Gene. Sys. by Aaron Denius (best ereader for comics txt) 📕

hasn’t forgotten about my sneaking around, so I try to diffuse the tension I’m feeling. “I’m sorry about—”

“Atom, you need to observe boundaries and not go where you aren’t supposed to.” He’s gentler than I expected.

“Why?” I know I’m stoking the flame.

“For your own protection. There are things that you aren’t meant to see,” he responds.

I can tell that he is trying to remain calm, which has the opposite effect on me. “Protect us from what? Why are you hiding things from us?” I snap.

He takes a deep breath. “This is not a discussion, Atom. You will do as you are told.”

“Or else what? You will kill me like you do the drones? You won’t let me destroy the world with you?” My face feels warm from the blood that has rushed up to my head. I would have never imagined that I’d be yelling at my favorite teacher.

Grant looks at Ev. “You should tell him.”

“You tell me, you coward!” I scream at him.

He clenches his fists and holds back a punch that I’m sure he wishes he could throw. Instead, he turns to walk out. “I thought you should know that Rene is being woken up in a couple of hours.” With that, he shuts the door behind him.

“What is up with you?” Ev puts her hand on my shoulder. I know she’s just trying to calm me down.

“Tell me what?” I turn and lean my back against the door. I am not going to let her leave until I get the answer I want.

“Please sit, Atom. You’re making me nervous.” She moves further down on the bed, and I sit on the end.

I take a few deep breaths and try to calm myself down. “Please tell me everything. I don’t want to have any secrets between us.”

“I don’t either.” She grabs my pillow and holds it up to her stomach as if to protect herself. “What do you know about the end of the world?”

“Just that we are the ones who are going to destroy it.” I turn to face her to make sure that I can see her eyes. I want to make sure she doesn’t lie.

“Well, that’s not entirely true. It’s Rene and the other scientists who intend on destroying the world. More specifically, they plan to wipe out humanity.” She’s clearly been struggling with this information for a while.

It still doesn’t make sense to me. “Why?”

“I asked Rene the same thing, and what he told me was that the human race was driving itself extinct. Wars, disease, famine were all taking their toll on humans. He said that in the last hundred years, the population has been cut by more than half because the ice age forced the hand of chaos. He believes that the only way to truly save the human race is to start over.” She grips my pillow tighter.

“Is that what you believe?” I’m not sure what answer I want to hear.

“I don’t know. I didn’t think so, but that attack on the compound a few days ago has made me reconsider. They were such savages. Not just the outsiders, but everyone. The drones, the scientists, everyone.” A couple of tears roll down her face, and she wipes them on my pillow. I wonder how many tears have graced her pillow.

“What about us?” I’m afraid of the answer I’m about to get. Whatever it is, I don’t believe it will be what I want to hear.

She looks deep into my eyes. “You and I, and I’m guessing the other Genetic Systems as well, we are the restart. When everything and everyone else is gone, we are supposed to find E.D.E.N. and start the human race over.”

Suddenly I’m scared, and I don’t feel comfortable around Ev anymore. She and I are supposed to restart humanity? Why? Does it have to be her and me? Now a lot of things begin to make sense. All the education and training was intended to help us survive and pass along our knowledge. The constant watchful protection by the drones. All of it to make sure this project is successful. I am suddenly struck with the fear of failure. If we fail, humans will become extinct. Everything that ever was will be forgotten. Unless the colonies on Mars have survived since their communication was lost nearly a hundred years ago, the Solar System will be devoid of intelligent life.

“Where is E.D.E.N.?” I ask.

“Rene didn’t say exactly. He just said north, under the ice and snow,” Ev replies. She looks like she’s had an enormous weight lifted off her shoulders. She places my pillow down and stands. “I think I’m going to head back to my room and rest my head before I go see Rene. Are you going to be there?”

I think for a second. He is still my father, and I should be there. “Yes.”

“Good.” Ev leans in and kisses my cheek before she walks out. I’m glad she left, because I can feel that I have turned bright red, and I let out a high-pitched sound I’ve never heard before.

My mind struggles with the idea of Ev and I being created to restart humanity. If I can’t even handle a kiss on the cheek, how am I supposed to do that? I look down and see that my left hand is shaking. I try to stop it, but it won’t. I’m too anxious and need to relax, so I walk into my bathroom for a hot shower. I lie on the ground with my eyes closed and let the hot water hit my body. I try to picture myself lying on the roof of the library and the warm rain hitting my body.

Just as I’m about to doze off, I hear a knock on my door. Part of me wants to ignore them and lie here until morning, but I realize that someone has probably come to take me to Rene. I shut off the water, dry myself and throw on a clean outfit.

When I