Radioactive by Maya Shepherd Read Free Book Online

doctor with her?”
    “We haven’t got all day.”
    Her answer is short and does not tolerate contradiction. With a last worried glance at D560, I leave the conference room and follow A350 through the glass transitions of the Legion ball.
    We walk into a room which is equipped with a giant computer. There are flashing lights, control buttons, and various levers. The most impressive thing is that it is at least ten feet long. It is impossible for me to see the entire device at once. Above the control board there are several screens that show camera footage of the safety zone.
    “This is the heart of the Legion,” A350 announces proudly. A smile forms on her lips. “From here we manage everything and are able to monitor everyone.”
    As if to prove it, she presses a button in front of her and one of the screens switches to show a resident of the safety zone. In the right corner of the screen their name is displayed: B287. The woman is just outside the window of the food allocation department.
    “That’s incredible,” I confess to A350.
    She nods satisfied, and continues. “However, this is the one room that is not monitored. So I will tell you about the control board, but also answer your questions, as promised.”
    “The outcasts are a failed experiment. There was an error.”
    “What kind of experiment?”
    A350 shakes her head with a hint of a frown. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
    I did not think she would come back to that topic on her own. Now I am eager for the rest of the story. “You wanted to tell me about the experiment?”
    A350 lets her gaze on the monitors slide. “There was a time when we could use this computer to look into the outcast’s caves.” Lost in thought, she runs her fingers over a radio dial. “We were even able to communicate with them.”
    Confused, I frown. Why would the rebels have done that?
    A350 notices my suspicions and shrugs. “That was long before your time. The outcasts, or rebels, as you probably know them, were not always as they are today. On the contrary, they were part of the Legion.”
    “Until they fled...” I add gently, but A350 shakes her head.
    “The outcasts may have told you that, but in fact, there was never an escape.” She is silent for a moment before she continues. “About thirty years ago, the Legion created the electric wall. It borders a large area from the outside world and forms a dome over the entire area. At this time, a life outside the safety zone was unimaginable, but within the dome, the Legion began to filter air. They took both ground and water samples. When the values were stable, they started to reintroduce plants and animals into the area. This lasted ten years and has always been a secret of the Legion commanders. Nobody wanted to give the people an early hope for life outside of the safety zone.”
    “What about the air and ground outside of the dome? Are they still radioactive?”
    A350 shrugs her shoulders. “We do not know.”
    I cannot believe her. There is no way the Legion doesn’t know. “Why did you never check it out?”
    “Because there was no reason to continue thinking of resettling the people. Even the dome was a mistake.”
    I have a feeling that she is being honest to me at this point and is not trying to hide something. “Why?” I want to know.
    “We’ll get there soon enough,” she explained patiently. “After the plants and animals successfully integrated into their new environment, five Legion commanders volunteered to live in the open country. Two of them you may know, A175 and A176,”
    Now I see the two loving faces of Marie and Gustav before my eyes. I can feel her wrinkled, but warm, hands on my cheeks. From the beginning they treated me warmly and understood me more than anyone else. Especially Marie, she radiated an inner warmth, when you were near her you had no choice but to feel secure. But I say nothing of this to A350 and simply nod my head.
    “They organized together with three others to