“Thank you. I had no idea you guys went through that for us.” The awe I feel for my friends outweighs my anger toward the chairman and how he treated them.
Jake waves off my thanks. “Anyway, after that day it was as if something snapped in Dr. Brant. She became distant and cold toward everyone except Elliot. Suddenly she was a stickler for the rules. Not just the big safety rules, but the pointless little ones, too. Most of the time we just do our best to stay clear of her. Maybe now that you’re back, she’ll get better.”
I sigh. Her behavior might improve for everyone else, but not for me or Ryan. As far as I can tell, she’s focusing all her frustration and anger from the situation onto us.
“Maybe,” I say. “We can only hope.”
Suddenly Jake’s face brightens. “Hey, maybe you and Ryan can work in here with me and Molly. The rest of the team is never in here. Molly and I can even help you since the small amount of work Elliot allows us to do doesn’t keep us busy.”
I have no intention of discussing Ryan, but as soon as his name is mentioned, my face drops and tears well in my eyes. “I should warn you things might be a little tense between Ryan and me.” I dryly say.
Jake regards me with a look of suspicion. “Are the two of you fighting already?”
I swallow the lump in my throat and take a deep breath, but the words still stick. All that comes out is a strangled squeak, but my expression seems to tell Jeremy everything he needs to know.
“You broke up?”
Unwanted tears stream down my face. Jake embraces me in an awkward hug. I know I should clarify what happened, but I can’t bear the idea of my friends pitying me. I wipe my eyes and say, “Ryan and I are better off as friends.”
Jake looks at me sympathetically but then in a facetious tone says, “Kissing, fighting or ignoring each other, I’ll take whatever company I can get. I’m not sure if I can handle any more days of non-stop wedding talk.”
“You mean Molly’s engaged, too?” Worry quickly overshadows my initial shock.
Jake nods. “She waited to tell you. She figured you had enough to deal with already.” He lets out a sad laugh. “She’s always thoughtful like that.”
Comprehension hits me. “So, that’s what was bothering you at dinner.” Jake doesn’t answer but the defeated crumple of his face tells me all I need to know. I decide to take a chance and share my theory. I have to choose my words carefully, and even then, Jake may think I’m crazy. But if I’m going to take a chance, who better to believe me than someone who’s suffering a broken heart?
“I think I can help you, if you promise to keep an open mind,” I say.
“Yeah, of course I can. How?” He regards me warily.
“I’m serious. I need you to be open, because what I’m going to say is going to sound crazy.” He nods giving me his undivided attention. “Think back to when Molly first met Alex. Did it seem like a case of love at first sight?”
Jake’s nostrils flare in disgust. “Yeah, something like that. But I figured she’d come to her senses by now. He’s bossy and condescending and —”
I hold up my hands to stop him. “It was kind of like when Andi met Jackson, or Wendy met Adam, or Zachary met Sarah?”
Jake’s eyes suddenly brighten. “It was just like that. Really weird and creepy.”
“Tell me about it.” I sigh. “Actually, I can tell you what it’s like from firsthand experience. When I was with Brody, nothing else mattered other than being with him. I didn’t like his friends or many of his opinions, but the overwhelming attraction I had for him cancelled out all rational thought.”
“So what changed?”
“I got away from the base.”
Jake stands up and paces the lab. “You think something on the base is causing these exaggerated romantic attractions? Something’s
making
Molly want to be with Alex, no matter how badly he treats her?”
I brace myself for Jake to say I’m insane when I say, “I think the field managers are using the pods to manipulate everyone’s feelings and thoughts, but if I’m right, the solution is pretty simple.”
“That’s what’s happening to Molly and the rest of our friends? They’re being brainwashed?” He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. The uncomfortable silence in the lab stretches on. I fear I’ve said too much, more than he can accept.
“Then why haven’t Dean or I been affected?” His voice is as hard and cold as his stare.
“I don’t think you’ve met your assigned match yet.” My voice quivers. I can’t tell if Jake’s angry at me or the situation. “You probably think I’m crazy right about now.”
“No. I’m not blind.” His voice softens as he drops into a computer chair. “I’ve noticed the strange relationships. If you told me it was something in the water that would make sense, but to think that someone’s intentionally doing this to us—” Jake’s eyes are wild with confusion and fury. He bangs his fist against the counter. “If what you’re saying is true, we should tell someone.”
I pull over a chair and sit across from Jake so I can look him in the eyes. “Of course we
should
tell someone, but even if we had evidence, just who would we tell? The field managers? The very same people I suspect are responsible for this? Up until a few days ago I would have confided in Dr. Brant, but with the way she’s acting it’s no longer an option.”
“Yeah, I see your point,” Jake concedes. “But what I don’t understand is how and why? What’s the point in it all? Just what are they getting out of it?”
“I think it’s mostly about procreation. The sooner we start to procreate, the better. But how many eighteen-year-olds do you know that are ready to settle down and become parents? Remember the dating drama of high school? It was next to impossible to keep up with the latest break-ups and who was dating who. Besides me, have you heard of a single break-up on Verita?” I don’t wait for Jake to answer. “I’m pretty sure they’re using the pods to do it. Think about it, Jake. If they can train us in our sleep for specific jobs, what’s to stop them from matching us up and then predisposing us to be attracted to our matches?
Jake chews his bottom lip while he contemplates the information. “So what can we do about it?”
“The solution’s pretty simple. Only the head of the pods have projector nodules. Convince Molly to sleep upside down in her sleeping pod. That should place her far enough away from the projectors to remove any influence they have. For good measure, have her convince Alex to do the same. If my theory is correct, in a few days there should be trouble in paradise. But, whatever you do, don’t try telling her the truth. I tried with Andi, and it didn’t go well. Maybe you can convince her that you’re testing a theory and imply it’s a blind study, so you can’t give her any more information about it.”
Jake looks doubtful and sits quietly for a few minutes before he finally says, “I guess it can’t hurt to give it a shot.”
When Molly returns from cleaning up after Elliot, I announce I’m going to the library. I leave the two of them alone so Jake can talk to Molly about her sleeping habits.
Initially I have a hard time convincing the librarian to give me a new tablet. She implies that I only want it to trade for extra points. I ignore her insult and insist my old tablet is locked in my old field lab. The librarian then claims I’m not responsible enough to take care of another one.
“Look,” I cry in frustration, “if you want, I can lie and tell you it was smashed to tiny bits in the flashflood. Would that get me a replacement?”
Her entire demeanor instantly transforms, as though I’m suddenly interesting instead of annoying. “That was you? Why didn’t you say so?” She pulls a new tablet from under the counter and hands it to me. “So why can’t you get back into your lab?”
I don’t want to discuss my grounding, but I brought it up, so I give her a sugarcoated explanation. “They just want to make sure we’re recovered from our ordeal before letting us back out into the field.”
Her expression makes me feel as if I’m a sideshow freak. “Is it true you fought off a lion barehanded?” she asks.
“How… how did you hear about that?” I ask, completely thrown.
“Everyone’s heard about it. Of course, you know how rumors go; some of the stories are pretty farfetched. Someone tried to convince me that a doctor monkey saved the other guy’s life. I mean, come on, right?”
I’m speechless. I had no idea that stories of our experience had become common knowledge. The librarian clears her throat and stares at me expectantly. Oh well, better to have the real story out there than mixed up ones.
“It was a pan-wolf that attacked me,” I say, “and the other guy fought it off by throwing rocks. And it wasn’t a monkey but a meerkit that saved him.” The librarian seems awestruck. I quickly download some books and flee to the dining halls, searching for a bit of anonymity amongst the crowd of hungry diners.
I don’t know how much time Jake needs to convince Molly, so after lunch I return to my base lab.
Ryan’s there, exploring the database. His welcoming smile quickly disappears in the face of my cold demeanor. I may have to work with him, but as colleagues only.
He gets up from the computer and walks toward me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I move to the other side of the lab table before he gets too close.
Ryan looks doubtful but doesn’t push for more conversation. Instead, he tells me that he ran into Dr. Brant earlier, and she explained the database project. Because the database is such a mess, he wants to start over, from scratch.
I cross to my computer, bang some keys to pull up a screen and show him the work I’ve done.
“I guess great minds do think alike,” he laughs.
I ignore the joke. “I’m starting on the animal data—you can work on the plants.” I turn my full attention to my computer and continue my work, but as I type, I feel his unwavering gaze on me.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
I wave off his concern. “I’m fine.”
“I can see that you’re not. You’re upset. Is it because of Dr. Brant? She’ll change her mind eventually.” He lightly brushes a hand down my hair.
I jerk away.
“Tell me what it is, maybe I can help.” He looks hurt and confused as he reaches for me.
“You can help me by giving me some space.” I jump to my feet, unable to endure his feigned concern any longer. “I think it’s best if we’re just friends.”
“You’re going back to Brody.” He doesn’t sound defensive or mad, but sad.
“What? No,” I snap defensively. “This has nothing to do with Brody.”
“Then why? You said you love me. What happened to change your mind?”
How dare he throw those words in my face? An image flashes in front of me: Kelly’s lips drawn close to Ryan’s ear so she can whisper sweet nothings to him before they kiss. I can’t believe he’s pretending to be clueless and innocent. I consider confronting him about what I saw, but then he’d have the satisfaction of knowing how much he hurt me.
“I made a mistake,” I say.
“A mistake, yeah, I guess that’s what it was.”
The walls of the lab suddenly seem too close and the air too hot. I dig my nails into the flesh of my palms to keep myself from completely falling apart. “My database is self-explanatory. I’m going to work with Jake and Molly today.” I glance over my shoulder as I leave the lab, and see that Ryan’s already turned back to his computer.
Molly’s at the lab when I get there, but she doesn’t comment on my tear-streaked, puffy-eyed face. Jake must have already told her about Ryan and me. Elliot neglected to assign Molly and Jake any work, so they both volunteer to help me.
Working on the database is tedious, but it’s a good enough distraction. I like working with Molly and Jake, even if I am only entering data. Periodically, we take turns pointing out some of the scientists’ mistakes which are a bit scary. If scientists make such blatant mistakes on reports, who knows what kind of mistakes they make out in the field. What worries me the most is how many mistakes originate from Elliot’s group. For now, the three of us find the humor in the errors and laugh until our sides ache. My laughter is forced, but Jake and Molly don’t need to know that.
Chapter 6
A side effect of sleeping upside down in the pods is waking earlier than usual. The pods still have everyone sleeping through the two extra hours of Verita’s twenty-six-hour day. I shower, dress, dry my hair, and even apply makeup, but everyone still remains asleep. I run my hand along the sleek metal casing of the pod. The soft padded interior is comfortable and looks innocuous, but the barely audible hum that emanates from the clusters of projectors is anything but. I should use the extra time and take a run, or get some extra work done on the database, but instead I climb back into my pod, fold my arms behind my head, and close my eyes. I daydream about being back in the field as I tap my foot against the projector nodules.
I’m in the same position when Andi finishes her shower and shakes her wet hair at me. I take it as a sign she’s forgiven me,
“A good cry might help,” she says. I’ve never been able to hide anything from Andi. “Ryan, right?”
I turn my face away, and my mouth quivers. I squeeze my eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. Andi slides into the pod next to me. I feel the light brush of her hand on the back of my head. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I insist.
“Fine, but don’t expect me to idly sit by while you wallow in self-pity.” The gentle concern in her voice buffers her harsh words which are what I need to hear. Andi jumps to her feet. Staring down she purses her lips in mock irritation, rests a hand on her hip, and wags her finger at me. “If you wanted to wallow you should have told me last night when we could do it properly with lots of chocolate and ice cream.” A smile breaks through her charade as she pulls me up. “Come on, food and caffeine will help. Everything always seems worse on an empty stomach.”
On the way to breakfast, I decide to use Jake’s tactic to get Andi to sleep upside down. “I’m grounded until Dr. Brant deems otherwise. So, I want to work on a theory I have, but I need your help.”
“Sure, what can I do?” Andi offers without hesitation. Even brainwashed into love, she’s still the best friend I could ask for.