Aurora (The Exodus Trilogy) by Andreas Christensen Read Free Book Online Page B

quad bike patrols.
    “Ah, you’re always so… right!” Geena exclaimed. Kicking at the dirt, she looked like a teenager still, just like Maria remembered her from that sunny morning back in Arizona, when they had first met. She remembered the pink pants, the silver belt, the golden movie-star hair, and the enormous sunglasses. The thing that had made the strongest impression on her, in that absurd situation, was Geena’s wide grin, perfect white teeth from ear to ear. Now, she looked almost grumpy. Maria was about to tell her how it didn’t become her, when she saw the twinkle in her eye. That was the old Geena, she thought. She started laughing softly, and it was as if they read each other’s minds. Geena grinned then, and those perfect teeth lit up the entire world, just as they had on that day so long ago.
    BEN WATERS
    Ben didn’t know this Thomas Dunn fellow very well, but he’d heard the rumors. They said he was close to Governor Havelar, and being summoned to his office couldn’t be anything good. He’d thought he was finished with being nervous, but something about this man made the hairs on his neck stand up. Maybe it was just the setting, as if being interrogated, or having an important exam. Or it could be the questions; several of them were way beyond intimate. He noticed Thomas staring at him, waiting.
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that last one,” he stuttered. Thomas Dunn repeated the question.
    “Did you ever go any further?” he asked. Ben had no idea why he had to answer these questions, which were highly inappropriate. But he had been taught to obey, and to hold a low profile. He shook his head.
    “No, sir.” Thomas motioned for him to continue, so he did.
    “We never got the chance. I was… picked up by General Hayden’s men, and I never saw her again” Thomas’s hands danced across the keyboard as he entered Ben’s response.
    “So you’re still a virgin then? I mean, technically.” Red faced, Ben nodded, staring down at his knees. Thomas must have noticed, because he stopped typing, and gave him a quick smile.
    “Don’t worry, kid, your secret’s safe with me.” Then he reached out and got a soda can for himself and another for Ben.
    “I’m sorry about all this, you know. But it’s for the good of the community.” Ben eyed him sideways, but said nothing. He opened his can and gulped it all down. Since landing on Aurora, he’d never grown accustomed to the facemasks, so being able to breathe freely felt nice. Downing a full can of soda, and not drinking it through a mask with a straw, felt even better. Still, something about all these questions made him queasy. The feeling of being interrogated wasn’t the only thing that unsettled him. It was also that so many of the questions seemed irrelevant to almost anything. Not to mention the fact that he simply didn’t understand what he was doing here. Why had Thomas Dunn—or rather his employer he’d guess, taken such interest in him? After all, he wasn’t even supposed to be here. The kids from the New Discovery were basically stowaways, and they were lucky to be alive. He knew there had been issues over whether or not to let them on board the Exodus, and if not for Admiral Hamilton and Major Hammer and probably a number of others, they would all have been shipped back to Earth. So if there was some sort of mapping or selection now, whatever could it be? He and the kids had already been through the sessions with the shrink, Taylor something, and also the “debrief” sessions with both administration and military. Their stories were already well known.
    “Okay then. I guess that’s enough about sex for now,” Thomas finally said. Ben let out a deep breath of relief, which Thomas seemed to notice.
    “So, let’s move on to the mental issues, shall we?” he grinned, as Ben slumped back in his chair.
    MARIA SOLIS
    The rains had come earlier than expected, and the second harvest had been only partially completed.