Gene. Sys.

by Garcia, Aaron Denius

  I scan the compound and notice that there seem to be more drones patrolling than usual. They are scattered along the walls and throughout the grounds. My body shivers as I get an uneasy feeling. Something seems wrong. I’m about to head back when I hear noise coming from the ladder.

  “You don’t like us anymore?” Al’s distinct voice precedes his head as he steps through.

  “Hey. I just wanted a little time to myself.” I shift over to give them room. Hydro and Fe follow Al onto the roof.

  “Wow, it’s cold.” Hydro rubs her arms as she sits. Al sits next to her and puts his arm around her to keep her warm. Fe sits next to me.

  “Where is Cal?” I look back to the hole in the roof.

  “He wasn’t feeling well so he decided to stay back and sleep,” Al says.

  A rush of nerves runs over me. Cal is usually a good buffer for the group, but now I feel like I’m paired off with Fe.

  “Where are the flashes?” Fe looks at me.

  “I don’t know.” I smile back and quickly look back beyond the walls, my heart climbing into my throat. For a few moments we all stare off into the night sky.

  “It seems eerily quiet out there.” Hydro breaks the uncomfortable silence.

  “I kind of got used to those flashes. They were surprisingly beautiful,” Al adds. His teeth chatter and we all look over at him and laugh. “Don’t laugh. It’s cold, and Atom seems content with hogging his blanket!”

  I had forgotten that I was wrapped in my blanket. I hold it out to the group. “I’m sorry. Here.”

  “Actually, I think I’m going to head back down. I’m past cold and I don’t think the blanket will help.” Hydro stands and Al follows.

  “Okay. I think I’m going to stay up here for a little while longer,” I say as I pull the blanket back around me.

  “I think I will stay up here too, if Atom doesn’t mind.” Fe looks at me.

  If I thought I had experienced nerves before, I was wrong. Suddenly the blanket feels like an oven, as my skin turns red. “That’s fine.”

  “Well, you two don’t get in any trouble now. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Al winks at me and I let out a nervous laugh.

  After Al and Hydro disappear, Fe shifts closer to me, wrapping the part of the blanket I offered her around her body. Her body presses next to mine and I can feel my palms begin to sweat. She looks at me and smiles. Somehow the darkness of the sky has added depth to her piercing eyes. She is no longer the naïve girl I first met.

  I speak to avoid the silence. “You did great today. I’m sorry I didn’t say it in the simulation room, but it didn’t seem appropriate at the time with what everyone had just gone through. What you did, hiding within the bodies, was both courageous and smart. I wish—”

  My words are cut off by her lips as they press against mine, her soft hair caressing my neck, and I instinctively put my hand on her cheek. I had not realized how cold my face had gotten until I felt the warmth of her lips. If it weren’t for my breathing I would believe I was dead because my heart has stopped completely.

  She pulls away and lays her head on my shoulder. The smile she leaves on my face begins to hurt my jaw so I decide not to speak. Instead I just put my arm around her and look at the compound walls with the drones.

  As the moments pass, my breathing calms into a rhythm with hers. I feel in sync with her. Suddenly, a flash of light on the other side of the compound wall to our left draws our attention.

  The drones who were scattered around the walls and the ground rush to that part of the compound. As we stand, I see streaks of orange light fly from the outsiders’ part of the wall and into the far parts of the compound.

  The streaks hit around some of the buildings and instantly explode. The flash of the explosion causes me to squint my eyes and the booming sound thumps in my chest. More orange streaks fly over the wall, these slightly closer to where we are.

  Fe’s screams clear my head and I snap into action. “Go! Now! Get all the girls and head to the simulation room!”

  She stops screaming and looks right at me. Fear has filled the depths of her eyes. “What about you?”

  “Just go! I will meet you down there with the guys.” I push her towards the hole. The booms of more explosions thump in my chest and I hear the sounds of guns as I follow her down the hole.

  We run down the hallway and she continues past all the guys who have now spilled out of their rooms. I stop by them.

  “What’s going on?” Ox asks.

  “We are being attacked!” I look them over to make sure they are all there.

  “Why?” Sil steps closer to me.

  “Don’t worry about that now. Go in your rooms, grab your pillows and as many protein pouches as you can. Then head down to the simulation room.” They all stand in shock. “Now!”

  This gets them moving and they all run into their rooms. I run down the hall to help Fe with the girls. As I turn the corner I see her running at me with her group. The girls run past me, but Fe stops.

  “I couldn’t find Ev,” she says, panting between words.

  “What?” I look behind her and see an empty hallway. “Go down to the room with the others. I’m going to find her.”

  “But—” she grabs my hand, concern in her eyes “—be careful.”

  With that she runs off and I run deeper into the compound. I make my way through the maze of hallways, screaming for Ev. Just as I turn one of the corners, I almost run into her. We stop inches away from each other.

  “Where were you?” I ask.

  “Not now.” She runs past me and towards the simulation room. I follow close behind.

  The booms of the blasts seem closer as we turn corner after corner until we reach the hallway that leads to the elevator. We are a few yards away when a blast blows in the wall next to us.

  I am thrown against the wall, my head slamming into the hard concrete. A dust cloud fills what used to be the hallway. “Ev?!”

  There is no response, so I pick myself up. A sharp pain shoots through my left leg but I fight through it. I pull my shirt over my mouth and work my way through the dust cloud to where I saw Ev hit the wall.

  I almost trip over her when I finally reach her. I kneel down and see her face covered completely in blood. “Ev, are you all right? Ev?!”

  She doesn’t respond so I check to see if she has a pulse, my heart breaking in anticipation. When I feel a tap against my finger, a wave of relief fills my body. I see her chest rising with short breaths so I decide I need to get her down to the simulation room as soon as possible.

  I place my arms underneath her and pick her up. The pain rising in my leg forces a scream from my throat. I carry her as quickly as I can to the elevator and set her down. After I press the button for the simulation room I look back down at Ev. Her chest has stopped moving. She’s not breathing.

  11

  The elevator doors open and I drag Ev out as quickly as possible. I make sure she is on her back and I kneel down next to her. As I pinch her nose and tilt her head back, I see the Genesys run over. I put my mouth over hers and inhale into her mouth twice.

  “What happened?” Mag screams.

  “Is she okay?” Ox adds.

  I ignore them as I lean down to listen for a sign of breathing. Nothing. I pinch her nose again and give her two more breaths. “Come on, Ev!”

  “Is her heart beating?” K leans in.

  “Everybody shut up and step back!” I can’t handle their questions; I need to focus. I lean in to listen again, still nothing. I pinch her nose and breathe into her mouth again.

  As I pull away, I see Ev’s lifeless face. There is peace there and she looks more beautiful than ever, but I am not ready to let her go.

  “Don’t leave me!” I shout at her. Tears streak down my cheeks and cloud my vision. I check for her pulse and I feel a faint beat. She doesn’t have much time. I tilt her head back one more time and put as much hope as I can into my breaths.

  The Genesys begin to
shout encouragement at Ev, pleading for her to come back. I lean down to listen for breathing and still don’t feel anything. I bring my lips closer to her ear and whisper, “I can’t do this alone. I need you, Ev.”

  I wipe the tears from my eyes and go in for two more breaths. As I pull away, arms shoot up and pull me down. Ev coughs as she convulses back to life. The Genesys cheer around us and I’m pulled to the ground next to Ev.

  “I’m here,” she whispers to me. “I’m here.”

  Relief runs through my body and suddenly I feel very weak. My brain remembers that my leg is injured and the pain I feel is unbearable. The light around me begins to fade.

  “We need to go get help,” Al says.

  “No! Nobody leaves the simulation room. It’s too dangerous. We take care of our own down here.” The voice surprises me. It’s Titan’s.

  As much as I can’t stand him, Titan is a good leader. Knowing that the Genesys will be safe with him calling the shots for a bit, I let exhaustion overtake me and I pass out.

  I teeter in and out of consciousness. Just as I’m about to fade completely to black, a shot of pain pulls me back into awareness. I can’t open my eyes or move my body, but I can hear the muffled sounds of frantic conversations around me.

  Another surge of pain rushes through my body and I can tell it’s originating from my legs. I scream, or at least I try to, but my mouth won’t open. Panic sets in as I desperately call out for Ev or Fe or anyone, but without the ability to move my mouth, they are just thoughts.

  Frustration sets in followed immediately by fear when I realize that I’m paralyzed. I’m alive but my body is dead. I put all the effort I can into moving a muscle, any muscle. My fingers, I’m going to move my fingers. I focus on my right hand and picture my thumb and index finger. I envision them curling towards each other until they touch and, with every ounce of my body, I try to bring them together with an internal scream.

  The scream in my head suddenly climbs to an unthinkable level as a pain I have never experienced before rises from my legs through the rest of my body. I give up and the clouds of darkness consume me entirely.

  Slowly, my eyes open to a blur. I blink a couple of times and my vision clears. Above me is the distinct ceiling of the simulation room. The same one in which, just a few weeks ago, I was teaching the Genesys to jump up to touch.

  I roll my head over to the side and am immediately met by Fe’s eyes. She smiles at me and sits up. “He’s awake.”

  “What happened?” I try to sit up but a dull pain in my leg keeps me on my back.

  “Just stay still.” She squeezes my hand and I realize that she’s been holding it this entire time. A small group gathers around me, including Titan.

  “Welcome back from the dead, buddy,” Cal says with a sly smile.

  “How long was I out?” I push myself onto my elbows.

  “Maybe twelve hours,” Hydro responds.

  “What?” My head struggles to make sense of this. It felt like seconds.

  “Easy, man, you were injured. Remember?” Al looks down at my leg and I follow his gaze to see it wrapped in bandages.

  Everything rushes back into my memory. The missiles; scrambling to get everyone down here; Ev. I shoot up into a sitting position, ignoring the pain. “Where’s Ev?”

  “Take it easy, Atom,” Titan interjects. “She’s fine. She’s in that back corner, sleeping.”

  I look towards the corner and then at Fe.

  “She’s doing fine,” Fe says. “You really should rest some more. You lost a lot of blood, especially after Mag pulled the piece of shrapnel out.”

  Mag has kept her distance from me. Her shyness is endearing. When she looks over at me, I mouth the words ‘Thank you’ and she smiles back.

  “We need to figure out what’s going on.” I look around at the group.

  “Titan has got it covered. Just rest up,” Cal says. It surprises me coming from him with the rough past he shares with Titan. It does however put me at ease.

  I look at Titan. “Any news?”

  “Sodi and I took the elevator up a couple of hours ago.” Titan explains. “We didn’t get out of the elevator, so all we could do was listen. It seems like the missiles have stopped. I figured that, with you and Ev recovering, we would be better off down here until one or both of you were ready before we tried to leave. Either that or wait until someone came down.”

  I’m impressed by Titan’s instincts. There isn’t much that I would have done differently. “Thank you, Titan.”

  He smiles at me and walks away. Cal, Al, Hydro and K all take a seat around Fe and me.

  “What happened?” K asks.

  “The outsiders shot missiles at us,” Fe jumps in before I can say anything.

  “Why?” K prods.

  The group looks at me and I can tell that the others who are sitting a little farther away have turned their attention to hear what I’m about to say. I adjust my legs to put less pressure on the one that’s bandaged up.

  “Because they are trying to survive. They know that the scientist’s plan is to set off nuclear bombs to purge the earth of the current population, so that the twelve of us can start it over. The outsiders are doing everything they can to stop us.” I look around and see that every eye is on me. In the far corner, Ev has woken up and is also listening in.

  “Why do they have to die in order for us to live?” Fe asks.

  “Rene and the other scientists believe that their tendency towards selfishness and war will rub off on us,” I say.

  “They also don’t want us to mix our superior genes with their inferior ones,” Ev speaks up. I smile at her but she doesn’t return the gesture. She continues. “We were created with enhanced genes that make us immune to most diseases. Our genes also give us the advanced physical and mental ability that will help us survive through the ice age.”

  I actually had not thought of that before. Even if the outsiders were to be spared, the ice age would most likely kill off the majority of the population.

  “Well the outsiders can all die for all I care,” Sil says as he leans back against the wall.

  “Exactly,” Sodi adds. “Anyone who wants to kill us doesn’t deserve a place on this earth.” A few people mumble in agreement.

  “They aren’t savages. They are just defending themselves,” Hydro yells back. This kicks off a shouting match between the Genesys. Titan, Sil and Sodi all seem to be in favor of the eradication of the outsiders. The rest, with the exception of Ev and I, seem to be outsider apologists.

  Ev and I have been through and learned enough to accept both sides of the argument. We have come to the realization that there is no right answer and we just need to accept things as they are. As the voices rise, I see that I need to get control of the situation before it gets any more heated.

  “Enough!” I yell over everyone. I pull myself to my feet and place all my weight on my left leg. It only helps to alleviate the pain in my right a little. The Genesys have all quieted and have turned to face me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to ease the dizziness that is climbing to my head.

  “It doesn’t matter.” I open my eyes. “Agree with what the outsiders do or don’t. It doesn’t matter. The scientists have already decided their fate.”

  The group looks around at each other. Some appear to want to say something, but they bite their tongues. They know that I’m right. Continuing to argue their point won’t change the eventual outcome. After a few moments, everyone disperses into small groups. Some lay back and others talk.

  Fe has joined Hydro and Al near the weapons cache. I decide that, before I join them, I should go over and check on Ev. Mag, K and Ox have all joined her. As I gingerly make my way over, I see that Ev is moving around as she talks and I’m glad to see that she has recovered from the brink of death.

  “How are you feeling?” I sit down amongst the group, wincing as I do so.

  “I’m fine.” She looks at me without making eye contact. “Thank you for what
you did.”

  “You would have done the same.” I smile. She gives me a slight smile, but still won’t look me in the eye. It makes me feel uncomfortable, but I’m guessing that she’s embarrassed about what happened. Now that things have settled I see that her face and body are covered in cuts.

  Ev and I sit in an awkward silence. K, Mag and Ox aren’t making it any better with their quietude. I’m about to get back to my feet when K breaks the silence. “How bad do you think it is up there?”

  “It was pretty horrible,” Ev replies.

  “I was on the roof of the library when it started and they were launching a lot over the walls,” I add. Ev shoots me a disappointed look that takes me by surprise. I know that she isn’t a fan of the roof, but the look seems to carry more weight than mere disapproval.

  Just as the blanket of silence is about to settle on the group again, the sounds of the mechanical gears of the elevator come to life. Everyone turns their gaze to the elevator doors and I see out of the corner of my eyes that the other groups have done the same. A sudden fear tears through my body. What if it’s the outsiders?

  “Everybody take cover! If you are close to the weapons cache, grab a weapon!” I scream as I jump to my feet. The pain in my leg rushes blood to my head and I fall back to the ground. I take a deep breath as I rise to my feet again.

  Titan is at the weapons cache handing out the rifles and I see the Genesys hide behind pads and pillars. I run to the simulation computer and manage to put in a code just as I hear the elevator doors open. Instantly the room transforms into a dense forest in the middle of the night. I look around and can’t see any of the other Genesys. The simulation has hid us all well.

  “Do not go after them! Let them come to you!” I yell, knowing that I just gave up my position, but I need to be the general.

  When the slight echoes of my voice fade, the quite of the room is only broken up by the sound of footsteps of the intruders exiting the elevator.

  “Apokalupto!” I hear Rene’s distinct voice say. The simulation disappears and I see Rene surrounded by drones. A shot fires from my left and it hits one of the drones in the chest. The drone falls to the ground.