Part 5 (2/2)

”Over here,” Aaron was saying up ahead, ”is where we're monitoring internal and external atmospheric conditions. You can see here, inside the dome it's a comfy twenty-four degrees Celsius, and outside, a french frying thirty-eight. Humidity in here, sixty-eight percent; out there, nine percent.”

I was half listening, but the itching had started up in my neck again. I tapped my knuckles against the bandages.

”From here,” Aaron continued, ”we control all the weather in the dome. Want to see it rain?”

”Totally,” said Leech.

This idea seemed to actually excite Aaron. ”Okay.” He tapped at the monitor and slid a few bars up and down. He looked up and gestured with his chin. ”Look out that window to the right, everyone....”

We did, and saw a dark gray cloud start to spin itself into existence off in the distance. It grew, up and out, and then a blur of rain began to appear beneath it.

”And there we go,” said Aaron. ”Just call me G.o.d.”

”Can you do lightning?” asked Leech.

”How about making the moon come up?” asked Paige.

Aaron smiled. ”Of course I can do all those things, even reverse the constellations, or make new ones-”

”And yet I think we wouldn't want to alarm the people far below,” said Paul from behind us.

Aaron's face straightened back to normal. ”Right.” He moved his fingers, and the rain cloud began to feather apart and dissipate.

”You should show them this,” Leech called, sounding like a know-it-all because of his previous visits. He had moved across the aisle and was pointing at another screen.

”Can you please”-Aaron rushed over and pushed Leech back from the consoles-”keep the greasy fingers off the equipment.”

Leech stumbled back and I saw him look at Paul, like he was hoping Paul would say something in his defense, much like he'd bragged about so many times. But Paul was quiet. ”Jeez, watch it,” Leech mumbled, but it lacked his usual edge.

”Nothing broken or soiled,” Aaron was saying, looking over the console. ”Sure, I suppose everyone can see this.”

We moved over and saw five camera views displayed. They showed panoramic views of the outside world, flicking from one angle to the next, always down the side of a dome. Labels beneath identified each Eden location.

”Wow, cool, a pyramid!” said Mike, pointing at the camera marked EdenEast. For a moment, we all saw the giant stone structure, perfectly pointed and immense, before the camera switched. Now, we could see a large statue like an animal sitting, though it was nowhere near the size of the pyramid.

”Guess we can't expect any of you to know that's the Great Pyramid at Giza,” said Aaron. ”And the Sphinx.”

I actually knew what they were, but had no interest in telling Aaron that.

”What's that?” Xane was pointing at the view in the EdenCentre camera. Far below, on the burned brown plains, stood a series of tall stones in a circle.

”That would be Stonehenge,” said Aaron.

”It's believed to be an ancient astronomical clock,” added Paul.

”The other domes are near cooler stuff,” said Jalen, like he was disappointed that EdenWest wasn't.

”Yes,” said Paul, ”my counterparts in the other Edens have much nicer things to look at.” I thought about how Paul had said there were Viking ruins near here. I figured he'd mention that, but he didn't.

”What about this one?” Bunsen was pointing at the screen for EdenSouth. It was blank.

”Aaron,” said Paul, ”why don't you show them something else.”

”What happened to EdenSouth?” Noah asked.

Leech punched him in the shoulder. ”Shut up.”

”Ow, okay, fine.”

”Yes, let's go find something else to amuse you,” said Aaron.

I had heard that EdenSouth was destroyed in an attack by the followers of Heliad-7. n.o.body knew much about them. There were rumors that they were some kind of sun-wors.h.i.+pping cult modeled after ancient religions.

”How about this?” Beaker asked. He was looking at the next bank of monitors. I was near the back of the group and could see what he saw. It was a circular grid of triangular s.p.a.ces. Most were colored green, many were yellow, and a few were red.

”That there, my young and curious friend... ,” said Aaron, his teeth gritted as he darted over and slapped at the screen, making it go dark, ”was not what I asked you to look at, was it?” He threw up his hands. ”This is a workplace, not a nursery!”

”Sorry,” Beaker mumbled.

A loud beeping sounded throughout the room.

”Mr. Cane,” a young woman called from a nearby console. ”We have another fail in arc segment fourteen.”

Something boomed in the distance, and the entire Eye shuddered. Everyone stumbled, grabbing tables and railings for support. For a second I wondered if the Eye was going to drop free, and imagined us falling to our deaths, but the shaking subsided.

Another alarm began beeping. Aaron glanced at Paul. ”You want to take them out?” he asked.

”They are old enough to know the true dangers that we face,” said Paul, ”and to see our response.”

Aaron scowled. ”Fine. Kill the alarms and bring it up!” he called.

A large video projection illuminated in the center of the room. We all saw the dome wall and a triangular panel that had caught fire. Black smoke billowed from it. Chunks were melting off and falling in little molten streaks.

”Okay, scramble air units,” said Aaron, moving around us and tapping on a monitor. Screens flashed beneath his flying fingers.

”And now let's open the arc fourteen emergency vent.” A vibration shook the room again, and on the screen we saw a large, multipanel section of the dome slide completely open. The smoke immediately began to siphon out of it, up into the blinding real sky.

Meanwhile, two small helicopter-type vehicles were soaring toward the fire. They each had two short wings with propellers on the end. As they neared, the blades rotated to vertical, making the two-person craft hover. Streams of pink fire suppressant burst from their underbellies, coating the burning panel. The flames died out.

”Give me a heat reading on the surrounding panels,” said Aaron.

”Stable,” called out a nearby worker.

”Close vents,” said Aaron. He stopped typing. ”Deploy RadDefense to replace that tile.” He turned and looked at us. ”And that, children, is how it's done.”

Leech and Paige and a few others burst into applause.

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