MEKE COULD feel them before she entered the room. Six people were scattered throughout the room. Some clustered together, some stood alone. Trove and Theria were there, of course. The other four were strangers to her: three men and one woman. Meke swallowed. She had meant to arrive early, but everyone else had arrived earlier.
Meke opened the door and found all pairs of eyes on her. One pair belonged to a short, thin man with a pointed, scruffy chin. His uniform’s shoulder seam hung past his shoulders, making him seem smaller than he was. His eyes swept up at her and then moved onto a new target. A perfect equilateral triangle shone on his hand: an Equi.
The other two men were so ordinary-looking that Meke couldn’t remember if she had seen them before. Middling height, average build and lackluster brown-blond hair. They were unremarkable in every physical aspect. Squares shone from their hands.
Other than Theria, there was only one other woman. She was small, so small that the top of her head only reached Meke’s shoulders. Her black hair shimmered under the bright lights, mesmerizing Meke. Another Fiver.
Meke had a strange nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach. These people were strangers. She had no idea if they would smile, frown, or worse, laugh as she played at soldiering. This is what you asked for, she reminded herself. Thinking of her parents and the patients, she walked inside. She felt every pair of eyes on her. Some flitted to her hands. Others remained on her face.
With a slow exhale, Meke placed herself at the edge of the group. Trove approached and patted her on the back. The pat fell so hard that Meke almost stumbled forward.
“Now it begins,” Trove said. Meke nodded, not trusting herself to say any more. “Let me introduce you to the team,” Trove said, guiding her around the room. “Theria, you know.” Theria looked up with disinterest, and then returned to polishing her daggers.
“And this is Levin,” Trove pointed at the thin man. Levin grinned at Meke, showing off chipped and crooked teeth. Equis didn’t get the medical treatments that most Squares, Fivers and Stars got. In fact, Meke’s own front teeth were also crooked.
Meke smiled back, heartened by the ramshackle smile. Levin said something to Trove, who chuckled in response. Meke raised her eyebrows at Trove.
“Levin was just telling me how good it is to get someone else to pick on now.” Meke frowned. “That was a joke,” Trove said.
“Oh,” Meke flushed.
Trove, after chatting with Levin, moved toward the two men. The two men appraised Meke. “This is Daniel,” after pointing at Daniel, Trove nodded at the slightly bigger man, “and this is John.”
Both men nodded curtly at Meke. They said nothing to her or to Trove.
“And the last, but not the least, Trang.” Trove brought Meke toward the small woman.
Trang pursed her lips at Meke. She leaned back, and tilted her head. After a few moments of careful inspection, Trang shrugged and murmured something to Trove.
“Trang said that she hopes that you and the mission are worth the hassle,” Trove said, face tight.
The docs throughout Prosperon proclaimed Zeroes liars, worthless and burdens on efficiency. Sometimes, Zeroes even seemed inhuman, degenerate. Meke hadn’t quite expected them to embrace her. The words only reminded her of what she knew; she had a lot of work to do.
Once gathered, they reviewed the hand signals and made up a few of their own. Meke supposed that it was the one concession to her presence. Their signals were simpler than sign language, so it was easy for Meke to memorize them all.
As they were learning the made-up signal for air-blast, the one powerful weapon remaining in the Prosperon arsenal, John rose to his feet and turned to Meke. He pointed a thick finger at her as he shook his head.
Trove rose slowly, staring down the shorter man. John glanced up, his jaw set. Trove took one step closer and John had to tilt his head to meet Trove’s eyes. The room was motionless as all eyes were on the pair. Meke started to rise, but Levin’s hand held her back.
Trove’s lips moved slightly—so slightly that there was no hope for Meke to understand. Whatever Trove said, it had its desired effect. John glared in Meke’s direction before plopping down into a chair.
She felt Levin shift behind her. He nudged her and handed her a handheld.
John is just a Square moron. He thinks that you’re lying about your eyes. He says it’s too dangerous to have you around. He also thinks this mission is stupid. I think he’s just trying to get out of real work.
Meke smiled. She wasn’t so sure about John being lazy, but the idea cheered her nevertheless. She had told herself that her teammates wouldn’t welcome her with smiles and open acceptance, but seeing it in front of her made Meke want to shrink back. Exhaling, Meke told herself that John’s words didn’t matter.
Now Daniel examined Meke from across the room with nervous eyes. It was the same look many non-Zeroes gave her, the look as if she was contagious. Meke forced herself to return to Trove’s instructions. He flicked on the holograph, displaying the institution in its glory. Meke had forgotten how beautiful it was: a simple white box that became part of the mountain.
Meke inspected the institution’s lower levels. She had lived there for eight years, but she had been oblivious to the subterranean maze under her. The lower levels held the drug production, testing and autopsy rooms. Meke shuddered at the thought of Amelia and Tino lying in the bare rooms.
Meke had told them all she knew, which wasn’t much. She told them about the guards’ schedules, some names and where the patients’ rooms were. It felt strange, retelling all these things that she had lived through for eight years. Now these days felt long past and faded in her memories.
As they finished for the day, Meke’s brain buzzed with information. They hadn’t decided how to get into the building yet. It was no easy feat. Surveillance cameras lay in wait everywhere and the codes changed every day. Trove said that they had generated a program that would copy the codes, but it would only work in two-hour blocks. They also had to contend with the thirty to forty guards protecting the institution.
Yet, everyone looked bored. Theria twirled her dagger, nonchalant. John and Daniel kept looking at their handhelds. Trang bobbed her head as if she had heard it all before. Even Levin let his eyes wander.
It was all easy for them, Meke realized. It would be an in-and-out operation. They weren’t going undercover. Nobody would spy on anything. According to the records, there weren’t very many patients there anyway. Trove said that they would slip in during the night and slip right back out.
As everyone exited the room, Meke stood by the holograph, staring at the floating image of her old room. Trove slapped Meke’s back as they exited the room. With a gentle tug, Trove ushered Meke to a corner. With a swift flicker of his eyes around him, he positioned his back to the hallway. Nobody could see what they said, not with Trove’s large mass blocking their view.
“Would you be willing to tell me the precise nature of your vision?” he asked, rubbing his neck.
Meke sighed. She had been pushing and testing the boundaries of her vision on and off for the last few months. The boundary felt fuzzy and imprecise, like her sense of things and distance simply dissolved. She didn’t know if she could give Trove this information. She had turned this thing foisted upon her into something her own. It felt as if she told anyone anything about it, it would become less hers.
Trove’s chin looked rough with stubble and his eyes shifted about.
“Why are you so worried about this mission?” she asked. “It seems straightforward. We have the code-cracker that gives us some time. The others aren’t taking it seriously.”
“That doesn’t mean that I don’t take it seriously. Anything can happen,” he paused. “You shouldn’t follow the others’ example.”
“Why not? I can do something simple as this, surely.” Meke said.
“It’s not that simple. You should know the best of all that this isn’t just a mission for you. This is your chance, Meke. I don’t intend
to waste it for you.”
Meke looked up from her hands. “Is this just a fake mission, designed to test me?” She wasn’t sure which was worse, that she needed testing or that this particular mission was all for show. Meke thought of the patients. “And you’re my babysitter.”
Trove remained still at that, then he spoke. “That’s not fair, neither to me nor to Sterling. I don’t think the purpose of this mission is fake. He just took an…opportunity to achieve two ends at once.”
Meke didn’t know about that. “What about your babysitting duties? I don’t want to be coddled.”
Trove laughed. “Coddling? I don’t think that’s the right way to put it. You’re new. Anyone would put you in an easy mission with experienced soldiers first. You start small, remember that. I’m just around to make sure you’re safe,” he said. “Plus, it’s nice being on a mission where we actually save lives, instead of the other way around.” Meke stared at the wall, then nodded. “Good, now will you tell me what you can see?”
Meke inhaled and said, “All right. I’ll tell you what I can see. But I don’t quite know—” Trove’s eyebrows knitted together, “—I haven’t been able to test my boundaries.”
“Perhaps we can do that.” He glanced at her. “Treat it as a strength, not a thing to hide,”
Meke raised her eyebrows. “Now I’m an asset? I don’t think John agrees with you.” Meke said.
“Ignore that little-minded man. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about."
“You don’t think I’m lying?”
Trove laughed. “If you’re lying about this, you’re an excellent liar. I know what I see every day, but just because I don’t understand it doesn’t mean it’s not real.”
Meke suddenly felt like Trove deserved his Fiver status. Meke squeezed her hands together. “All right, then,” she said. “Let’s go.”
◆ ◆ ◆
A blast of cool air made Meke realize how hot her cheeks were. Trove had decided that the outdoors was the only place that they could test her range. The sun filtered lazily through the leaf-laden canopy, making Meke notice the few spots of red, yellow and brown among the green leaves.
Meke and Trove stopped in the middle of a small meadow where the sun shone brightly, turning the grass yellow-green.
“So how should we do this?” he asked.
“I thought you were the one with all of the answers,” Meke said.
“I wish.”
“You’re a Fiver.”
“Doesn’t mean much right now, does it? Any ideas?”
Meke considered it for a few moments. “Why don’t you just walk out as far as possible and I’ll tell you when I don’t feel you anymore?”
Trove knitted his brows together. “Feel?”
Meke felt a heat crawling up her neck. She had begun to think of it as feeling, rather than seeing a long time ago. The idea of putting such a sensation into words seemed impossible. But she had promised him that she would tell him, so she tried. “Well, other than what I can actually see,” Meke gestured toward the meadow, “With my regular vision—I feel things.” Trove looked at the meadow, then looked back at her, face blank. “I can’t quite explain it in a way that you can understand, but I know the shapes of things.” She pointed westward. “I can tell that there is a big tree with a gnarled trunk. But I can’t tell what color it is,” Meke said.
A strange sense of relief settled into Meke’s chest, slowing her heartbeat. Meke had never talked to anyone about her sense before. It seemed too dangerous, but at this very moment, it didn’t feel dangerous at all.
Trove had begun walking around the meadow and peering into the trees. “So you sense the shape of things. Do you sense the distance between you and the objects?”
Taking a moment to think, Meke nodded. “Yes, I can figure out the distance. Not as in meters precisely, but I can tell where to aim,” Meke said. “I can even sense the wind moving in the air.”
“Wind.” He put up his hand to feel the gentle breeze. “That’s why you’re so good at the crossbow,” Trove said.
Meke shrugged.
Trove tilted his head, studying her. “How about if there are a lot of different things clustered together?” He pointed at a dense gathering of trees. “Like these trees?”
“It’s harder,” Meke said. “It can get confusing.” Meke kept on talking about what she could do. Some things she had a harder time seeing through, like soil. Shapes grew fuzzy and imprecise the more things stood between her and the shape. Trove asked her questions that she had never thought about before like what kind of movements she could feel and what she couldn’t. As Trove asked even more questions, Meke started to feel like she was still sitting in that stark room in the institution. The image of Doctor Ball flashed in her mind and Meke clasped her hands together.
“No more questions,” Meke said. “I’ve had enough.”
“What?” Trove raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“I’m not an experiment. Let’s measure our range and go back.”
Trove blinked once. “Oh. I’m sorry—” he shook his head, “—It was just so interesting.”
“I’m not a science project. It’s not interesting.” Meke said, scowling.
“No, it is. Actually, you are, too. It’s all,” he smiled, “pretty fascinating. I was trying to figure out how it worked.”
“I’m not an experiment.” Meke held her arms tight around her and looked away.
“I didn’t mean it like that, Meke. I was just curious. I—” Trove looked down. “Well, I suppose we should get to the running part.”
Trove gave Meke an extra handheld before he went jogging off into the forest. As he disappeared into the trees, Meke wondered why she felt badly for apparently hurting the man’s feelings. He had been asking too many questions, Meke told herself. After twenty minutes of feeling guilty, Meke found out that her range was three kilometers.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MEKE SLID into a chair in the far corner of the dining hall. Gladys was busy with some project for the children. The table was bare, except for Meke and her plate. Meke scanned the bustling room full of moving bodies in black. Some huddled while murmuring. Others leaned back and chortled at an unheard joke.
The longer Meke sat, the heavier the air became. Meke thought that she could feel the heat waves emanating from the other soldiers. Her hair stuck to the nape of her neck, sticky with sweat. Meke chewed as fast as she could so she could escape. Now that she had been at the Barracks for months, nobody took note of her. She didn’t think it would feel worse, but it did. Now others didn’t merit her even a glance.
Except for one person. She frowned when she saw Trove moving toward her. His large frame made the tables and chairs look like something from Gladys’ nursery. When Trove dumped himself into a chair in front of her, Meke winced.
“Surely, the company of an idiot isn’t that bad.” Trove said.
Meke looked down at her plate, studying the soil-grown food. She didn’t think she could go back to the GE food. This food made her feel better, faster and stronger. Despite herself, a smile tugged at her mouth.
“Do you need something? I’m just about to leave.” Meke said, looking up at him. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“Always so suspicious,” Trove commented. Meke stayed still, waiting for an answer. Trove’s chest heaved as he sighed. “Innocent motives, I promise.” He put his hand up in an old-style swear. “Just wanted to talk.”
“About what?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“That’s stupid. People need to talk about something specific.”
“It’s called ‘small talk’. You know, enjoying each other’s company.”
This sounded odd to Meke, but she supposed she wouldn’t know.
“Okay. Why aren’t you sitting with the others?” Meke pointed at the other table, where the other team members sat.
Trove glanced at them. “Don’t feel like it,” he said.
“You’
re the one who wanted to talk.”
“Well, aren’t you direct,” he said, frowning.
“Yes, I am. Why waste time with pointless words?” Meke retorted.
Trove shook his head and looked at Meke for a long moment. Meke was going to say something when Trove held up his hand. “All right, since you aren’t willing to leave me be, I’ll talk,” Trove said. “But you know that you’re irritating?” Meke shrugged and watched him, waiting. “It’s not exactly,“ Trove paused, “comfortable with the others.”
Meke wrinkled her nose, confused. Trove could lean back in his chair and laugh, just like the others. He wasn’t a Zero. He could understand their words.
“That’s not a good look for you, you know,” Trove commented, wrinkling his nose.
“You’re trying to distract me from the matter at hand,” Meke said.
“Too smart to fall for my tricks.”
Meke couldn’t help but to be pleased. He thought she was smart. A Fiver thought her smart. Meke waved her hand at Trove, urging him to continue.
“They don’t really…care about who I am. They just see what I can do.”
Meke peered at him. The notion that a person could be separate from what they could do was strange. “They look up to you. They look like they love you.”
“Exactly. They love me because I can kill people as easily as someone breathes. I didn’t ask to be good at that. I wanted to be—” Trove shrugged, preferring to leave the sentence unfinished. “Talking to you is like having my teeth pulled,” Trove finally said.
“You’re the one who wanted to talk.”
“Apparently,” Trove said, shaking his head.
Trove looked away and Meke scrambled for words so he would look at her again. “Are you ready for tomorrow?” she asked.
Trove blinked as if he had forgotten. “Nearly. I just need to get the supplies. So, how are you feeling about tomorrow?”
“Why are you asking? Making sure that I’m ready?”
“Just a question, not an accusation,” Trove said, face mild.
Meke sighed. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.” Meke took a deep breath. “I’m trying not to think about tomorrow—and after—too much.”
Secret Value of Zero, The Page 11
