weren’t for the strange-looking box laying half-inside the pack’s open mouth, I wouldn’t even believe it could hold anything. The box is just slightly larger than the palm of my hand, with a wide slot in the middle surrounded by metal teeth.
“What’s this?” I ask, picking up the small metal mouth and showing it to Adam.
He looks up for a split-second before returning his gaze to the screen. “That’s the sustenance generator. Put any organic matter in there and it’ll churn out the nutrients in edible form. I haven’t had to use it yet, but I’ll be glad to have it when I run out of bars.”
“Huh,” I murmur, intrigued. “ Any matter?”
“Sure, although obviously plant-based tends to be preferred.”
“You skyboys have it even better than I thought. I guess a sustenance generator wouldn’t do us much good anyway, though. You may not have noticed, but it’s not quite as lush on the surface as it is down here.”
“You never know. Tree bark, rocks… you’d be surprised what that thing can shake out. And worst comes to worst, there’s always hair. Tastes awful, but you’d be surprised what you’re willing to stomach in a pinch. Just don’t put your finger in there,” he cautions. “I know more than one person who’s made that mistake before.”
My face screws up in disgust and Adam laughs. “I’m joking,” he says. “Lighten up.”
Annoyed, I kneel to replace the generator in Adam’s pack. I’m about to stand back up when a glint of shiny metal catches my eye, just off to the side, half buried underneath the corner of a pillow that’s flopped onto the floor. It’s a bit bigger than I remember, but there’s no mistaking it.
The machine. Just like the one I found in the Dead Woods.
Just like the one that began all of this.
Chapter 9
I reach out and pick up the machine, testing its familiar weight in my palm.
“And this?” I call back to Adam, trying to keep a tone of indifference to my voice. “What’s this?”
He looks up and his eyes meet my mine for a split second. I quickly look away.
“Oh, that’s nothing really,” he says, returning his gaze to the screen in his hands without missing a beat. “Just part of an old biostatic conversion unit. It’s broken, I meant to trash it.”
“Oh,” I say, turning my back to him. I know it’s wrong to take it, but explaining my interest in a piece of broken skyworld technology might elicit too many questions from Adam, and I’ve given him enough information for one day.
There’s another 3,000 credits attached to this. That would be enough for Mica—it’d have to be. It’s trash to Adam anyway, he said so himself…
My mind goes through a list of justifications as I slip the machine into my pocket. It causes the fabric to bulge out so noticeably that I might as well have a sign attached to my leg. I quickly stand and head towards my backpack, hoping to put the machine inside, but the movement draws Adam’s attention and I can’t make the switch. Instead, I hold the pack in front of my leg in an attempt to conceal my swollen pocket.
“So, look…” I say awkwardly, “I really need to get going. This has been fascinating, but I think I’m about maxed out on crazy underground technology and lost skyboys for today. I’ve been gone a long time and I don’t even know how far I am from home, so… I need to get back to my brother.”
“Right,” Adam says. He stands up and pushes a button on the side of the tablet. The screen goes blank. “Let’s go then.”
“Um, what?” I say. “You’re not coming with me.”
“Why not?” he says. “You need me to show you how to get out of the dome, don’t you?”
“Well, yeah, but—” I look around the room before settling my eyes back on his face. “Why would you even want to go to Sixteen?”
“I don’t intend on living down here for the rest of my life. I need to continue my research and now that I have someone who might actually know where to go
“What’s this?” I ask, picking up the small metal mouth and showing it to Adam.
He looks up for a split-second before returning his gaze to the screen. “That’s the sustenance generator. Put any organic matter in there and it’ll churn out the nutrients in edible form. I haven’t had to use it yet, but I’ll be glad to have it when I run out of bars.”
“Huh,” I murmur, intrigued. “ Any matter?”
“Sure, although obviously plant-based tends to be preferred.”
“You skyboys have it even better than I thought. I guess a sustenance generator wouldn’t do us much good anyway, though. You may not have noticed, but it’s not quite as lush on the surface as it is down here.”
“You never know. Tree bark, rocks… you’d be surprised what that thing can shake out. And worst comes to worst, there’s always hair. Tastes awful, but you’d be surprised what you’re willing to stomach in a pinch. Just don’t put your finger in there,” he cautions. “I know more than one person who’s made that mistake before.”
My face screws up in disgust and Adam laughs. “I’m joking,” he says. “Lighten up.”
Annoyed, I kneel to replace the generator in Adam’s pack. I’m about to stand back up when a glint of shiny metal catches my eye, just off to the side, half buried underneath the corner of a pillow that’s flopped onto the floor. It’s a bit bigger than I remember, but there’s no mistaking it.
The machine. Just like the one I found in the Dead Woods.
Just like the one that began all of this.
Chapter 9
I reach out and pick up the machine, testing its familiar weight in my palm.
“And this?” I call back to Adam, trying to keep a tone of indifference to my voice. “What’s this?”
He looks up and his eyes meet my mine for a split second. I quickly look away.
“Oh, that’s nothing really,” he says, returning his gaze to the screen in his hands without missing a beat. “Just part of an old biostatic conversion unit. It’s broken, I meant to trash it.”
“Oh,” I say, turning my back to him. I know it’s wrong to take it, but explaining my interest in a piece of broken skyworld technology might elicit too many questions from Adam, and I’ve given him enough information for one day.
There’s another 3,000 credits attached to this. That would be enough for Mica—it’d have to be. It’s trash to Adam anyway, he said so himself…
My mind goes through a list of justifications as I slip the machine into my pocket. It causes the fabric to bulge out so noticeably that I might as well have a sign attached to my leg. I quickly stand and head towards my backpack, hoping to put the machine inside, but the movement draws Adam’s attention and I can’t make the switch. Instead, I hold the pack in front of my leg in an attempt to conceal my swollen pocket.
“So, look…” I say awkwardly, “I really need to get going. This has been fascinating, but I think I’m about maxed out on crazy underground technology and lost skyboys for today. I’ve been gone a long time and I don’t even know how far I am from home, so… I need to get back to my brother.”
“Right,” Adam says. He stands up and pushes a button on the side of the tablet. The screen goes blank. “Let’s go then.”
“Um, what?” I say. “You’re not coming with me.”
“Why not?” he says. “You need me to show you how to get out of the dome, don’t you?”
“Well, yeah, but—” I look around the room before settling my eyes back on his face. “Why would you even want to go to Sixteen?”
“I don’t intend on living down here for the rest of my life. I need to continue my research and now that I have someone who might actually know where to go
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