Elliot’s smug smile disappears from his face as if this was more than he bargained for. “Eight people can’t work out of one field lab,” he protests. “It’ll be too crowded.”
“You have a point,” Dr. Brant concedes. “You’ll have to use their old field lab as well as your own.”
“You’re joking?” I blurt.
Anger flashes in her eyes. “Lose the attitude,” she warns. “From now on you report to Elliot, and I better not get any negative reports from him about any of you. If I do you’ll find yourselves washing dishes for the rest of your lives.”
“Don’t worry,” Elliot says. “I’ll keep them in line, and I’ll see that they complete the database for you.”
Dr. Brant smiles warmly at him. “I have every confidence that you will.” She pats his arm and leaves the lab.
Elliot gives us a disdainful glare. “Clean this place up,” he demands. “I don’t want a single sign that anyone’s even been in here. Tomorrow you report to me at their field lab.”
After he leaves, no one says anything. We sit and stare at each other, defeated. I wanted to get back out into the field, but not like this. Elliot’s not about to let me or Ryan collect and study our own plants and animals. We’ll be stuck doing his dirty work, just like Jake and Molly.
“I’m sorry I was late today.” I moan.
“Whatever,” Ryan mumbles and leaves the lab.
Molly stifles a sob and follows after him.
“Don’t pay attention to them. It wouldn’t have made a difference.” Jake laughs dryly. “They came in here looking for blood. Elliot ranted about the two of you stealing his resources, and Dr. Brant only sat back and agreed with him.”
“What’s happened to Dr. Brant? How can she act like this? Could Elliot have found a way to reprogram the pods and now he’s using it on Dr. Brant?” I ask.
Jake laughs. “Brett, stop and think about what you just said. This is Elliot we’re talking about.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, obviously he wasn’t the one to actually reprogram the pods, but it’s possible he knows someone that did.”
“That would require him to actually have a friend. I think Dr. Brant picked him as her new favorite because he’s the complete opposite of you and Ryan. She’ll come to her senses eventually. She has to. It’s just a matter of time until Elliot royally screws up.” Jake spins an empty beaker on the table.
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t put it past him to blame it all on us. We’ll have to be extra careful to cover our butts,” I warn.
“On the plus side, we’ll be working out in the field together again, even if it is just carrying Elliot’s equipment.” Jake’s zealous tone doesn’t mask the doubt held in his eyes.
Chapter 11
The next morning we bypass the base labs and head to the perimeter fence. Elliot’s field lab is in the center of the west fence, not far from the recreation halls. It’s a short walk compared to the hike to my field lab by the northwest corner of the base, but I would much rather be hiking the distance to my lab with my team. It doesn’t matter who Dr. Brant assigns us to; Molly, Jake, and Ryan are my team and always will be.
Elliot doesn’t waste any time assigning us work. We spend the day cleaning Elliot’s field lab from top to bottom. Besides the girls’ sleeping quarters, the place is a pigsty where no one picks up after themselves. Dirty dishes and clothes are scattered haphazardly throughout the living quarters. Spattered grease covers the stove, and spills have been left to dry on the counter. Unbelievably, from what Molly and Jake say, this is only a few days’ worth of mess—and that’s just the living quarters.
The actual lab is in worse condition. Nothing is put away. Despite Molly’s and Jake’s best efforts at organization, equipment is scattered everywhere and the room reeks. The remains of a sloppy dissection cover a lab table. Captured animals, listless and hungry lie in small, cramped cages filled with feces. I make the animals my priority.
Once all the animals have clean cages and water, I raid both the small storage fridge and the living quarter’s fridge for foods they can eat. Elliot scolds me for wasting time, but I ignore him and feed the animals anyway.
Elliot blocks my path when I try to return the empty bowls to the kitchen. “If you’re so intent on feeding everything, you can make lunch for everyone.”
I want to tell him off, but Molly nudges me and imperceptibly shakes her head. I’m grateful for her help in reining in my temper. I shouldn’t let Elliot know how much he gets under my skin; he’d ultimately find a way to use my feelings to his advantage.
“Fine, if you want me to,” I say.
Jeremy walks past me and grabs some juice from the fridge. On his way past, he whispers something, which I can’t understand. As he returns, he bumps into me, hard enough that I drop a bowl of chopped fruit on the floor. He bends down with me to help pick up the bowl.
“Burn lunch,” he whispers.
I nod my agreement at the simple but brilliant plan, and wonder if the team burns lunch frequently, in order to avoid having to cook all the time. I can’t be too obvious about it. Even if Elliot is a total idiot, he’d figure out that Molly, Jake, and me all burning food is more than a coincidence.
I prepare stuffed chicken, roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables. Elliot comments that he thinks it odd I’m making such an effort. I explain that our first meal together should be special. Elliot nods and appears content with my explanation.
The look and scent of the meal is wonderful but not the taste. I intentionally used too little butter and seasoning in the stuffing, so the chicken is dry and flavorless. I didn’t roast the potatoes long enough and finished them under the broiler, making them extra crispy on the outside but hard as a rock in the center. The vegetables are flavorless mush, having been unseasoned and steamed for over an hour.
Molly and Jake artfully cut and push the food around on their plates, as if they’re enjoying the meal. Ryan sits directly across from Elliot, and can’t avoid taking a few bites. When Ryan gags on a bite of vegetable mush, he ducks his face to hide his quiet laughter. I almost feel bad watching Isaac, the botanist from Elliot’s team, choke down a bite of chicken and then chase it with the rest of his juice.
One look at Elliot’s face and I’m confident he won’t be asking me to cook again.
“I hope it’s okay,” I say. “Usually, when we’re in the field, we stick to simple things like sandwiches.”
We spend the rest of the day organizing all the equipment in the lab. Elliot may assume it’s because we’re trying to impress him, which is fine with me, but our old lab is the real reason behind our hard work. Dr. Brant gave us the use of both labs, and if Elliot thinks our lab is the better of the two, he’ll want to move into it. The idea of Elliot living in my lab makes my skin crawl, but the thought of him discovering Caper during a morning visit terrifies me.
The next day Elliot decides to visit our field lab. Fortunately, a layer of accumulated dust makes it appear shabby compared to his freshly cleaned one. He decides the girls will stay in my field lab, and the guys will stay in his. The arrangement isn’t ideal, but at least Gabriella and Jennifer aren’t dissection happy. Gabriella is a geologist and Jennifer is an entomologist, and neither should have a direct interest in Caper. Hopefully, if they catch sight of him I can convince them not to tell Elliot.
Gabriella rolls her eyes when Elliot leaves. “Finally,” she says. “I hope you’re as neat as Molly. After suffering through Elliot’s idea of cleanliness, I need a good dose of spotlessness.”
“Don’t worry,” Molly chimes, “with Brett, the cleaner the better.”
“Great, now that that’s settled, who sleeps where?” Jennifer asks as she peers into the sleeping quarters.
Already feeling more comfortable, I point out where Molly and I usually sleep. Gabriella and Jennifer agree to take the other room.
After giving the lab a good dusting, we spend the rest of the day working on the database. Not having Jake and Ryan work with us feels strange, but the girls volunteer to help. I show them the database and explain the new procedures. They follow my directions without complaint which is a good sign, but I can’t trust them, not yet. I double-check all their work. Despite their helpful behavior, their loyalties may still lie with Elliot.
The next morning I greet Caper before any of the other girls wake. Seeing him is bittersweet. The opal berries he carries remind me of Sapphire and how powerless I am to help her now. Ryan tried to talk to Noah, but he only threatened to call security to have him removed from the zoo. When I returned, Noah at least talked to me, but he rejected my offer to continue caring for the animals.
Caper seems to sense my frustration and becomes extra playful, jumping and rolling around, until he has me laughing at him. I lose track of time playing with him, and as I exchange my marbles for berries with Caper, I hear someone clear his throat.
“I thought it was my turn this morning,” Ryan explains as he holds up his marble. Caper eagerly eyes it. “I was thinking, now that we actually have access to the field, maybe we should introduce Caper and Sapphire.”
“If any meerkit can reintroduce her to the troop, it’s Caper.” I scratch Caper on the head and he coos back as if he’s agreeing with me. “We can probably sneak Sapphire out without Noah knowing, but what will we do if Caper accepts her?”
Caper reaches up Ryan’s leg, until Ryan scoops him up in his arms. Ryan absently coos back at Caper before answering. “Considering how Noah’s acting, I think we should make it look like she escaped. We can even make it look like Noah left the door to the zoo propped open. If we let a few of the most harmless animals escape with her it would lead to the zoo’s closing.”
The plan feels underhanded, but I can’t think of a better way to close the zoo without Noah blaming us. “I can sneak her out tonight when Noah leaves. She should be safe in the old base lab until tomorrow.”
“You mean we, don’t you?” There’s a warning tone in Ryan’s voice that tells me I’m in for a fight.
Giving in to him would be easier but I stand my ground. “No, I don’t. If Noah catches you trying to sneak in, he’ll be suspicious, and we could lose any chance ever of sneaking in. If he catches me, I can pretend I’m there to make him reconsider letting me help with the animals.”
Breaking the tension, Caper reaches for the marble still in Ryan’s hand. Ryan laughs and hands it over. Caper coos his thanks and quickly disappears. “I’ll meet you here tomorrow morning then,” Ryan says. “Just be careful.”
“I will.” I reassure him before I go back inside.
I hear a shower running. I know I don’t have much time until Jennifer and Gabriella are up, so I brew a pot of coffee and utilize my brief solitude to check all of my old cameras that we’d previously placed in the field to capture the activities of all the wildlife. I assumed all the cameras would be inoperable after sitting idle for so long, but I forgot that they’re all solar-powered. I’m happy to find that all of the cameras still work and continue to record and only one of the cameras is knocked out of position.
Molly enters with a cup of coffee, catches me mid-drool, and offers to help with the footage. As much as I want to dive immediately into all of the footage, the database comes first. Plus, I know if Elliot found out about the footage he’d make us review all of it, and then claim any new species’ discoveries for himself. I tell Molly we can view the footage in the mornings before anyone else is awake.
Later in the day, I meet up with Andi for our rescheduled lunch, and the experience is painful. I have to listen to Andi drones on and on about how wonderful Jackson is and how their relationship has been restored. I assume this means Jackson is sleeping normally in the pod again. I return to the lab feeling worse about Andi than I did before.
At night, Molly and I meet up with Jake and Ryan in the dining hall. The guys spent the day assisting Elliot in his dissections, and then had to clean up after him while he took a nap. While they were cleaning, they got a chance to talk to Isaac, Elliot’s botanist. Isaac’s not crazy about Elliot. He resents how Elliot minimizes Isaac’s work as a botanist. Jake says Isaac was awestruck over Ryan’s experiences with carnivorous grass, attack lilies, and the new strain of grass he developed.
I am encouraged that Elliot’s team doesn’t seem to support him, but one fact bothers me. Why are they only now expressing their displeasure? Why didn’t they express it earlier, to Jake and Molly? Molly thinks it’s because there are as many of us as there are of them now. Jake theorizes Elliot’s behavior has worsened. His team initially enjoyed being Dr. Brant’s sudden favorites, but they realized that Elliot was the only one benefiting from her favoritism – their work suffers.
Jake’s idea seems the most plausible, but we all agree to assume Elliot’s team members are still loyal to him. We will have to be careful not to say anything too disparaging in front of them. The last thing we need is for Dr. Brant to receive a report that we’re causing trouble. I don’t understand her change in personality, but I don’t doubt she would reassign me as a dishwasher.
Chapter 12
Few trees or shrubs grow on the base, so I don’t have anywhere to hide while I wait for Noah to finish his final check of the night. Luckily, there’s only one moon visible tonight, and it’s hidden behind a layer of clouds. I flatten myself against the perimeter fence and hide in the shadow of the bio-dome.
As I wait, I feel the soft, springy feel of the grass under my feet, smell the sweet hay of the wilting meadows, and listen to the melody of all the nocturnal creatures waking for the night. My heart yearns to return to the wilderness. I’m almost willing to endure Elliot if it means working in my fields and forests, but we have yet to take a trip into the field. When we do, I doubt Elliot will allow me to do anything more than carry his pack. I push the thought out of my mind, close my eyes, and try to identify all the creatures calling into the night.
I easily recognize the piercing screech of a bright red bird I’ve often seen gliding over the base. I apply the term “bird” loosely. Feathers aren’t the norm for birds here. Leathery skin and fur are equally dominant as coverings. I suspect not all of the flying creatures qualify as birds but can’t prove it, yet. Several of the species seem to be hoarding food, and preparing to nest for the winter and loudly call to each other, as if it’s mating season. Depending on the gestation period, many animals are preparing for a winter or early spring birth. I suspect some of the flying creatures have a live birth, which would classify them as something other than birds.