Catalyst (13 page)

Through the door, everyone’s standing around, ready to move on. When I walk in, I’m surprised to see it’s an ordinary office, with two sad wooden desks, stain-proof industrial floors, and a holo wall broadcasting Inky news with the sound muted. The room is stuffy and stinks of emotionless business decisions.

“Who are we waiting for?” Cy asks.

Micah’s mouth twitches. “You’ll see.”

His words are less than soothing. I remember my introduction to Carus: Two-headed, green-skinned, and four-armed kids—what could be weirder? I take a deep breath, steeling myself for a tentacled face, or possibly a bulldog’s head on a human body. A creak issues from the corner of the room. A door opens, and we collectively inhale.

A short, dumpy woman emerges, her curly black hair pulled back from her dusky cheeks. She’s wearing a shapeless black skirt that nearly touches the floor, along with a pink silk shawl. She’s heavy-chested and wide-hipped, which gives her the appearance of a floating apple. Without a word or glance, she sits behind one of the desks and flicks on a holo screen and old-fashioned computer keyboard. She cracks her knuckles and wriggles her chubby fingers.

“I need names, birthdates, medical history, what State you just fled . . .” She blinks twice as her watery eyes take us in. “Don’t give me that rubbish you told the computers on the magtrain. Falsehoods are an irritating waste of time.”

I wonder what this lady’s trait is. Maybe it’s being supremely unpleasant. Micah waves at Fur Face, who steps forward.

“Tabitha Winesap. July seventh, twenty-one thirty-four. I don’t know who my parents are. I’ve been hiding in Minwi my whole life, on the northern border.”

Tabitha
. I feel bad, not having asked her for her name before. I wonder if anyone calls her Tabbie Cat.
Stop
.

Office Lady waves a hand at her from head to toe. “Is that your trait? Anything else under all that fur we need to know about?”

“My blood doesn’t freeze.”

The lady is unimpressed, scribbling on her holo. “Anything else?”

“No.”

The lady’s eyes bulge. “No,
ma’am
.”

“No, ma’am,” Tabitha repeats flatly.

“Cold up in Minwi,” the lady says. “How perfect for you. You must be the reason for those Big Foot sightings in northern Minwi.”

Tabitha doesn’t bat an eye. I guess she’s used to annoying cryptozoology rumors. She taps her foot impatiently. “What about Ryba?” she asks. “When can I see her?”

“Your girlfriend? When we say you can,” the lady snaps.

“I heard we’d be safe here.”

Office Lady dims her already grim expression. “You’re alive, aren’t you?”

Tabitha shuts up.

“How can we be safe? Every other State is out to get us,” I say, before I remember I’m supposed to behave. Office Lady stares at me hard. Her eyes are like currants, but the intelligence behind them is needle sharp.

“The federal government isn’t strong enough to enforce its rules within each State. Inky is very rich and its leaders do what’s best for its own people.”

She doesn’t have to explain. Everyone knows the population growth rate in the States is abysmal because of contraceptive vaccines and Parental Examination Laws that must be passed before you’re allowed to reverse your vaccine. Inky’s birth rate is sky-high, and they export babies (for the right price) to all the State orphanages, where they can be brainwashed into staying put their whole life. It’s all about money. More people in any one State means more taxpayers, more lifeblood for each government.

Office Lady smiles. “And Avida is good for its people. As long as Inky tolerates you here in Avida, you’re safe.”

“Tolerates?”

“Inky officials profit from our Avida-made products. They’re well motivated to keep us secret and safe. Aureus created Avida and controlled every aspect of our lives. Now that they’re gone—”

“You’re free?” Caliga exclaims.

“Free?” Office Lady squeezes her hands together and a shrewd look enters her eyes. “The names have changed, but the game remains the same. No one here will ever be free. Not while HGM 2098 exists.” She waves Cy forward. “Enough chatter. Back to work.” She and Cy do the usual questions and answers before she moves on to Blink and Caliga.

“Caliga Jakobsen. I’ve heard of you.” She swallows and hits her chest with her fist four times. She opens a drawer and pulls out a bottle of pink No-PuK pills, then proceeds to crunch a handful. “So, an orphan of Aureus now, are we?”

A shadow of that former cold Aureus persona takes shape in Caliga’s features, but just as quickly, it disappears. Once again, she’s just a scrawny girl with nowhere to go. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Zelia Benten.”

I bristle at hearing my name. Tabitha looks at me as if I’m famous. Not the good kind of famous, unfortunately.

“Your DNA signature is like no other,” Micah says quietly behind me. “As soon as we received the information from the magtrain, there was a little celebration going on here.”

“What?” I say, my mouth suddenly dry as chalk.

“In the quiet, hidden circles of our world, you’re well known,” the lady says, and not kindly. “We also know that it was your DNA that caused the death of Senator Milford.”

“That wasn’t my fault!” I protest.

“Perhaps you didn’t administer the lethal treatment, but your DNA is screaming its identity from every cell in that man’s corpse. You are a wanted woman, my dear.” She cracks her lips and hatches a crescent smile. “So. Do you have it?”

I stare at her blankly. “Have what?”

“The list.”

Again, with the list! I can still hear the yell of the police in Carus, demanding it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re either lying or an idiot.” When I don’t say anything, she rolls her eyes. “The idiot category, then, I see. Pity.” She pushes away from the desk and stands up. “Your father kept records of every traited child he made, and the code for their traits. How he made them. The.
List.
”

“I don’t have it.” And if I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t give it to this woman.

She sighs with irritation. “Micah, show them their room. Dinner is going to be served soon, and frankly, they stink to high holy hell.”

“I have more questions,” I say, not moving.

“I don’t,” she responds. “The answers I need are ones you clearly don’t have.”

A sprinkling of giggles and chortles sounds from behind us. I don’t know what could possibly be so funny, so I whip around angrily to see who’s laughing.

Two small children barrel toward us, scrambling in and out between our legs. A little boy slams straight into Tabitha. He swerves to hide behind her skirt. The boy wears a huge pair of wraparound sunglasses, comically held in place with straps going over his head and chin. Immediately I look over at Blink. She’s already covered her mouth in shock at seeing another person wearing sunglasses the way she does.

“Victoria, I’m not it! You’re it, she’s the base!” he yells.

Victoria crouches on the floor in a frog squat. Her skin is chestnut brown, with corkscrew black curls over her head. She giggles and raises her arms—then a second pair—like a praying mantis ready to pounce.

Four arms and hands. My heart bounces a few inches inside my chest.

“Oh my god!” I say, unable to stifle my surprise.

Office Lady clicks her tongue against her teeth, and Victoria automatically snaps to attention. The boy scrambles from behind Tabitha, pink faced.

“Babies,” she says patiently, “back to your nanna. Now.”

“Can we play with Spork again today?”

“Leave that poor bot alone. No.”

“Okay,” they chime simultaneously. Before they disappear, she yells, “Victoria!”

The four-armed Victoria comes skipping back. The office lady crouches down and captures her chin in her hand, then feels her forehead. “Any more bleeding today?”

“Not much.”

“Well then. Go.”

“Can we have a sweetie?”

Tight lipped, she nods, and Victoria runs out, hollering, “Candy! We can have candy!” Out in the oasis, two whoops of unadulterated glee sound before their footfalls disappear.

I can’t believe what I just saw. My heart feels soft and bruised, just at the memory of them. Caliga lifts her hand with a
what the hell
gesture.

“You’re their
mother
?”

The lady barks, “Micah! I told you to take them out to their room.”

He immediately herds us back through the arched door. I hardly see the beautiful trees or flowers in the oasis when we walk through. I hardly notice Cy, even though he’s right beside me as we walk.

All I can see is the girl, Victoria. That heart-shaped face, the dark eyes, and her slender quartet of arms.

We are not unique. In here, and out there.

There are more of us.

CHAPTER 12

I
CATCH UP TO
M
ICAH QUICKLY.
“Who was that lady? And what is up with the kids?”

“Her name is Renata. And she had those kids years ago, when Benten was still in charge of creating gene-altering meds to make the kids. Since then, no new births.”

“But they have traits that are already out there. Duplicates.”

Micah stops walking and spins to face me. “What, you thought you were unique?”

I don’t mean to sound snobby, but . . . “Well, yeah. Are you unique?” I retort.

Micah recoils. “I don’t know. I’d love to meet a little Micah someday, but who knows if I’ll live that long.” His words are haunting, but he shakes his head, forcing away the thought. “Your dad probably gave you all the answers.”

“He never told me anything,” I say, trying not to sulk.

“It’s not about what you know. They think you
are
the answer.”

I laugh. I’m probably the only eighteen-year-old girl who doesn’t have to complain about her monthly nuisance. “I’m not exactly a fertility goddess, if that’s what they’re thinking.”

“You don’t know that. Have you ever tried to get pregnant? Have you done it with an unvaccinated guy?”

Micah’s earnest words are, at best, a violent intrusion into my intimate history with Cy. At worst, they’re an invitation. I’m so pissed off, I can’t even spew a retort. Cy stomps to my side.

“That’s enough,” Cy growls, but Micah doesn’t back down.

“She has a right to know what Julian and Renata are thinking. I’ve gotten close to them—”

“You’re good at that,” Blink comments. “You work your way up, wherever you are. You were sent to Avida on an errand and never came back. Why, Micah? Did you know we were going to be attacked?”

“No.” When we all stare at him, unbelieving, he almost yells, “I didn’t know! I would have tried to warn you!”

“Yeah, right,” Cy says. “You’re so full of it. I wouldn’t believe you if you said the sky was blue.”

“You can ask Renata and Julian,” he says defensively.

“As if we’d trust them.” I don’t know why I bother with another question. He’ll just lie again, but I have to ask. “So. Who attacked Aureus, then? Was it people from Avida?”

“No. Julian thinks another group that Aureus had controlled broke off, got their own funds and weapons, and did that. I hear they’re farther north somewhere.”

North.
Find your north there.

“North? Where?” Caliga asks, trying to hide her desperation but failing. If Wilbert is alive, that’s where he is.

“I don’t know. I heard rumors of someplace—Wing-something or other—but it’s not on a map, that’s for sure.”

Oh god. Wingfield.

“Who told you this?” I ask.

“You can ask him yourself at dinner.” Micah goes on. “He’s the leader of Avida.”

“Who?”

“Julian.”

Micah refuses to answer any more questions, insisting he’ll get in trouble if we’re late to dinner.

We soon find that the inside of Avida is like a huge hollowed-out Easter egg, with concave outer walls and a central garden in the middle of each floor, like the oasis. And of course, no windows. Micah shows us how to wave our bracelets at the transport scanner, and tells us it knows to limit our access according to our schedules. Cy’s room is on a floor with a perfectly manicured English rose garden and Micah quickly shows Cy his door.

“Unauthorized people in your room are forbidden.”

“Or what?” Cy challenges.

Micah shifts his feet and doesn’t answer immediately.

Cy bristles at the silence. “The building and the State have changed, but you haven’t, Micah Kw. Still the high-and-mighty punisher, I see.”

“Don’t blame me for your mistakes, Cy. I’ve only ever been a messenger. Dinner is in two hours. Be ready.”

Cy walks into his room and turns to say something. To me or Blink, I’m not sure, but the closing door cuts him off. Micah touches my hand, trying to guide me away. I expect a tingling jolt, but his hand is warm and gentle. “You’ll see him later, I promise,” he murmurs.

The kindness throws me off. With Micah on one end, and Cy on the other, my center of gravity is horribly off kilter.

Micah leads the rest of us to a level with a central meadow, with a holo setting sun in a holo sky. Holo birds fly by, snatching holo dragonflies out of the wheat-colored synth-grass. The sky above is blue mixed with milky clouds. The entire scene is straight out of a movie I’ve already forgotten, because this is so much better. A path curves around the garden where several identical doors line up, waiting for us. A shiny square of black is embedded in their centers.