Secret Value of Zero, The (7 page)

Something crumbled inside of her. As she stared at the rocky soil in front of Trove, she thought of her life. Nearly everyone had lied to her, placating her so she would become a willing petri dish. Now, Sterling expected her to do it all over again. Worst of all, it was
Arya
who expected that of her. Meke had thought Arya as a friend, her savior. Now, she couldn’t depend on that. All Meke wanted at that moment was to be alone
 

But Trove stared at her, his dark eyes steady and unyielding. His lips upturned in a small smile. His body didn’t pulse with tension, he just lounged and looked at her. Meke stared back, packing as much annoyance as she could into her stare. Trove looked back, an impassive gaze edged with smugness.

Meke couldn’t do anything about Arya or Sterling, but this,
this
—she could do something about.

She threw a pebble at his shoe. Instead of striking a major blow, it skidded off his boot. Trove furrowed his brows, looking at the pebble as it bounced away. Meke pointed at the handheld. Without complaint, Trove handed it over. She banged away at the screen with little regard for its safety, her fingers awkward as she navigated the unfamiliar keyboard.

What is your problem? Why are you smiling at me like an idiot?

She tossed the thing back to him. It would serve him right if it broke. Trove held the handheld close to his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe these words. He probably couldn’t. Meke bet that nobody had ever called him an idiot before, being a Fiver. Meke took the small bit of glee for all it was worth.
 

Well, I must admit, I’ve never been called an idiot before. It’s an interesting feeling, not as bad as I would’ve thought. Regardless, pardon my misplaced cheerfulness. You see, it’s nice to be right once in a while. I thought something was strange about how you reacted, but I figured I was imaging things. I’m right so rarely, I want to enjoy it when it lasts.

Meke snorted. Somehow, his idiotic words cooled her off, just a bit. It was a lie, of course. A Fiver rarely erred. Still, lies or not, Meke smiled. His grin, however, still annoyed her.

Meke glanced back at Cecil and found Theria and Arya crouching by the boy’s prone body. The smile fell away from Meke’s face.

Trove tapped her shoulder and Meke turned toward him. He angled his handheld so she could read it.
 

Cecil was shot with a tranquilizer dart, not a bolt. He’s just unconscious.

Meke let her head fall back onto the tree, relieved, Even though her secret was out, Cecil was alive. She almost envied Cecil—sleep would be a treat at this point. Trove settled back onto the rock, arms crossed. His mouth curved downward as he tried to puzzle out something. Meke thought that something was her.

Meke straightened, hating the intense gaze. Most people, even at the institution, didn’t think her worthy of their gaze. Finally, he typed something.

You saved us. Thank you.

The words on the screen had embarrassed Meke with their kindness. Meke didn’t think she had saved anyone, so she kept her eyes down. Finally, she glanced up at Trove and was glad to find him looking elsewhere. He still crossed his arms, but there was no mockery in his stance, just tiredness.
 

Of course he was tired, Meke thought. He had to kill that woman. He had struck her down with a sword, a quick and brutish end. Still, what kind of man can look bemused so soon after taking a life? Suddenly, she wondered what brought this man, with heavy stubble on his cheeks and chin, to this place. It was also odd how calmly this man took the news about her vision.
 

A slight tickling sensation at the periphery of her vision shifted Meke’s thoughts. It was the cat again. It drew closer, darting between trees. It didn’t stop at the forest line as Meke expected, but snuck closer, its tail sweeping the ground. Meke’s eyes darted to Trove. At that moment, Trove noticed the cat and got to his feet, a knife in hand.
 

Meke cried out; Trove stopped and looked at her. Meke slowly shook her head and her lips formed the word,
please
. Trove’s dark eyes went back to the cat. Cat or not, it was still a strange intruder. With a harsh sigh, he sat. Meke’s body relaxed—the creature would live one more day.

The cat froze and arched his back, puffing up his thin fur. After a few moments, the cat continued his slow approach. When he finally reached Meke, he climbed into her lap and curled up, purring. At first, Meke had no idea what to do, then the it became obvious: pet him. Meke stroked his fur, marveling at its softness despite the cat’s wildness.
 

Meke wondered what she should call the furry creature.
 

Trove looked at the cat, wide-eyed and took a few hesitant steps toward the cat, his hand stretched out. The cat’s small head turned and his yellow eyes narrowed. Meke could feel his body rumble in a growl. Trove persevered, his hand closing in on the cat. The cat rewarded him with a bite on his index finger.

Meke smiled and stroked the cat’s fur. Parts of the fur was matted with mud and dirt, but Meke didn’t care. Serves him right, she thought, for ignoring the cat’s clear message; the cat most certainly didn’t want Trove’s hands near him.
 

Trove retreated, nursing his finger along with his pride. His head snapped up when Theria and Arya approached. Before they reacted to the cat, Trove held up his hand and murmured something. Theria looked at the cat with undisguised disgust and shook her head.
 

“What is that thing?” Arya asked.

“A cat.”

Arya squinted at him. “I’ve never seen such a thing before. Are you sure?”

“Yes, it looks like the pictures in the books.” Meke picked away clumps from the cat’s fur “He saved us, you know.”

“How could such a thing save us?”

“He jumped on a soldier before he could attack.”

Arya crouched down, examining the cat from a distance. “Well. It does have claws.”

“Can he come with us?” Meke asked, trying not to hope too much.

Arya paused. “Well—I don’t know, it doesn’t seem proper.”

“Please? I’d take care of him.”

“Okay,” Arya finally said, her eyes still on the cat. “On another note, I talked to the envoys. They’ll be here next morning. It’s just too dangerous. We’ll move soon to anew hiding place.”

Meke shuddered. Arya leaned in, her mouth half upturned. “Everything will be all right. You’ll see.”

Meke wasn’t so sure.

MEKE LAY in her sleeping bag, her eyes wide open. The numbness had faded hours after the attack. Now Meke Lichota knew she was in trouble.

Don’t believe them
. Her mother had been more right than she had realized. Meke’s brain started to hurt when she thought of Arya. Meke tried to calm down, but failed. She wondered if she should just slip away in the night and leave this mess behind.

Surely, she couldn’t survive on her own, not as a Zero. Not as anyone, even—the wilderness wouldn’t allow anyone to survive. Or would it?

Meke, like everyone else, believed Prosperon when it declared nature dead and buried. With a dead Mother Nature, only Prosperon could provide engineered food, made at smoky and dirty plants.
 

Meke could feel the little creatures scurrying around her. Not just the cat. Ants crawled up the wispy evergreens. Feathered creatures flew overhead. Life flourished all around her. All these things seemed strange for a barren land. She kept poking and prodding until the idea took shape. Perhaps Prosperon had lied about nature’s death.

Meke curled up, knees to her chin. Maybe, just maybe life hid under these trees and plants. She had seen Trove pluck a leaf off a tree, then eat it. And the cat obviously could survive.
 

The idea’s purity shocked her; she could live on her own, without Prosperon. Without people who wanted to possess the thing inside her, she would be free. Meke pulled her knees closer.

But, could she do it? Meke didn’t know. Even before the institution, she had spent her ten years in Vigorton, where only steel and concrete rose from the ground. Meke barely knew the difference between a fern and a tree. Maybe it didn’t matter. Now that Meke understood the nature of Genex, she wanted nothing to do with it. The Genex Stars had taken her body and used it without her consent. She didn’t want that to happen to her ever again. Meke wanted to feel like every limb, every muscle and every cell in her body were hers and hers alone.
 

Maybe she was doing a damn fool thing, but it was her choice.
 

That night was a moonless, starless night, perfect for what Meke had to do. As everyone grew still with sleep, Meke eased herself into her strange new sensory world. She explored the flood of images and feelings. Now that her sense had become more practiced at sharing space with her thoughts, she could think and see. Her head still felt heavy, but the weight was becoming more comfortable, more familiar.

She blinked; someone sat only a few meters away, facing the woods. It was Theria.
 

She should’ve expected a sentry. Meke nudged down the sleeping bag, easing her body out of the warm cocoon.
 

Meke knew that she sometimes made sounds when she moved. People jumped when she felt a snap underneath. Sometimes, sound made things shake or vibrate around her. If something heavy fell in another room, sometimes Meke could feel the vibrations. Unfortunately, the forest floor was too solid to permit any vibrations. Meke fisted the sleeping bag’s fabric. She needed to be careful, then.

She slid her legs out of her sleeping bag and drew herself into a crouch, keeping Theria’s figure fixed in her mind. Meke exhaled slowly as she rose.

Theria jerked upright, then twisted her head. Meke froze, not daring to breathe. Her thighs protested her half-crouch. Time ticked by before Theria shrugged and reclined back onto the rock. Meke swallowed, trying not to gasp for air.
 

Breathing and moving slowly, Meke rolled up her sleeping bag and pocketed food that she had put aside from lunch and dinner. As she left, she moved as softly as possible, imagining herself floating. She kept to the rocks. Tree branches and thistle snapped under her feet, even she knew that.

As Theria’s shape faded from her mind, Meke’s breathing returned to normal. She waited until she couldn't feel any kind of familiarity before she started to run. The cat trailed her the entire way, just at the periphery of her sense. She wouldn’t be alone. That one small thing made Meke feel better.
 

Meke leapt over downed trees, dodged large boulders and climbed uphill. The air grew thinner and chillier. Meke could feel the plants and trees getting shorter and more flimsy. Patches of ice and snow grew into a white landscape that made Meke shiver.
 

An hour later, she staggered to a stop, panting. She had reached the base of a large cliff face. She had no energy to scale the craggy incline. The rocks protruded at odd angles. Meke could feel the deep crevasses between the rocks, so she knew she could climb them—after she rested. The climb down was slower going than she expected, due to the patches of ice on the rocks, but she made it.
 

She unfurled her sleeping bag, shoved the covers over her head and slept, not thinking of what she had done. The cat nestled itself on her side, a pulsating warmth that lulled her to sleep.

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Meke had been exhausted. She slept a black, dreamless sleep until the sun’s rays shone on her face. Her eyes fluttered open as the sunlight warmed her cold face. Her mind struggled to shrug off its fogginess.

A sharp white light sliced through her haze. She blinked and searched for the light’s source. Her brain cleared with a sharp and sudden understanding as she located its source. Trove was already climbing down, the sunlight shining off his handheld’s screen. Meke gasped and tried to get to her feet. Her new sensory world thrust itself upon her, throwing her off balance. Her feet tangled together and one foot slipped on the icy rocks. With a burst of adrenaline, she kept herself upright.

By the time it took Meke to right herself, Trove had jumped down and had his hand on her arm, steadying her. He put a hand in front of her as if he would brace any further falls. Trove’s hand was firm around her left arm, but not angry. He frowned, but his eyes remained steady. Once Meke had been steadied, Trove handed her the handheld.
 

I hope you understand why I have to take you back. Look, if it was up to me, I wouldn’t bother you, but it’s orders. You should see what they are all about before you make any decisions.
 

Meke looked up at Trove’s face, which was calm and composed. His words rankled her even more. Not only did he catch her with little effort, he was patronizing her.
 

I don’t care. I won’t be involved. They’ll just use me the same way as everyone else has.
 

She shoved the handheld into his hands. Trove sighed, rubbing his forehead. Meke hardly knew why he bothered. He could just pick her up and run. Finally, he typed something.

They’re good people. They’re trying to do the right thing. Regardless, you can’t survive out here on your own.

He was one to talk.

I saw you eat leaves and nuts on the way here. Don’t give me that.

Trove raised his eyebrows.

Well, that’s observant. But you don’t know how to survive out here.
Meke huffed, ignoring the fact that Trove was right.
How about this, I’ll teach you if you come back with me.

Meke crossed her arms. She peered into his face, trying to find insecurity and falsity but found only clear conviction.
 

Do you promise? To teach me?

Trove nodded. Meke sighed. Promises cost nothing to make. Another question occurred to Meke.
 

How did you find me?

After reading Meke’s words, Meke thought that Trove looked almost sheepish. Trove shook his head and typed a short response.