Radioactive Read online

  Only when I have pushed my emotions into a ball inside my body, I type 2105 into the keypad. The door to the cell swings open again. Maggie and Zoe look to me.

  They both act alarmed. They look through to the room I’m in and see I’m the only one still here. The look of disappointment is clear on their faces.

  “Why did he act like that?” Zoe says, injured. Her lower lip begins to tremble.

  “He thought I was dead,” Maggie tries to defend her son.

  “That’s not it,” Zoe replies condescendingly.

  “He remembers,” I say. Dumbfounded the two women look at me.

  “Are you sure?” Maggie whispers, hoping.

  Before I can explain, Zoe butts in. “If he remembered, he would not have acted like that. That is not my brother! We have lost Finn!”

  16. UNDERSTANDING

  With a pounding heart, I sit in front of the monitors of the control room and let the recording of last night’s visit to Z318’s cell run backwards so it can be deleted and replaced by recordings of another night. This must be how A566 did it. This is the first time I have manipulated the camera records because my fear of being caught is large. I constantly cast furtive looks to the doors and every little noise makes me jump. I am quite paranoid right now.

  Just as I return my gaze to the screens, I see something out of the corner of my eye on one of the monitors. The video shows a building exterior. Not within the electric wall, but outside of it. So far I have only seen desolate desert landscapes with nothing growing, not even a plant. There is no way an animal could survive out there. But at that moment, a hooded figure scurries across the screen. The figure is too far away to accurately recognize. I peer closer, but the person disappears again from the screen. Frantically, I order the control board to show more of that building on the monitors. I breathe a sigh of relief as I see the figure again on the screen. Quickly I zoom in closer to the figure. At first I thought the person was a survivor of the Northern Legion, but now I realize that might not be the case.

  The figure on the screen is larger than any other person I know. Paul is quite big, just like Raymond, but the person on the screen appears to be bigger than either of them. I cannot tell if it’s male or female. The clothes this person wears can hardly be described as clothes. There are no remains of a Legion suit or even the old Earth garments the rebels wear. Rather, it appears to be a randomly sewn together mess of scraps and skins. The person’s movement is unusual as well. The person walks bent forward, almost like an animal. I cannot see the persona’s face nor any part of their skin as everything is hidden under layers of fabric. But I do not need to see their face to know that this person is neither a resident of the Legion or a rebel.

  “What are you doing here?” I hear a furious voice call out behind me. I stop in shock and my heart skips a beat. Shocked, I turn around and look into the crimson face of A233.

  “I... I...” I begin to speak but stutter for words, until I realize my manipulation attempt is no longer on the screen. I swallow and relax my shoulders. “I made a sighting in the exteriors. There is a person!” I say, pointing at the screen in which the magnified shape of the strange figure can still be seen.

  “Calling that a person does not do it justice,” A233 mutters and looks at the screen.

  “Then what is it?”

  We both look in awe at the monitor. At the moment, the figure suddenly turns in our direction and a part of the cloth layers on its face flap open. The face is barely recognizable as a face. Instead of a nose, there is a big gaping hole. The mouth is twisted like a crooked smile in the lower right side of the face. The forehead is bent forward so that little eyes are barely visible. The remaining skin is covered with red pustules.

  “Some would call it a monster; others would perhaps use the term zombie. But we call them mutants.”

  Speechless I look at her. A350 walks in and joins us. Her eyes widen in horror as she realizes the shape on the monitor. Then her eyes go directly to me. One look at my face is enough to make it clear that they do not need to try to think of another excuse.

  “How much have you told her?” She asks A233.

  A233 shakes her head. “Not much...”

  “Not enough,” I interrupt angrily. “Why has no one told me about this earlier? Is this the real reason for the electric wall?”

  “It’s not the only reason,” A350 admits. “But now we know that the radioactivity is no longer strong enough to be hazardous.”

  “Why do you call them mutants?”

  “Because they are mutants. They were once people like us, but that was in the days of World War III. They were unable to reach a Legion and were exposed to the radiation for a long period of time. It changed their genes. They have deformed limbs, but at the same time they hardly age and are stronger than normal humans,” A350 concludes.

  A233 continues, “That would not be so bad if they did not force all of their pent-up hatred upon us. To them, we are the enemy because we survived the radioactivity intact. Because we found protection in the Legions which was denied to them. Because we look like people and not monsters. For all this they take their revenge by killing and eating our people when they get the chance. I bet there are no survivors of the Northern Legion.

  Incredulous, I shake my head and stare at the monitor, but the figure has disappeared. It does not appear on any other screen either. So this is the mysterious sighting they concealed from me all this time.

  “Is the Legion actively fighting them, like the rebels?”

  “The Central Legion planned an attack to destroy all of the mutants, but that was before the outcasts attacked. “

  A233 and A350 have obliged me to keep quiet about the external threat. Only Legion commanders are allowed to speak of this. This means that I am not allowed to mention this to Finn and the others. Not even Clyde who is a fighter is allowed to know. This has dampened my mood as I wait with A350 and Asha in the arena waiting for the others. I’m tired of constantly having to lug around my secrets. First the death of Marie and now a threat by mutants. The Legion commanders cannot even think of an idea of having a dialogue with the rebels. Maybe they would join us if they knew of the mutants. At least they would understand why the Legion cannot simply turn off the electric wall.

  The large steel doors to the arena open with a loud creak as Clyde walks in accompanied by Ruby and Zoe. No Finn.

  Zoe immediately notices the quizzical expression on my face. She lifts her shoulders apologetically. “He has refused to come...”

  “But this training is important,” I say, disappointed.

  “He believes we are traitors,” replied Zoe.

  “He may not be totally wrong,” A350 says with an annoyed expression. I think of her anger from the day before back when she saw Finn and I kiss and wondering if that might have anything to do with Finn’s absence. I know he was mad at us, but I cannot imagine that he would miss a chance to train because of me. Just yesterday he told me how important it was for him to achieve a high ranking. Did his words from yesterday mean nothing today?

  “If he does not want to train, that’s his business,” A350 concludes coldly. “Let’s start with the training. C515 will spar with D523. D560 will spar with C403.” She nods in my direction. “And you will train with me.”

  In her imperious tone it sounded more like a punishment than an honor. Obviously she was not satisfied with my performance.

  Strangely, I was not afraid to compete against any of the others, but to stand opposite A350 causes my heart to beat frantically. Her face is just as serious and grim as the day before during my training session with Asha.

  “Okay. Three, two, one... Go!”

  Her first shot misses me. Instead of chasing her through the arena, I drop to my knee and fire back. And miss.

  We play this game for a while until my reaction rate decreases and A350 shoots me.

  “This isn’t a game,” she says. “Do you not care what happens to you?”

  “No,”
I say indignantly, but then sheepishly add, “I have no chance to win.”

  “If you believe you have no chance to win, then you do not,” she agrees with me resignedly. With a little more friendly face, she comes forward until she stops in front of me and I urgently look into her eyes. “But I believe in you. I believe you can do anything if you want it. You’re much stronger than you think.”

  Her words touch me. As happens often, I wonder what I did to earn her trust and respect. Let’s be honest, I have not exactly been a great Legion commander. I find the rules hard to follow and do the opposite of what is expected of me.

  “You must also understand that as a Legion commander, a great performance is expected of you. Especially since you are the first person to be appointed as a Legion commander outside of the performance tests. Because of your ranking you will have to defend your high ranking. It would be a scandal if you were paired with a D-Class resident. Especially since now the mates are no longer anonymous. Everyone would assume that you received your new classification unjustly. This could lead to riots, which we need to avoid. Do you understand that?”

  I nod guiltily. I never thought about it like that.

  “Let me try again,” I say to A350. I feel more euphoric than before. She nods and goes back to her starting position.

  “Okay. Three, two, one... Go!”

  This time doesn’t differ as much from previous trials. A350 fires at me. I fire at her. I get whisked over the battlefield. Although I have good stamina, it leaves after some time and A350 hits me in the back. I lost. Again.

  “So, nothing. That’s the best you can do? Nothing?” She scolds me and looks at me desperately. Obviously she does not know how to continue. Thoughtfully she looks at her laser device. Unusual situations require unusual measures,” she mutters to herself as she changes the settings on the device. Previously it was set to beam mode so that it would not be able to really hurt anyone, but now she has changed the mode. Now I will feel every hit of the beam, similar to being lashed with a whip. This is the setting fighters defending the Legion use. There is also a lethal function, but this function is not normally applied, except in extreme emergencies. Whether or not they deemed the attack on the black market an extreme emergency or not remains to be seen.

  Anxiously I look toward A350, “Is that really necessary?”

  Her face remains hard, “Maybe you only learn when you have something to lose.”

  We go back to our starting places, “Okay. Three, two, one... Go!”

  Already with her first shot I can feel the difference. Although it did not touch me, I can feel the air as it hisses past my ear. I am afraid of being hit by one of the beams, I hardly aim my laser to return fire, whereupon A350 shouts, “Shoot, do not flee!”

  Of course she can say that, she knows that my beams won’t hurt if they hit her. I crouch down as a beam flies across my back. In the beginning, it’s just a burning pain, which feels almost refreshing, but a stinging remains that makes it almost impossible to sit up again. I inhale a deep breath as the next shot hits my upper arm. I cry out in pain. Only from the corner of my eye do I perceive the white fabric of my suit turning red.

  A350 has no pity on me and shoots relentlessly. “Defend yourself!” She asks me angrily. Equally angry I whirl and fire a shot in her direction. At this moment I wish that my beam would hurt her as much as hers hurt me, maybe then she would hold back with her suggestions. I do like Clyde did yesterday and run straight for her, but I have to duck and dodge each of her shots. Already her next shot has glanced the side of my face and singed my left eyebrow. I have almost achieved my goal and my speed seems to increase. In the next moment my leg connects with full force against her right knee. She screams out in pain and falls. My next blast lands directly on her heart. A350 lost... and I won. Incredible!

  Instead of getting angry about my victory, A350 jumps up happily and hugs me in her arms. “Fantastic! At least you have shown the necessary fighting spirit. I knew it was in you somewhere.”

  Her praise makes me forget the pain of my wounds and I begin to blush.

  “That was really great,” Clyde says, and the others come along too.

  Zoe nods approvingly. “The most difficult thing is to use all of your skills at the same time and not think only of escape.”

  “I think you have earned yourselves a break,” A350 winks to us. It’s still weird for me to experience emotion from a Legion commander. Though she always seemed different from the other Legion commanders. She is a warm being.

  As Finn is not here, I sit down with the others. Asha sighs loudly with a glance in my direction. “You’re really lucky you have a high ranking from the outset. If I were to reach your rank, I would have to win five fights.”

  I do not know what to say. To say that I would trade places with her if I could would be a lie. But at the same time my high position also places me under tremendous pressure. It’s not just about winning, but about proving to A350 that I deserve her support.

  Zoe taps me gently on the shoulder and points to my injured arm. “Did it hurt much?”

  The bleeding has stopped. “At first yes, but after a second I no longer felt it. It actually even helped me concentrate.”

  “What would happen if someone went into the mating battles with their laser set to battle mode?” Asha asks suddenly.

  “That person would be pretty stupid. They would spend the rest of their life in a cell in the sickbay,” Ruby replies immediately with a menacing look in Asha’s direction. Asha raises her arms defensively. “It was just a question...”

  “Has it happened before?” Zoe says curiously.

  “Just once, but not during a fight itself,” Ruby replies defensively. From her curt remark, it is clear she will not give us any more information.

  Surprisingly, A350 jumps into the conversation. “During the last mating battle, one of the fighters went haywire and after mortally wounding several residents, he fled.”

  “Was he captured?”

  A350 shakes her head. She is speaking of Paul. He was one of the rebels, the only one to really escape from the Western Legion. He must be from the same generation as Ruby. I wonder if they knew each other? I throw a glance in her direction. She has been through this before. She is already a mother and does not know who the father is, or who her child is. Outwardly she acts tough and aloof, as if no one could harm her, but now she seems different. Is this information about Paul tormenting her?

  Zoe taps me again on the shoulder and makes a sign that I should follow her outside the circle. Curious, I obey.

  “What’s up?”

  “Can you take me to see my mother tonight?”

  I know how important it is for her and I already figured she would request it. But it’s still not easy to deny her.

  “I can’t. Not on successive days. I cannot replace the camera shots every day. I was almost caught this morning.”

  “Everyone is busy with the mating battles at the moment. I’m sure no one cares about the footage.”

  I shake my head apologetically. “A350 is already suspicious. We need to train for the fights. I do not want to disappoint, not now.”

  Zoe looks suspiciously in A350’s direction. “What if she would allow it?”

  “She would never allow it!” I say without hesitation.

  “I want to see my mother,” Zoe replies and marches purposefully toward A350. I remain in shock, but before I can stop her, she is already talking to A350.

  “Legion commander A350, I have a request of you.”

  Skeptical, A350 looks to her. “Yes?”

  Surely she thinks Zoe will ask for permission to train with me.

  “Z318 is my mother, and you know as well as I that in the Legion it may not be common for parents to care about the welfare of their children, but with us it’s different. I love my mother and she loves me. Therefore, I ask you to allow me to see her. I want to see her before I become a mother.”

  I am surprised that she told A350 th
at. Even more surprising is A350’s facial expressions during Zoe’s speech. While at first she seemed annoyed and critical at the beginning, her eyes softened toward the end almost sympathetically. She nods to Zoe in understanding.

  “Whether you believe it or not, your mother and I are not as dissimilar as you might assume. I can understand very well and that is why I will not stand in the way of your request. I will even take you to her personally.”

  Tears well up in Zoe’s eyes. I’m sure neither of us expected such a response.

  “Really?” She exclaims in disbelief.

  “As long as it remains between us,” A350 replies simply.

  Zoe immediately agrees, “Thank you!”

  “Will you join us?” A350 turns to me.

  “If I may.”

  “I beg you to come, there’s something you should see.”

  I do not understand what she means by that and look at her questioningly, but A350 is mysteriously quiet.

  When we re-enter the sickbay that night, Zoe and I follow A350 to Maggie’s cell.

  “I’m nervous, even though I’m just visiting my mother,” Zoe whispered to me, laughing. “Like this is the most normal thing in the world. I can’t believe she’s alive!”

  “How did you know, or thought you knew, that she had died?”

  “The Legion told me that all the rebels had died in the attack and that I was the only survivor. I later learned from Ruby that it was not true. That was before I knew my mother was still alive.”

  “Why did the Legion tell you that your whole family was wiped out if they really wanted you on their side? You must have hated them for it,” I wonder aloud.

  “Before you are all alone in the world, you would rather ally with your enemy,” A350 says, meddling into our conversation. But Zoe shakes her head vehemently. “I will never belong to the Legion, whether my family is dead or alive.”