Man-Kzin Wars XII by Larry Niven (books you have to read .TXT) 📕

“It was,” Dr. Peters says as he walks away.

“Trippy, isn't it? Almost like time doesn't exist in there,” I speak up with a big smile on my face.

He rolls over and looks at me. It takes him a second to register who I am. “80!”

I wink at him. “Hey, Atom.”

I let him collect himself, and then we head out of the medical ward through one of the holes left from the battle they had. The compound is teeming with action. Drones are patrolling and fixing up much of the damage. They must have been called to work since I've been here. I spot a small group of the Integers, and I hope they don't act out of the ordinary.

“This is crazy,” I say as I lead him next to a pile of rubble with bloodstains on parts of it.

“Yes, it is.” He looks around at all the damage. He must not have seen the extent of the destruction since he was recovering. “I'm guessing this is why they brought you back.”

“Yeah. We were pretty much done building the bunkers, and they said that they needed reinforcements here. They left a few of them back to finish up the work.” I'm lying, but I can tell that it's believable enough that he won't question it. I climb up one of the bigger piles of rubble and sit. For a brief moment, the mound of debris flashes a memory of KJ's lifeless body under the weight of concrete. I brush the image aside to focus on Atom, but the pain lingers a little longer.

He climbs up and sits next to me. “Where did they send you?”

“A place called Nairobi,” I say dismissively as I spot a familiar sight in the distance above the rubble of the city. The Great Pyramid. The sun screams its rays around the edges as the pyramid casts its darkness over the city. I think of all that is different between the two places. “It was even worse in Nairobi.”

“What was?” He asks as he shifts his body into a more comfortable position.

“The people, the outsiders. They were all living in filth and days from death. Most of them were either covered in sores or nothing but bones. Some, which they called Cabras, would be so malnourished and mentally gone that they'd try to eat you.” I picture every one of them as I speak. Most, if not all, have likely been killed by Lucie's cleanse.

“Are you serious? That sounds horrible. Did the outsiders attack in Nairobi as well?” He presses further.

I look off to the pyramid. I remember the last days I spent there and all the fighting that happened. If I tell Atom any of that, he will think that all outsiders are as evil as what he perceives the ones here to be. Again, I lie. “They couldn't. They were way too weak. Most of them wouldn't even move when we walked by. Some would try to attack us individually, but it was more because they had lost their mind from malnourishment.”

“Like the Cabras,” he says.

“Exactly.” I'm not sure of what else to add. It's nice to see Atom again, but I've grown in our time apart, and I'm not sure we can relate to each other as well anymore.

“I'm glad you're back, 80.” He breaks the silence and stands.

“Me too.” I smile. I want to talk to him about the Ragnarok. About not following through with the plans, but now is not the time. “I'll catch up with you later. You going to be up on the roof?”

“I'm not even sure if the roof is still there.” He returns the smile. “How about I meet you back over here?”

“Sounds like a plan.” I jump off the pile, and spot a group of Integers working on one of the exterior walls. I need to see why they aren't back at the barracks.

They spot me walking over and stand at attention when I arrive.

“Not here,” I murmur. I don't want anyone to know that they take orders from me. “Why are you guys out here?”

“Farouk told us to work on the walls,” the one with long hair, 93, responds.

I look all three of them over, realizing that we will never blend in. Each one of us has a hairstyle that is not the standard cut for drones. I never realized that as the Integers evolved in Badwater, they would all become so unkempt.

“Very well.” I toss the words to them as I head for the barracks. If Farouk had spoken to them, then he must have been over there looking for me.

When our quarters come into view, I spot Farouk's big frame talking to 13. It looks like a casual conversation, and Farouk's body language is relaxed. He's in a good mood. This calms the little nerves I had budding in my stomach.

“Let's walk.” Farouk steps away as I arrive.

He leads 13 and me around the rim of the compound. Beyond the barracks is a fenced-off concrete field. It's large with a long slit that splits the middle. I’m realizing that there are many areas of this compound that I never saw in the brief time I spent here.

As we walk, Farouk tells us that he spoke with Dr. Anfang about our leadership role regarding the Integers. He reiterates that we still needed to take a cautious approach and blend in as best we can because aside from him and Paz, only a few other scientists know who we are. If Dr. Anfang were ever to find out, he would have us all killed on the spot.

We pass around the back of the compound, near the scientist's quarters, and through a field of various plants. Farouk continues to advise us. He tells us to make the other Integers work as they would have throughout the compound, using them as recon units and noting any weaknesses in the compound.

“Why?” I ask as we clear the