and carry on his or her duties as an exemplar of bar-coded life.
Kayla looked up at Zekeal. “This is scary. Why do they care if everyone is tattooed? Can’t we all just do what we want?”
Zekeal sighed. “This thing is huge now,” he said. “It might be more than we can fight.”
Kayla had never heard him speak like this. He was usually so confident. His doubt worried her. Was he giving in? Had this new ruling about a required bar code shaken him that deeply?
“What about Senator Young?” she asked. “You still believe in Decode, don’t you?”
Getting up, he slapped the Tattoo Gen manual shut. “Dave Young tried, but look what just happened. It’s depressing. And after today, seeing what I saw in your father’s file … I don’t know.” Zekeal gently drew her up from her chair. “Let’s talk about it over here,” he said, leading her to his faded futon couch.
They sat and he pressed his weight against her until she was lying back, beneath him on the futon. She wrapped her arms around his neck and, closing her eyes, let his warm lips press down on hers.
They rolled together there, straining against each other. Outside, the rain came down with a steady beat. A steady beat … beat … beat …
She is outside the white wall. People around her have fallen to the ground, knocked back by the blast. The man with her is very near. She still can’t see him clearly. There is smoke in the air. Fighter jets are above them. But no more explosives drop.
“Send it away,” the man says to her telepathically. She sees that the people around her are looking up at the jet. Their eyes stare at it, unwavering.
She stares at the jet, too. “Go away. Go away. Go away,” she tells its pilot, thinking hard on her message.
The jet turns and disappears behind some clouds.
The people stream toward an opening in the wall. No one speaks, but she hears their cries clearly in her head. “This way. This way into the city. Hurry.” She is running, following the others toward the opening in the wall.
He’d stopped moving on top of her. “Kayla. Where are you?” he asked, sounding offended. “You’re not here with me.”
Opening her eyes, she drank in his beautiful face. “I am here. I am. Really. I’m with you.” She pulled him to her and held him close, hoping he would never leave her.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I love you.”
They had all arrived at the warehouse meeting, except Nedra. For once Kayla was anxious for her to come. Tonight Zekeal would tell Nedra that his relationship with her was over. After the afternoon she had spent with him, Kayla didn’t think she could go another minute sharing him with anyone else.
“We’ll have to start without her,” August said after a ten-minute wait. “We have to completely rethink the next issue of the ’zine. It’s got to bemuch more forceful. And we need to think about what we’ll do if things get worse. We’re in an emergency now and —”
The warehouse door banged open. Nedra strode across the warehouse. The unfamiliar clack of her footsteps told Kayla that Nedra wore high heels with the straight skirt she had on. Nedra didn’t usually dress like this.
As she came into their circle of light, Kayla saw that Nedra’s arms and legs were covered up and down with colorful, swirling tattoos. It was impossible to tell if they were permanent or not.
Nedra turned seductively in a circle, displaying her new body art. She sidled up to Zekeal and extended her leg through a slit in the skirt. His name was emblazoned in purple up its side.
He stared at it, then up at Nedra. She smiled coolly back at him.
“What’s going on, Nedra?” Allyson asked.
“I wanted you to see the new me,” she replied. “The brand-new me,” she added, stretching her arms wide.
A hushed gasp ran through the group. A bar code tattoo was clearly visible on her right wrist.
“I don’t believe you did that!” Zekeal said to her.
“I’m not getting arrested
Kayla looked up at Zekeal. “This is scary. Why do they care if everyone is tattooed? Can’t we all just do what we want?”
Zekeal sighed. “This thing is huge now,” he said. “It might be more than we can fight.”
Kayla had never heard him speak like this. He was usually so confident. His doubt worried her. Was he giving in? Had this new ruling about a required bar code shaken him that deeply?
“What about Senator Young?” she asked. “You still believe in Decode, don’t you?”
Getting up, he slapped the Tattoo Gen manual shut. “Dave Young tried, but look what just happened. It’s depressing. And after today, seeing what I saw in your father’s file … I don’t know.” Zekeal gently drew her up from her chair. “Let’s talk about it over here,” he said, leading her to his faded futon couch.
They sat and he pressed his weight against her until she was lying back, beneath him on the futon. She wrapped her arms around his neck and, closing her eyes, let his warm lips press down on hers.
They rolled together there, straining against each other. Outside, the rain came down with a steady beat. A steady beat … beat … beat …
She is outside the white wall. People around her have fallen to the ground, knocked back by the blast. The man with her is very near. She still can’t see him clearly. There is smoke in the air. Fighter jets are above them. But no more explosives drop.
“Send it away,” the man says to her telepathically. She sees that the people around her are looking up at the jet. Their eyes stare at it, unwavering.
She stares at the jet, too. “Go away. Go away. Go away,” she tells its pilot, thinking hard on her message.
The jet turns and disappears behind some clouds.
The people stream toward an opening in the wall. No one speaks, but she hears their cries clearly in her head. “This way. This way into the city. Hurry.” She is running, following the others toward the opening in the wall.
He’d stopped moving on top of her. “Kayla. Where are you?” he asked, sounding offended. “You’re not here with me.”
Opening her eyes, she drank in his beautiful face. “I am here. I am. Really. I’m with you.” She pulled him to her and held him close, hoping he would never leave her.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I love you.”
They had all arrived at the warehouse meeting, except Nedra. For once Kayla was anxious for her to come. Tonight Zekeal would tell Nedra that his relationship with her was over. After the afternoon she had spent with him, Kayla didn’t think she could go another minute sharing him with anyone else.
“We’ll have to start without her,” August said after a ten-minute wait. “We have to completely rethink the next issue of the ’zine. It’s got to bemuch more forceful. And we need to think about what we’ll do if things get worse. We’re in an emergency now and —”
The warehouse door banged open. Nedra strode across the warehouse. The unfamiliar clack of her footsteps told Kayla that Nedra wore high heels with the straight skirt she had on. Nedra didn’t usually dress like this.
As she came into their circle of light, Kayla saw that Nedra’s arms and legs were covered up and down with colorful, swirling tattoos. It was impossible to tell if they were permanent or not.
Nedra turned seductively in a circle, displaying her new body art. She sidled up to Zekeal and extended her leg through a slit in the skirt. His name was emblazoned in purple up its side.
He stared at it, then up at Nedra. She smiled coolly back at him.
“What’s going on, Nedra?” Allyson asked.
“I wanted you to see the new me,” she replied. “The brand-new me,” she added, stretching her arms wide.
A hushed gasp ran through the group. A bar code tattoo was clearly visible on her right wrist.
“I don’t believe you did that!” Zekeal said to her.
“I’m not getting arrested
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