The Arrival by CM Doporto Read Free Book Online Page B

blue dot. “I can’t.”
    I knew she wanted to tell us something
but feared being recorded. We had no privacy, nowhere to talk, and nowhere to
run from the ever-watching Eslites.
    Then I remembered the bathroom. I knew
for a fact it was technology free. I had reviewed the data and verified that
all three thousand rooms were bug-less. And I wasn’t talking about creepy
critters. Unless they used something else, we were safe. I reached for my
journal and scribbled the word: bathroom , across the page and showed it
Gaby and Kate. Then I tore out the page from my journal, folded it, and stuffed
it into the pocket of my jeans.
    “Shiloh, music please. Favorites
playlist,” I ordered my digital tablet and left it on the counter near my
wardrobe. With the first notes of “Uprising” by Muse, I shook my head. How
appropriate. I double-checked the volume to make sure it would cover our
voices.
    They glanced at me in slight confusion
but followed me to the bathroom. I pressed the close button for the door and
then turned on the shower and the faucets to full blast.
    “What the heck are you doing?” Kate asked,
as I flipped on the exhaust fan.
    “Drowning out our conversation. It’s the
safest way for us to talk without those damn tablets overhearing us.”
    “Oh, great idea,” Kate replied while
Gaby nodded.
    Gaby sat on the toilet seat cover, while
Kate perched on the edge of the tub. I eased to the counter and reclined
against the mirror.
    “I’m sorry. This has been eating me up
for the last few weeks.” Gaby wiped her tears and blew her nose before she
continued. “I promised Dr. Ridus I wouldn’t say anything, but the truth is, I
can’t keep this to myself any longer.”
    Kate and I leaned in closer.
    “The egg extractions and monthly
injections might cause sterility.”
    “Speak English,” Kate pleaded.
    “We may not be able to have children.”
    “What?” I bit my lower lip. “Are you
talking about the hormone injections?”
    “No, I’m talking about the other
injection they give us.”
    “What other injections?”  I searched my
memory and recalled the Eslite order.  “I thought they’re only giving us
hormones and prenatal vitamins.”
    “Of course, that’s what they told you.”
Gaby fidgeted. “I know for a fact that they are doing something else to us.”
    “Like what?” Kate asked.
    “Genetic modification. They’re trying to
make our offspring like them.”
    “What?” I nearly choked on my spit.
    “Is that even possible?” Disbelief echoed
in Kate’s voice.
    “According to Dr. Ridus, the goal is to
produce an offspring that will be nearly one-hundred percent Eslite,” Gaby
explained. “To do this, they are targeting our reproductive cells, or our eggs,
and injecting them with their genetics.”
    We simply stared at Gaby, completely
taken aback by the information. What the hell? I felt totally betrayed by
Dimas. Ugh. I couldn’t wait to give him a piece of my mind. I hated him
more than ever. How could he change my DNA? Didn’t he like me the way God made
me? He didn’t want me as I was; he wanted what he could make me—an Eslite
female.
    “So, they’re shooting us up with their
genes? Won’t that make us one of them? I mean, besides our offspring?” I understood
his warning.
    Just because we possess your eggs
doesn’t mean we are done with humans.
    “I’m not sure about that part. But what
they are doing to us is very risky, and there could be complications. What do
you think happened to Destiny’s cousin and those two other girls? And right now
another girl is in the Med Center with a swollen ovary and enlarged uterus. Dr.
Ridus said she may not survive.”
    “No.” Kate covered her face with her
hands. “This can’t be happening.”
    Gaby stared at the floor. Her reaction
made me wonder if she’d done something against her will. “They may have to do a
complete hysterectomy if they can’t stop the swelling.” She paused and inhaled
deeply. “Dr. Ridus