore, especially since I now know where I was created.
“Yes, Ev. They will be occupying those rooms.” He turns to smile at us, but his expression quickly turns south as alarms deafen our ears. I look around to see red lights flashing throughout the room and all the scientists running amok.
“What’s happening?” I ask. It’s as if everyone else has gone through this before, because they are all running with purpose. Some are hitting shut-off valves; others are locking down equipment. Ev grips my hand tighter; I don’t object.
Rene ignores us and turns toward the scientists. “Hawk! Watch over these two!”
Then he yells at Ev and me, “Stay here!” As soon as he says it, he’s gone. He bolts up the stairs and into the elevator.
“Come with me, you two.” We both startle at the voice and turn. In front of us is a man about a foot shorter and fifty pounds lighter than me. I feel I would be able to lift him up with one hand. Hardly the type of guy you would expect with the name Hawk. A pair of glasses nearly an inch thick covers his face.
He runs off, but I don’t move until I feel Ev tugging on me. I stumble as I catch up, and Hawk leads us into a back room adjacent to the monitors. He shuts the door behind us.
“Help me with this, Atom.” Hawk runs t
o the other side of a filing cabinet and starts to push. It doesn’t move until I run beside him to help. We carry it directly in front of the door.
“What is going on?” Ev shouts. She’s found a place against the opposite wall. Next to her is a desk with a few old computers.
Hawk sits at the chair at the desk and turns on the monitors. “We’re under attack.”
“By who?” I ask as I walk up behind him. Ev stands next to me, and this time, I reach for her hand.
Hawk smacks the monitors a couple of times, and they come to life. “The outsiders.”
It’s hard to take in everything I see. The monitors all show different parts of the compound. About fifty drones are shooting at wave after wave of people scaling over the exterior walls. All of the outsiders look filthy. Their clothes are tattered, and many appear to be in terrible health. Scars and sores cover their exposed skin. The ones who make it over the wall open fire on the drones. Their firepower is inferior, but their numbers level the field. There are hundreds of them.
It’s a never-ending stream flowing over the walls. Bodies fall lifeless to the ground. The drones appear to be overpowered, but instead of retreating, they push forward into the mass of outsiders. It’s as if they have no concern for self-preservation. Just as the original fifty drones are torn apart by the mob of people, fifty more march out in unison from their barracks. I’ve been able to see the barracks from atop the library roof, but I’ve never ventured over there. However, the shot of the barracks that I see on the screen shows a group of buildings much more extensive than I anticipated. Thousands of drones could be housed there.
Behind the newest wave of drones, the ground opens up, and dozens of rolling machines pour out. I have never seen these before. A drone sits in a clear case on top of a spherical wheel. The wheel allows the device to move in any direction, and the case can spin around completely. Each clear case is equipped with two guns.
“What are those?” I ask Hawk.
“Rollpods,” he says without looking up. The rollpods speed into the crowd of outsiders and shoot recklessly at anyone within, including other drones.
I’m so mesmerized by everything that I haven’t realized that Ev is no longer holding my hand. She’s sitting on the floor against the side wall, visibly upset by this violence. I’m about to go to comfort her when an image draws my attention to the screen. Stepping out of the hole where the rollpods came from is Rene.
“What’s he doing?” I lean closer to the screen.
Hawk seems as confused by it as I am. “He’s just watching.”
“But it’s not safe!” I yell.
Ev quickly gets to her feet and looks at the screen. “Get him to go back in!”
“I can’t do anything from here!” Hawk’s energy has matched ours. He’s on edge.
We watch the screens more closely. The rollpods have seized control of the battle, and many of the outsiders are retreating.
Two outsiders break free and run toward Rene. He turns to run back into the hole as a rollpod turns its aim at the two outsiders. One of the outsiders gets a shot off before he’s gunned down, and we all watch Rene fall to the ground and into the hole.
“Dad!” I scream. I run to the door and push on the filing cabinet. “Let me out of here!”
Ev falls to her knees, crying. Hawk runs to me and tries to pull me away from the filing cabinet. “Atom, stop. Stop! You can’t help him. You need to stay here.”
I shake him off and continue pushing on the filing cabinet. It starts to move. A rage has built up inside me. “I need to get to him.”
“You can’t,” Hawk yells back as he puts his hands on my shoulders and pulls me back. Before I realize what I’m doing, I punch Hawk square in the jaw. He falls hard to the ground. I’m sorry that I did that, but I have no time for remorse. I have to get to my dad.
I push hard on the filing cabinet and move it out of the way of the door. I reach for the door handle, but just before I can pull it open, I see a shadow speeding toward my head. The blow of whatever it is knocks me to the ground, and I black out.
CHAPTER III
I open my eyes, and the light amplifies the pounding in my head. I sit up and look around—still in the room downstairs. Hawk and Ev are no longer here, and the screens have been shut off. It’s too quiet. I run out the open door and find myself surrounded by the incubation tubes. The floor is empty. All the scientists are gone.
I’m about to run to the elevator when one of the Genetic Systems catches my attention. Her long, blonde hair floats beautifully in the liquid. I stop breathing for a moment because even though I can’t see her face, I know it’s the girl from my dream.
I walk to the side of the incubator, but before I can get a good look, Ev brings me back to reality.
“Atom! Come on!” She’s standing on the platform just in front of the elevator.
My mind can’t shake the thought of this blonde girl, but I turn and sprint to Ev. “What happened? How is he?”
She holds the elevator for me as I run in. “He’s alive, but he’s hurt badly.”
I feel a sense of relief run through me as we ascend in the elevator. He’s alive, and that’s all that matters to me now. I don’t care how betrayed I’ve been feeling about the things he’s hidden from me. He still created me. He’s still my dad.
The door opens, and Ev leads me down a maze of hallways, farther into the scientist quadrant. She pushes through a set of double doors, and I step into the medical ward. People in medical masks and green scrubs run around in a panic.
“He’s lost a lot of blood,” I hear one of them say. My relief wanes to concern. I push my way through toward a room where I can see doctors working on someone through the window. It’s actually the only room where I see anything happening. Just before I get there, Hawk and Grant cut me off, blocking my view.
“Tell me what’s happening!” I demand.
Grant grabs my arm and uses all his strength to pull me back toward Ev. “Just let the doctors do their work.”
I’m about to give in to Grant’s strength when I see the doctors in the room begin to panic. Another doctor runs by me. “He’s crashing.”
I break free from Grant’s grip and run to the window of the room. I see Rene, my dad, lying motionless on the operating table in the middle of the room. The doctors strategically place patches on his body and cover him with the operating table’s glass top. One of the doctors presses a button on the side of the table, and my dad’s body convulses. I pound on the window to the room. “Dad!”
One of the other doctors walks over to the other side of the window and slides the curtains shut. I can no longer see what’s going on. “You have to save him!”
Grant and Ev have joined me by the window. Ev puts her hand on my shoulder, but I shrug it off. I don’t want to be touched. Instead, I slide down the window and sit against the wall below it. Ev joins me on the ground. Grant pulls over a chair but sits far enough away to give Ev and me some privacy.
“Why aren’t you upset?” I don’t look at her.
She shuffles her body closer to mine. “It doesn’t matter what I feel or how I show it. It won’t affect the outcome.” I look at her. She’s right, but I still don’t like how indifferent she is.
“You don’t like him, do you?” I search her eyes for the truth.
“Of course I like him, Atom. He created me and has been nothing short of generous and kind with me. I’ve just learned not to get too close.” She turns away from me. I’ve hit a sore spot.
“Why is that?” I press on. She tries to hide the tears forming in her eyes.
“There are things that I know that he hasn’t shared with you yet. Things I’m not allowed to share with you, unless something like this happens.” She stands and storms away. Grant doesn’t flinch as she walks past him; he just keeps his eyes on me.
“What is she talking about?” I walk up to Grant. He stays seated in his chair.
“Not right now,” he says as sternly as I’v
e ever heard him. He’s concerned. Why wouldn’t he be? Ev and I aren’t the only family that Rene has. I look around and realize that I was so focused on my own emotions that I didn’t notice all the people who have gathered. Every scientist must be here. The number of people who work here is much higher than I would have thought. There must be around a hundred scientists who have come to support Rene. A couple dozen drones patrol the perimeter, placing most of their focus toward the room in the center.
I pull up a chair next to Grant. “Why did those people attack us?”
He sighs and turns to me. “They want to stop us.”
“What do you mean? Stop us from what?” I’m starting to feel like I’ve been kept in the dark my whole life. I know nothing of what is going on here or who I truly am.
“They want to stop us from destroying the world.” He turns his eyes away from me. He’s upset with himself for revealing this information. I’m not sure what to think of it. Rene has told me the world is going to end, and he always makes it seem like we are the good guys, but good guys wouldn’t destroy the world.
“Why are we destroying the world?” I ask. The door to the operating room opens up. Grant is obviously relieved not to have to answer. Right now, I don’t care. I run to the doctor, who walks out of the room. He’s portly, short, and bald; he’s the antithesis of Grant. “How is he?”
Grant has walked up behind me, and he places his hand on my shoulder. The doctor ignores me and looks directly at him. His grip tightens on my shoulder. “He’s alive, but he’s lost a lot of blood. His status is critical, but he should pull through as long as his body doesn’t reject the new blood.”
“Thanks, Dennis.” Grant takes his hand off my shoulder and extends it to Dennis. They shake.
Dennis turns and heads back toward the room. I reach out and grab his arm. “Can I see him?”
“Not yet, Atom.” He pulls his arm away and walks back into the room. How does he know my name? I’ve never met him before. Do they all know my name?