Gene. Sys.

by Aaron Denius

  “It’s two to two.” I change the subject. I need to focus on the game.

  “Yup. Next point wins,” he says as he catches me off guard and pushes me to the ground. He winks at me and runs off toward his pit.

  The other Genesys have caught up to me, and we jog back to our pit. When we get there, I walk right up to Mag and give her a giant hug. “That was amazing!”

  “Yeah, it was!” Ev adds. The rest of the Genesys congratulate her as well with hugs and high fives.

  Ox walks up to her last, takes her in his arms, and kisses the top of her head. The rest of us quiet down as we witness this surprising exchange.

  “Let’s focus. They can be starting any moment.” I try to break the awkward silence.

  “Hey Atom, what if I hide in the pit to give us added protection?” Fe asks.

  “Actually, that’s brilliant.” I smile at her. I can feel Ev chiding me with her eyes.

  Fe drops into the pit and is instantly hidden so well that I can barely see her. The rest of us spread out along the field. After checking to make sure that we are all in position, I look up and see the drones making their way to us.

  They are running in a single file line down the middle of the field. They are so closely packed together that it’s hard to see which one of them has the ball.

  “Titan. K. Ev. Al. Stay wide in case any of them peel off,” I order. “The rest of us will attack the line from the front.”

  We take off toward the line. Ox takes the lead with Hydro, Sil, Sodi, Cal, and me right behind him. Ox rams into the first drone, knocking him back into the two behind him. Hydro attacks the drones that Ox knocked over to help keep them down. Two drones from the middle peel off to the sides, and I catch the Genesys on the wings tending to them.

  Cal, Sil, and Sodi sprint ahead and take on the next few drones. They flip them to the ground and add a couple of kicks. That leaves the last two drones for me. 13 is right in front of 80. I sprint and plant my feet on the ground, launching myself into the air over 13. When I’m above him, I grab his head and use my momentum to flip him as I fall to the ground.

  I fling him at 80 and hear gasps from the crowd around the field. 80 sidesteps 13 as he lands, then launches the ball toward our pit. When I turn to look, I see that one of the drones Ox knocked down has gotten back up and is running that way, alone

  Mag hobbles away from the pit to challenge the drone, and when the ball arrives, they both jump. Unfortunately, Mag has an injured leg, so she can’t jump as high. The drone manages to grab the ball from a higher point, and as he lands, he knocks Mag to the ground.

  The drone trots to our pit, but before he scores, Fe charges out of the pit, slamming her shoulder into his stomach. The ball falls out of his hands, and Fe runs to retrieve it.

  She looks around and throws it to Titan, who is open along the right sideline. A drone charges at him, and Titan hands the ball off to K, who runs past him and toward the middle. Ox, Sodi, Sil, Hydro, and Cal have created a barricade by linking arms together and are holding a few drones back.

  “Go, Atom!” Ev screams as she approaches from the left with Al. They knock 80 and 13 to the ground.

  I see the opening and peel off around the left side. K throws the ball in my direction, and I catch it in stride. A drone chases after me, but I stay a couple of steps ahead of him. Suddenly, I see 80 closing in on my right. I look back and don’t see another Genesys open, so I have to do things on my own.

  Before I can make another decision, the drone who was behind me sweeps my legs out from underneath me. He must have launched at my legs. I slam right on top of the ball, and it knocks the wind out of me. Struggling to breathe, I reach for the ball just as 80 gets to me. In a last-ditch effort, I push the ball in the direction of the drones’ pit.

  The ball bounces and rolls, slowing down as it gets closer to the pit. 80 has turned and is chasing the ball, gaining quickly. The entire crowd has gone silent, and we all watch as the ball inches closer. 80 dives for it, barely missing it with his fingers. On its last rotation, the ball falls into the hole.

  The Genesys and the scientists on the sideline cheer. I get up and run to the center of the field, where the Genesys have gathered. Ox carries Mag to the center to join us.

  “Genesys! Genesys!” Cal starts chanting. In a matter of seconds, the rest of us join in. A few moments later, the scientists are also chanting.

  I look back to see the drones leaving the field. 80, however, is walking toward us.

  “What does he want?” Titan says, standing next to me.

  “Don’t know.” I step away to meet 80 a few feet from the group.

  “Good game, Atom.” He extends his hand.

  I take it and shake his hand. “Yes it was. Thanks for letting us do this.”

  “You got it.” He smiles. “Listen, do you have time to talk?”

  I look to the sidelines and see that the majority of the scientists are leaving. I steer my gaze to the Genesys and see them celebrating among themselves.

  “Sure. Give me a second.” I jog back to the group.

  “What’s up?” Fe asks.

  “Hey, everyone. Great job!” I ignore Fe’s question. “I’ll catch up to you guys in a little bit. Take Mag to Dr. Peters to get checked over, and then we can have our celebration in the medical ward.”

  I jog back to 80 before any of the Genesys can say anything.

  “Do you mind if we walk?” 80 asks.

  “Sure, where to?” I respond.

  He walks toward the outer wall, which is now made up of piles of rubble. I pick up my pace and walk next to him.

  “I’m going to be sore tomorrow,” I say.

  “Yes you will be.” He smiles at me.

  “So what’s up?” I pry.

  “Well, I…” He keeps walking, and I can tell by his face that he is searching for what he wants to say. I choose to remain quiet until he finds the words.

  We reach the compound’s edge pretty quickly and climb up to the top of one of the rubble piles. When I look out, I see that there’s still a lot of activity going on in the city where the outsiders are. There are multiple Flyz hovering above the city, and I can hear some shots in the distance. Behind everything is the giant structure that 80 and I once ran to, the Great Pyramid of Giza.

  “Want to run to the pyramid again?” I ask, only half joking. I actually would love to see it up close again.

  80 looks at me and smiles. He takes a deep breath. “Is Rene still going through with the Ragnarok?”

  I see the pain in his eyes, but I can’t lie to him. “Yes. I don’t know when, though.”

  “Do you think he would reconsider?” he asks.

  “No. Rene’s mind is pretty set.” I frown.

  “What if you asked him? He’d listen to you,” he pushes further.

  “I’ve tried. Many times. Honestly, I kind of agree with what he’s doing.” I instantly wish I hadn’t said that.

  “That’s what I was afraid of.” 80 looks off toward the pyramid.

  “I’m sorry, 80.” A knot tightens in my chest.

  “It’s okay. Please understand; I don’t want to die.” A tear streaks down his cheek. This is not something I would ever have expected from him when we first met. In fact, I would have never had expected it from any drone. Now they all seem capable of it.

  “I know you don’t.” I try to comfort him. “I don’t want you to.”

  “But if Rene sets off the Ragnarok, it will happen.” he states.

  “Yeah.” I look out toward the pyramid as well. Tears begin to roll down my face as I realize that one of the first friends I made won’t survive. It doesn’t make sense, but, as Rene says, it’s for the greater good.

  We sit in silence for a few more minutes. I smile slightly, recalling the chicken that he went back to get us.

  “I should probably go back inside.” I stand.

  “Alright,” he says without looking at me.

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “You are a grea
t friend, 80.”

  He looks up and smiles at me. The tears have cleaned a path on his dirty face. I climb down the rubble pile.

  “Atom!” he yells after me. I stop and look back up at him. He’s staring at the pyramid again. “I don’t want to die. Please understand.”

  I bow my head and walk off toward the medical ward.

  CHAPTER XVII

  I reach the exterior wall of the ward and see that the hole has been covered by a giant plastic tarp. I can hear a celebration going on inside, but my mind is still preoccupied with the conversation. I really wish there was a way that 80 could survive. However, Rene said that each bunker can only hold two people, and they only built enough for the twelve Genesys.

  I pull my focus back to the medical ward and do my best to shake off the negative thoughts. My plan to bring the Genesys closer together has worked, and I want to revel in our triumph. I push the tarp aside and step through.

  The Genesys are gathered in the open space in the middle, enjoying a feast of vegetables and fruit. I see Dr. Cicca, Dr. Kivuli, and Rene off to the side. They look like they are enjoying themselves as well. I’m not particularly keen on seeing Dr. Kivuli here, but we can keep an eye on her at least.

  “Atom! You have to try this!” Al throws me what I have recently learned is a strawberry.

  I catch it and toss it into my mouth. It tastes so much better than the strawberry protein pouches. The rest of the Genesys open up the group and invite me in.

  Hydro steps up to me. “I’ve been filling them in on what all these fruits and vegetables are. Dr. Cicca brought them to us.”

  “Awesome!” I put my arm around her shoulder. I grab the next closest Genesys, who happens to be Sil, and put my other arm around his shoulder. He flinches at first but then lets my arm stay.

  Fe steps up to me with a big smile. “That game was so much fun!”

  “Yes, it was!” I respond and then peel away to talk to Ev. As I walk toward her, I notice that Ox and Mag are missing.

  “How’s 80?” Ev asks.

  “He’s good,” I respond.

  “Anything important? Did he report any weird meetings?” She looks at me. I notice that she is probably enjoying this celebration less than anyone else.

  “I forgot to ask.” It actually didn’t even cross my mind. I’m sure if there was something, 80 would have told me.

  “Mhm.” She furrows her brow.

  “Where are Mag and Ox?” I change the subject.

  Ev points to the room where I spent my recovery time. Ox is sitting next to an operating table. On the table, under the glass cover, I can faintly make out Mag’s red hair. Working on the glass cover is Dr. Metzger.

  “Where is Dr. Peters?” I look at Ev.

  “Don’t know,” she says dismissively.

  “So Mag and Ox, huh?” I smile and nudge her playfully with my elbow. I want her to lighten up.

  “Yeah,” she says as she turns away and rejoins the group.

  I really don’t know why Ev is so upset with me. Fe was the one who kissed me. I did like it, and I like Fe, but I also like Ev. Did Rene tell her that she and I are supposed to be together?

  “Hey, leader!” I hear Titan’s voice shout. Right when I turn, a tomato hits me in the chest.

  The Genesys all laugh, including Ev, and within seconds, we are all throwing food at each other. For the next few hours, we joke around and laugh. Dr. Cicca has brought some music as well, so we jump around and dance. I really like Dr. Cicca. I wish I’d had her as a teacher earlier.

  One by one, the Genesys get tired and head off to bed. I can feel the soreness starting to hit my body, and my yawns let me know that I should probably get to bed myself. I head over to the room where Ox and Mag are before I leave.

  I poke my head in. “Hey, Ox, how is she?”

  He lifts his head from his hands, and I can tell that sleep is not too far off for him as well. “She fractured her leg, but she’ll be fine. She has to be in there for a couple of days for it to heal.”

  “She’s a tough one.” I smile.

  “Yes, she is.” He smiles back. “I think I’m going to stay in here tonight and keep her company.”

  “I’m sure she will appreciate that.” I step back out of the room. The two of them do make a good match.

  When I turn back to the open room, I see a couple of drones cleaning up our mess, and I see Fe standing by the exit alone. I walk up to her.

  “You didn’t have to wait,” I say.

  “I wanted to,” she responds. “We haven’t spent much time together since the attack.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy. There’s been a lot going on.” I push through the exit and walk into the hallway.

  She catches up and links her arm with mine. “Like what?”

  “I really can’t talk about it,” I answer.

  She stops and crosses her arms. “Why can’t you tell me?”

  I sigh. “Listen. Ev and I have been working on a critical project, and I have to spend a lot of time on it.”

  “Oh,” she says flatly. I can see that her eyes are getting watery. She walks down the hallway.

  I catch up to her and fall into stride. “I’m sorry.”

  “You already said that.” She stops walking again. “Do you like me?”

  “Yes. I do.” Why do I keep getting asked this? I look into her eyes and take a deep breath. I know that what I’m about to say isn’t going to sit well with her. “Now is just not the time for this.”

  I reach for her hand, but she pulls it away. She struggles hard to hold the tears back. “Because of what you are doing with Ev?

  “Yes.” I bite my inner lip. I didn’t mean to say that, so I try to course correct. “That’s part of it. The Ragnarok is coming soon, and I need to make sure that we are all ready and that everything will go as planned.”

  She stares at me through her water-glazed eyes. I can see hurt and sadness behind them, which is not at all what I intended. I do like her, but it isn’t the time for me to be thinking about her or Ev, or which one I like more. I wish they would both understand that.

  “Fine,” she says, and walks off down the hallway.

  I know better than to go after her. If I do, I will probably just make things worse. A grunt escapes my mouth out of frustration. I head down the hallways to my bedroom.

  When I enter my room, I fall right onto my bed. I know I should shower, but I just don’t feel like it. I’ll do it when I wake up.

  Just as my eyes begin to shut, a loud knock at my door jumps me out of my bed. For a split second, I think about ignoring it and falling back into bed, but I know I should answer it. I open the door and see Ev standing there, holding a tablet.

  “I need to show you something.” She steps in and sits on my bed. Shock covers her face when she sees the wall of monitors in my room.

  “It’s intense, isn’t it?” I sit next to her on the bed.

  “I had no idea you had all this in here.” She scans the various screens.

  “It gives me a headache looking at them.” I turn away and face her, crossing my legs on the bed.

  She turns to me and shows me the tablet. On it is Dr. Peters’s profile. “After you asked me where Dr. Peters was, I got curious. So I looked at his profile and found that he was actually recruited from the city outside the compound.”

  “Really?” I perk up.

  “Yeah. He was originally an outsider,” she says as she messes with the tablet.

  “Which means he might sympathize with them,” I add. This is a big deal. This gives the outsiders an access point to the scientists.

  “That’s not all.” She shows me the tablet again. This time it shows a series of messages.

  “What is it?” I try to scan the messages, but Ev turns the tablet back to her.

  “It’s an exchange between Dr. Peters and Dr. O’Neal about gathering a small group of doctors to go out into the city and care for the outsiders,” she states.

  I think for a mo
ment. “Maybe they were just being philanthropic.”

  “In here, they talk about not telling Rene or letting anyone see them leave the compound,” she counters.

  “Yeah, that’s definitely peculiar. Plus, why help the outsiders if they know that they won’t have much longer to live anyway?” I add.

  “Well, I would do it to make their last days a little easier to bear, but I know what you mean,” she says. “So, do you think Dr. Peters is also a Mutineer?”

  I hear her, but my attention has been drawn to the screen. She instantly sees what I see. Dr. Kivuli is running on one of the screens.

  “What’s she doing?” Ev asks.

  “I don’t know, but she doesn’t seem like someone who would run for fun. She’s up to something.” She leaves the frame of one screen and enters another screen. I can tell by the screen that she is outside near the library.

  I get up and head for my door.

  “What are you doing?” Ev stands up behind me.

  “I’m going to catch her doing whatever it is she’s doing. She’s probably running to meet with the other Mutineers.” I head out to the hallway.

  “I’m coming with you.” Ev follows.

  I stop and look at her. I know she won’t take no for an answer. “You head around to the front of the library; I will run around to the back. We can cut her off.”

  “Okay.” She takes off in one direction down the hallway; I head in the opposite direction.

  I run through the hallways and through a set of double doors. I stand briefly in the field right behind the scientists’ quarters and look around. There is no activity. In fact, I only see a couple of drones patrolling, a noticeable reduction from the last night I was out here.

  As fast as I can, I run to the back of the library. It only takes me a couple of minutes to get there. I look around, but I don’t see Dr. Kivuli. All I see is the back of the building and the various vegetable and fruit plants. Maybe Ev caught up to her.

  I’m about to start running again when I see Ev come around the corner. She runs up to me and looks around herself.

  “You didn’t see her?” I ask.

  “No, nothing. In fact, the whole area looked deserted.” She catches her breath.