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

not really ready to head back to my room, and the cool air feels great against my skin, so I choose to walk around the compound for a little bit. In the many months that I have been here, I’ve never really taken the time to explore my own home. I was always too focused on what occupied the space beyond the walls.

A fair amount of drones are patrolling every corner of the compound. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that they never slept. I just know that there are so many of them that they replace each other regularly. I weave around various debris piles as I make my way to the library.

When I look up at the roof of the library, my heart jumps. I remember the last thing I did up there before the attack. Fe and I kissed. I touch my fingers to my lips, hoping to remember how her lips felt on mine. Whatever my mind tells me, I’m sure it pales in comparison to the actual sensation, and I want to experience it again.

My cheeks stretch as a smile appears on my face. I continue on my walk and turn the corner to the back of the library. This is an area that I haven’t explored before, so I am surprised at what I find. There are rows and rows of plants, all evenly spaced. There must be twenty or thirty different types of plants, some as tall as me and others barely peeking out of the ground.

I walk closer to get a better look, but my attention gets diverted to a sound of voices coming from the right. When I turn, I see two people making their way toward me, and I can tell that they aren’t drones. Not wanting to get caught, I jump into the rows of the tall plants to hide.

The voices grow louder as they approach, and I can tell that it’s a woman and a man. It isn’t until they are a few feet away from me that I can make out some of their features. The man is slightly darker than the woman, but not by much. They are about the same height, and he looks as wide as he is tall. His breathing is slow and heavy, which I am sure is due to his large size.

The woman has a familiar build. I wipe my eyes, clearing the thin layer of the smoke in the air, and I look again. Instantly, the unique hair pattern stands out. It’s Dr. Kivuli.

She looks around and then looks directly at the man. “Listen, Joey, I need to know if there are going to be any more attacks before the Ragnarok. We have to make sure that all our efforts are coordinated, especially since Rene is intent on exterminating all the outsiders from the city.”

A slight gasp rises through my throat, but I catch it before it escapes. I knew I had a bad feeling about Dr. Kivuli, so it really shouldn’t surprise me that she would be one of the Mutineers. I want to charge at her, both of them, but I do my best to keep calm and listen.

“I really don’t know, ma’am,” the man, Joey, answers with shakiness in his voice. It’s obvious who is in charge between the two.

“Then you have to take me to the next meeting of the Mutineer council.” Dr. Kivuli raises her voice.

“I can’t do that, ma’am. The council specifically said that no one outside of the council can ever meet or know who is on it.” Joey looks down, ashamed. “I’m sorry.”

“But you had to meet with at least one of them. How else could you get them the architectural blueprint of the compound?” She steps closer to him, and he backs away.

“I never saw them. It was always a double-blind correspondence. We didn’t even speak; it was all written exchanges, so I don’t even know if the person I interacted with was male or female.” He puffs his chest out a bit, not letting Dr. Kivuli intimidate him too much.

Dr. Kivuli lets out a frustrated huff. “I need you to find out who they—”

“Shhh,” Joey speaks over her and turns his head in my direction. “There’s someone over there.”

My heart drops, and my knees get weak. They are looking directly at me. I thought I had been careful in hiding myself. My mind races with excuses, but none come.

They take a few steps toward me, but a drone appears from my left before I step out to confront them. Dr. Kivuli and Joey stop and smile at one another.

“It’s just a drone.” Dr. Kivuli laughs.

“I’m going to bed.” Joey, hurt by the laughter, turns and walks away.

“I need you to get me a name, Joey!” she yells at him.

Dr. Kivuli stands still and watches the man and the drone walk away. Once they are out of sight, she whips her neck right back in my direction and scowls. Her stare appears to be shooting straight through me. I do my best to remain as still as possible so as not to reveal myself.

After a couple of nerve-racking moments, she turns and heads back toward the compound. I wait until I see her disappear into the building before I come out of hiding. Rather than risk getting caught, I head straight for the library and enter through one of the adjacent doors.

I make my way down the hallways that I used to frequent. The debris has been cleaned up, but the holes in the walls are an eerie reminder of just how close Ev and I were to being casualties.

To my left is the hole that used to be my room. I step in and don’t recognize any of it. It has been stripped clean. The desk to my right remains intact but is severely charred. A book has been placed on top of the desk. I grab it and see that it is one of the books