Recombination

by Brendan Butts

  My hunger and unease were battling in the pit of my stomach, neither side winning out. Both were presenting good arguments. On the one side, I hadn't eaten at all today and I had worked the fields, then ran two miles. On the other, Piner was sure to appear at any moment and begin telling everyone what a sneaky bastard I was and how I liked to eavesdrop on private conversations.

  He would, of course, leave out the part about having been following me in the same sneaky bastard manner. Then, there was the meeting with Lucas after the feast to look forward to. I was sure to catch a beating if Lucas found out I had been listening in on him earlier that day. I might catch one anyway if his mood hadn't mellowed a bit since he'd left Zenigra's hut.

  Finally, I settled the issue by resigning myself to my fate. Whatever happened an hour from now, I couldn't change it. The real question was whether I wanted to face Lucas on an empty stomach or not. If I didn't eat now, I wouldn't be eating until the next day. That thought didn't appeal to me at all. So I pushed my unease down into the pit of my stomach, then pushed it a bit further for good measure. I let out a slow breath and moved forward in the queue, my spirit still a bit damp, but at least prepared to enjoy a good meal.

  Chapter 12

  The cafeteria's normally unimposing fluorescent track lighting had been kept off tonight and replaced with something more intimate. Tiki torch knockoffs, running on batteries, had been placed at the four corners of each of the tables and evenly spaced along each table’s width. The effect was a much dimmer, almost outdoor atmosphere.

  The line queued up along the wall leading up to the buffet. The other three walls had been lined with folding chairs. This was something that wasn't normally necessary, as entrance to the cafeteria was usually more staggered. As the line crawled forward I spotted Jack manning the first station. He had a large smile on his face that only grew as he dished out large portions of food to each worker that passed by.

  When it was my turn, I took up a plate and stepped in front of Jack. He nodded to me, his smile unwavering. He heaped a few potatoes and gravy onto my plate, then some peas and corn. I inhaled the scent of the food deeply. I could almost taste it. It looked flash. I moved along the buffet line, taking some of everything. When I was finished, I had turkey, onions, more corn, squash and several other vegetables I couldn't ever remember having. Thanksgiving in Miami was mostly canned stuff.

  By the time I had finished gathering up my food and drink, all the seats at the tables were full. I found a vacant folding chair and sat down with my meal on my lap. I began eating it with as much ferocity as I'd shown every meal for the past two months. I was very hungry. This surprised me a bit since I hadn't put in a full day’s work in the fields.

  Neither my thoughts nor the food could stop me from keeping a keen eye out for Piner. I spotted him a few minutes into my meal, moving through the buffet line. He seemed uncharacteristically pensive. He wasn't talking to his wife or preaching his dislike of me to anyone who would listen.

  His silence unsettled me more than any of his words could have. I had come to expect one thing from that man and this was not it. I thought about the likely causes of his silence while I chewed my food. It was difficult to concentrate with my taste buds exploding from the pure pleasure of the meal. I forced myself to slow down, took a few big gulps of the water I'd poured after getting my food, and let my stomach settle for a moment.

  I could taste the chlorine and other chemicals that the water had been treated with. They weren't nearly as pleasant as the food on my plate.

  That was one thing I didn't like about my new sense of taste. While it made things that tasted great, taste even better, things that had previously had no discernible taste, or even a bad taste, were now close to unbearable. The water was bad, but it washed the pleasant tingling the squash had left in my mouth away, allowing me to concentrate a bit better on the task at hand. Why was Piner keeping his big mouth shut?

  Damn.

  What if he had tracked down Lucas and told him already. Maybe Lucas had asked him to keep it quiet and told him that he would deal with me himself. That thought sent a shiver down my spine. I wasn't afraid to take a beating. I'd been in plenty of fights growing up and I hadn't won most of them. I was worried that he would make Zenigra do it.

  I didn't think Lucas was a sadistic person, but maybe he didn't know that Zenigra and I were friends now. He must though, Zenigra wouldn't come into the plantation without me. So if Lucas did try to get Zenigra to do it, would Zenny actually go through with it? What would happen to him if he didn't?

  I let out a long sigh. My plate of food was empty and I would normally have gone to get seconds, but that didn't seem like a good idea. My stomach was turning over on itself with the pure anxiety of the situation.

  Never was one to stress about things you couldn’t change. Things are what they are. Shit happens. It’s different when it’s a friend though, ain’t it?

  I thought about how I had been forced to leave Miami, to leave Sasha, and I wondered if I would have done something differently if I had the chance to do it over again.

  Do all eighteen-year-old kids have to deal with this kind of crap?

  I should be at home with my family right now. Sasha and her parents would be over at our apartment and we'd all just be sitting down to eat Thanksgiving dinner. We wouldn't have nearly as much food as I had here on the plantation, and in all honesty, it probably wouldn't taste as good either, but we would have each other, and be happy to be together.

  After dinner, I would take Sasha up to one of our secret spots and we'd make out and maybe do some other stuff. Damn. I'd spent all that money on that gift for her and I hadn't even had time for her to show me just how much she appreciated it. If I hadn't left, if I hadn't have had to leave I mean, then things between her and me might be on a whole different level right now.

  I knew deep down that I wanted to marry her. It wasn't every day you met someone who just accepted you for you. No changes needed. No fighting. No drama. Just her and me and whatever we decided to do with our lives. I hadn't put much thought into my future before leaving Miami. I'd always wanted to travel and Sasha did too. I'd bet most people that grow up in a dome want to travel. We used to stay up late planning the different trips we would take. We'd log on to the Grid and map out the different stops and costs. Of course, we were both broke so these trips were nothing more than a fantasy, but still. I'd really thought we would get to take one together sometime.

  Now, nine months later, I’m hoping she’s moved on because I know I’m never going back. After the initial joy of hearing her voice again wore off and we updated each other on what we'd been doing since last we talked, we both found each other at a loss for words. What do you say to someone you care deeply for but can't be with because of something that isn't your fault? Something you couldn't have prevented but have to deal with anyway?

  We always carefully skirted around the issue of if either of us was seeing other people. I knew she didn't have the heart to ask me, the same as I didn't have the stomach to ask her. I simply didn't want to know. As long as I didn't know I could continue to pretend like everything was okay between us, even though it obviously wasn't.

  We'd never gone this long without seeing or talking to each other. Well, she had, when we'd been younger and she was still blind, but even back then I’d felt as though she could see me in her own way. I'd been so afraid when she got her cybernetic eyes that she would take one look at me and wonder why she'd spent so much time chasing after me.

  I had been all wrong about that, though. I was there when she took off the bandages. I saw the look in her eye as she saw me for the first time. I was the first person she'd ever seen. It was pure joy. She told me I was beautiful. I didn't even give her a hard time for putting it like that, I was too relieved.

  I kept my guard up though, ready just in case she had reacted like that simply because she hadn't ever actually seen a guy before. Over time, I realized that though she perked up whenever she saw s
omeone she had known for years through school or clubs for the first time with her new eyes, that look of pure joy I'd seen on her face was reserved only for me.

  Then Skywatch had come and taken all of that away from me. A burning pit of bile was rising in my throat and at that moment I knew that I wouldn’t rest well until I had made everyone responsible for my parents' death pay. I didn’t know how, or when, but someday, somehow, I would.

  The chair to my right groaned as someone’s large frame sat down on it. The sound pulled me back to the present. For a second I thought it might be Piner, come to gloat, but then I looked over and saw Zenigra smiling at me, a plate of food on his lap.

  "Ay, Sev. How ya feeling?"

  "Physically, I feel good Zenny," I said.

  "Some other sort outta whack for ya then?" He asked, concern on his face.

  "I guess you could say that mano," I replied.

  "What's it, that’s bothering you, then?"

  I waved away his question and replied with one of my own, "I've been meaning to ask you about those nanos I got. How long are the side effects supposed to last? It has been a long time and..." I trailed off.

  "Side effects?" he interrupted, "Ya don't mean the pain? That should'a been gone within twenty-four hours. Don't tell me it has been botherin' ya this whole time an' you ain't said anything." He looked worried.

  I shook my head quickly. It took me a moment to find the words but they did come, it was in a rush. I told him all about the changes I’d experienced lately.

  He looked at me in disbelief, "Ya think you can do all that because of some nano surgeons? Sev, I think you got the wrong idea about those things. They just fix what’s broke. They don't improve what’s not.”

  I sighed, exasperated. "Then what the hell's going on with me?"

  Zenigra shrugged his massive shoulders and let out a low chuckle, "Maybe you just been in good shape lately. Working the fields will do that.”

  I shook my head again, "No, that can't be it. I feel different. The nanos did something to me."

  Zenigra began looking concerned again, "Maybe there's something else going on. Maybe we need to take you to see the Doc." he said and began to rise.

  I motioned for him to sit back down, "It's not a big deal. Maybe I'm overreacting. Either way, I've been living with this for two months now. If it hasn't hurt me yet, maybe it's not meant to. It's nothing to stop eating over anyway." I laughed. This seemed to ease some of the tension I could see in his muscular form.

  He relaxed back into the chair and started eating again, "So tell me what you been doing lately? Haven't had much chance to talk with all Lucas' biz I been doing." He managed to say all this between mouthfuls of turkey.

  "Yeah. Lucas," I muttered.

  "Wassat?" he replied.

  "Nothing. And nothing's been going on really. I've been working my ass off on the fields trying to get some of these chummers to like me."

  "What's not to like?"

  I shrugged, "That guy Piner is still on my ass. Talking all sorts of trash. He really hates me and he's forcing his opinions on everyone else."

  "Ah come on, I doubt anybody here hates ya, Sev."

  I laughed and looked around the room. Several pairs of eyes were on Zenigra and I. The expressions on most, if not all of the faces, were dark.

  "Sure they don't. That's why the two empty chairs in the room were on either side of me," I replied.

  Zenigra’s expression took a dark turn as I spoke, the muscles in his face tensing and his jaw clenching.

  “It’s not nothing,” I added quickly, “but it isn’t summat you gotta worry about, okay? I got it under control. Just needed to vent. To a friend, ya know?”

  "Aight, Sev, but if it needs takin’ care of, you lemme know. Ain’t right for that Piner guy to be turning people against you. Ain’t right.”

  “Thanks, Zenny,” I said, offering him a weak smile.

  “Anyway, after I'm done with this plate you an' me are gonna take a walk over to Lucas' hut."

  I nodded as if I had a choice in the matter. I had a sudden impulse to start running and never stop. I could probably tell Zenigra I was going to the bathroom, get back to my tool shed, pack my stuff, and be out on the grounds running as fast as my feet would carry me within three minutes. By the time Lucas figured out I was gone, I'd be so far lost in the woods that they'd need bloodhounds to find me. And who knows, maybe even hounds couldn't catch up.

  I shut that thought down. I wasn't going to leave Zenigra here to try to explain to Lucas that I'd run away. Who knows what he would do. I was confident that Zenigra could defend himself if it came to that, but then Zenigra would be out of a job and on his way to Boston with no money in his pocket. In the winter.

  No, I'd stay and take whatever cards Lucas wanted to deal me. That's what friends did. They didn't screw each other over. I wondered if Zenigra would do the same for me.

  As I watched Zenigra finish off the remains of his plate, I realized I might find that out sooner than later.

  Chapter 13

  A hundred thoughts raced through my mind during the walk to Lucas' hut. It had been a long time since I'd been this tense. Zenigra didn't seem to notice, or he may have just written it off as normal jitters. I'm sure lots of people got nervous when they went to see Lucas. The night was cold. I could taste it on my tongue. Zenigra had offered to walk with me to my tool shed to pick up a jacket, but I'd refused. I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. Any delay would have only made it harder to go through with.

  When we reached the hut, Zenigra wrapped his meaty fist against the metal door. Lucas opened it a moment later, grinning.

  "Ah, welcome, welcome. Come inside. You must be freezing Seven, don't you have a coat?" I was taken aback by his pleasant tone.

  "I didn't think I'd need it," I said, moving inside.

  "No bother, you can borrow one of mine for the walk back." Lucas motioned me toward a chair as he spoke. I walked over to it and sat down, shaking a bit from the cold. Or from the situation. I couldn't be sure.

  Lucas walked over to Zenigra and slapped him on the back in a friendly enough fashion. I looked up to see Zenigra looking as puzzled as I felt. Apparently, he hadn't been prepared for Lucas to be in such a good mood either.

  "Thanks for bringing him. How was the feast?"

  "Plenty of good food, that’s for sure," Zenigra replied.

  "Perfect. Wonderful. That little problem we discussed earlier has been resolved by the way. We needn't take any action."

  Zenigra lifted his eyebrows but didn't reply.

  Lucas turned back to me and spread his arms, "How are you feeling?"

  "I feel good, sir. Thank you."

  "So polite, but please call me Lucas. Sir makes me feel like an old man."

  I chuckled despite myself, feeling a bit of the tension drain from my body. Maybe I had misinterpreted what happened earlier. Lucas really didn't seem like such a bad guy after all. And he definitely wasn't old. It would have been a stretch to say he was in his mid-twenties. Zenigra was the old man in the room. I still hadn't gotten his exact age out of him. Though he had hinted he might be in his forties.

  "I asked you here tonight to make sure you were recovering well and to run a basic scan on that chip I implanted in you, just to make sure it's faring okay." I gave him an alarmed look which he met with a smile, "No needles. Don't worry."

  He walked over to a desk and picked up a compact looking black device, "This is just a simple scanner, it'll check to make sure the chip hasn't been damaged in any way."

  I nodded my assent and held out my right arm. Lucas held the scanner above the spot where he had implanted the chip and pressed a button on the scanner’s surface. A cascade of green laser light flickered out of the scanner, enveloping my arm. The light traced back and forth across the surface of my arm for a few moments before locking in on the location of the chip. The green light coalesced on that point on my skin for several moments, then disappeared.

&nbs
p; "All done," Lucas said.

  "It's okay? The chip, I mean?"

  He nodded.

  "Aces," I said.

  "Picking up slang from Zenigra, are you?” Lucas said without smiling, “It shifted a bit under your skin, otherwise it appears to be in fine working order. Has it been itching?"

  I shook my head, "Not that I've noticed."

  "Good. Something subdermal like that has a tendency to itch from time to time. If it does, you needn't worry about it. It's quite normal.”

  "Okay," I said quietly.

  "You know, I really must thank you. Jack wasn't happy about taking on someone as young as you. I pretty much forced him to hire you."

  I nodded, wondering just how much pull Lucas truly had at the plantation. It was disconcerting to be reminded that I owed my continued acceptance on the plantation to Lucas.

  "Well, he says you're working out famously on the fields. Really, pulling more than your own weight."

  "I've been doing my best, sir, uh, I mean, Lucas."

  "I do believe you have," he smiled. "Though I hear you've been having some trouble with the other workers. Is this true?"

  "Not trouble really, sir. Just one of them that's mad I got in when his son didn't. He's been stirring up other workers, telling them I’m bad news. I’ve been working plantations for a while now. Usually, I fit right in. Feel like I could have here too if it wasn’t for Piner."

  Lucas nodded knowingly, "I know a little something about being a loner myself. It's as much a curse as it is a blessing. I'd offer to intervene on your behalf, but I think that might do more damage than good. Do you agree?"

  "Yeah, I think you're right. They'll think I'm getting treated special again and hate me even more."

  "Yes. Those were my thoughts exactly. Will you be able to bare it until the spring?"