Chapter 44: Tempers Flare
In the Agriculture Zone, Yassme, Scott, Hamlet, fluffy Lily, and X were having a picnic. Yassme was using this time to test the mind voice devices she had made for Hamlet, fluffy Lily, and the unfinished one for X.
‘How does that feel?’ Yassme asked X.
X’s eyes began to bulge, but no voice was produced by the mind voice.
‘How are you feeling, Hamlet?’ asked Yassme as she turned to Hamlet.
‘Okay, I want to eat more,’ said Hamlet through the mind voice.
Scott promptly picked up a few slices of fruit and placed them in Hamlet’s mouth.
‘Would you like some more fruit too?’ Yassme asked X.
X nodded his head, and the mind voice made a crackling sound.
‘Looks like I have some work to do,’ said Yassme as she handed X a slice of pineapple.
‘Your sister is coming to join us, friend,’ said Scott as he looked over at Yassmay, who was heading towards them.
‘More likely to cause trouble,’ replied Yassme as she looked over at Yassmay as she continued to approach.
‘She’s not having my pineapples,’ said Hamlet through the mind voice.
It soon became apparent she was carrying something.
‘Woah!’ exclaimed Hamlet through the mind voice. ‘That maniac is carrying a mega needle.’
‘Hey everyone,’ called out Yassmay. ‘I just need a small favour. It won’t take long.’
‘Sure, as long as whoever you need to perform the favour consents to it,’ said Yassme as she stood up to greet Yassmay.
‘Shouldn’t be a problem,’ said Yassmay in a chirpy tone. ‘I can see everyone is wearing their... headgear.’
‘Yes, headgear,’ said Yassme as she placed her hands on her hips. ‘X’s headgear is not ready yet. This is more of a fitting.’
‘I was thinking if I took a huge sample, I wouldn’t have to come back again,’ said Yassmay.
‘That’s crazy!’ said Hamlet through the mind voice. ‘It’s going to hurt more than being stabbed by a sword.’
‘I’ll be extra gentle,’ said Yassmay in a reassuring tone.
‘Is this really necessary?’ asked Yassme. ‘You only just took a good-sized sample.’
‘We didn’t have as much success as we had hoped,’ said Yassmay in a slightly sad tone. ‘However, we remain optimistic. X is our best chance at the moment.’
Yassme looked at X, who was now hugging Hamlet and trembling.
‘I’m guessing he doesn’t consent,’ said Yassme, shaking her head.
‘Are you serious!’ said Yassmay angrily. ‘Sapiens are dying every day. X will suffer some pain for a minute or two, and then he’ll be fine.’
‘Okay, calm down,’ said Yassme. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’
Yassmay huffed angrily.
Yassme turned to X and said, ‘If you let her take a few litres of blood, you’ll be a hero.’
X stared blankly at the big needle Yassmay was holding.
‘I’ll hold your hand through this,’ said Yassme. She turned to Yassmay and nodded.
Yassme held X’s hand out, and Yassmay jabbed him hard with the needle. X began to howl. After around a minute, Yassmay had filled her two-litre tube.
‘You did it,’ said Yassme as she patted X’s hand. ‘You’re incredibly brave.’
X fell backwards and began laughing.
‘Right, I’m off,’ said Yassmay. ‘This will keep us going for a while.’
Yassme began to fake cough.
‘Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you,’ said Yassmay as she was about to turn to leave.
‘Please stay,’ said Yassme. ‘We have plenty of food.’
‘I need to get his sample back,’ said Yassmay. ‘I have a lot of work to do.’
‘You’d rather spend time with her than me,’ said Yassme.
‘I spend time with Orcilla to work,’ said Yassmay. ‘We have so much to do.’
‘You can’t even remember the name of my mind voice even though I try to talk to you about it all the time,’ said Yassme angrily. ‘Yet with Orcilla, you hang off her every word.’
‘Orcilla is trying to save us all,’ said Yassmay. ‘Her work is critical. Of course I listen to everything she says.’
‘So my work isn’t important,’ said Yassme as she began to raise her voice.
‘Not really,’ said Yassmay. ‘We would all be better off if you worked on a cure. Apparently, you’re too selfish to do that.’
‘I suppose you think Orcilla is selfless,’ remarked Yassme as her anger became visible in her eyes.
‘She sacrifices her own health to give us more time to find a cure,’ replied Yassmay. ‘How much more selfless can anyone be?’
‘How can you be so blind?’ said Yassme as she began to raise her voice again. ‘She took away Daddy because she was jealous he loved us and not her. Now she wants to split us up because we have the most beautiful bond imaginable.’
‘You call him “Daddy”, but he was a monster; Orcilla spared us,’ said Yassmay, sounding emotional. ‘Our bond is breaking because of you. You chose to run off and do your own thing. Orcilla wants us working together.’
‘Go then, work with her,’ said Yassme in a less emotional tone. ‘Before you do, ask her why the Sentray destroyed the Capital and ate our father.’
Yassmay looked at her sister; she frowned and then turned and walked away.
‘I’m sorry, I’ve eaten all the food,’ said Hamlet through the mind voice.
‘You never need to be sorry,’ said Yassme as she put her arms around Hamlet. ‘I love you just the way you are.’
‘We should do this again tomorrow,’ said Scott as he walked off with fluffy Lily.
That evening, L7 Linap decided to take a walk. Ten minutes into his walk, he noticed he was being followed by two Sapiens. To confuse his pursuers, he decided to cut between apartment blocks. Once he was sure he was out of sight, he ran around the apartment block to get behind the two pursuers.
‘Oh no, we lost him,’ said one of the pursuers.
‘At least we can report back that he’s suspicious,’ said the other one in a more upbeat tone.
‘Who might that be?’ asked L7 Linap as he came up from behind them.
‘Oh, nothing,’ said one of them to L7 Linap.
‘You’re following me, and I don’t appreciate it,’ said L7 Linap angrily to both of them. ‘I don’t like stalkers.’
‘We’re not stalkers, friend,’ said one of them firmly. ‘We’re crack enforcers.’
Orcilla was in the laboratory tidying up for the day when L7 Linap stormed in.
‘You lied to us,’ blurted out L7 Linap aggressively. ‘You’re holding us captive. We’re not residents.’
‘Okay, calm down,’ said Orcilla as she turned to face L7 Linap. ‘Tell me what happened.’
‘Your enforcers are following us around!’ said L7 Linap. ‘That is a huge breach of our trust.’
‘Yes, they are observing you,’ replied Orcilla. ‘I assure you that’s all it is. They will not interfere with your lives. The residents of Downs are not familiar with you. We need to offer them reassurance that you are not a threat.’
‘What next, guards at our building, curfews, and head counts?’ said L7 Linap in a desperate tone. ‘I didn’t wake to live through this again.’
‘You’re remembering more things,’ said Orcilla as she approached him.
‘Yes, not sure, maybe,’ said L7 Linap as he rubbed his hands over his face. ‘Sometimes I see or hear things. Running, shouting, screaming.’
‘It’s okay. Take it easy,’ she said as she put her arm around his shoulders. ‘Whatever you’re remembering, it’s not like that here.’
L7 Linap pushed her back. ‘We just want our space,’ said L7 Linap as his voice returned to normal. ‘We’ll keep you updated on what we remember, and you keep us updated on whatever information you have.’
‘Okay, I’ll talk to the enforcers,’ replied Orcilla. ‘I’ll make sure you have more space.’
‘You make sure of that,’ said L7 Linap as he turned to leave. On his way out, he encountered Yassmay. She was carrying a tray of burritos.
‘These look good,’ said L7 Linap to Yassmay. ‘Would you mind if I took two? One for my son and me.’
‘No problem, help yourself,’ replied Yassmay, sounding surprised.
‘Thanks,’ replied L7 Linap as he grabbed two burritos. Then he left the laboratory.
‘That was awkward,’ said Orcilla as she approached Yassmay. ‘Still, it’s a sign we’re making progress.’
‘He took Yassme’s,’ said Yassmay with a worried look on her face.
‘Don’t worry, you made plenty,’ said Orcilla as she shook her head. ‘She can have any one of these other ones.’
A little later in L7 Linap and Duffo’s apartment, Duffo unwrapped the burrito his father had handed him. Inside the burrito was a note. Duffo read the note and looked over at L7 Linap.
‘That’s a great idea,’ said Duffo. ‘We should all have a picnic tomorrow.’
Sapien Loop: End of an Era
Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time is the sequel to the book Sapien Loop: End of an Era. Sapien Loop: End of an Era is available on Amazon, in collection series on my @spectrumecons account, and in individual chapters in my @captainhive account.
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