by Jodie Kobe
Chapter twenty-one
V I V I A N
Click, clack. Click, clack. Click, clack.
I listen to the echo of our footsteps on the floor tiles.
We’re in a very narrow hallway, heading closer to the door in front of us.
Mr. Welds is leading the way while Fox walks behind him. Rian is right behind Fox, while I'm trailing after Rian. Russell Welds, Mr. Welds’ brother follows after me.
It’s like we’re in a Welds sandwich. The two Welds brothers are the bread while Fox, Rian, and I are the rest of the ingredients.
I slap my face once, trying to wake myself up. Now I’m thinking strange thoughts. Are these symptoms of craziness—?
This is the day. The day of the mission. And the launch date was scheduled a day earlier than it was originally planned.
We are being escorted to our suits.
My heart is pounding so fast. This entire walk, my hands have been clenched into fists. I'm afraid if I relax, I will not be able to unbend my fingers.
Am I the only one freaking out?
We finally reach the door. Before Mr. Welds turns the knob, he gives us a small smile. I wonder how he feels about sending us to our death. I know it's about time I admitted this. We might not be coming back here again.
Mr. Welds pulls the door open, leading all of us through the doorway. My eyes immediately land on the switches and machinery planted around the room. Green and red lights flash on a few of them, and I can't help but wonder what all this could possibly mean.
About a dozen people in white uniforms stand inside. Some fiddle with machines, while others watch us. Two start applauding, big smiles on their faces.
I don't need to be applauded.
Once Mr. Welds' brother steps into the room after me, the door is closed behind him.
The room's walls aren't white. They seem to be made of some sort of gray metal. It's a lot colder in here and I swear I can actually see clouds of breath escaping people's noses and mouths.
Hanging up against the wall are our brown suits. They look strange when they're not in containers.
Fox walks up to his suit and runs a hand over the material. It makes an odd vvvp sound.
“We're putting these on.” He seems to be talking to himself, but it's loud enough for us to hear.
Soft laughter starts in the room as we watch Fox admire his suit. He pulls his hand away and frowns, “Dude,” he replies, “I just wanted to feel the suit.”
Mr. Welds clears his throat. “People are observing us through cameras in the room.”
I look up at the ceiling, trying to inspect the corners. There aren't any obvious cameras visible. Is Piers watching this?
“Are you ready to put your suits on?” a woman in the room asks.
Fox rubs his hands together. “Yeah, of course. I'm ready to save the world.”
“You're not actually saving the world,” another man in the room says. “We're not even sure if the machine works or not.”
We're not even sure if the hearts work or not. This guy is really unsure about this. The others are too, I'm guessing.
“Speaking of which,” Fox says. “Where exactly is this so-called machine?” He looks around the room, waiting for someone's answer.
“Aha!” a bald-headed man suddenly says, clapping his hands together. The whole room's attention turns to him simultaneously. “The machine—” he walks up to a wall and taps on it twice “—is in here.”
The wall slides open to reveal a tiny room, appearing barely big enough for me to fit in. Inside rests a large and basic metal cube. I don't see any complicated wires sticking out of it; neither do I see anything else on its surface. It's just a gray cube.
“That's the machine?” Rian says. “It looks very...plain.”
The man responsible for opening the wall claps his hands again. “The more unsophisticated its features are, the less frustrated you will become.”
“And how are we supposed to carry it?” Fox asks.
The man looks over at the people around him, probably hoping someone will answer for him. But no one wants to say anything so he decides to answer himself. Once he pulls the machine out from its resting place, he rotates it around.
I spot wheels under the cube. It should be easier to drag the object around because of them.
“Now,” the man continues, “you’ll have to insert the chip in here.” He taps a finger at the top of the cube, where I see a small slit.
How big will this chip be exactly? They haven’t showed it to us yet.
“Once you insert the chip,” the man continues, “it’ll let you have access to a keyboard. You’ll have to type a code in. We’ll give you the code through a radio so that way you wouldn’t need to memorize it right now. Any questions?”
“We’ll be talking to you through a radio?” Fox asks.
The man nods. “Anymore questions?” He’s talking to me and Rian. We haven’t said much.
I shake my head. I do have questions, but I just don’t think they will be able to answer them. For instance: Are you sure this will work?
Mr. Welds sighs, clasping his hands in front of him.“Shall we start with the suits now?”
“Yeah,” Fox says, pulling his suit down from the wall without asking for permission.
Rian and I get our suits too. But when I take mine, I almost collapse onto the floor, not expecting the suit to be this heavy. Clearing my throat and hoping my stumble wasn't that noticeable, I hold the suit at arms length and scan it with my eyes.
It's made of a tan-colored material. The number 42-2 is still written across the front. I tap the glass where the face is supposed to be, remembering what Mr. Welds said about this being self-healing glass. It's thin, but seems sturdy enough.
My fingers fumble to get a good grip on the suit as I flip it to examine its back. There’s a zipper reaching from the head and leading all the way down the spine.
Rian and Fox are studying their own suits too. The only thing I can hear in the room is the rustling of the suits.
