Part 9 (2/2)
”Then there was that girl who attacked her cabin with a tennis racket,” said Lilly. ”She went completely insane.”
”The kid who jumped off the Aasgard cliffs, too,” said Aliah.
”Wow,” I said.
”We don't know that any of those kids actually died,” said Evan. It was the first time he'd spoken in a while. I noticed he was staring into the center of the raft, a scowl on his face.
”And we don't know that they didn't,” said Lilly, sounding annoyed with him. ”But we know what we saw saw today.” today.”
”I think that girl Colleen was from Cryo House,” said Aliah. ”Can't be sure, though-all those little sprouts look the same.”
”It would make sense,” said Lilly, ”if it's connected to what's happened to us. Colleen's body was probably too young to deal with the changes.”
”Maybe they gave her a stronger dose,” said Marco, pulling himself back onto the raft then intentionally shaking his hair right by Aliah, spraying her with droplets.
She spun to her knees. ”Knock it off, b.u.t.t blister!” She shoved him, but Marco grabbed her wrist and they both tumbled into the water in a tangle of appendages. They didn't emerge right away.
”Dorks,” said Lilly, as if such flirting was beneath her. I wondered how one went about flirting with her. I'd have to watch carefully. She was so pretty, but the more I hung around her, it didn't seem like being pretty had anything to do with who she was. Instead, it was more like that beautiful exterior just happened to be there, and she was all about her big ideas.
”Stronger dose?” I asked.
”Yeah, makes sense, right?” said Lilly. ”Paul and his minions have got to be dosing us all, like, with a drug or something, that's mucking with our genes. You know, causing mutations.”
Evan sighed. ”That's so carbon-dated. n.o.body's been doing research like that for fifty years.”
”Shut up,” Lilly snapped at him. ”You remember all that stuff with the cloning in Asia, don't you?” Lilly's voice was rising, picking up speed. ”How about the pigs with human arms and legs and organs?”
”Sure, b-freeze, when there were universities and people with time on their hands and money to waste on stupid stuff like that,” said Evan, ”but that's all gone. Young Owen here probably doesn't even know what the h.e.l.l you're talking about.”
I didn't. I also didn't like being referred to as ”young.” Evan was another king, like Leech, making sure I knew he was above me. ”Pigs?” I asked. ”With human limbs?”
”Mice with human ears growing out of their backs,” said Lilly, ”and that was only the stuff that people knew knew about.” She turned back to Evan. ”Remember those stories about that guy, I forget what he was CEO of, who made, like, six clones of his favorite girlfriend and all that?” about.” She turned back to Evan. ”Remember those stories about that guy, I forget what he was CEO of, who made, like, six clones of his favorite girlfriend and all that?”
”Oh yeah, didn't the clones gang up and kill him, then, themselves?” said Marco.
”I think so,” said Lilly. ”And there was the whole thing with people storing DNA to make copies of their pets. You think that science is gone? It's not like there's n.o.body n.o.body with money anymore. Look around: Who would have the money to run experiments like that?” with money anymore. Look around: Who would have the money to run experiments like that?”
”Here we go,” said Evan, standing up and shrugging his soccer-ball shoulders against the cool breeze. ”Welcome to Dr. Lilly Ishani's Big Theory Spectacular.” He stepped to the center of the trampoline and started bouncing, gaining height.
”Screw you,” said Lilly.
”Maybe later,” Evan scoffed, and flew through the air.
As he disappeared into the water, Lilly turned to me. I was busy wondering: Had they screwed? Or dated? Was that what had just been revealed? But I had to focus, because I was the only one left to listen to Lilly's ideas. And I think I was starting to understand that what she wanted, maybe more than meaty shoulders, was to spin her ideas and have someone listen and get it.
”What's your big theory?” I asked her.
”Well...” Lilly looked away and started picking at a fingernail with the thumb and index finger of her other hand, like this was important stuff and she wanted to say it just right. ”So, here we are, right,” she began, ”in EdenWest. Outside, things are a mess, and eventually, this dome is going to fail. And all the other Edens are in the same boat.”
”Except for EdenSouth,” I added. ”That place got destroyed by the Heliad-7 cult.”
”Yeah,” said Lilly. ”Have you guys heard much about Desenna?” she asked with interest.
”Not really,” I said.
”Oh,” said Lilly, sounding disappointed. ”Well, anyway, each dome has a couple hundred thousand people inside. So, ask yourself this: What's going to happen when the domes fail? Where are all those people going to go?”
”But I heard yesterday that the dome is at, like, eighty-six-percent safe or something,” I said. ”Well, but then we also saw that panel catch on fire.”
”Exactly. And that whole dome integrity business is a complete lie,” said Lilly. ”They fudge those numbers. We've heard it's more like seventy-five percent, at best.”
”Not we we,” said Evan, dragging himself out of the water. ”You heard that from the Nomad Alliance. How do you know any of what they say is reliable?” heard that from the Nomad Alliance. How do you know any of what they say is reliable?”
Lilly glared at Evan.
”You've talked to the Nomads?” I asked. I'd seen Nomads now and then. Sometimes a pod of them would come to Hub for emergency care, or to trade some valuable item they'd dug up out in the wastelands, but mostly they kept out of sight. ”How?”
”They broadcast on the gamma link,” said Lilly. ”It's called the Alliance Free SignalCast, and”-she narrowed her eyes at Evan-”informed people should get the other side of the story sometimes. This little bubble here isn't the entire universe.” people should get the other side of the story sometimes. This little bubble here isn't the entire universe.”
”It's all a lie. Those people just want to get in here,” said Evan.
”Actually, that's where you're woefully incorrect, professor professor,” said Lilly. ”The Nomads don't want in anymore. They know this place is halfway to being a microwave oven, and how would you you know, anyway?” know, anyway?”
”Whatever,” said Evan. He started bouncing again.
”You just don't want to face facts,” said Lilly. ”You want to mess around like this really is just good ol' summer camp, like it's, well, Eden.”
”Hey, that's what they promised me.” Evan bounded higher, and there was an edge to his voice now, like he was really getting mad. ”This is what my family wanted wanted, why they ice-cubed me and stuck me in here. So I could have a better life than those sorry b.a.s.t.a.r.ds out there. We're lucky to be here. So what's wrong with enjoying ourselves?”
Lilly slapped at her neck. ”What about these, you idiot?”
”As far as I'm concerned? Just another bonus of the good life.”
”You're just afraid,” said Lilly. ”You just don't want to worry.”
”Or,” Evan was nearly shouting now, ”maybe instead of sitting around every night talking about everything that stinks, I'd just like to enjoy life for five minutes!” He shot into the sky and dove back into the water.
”Tell that to Anna, you a.s.s,” Lilly muttered after him.
I thought about saying something to show that I agreed with her, that this was serious. And also that I thought Evan was wrong, but Evan was already fired up, and I didn't need him overhearing me and turning his anger in my direction. I needed to get back to Lilly's story. ”Okay,” I said, ”so, the dome is failing, and you think EdenCorp is doing... what?”
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