I choose my words carefully. “It’s not much. I just need you to sleep upside down in your pod for the next few weeks for me.”
“Why?”
“I just need you to sleep upside down and tell me if you feel any different.” Before she has a chance to ask any more questions I add, “I can’t tell you any more without ruining the experiment.”
I watch as she struggles with her curiosity. “Sure, okay,” she finally agrees. “Just let me know what your end results are. Now I’m intrigued.”
“Hey, maybe you can convince Jackson to sleep upside down too. It would be interesting to get a male’s feedback as well.” Hopefully, having both of them disconnected from the pods will speed the de-programming process.
Andi shrugs. “Sure. Do you want me to ask Jeremy too?” I resist hugging her which would make her suspicious.
“Sure. Why not?” I walk a few steps ahead to hide how happy she’s just made me.
As we fill up our trays with breakfast, Andi talks about our jobs and the rec hall plans for the night. I’m hopeful that everything is back to normal between us. With my plate full, I walk toward the seating section, but Andi doesn’t follow. I walk back and find her still standing by the breakfast bar looking perplexed.
“I usually eat breakfast in the kitchen with Jackson.” She shifts her weight uneasily before adding, “You’re welcome to join us.” Her words sound sincere, but her eyes don’t meet mine.
I tell myself it’s for the best that she really doesn’t want my company. I have no desire to eat in a hot, greasy kitchen while Andi makes googly eyes at Jackson. I know the feelings aren’t real and she can’t control them, but it still hurts having Andi pick him over me, especially when she knows I’m in pain. I wave it off as though it’s no big deal.
“Nah, you two love birds have fun. I could use some quiet time while I wait for the caffeine to kick in.” I disappear into the dining hall.
When I get to the lab, Ryan’s there talking with Jake, but the instant I enter the room their conversation abruptly stops.
“I’m just here to deliver a message for Troy,” Ryan says in an overly-cordial tone I was once very familiar with. “You left dinner last night before he had a chance to ask you.” He waits. Maybe he expects me to explain where I disappeared to last night. I only went back to the lab to bury myself in work, but let him wonder.
“Ask me what?” I prompt.
“Troy wants us to join him at the zoo today after lunch.” Ryan’s voice sounds strained, as if he’s leery of my reaction.
“Zoo?” I ask in surprise. “Since when do we have a zoo?”
“Some of the scientists got together and converted one of the bio-domes to hold samples of all the animals we’ve discovered. Troy heard about us being banned from the field work and figured it would be a nice treat,” Ryan explains in a rush. I get the feeling he’s waiting for me to repeat yesterday’s quick exit.
I’d love to get a firsthand look at all the creatures, but can I enjoy myself with Ryan there?
“I’ll stay here and work on the database.” Ryan seems to know my thoughts. “You should go. It’ll be fun for you.”
That’s when I catch sight of Jake’s face. Back on Earth, kids wore that same expression whenever their divorced parents came in close proximity to each other: a mix of hope and dread. This time, however, I’m the one responsible for the look. I need to push my feelings aside or we won’t have a team left by the time Dr. Brant allows us back into the field.
“You should come too,” I tell Ryan. “We could all use a break from the monotony of the database.” I look at Jake. “Do you and Molly want to come?”
Jake is visibly relieved. “We’d like to, but Elliot wants us at the field lab today. I was just on my way over when I ran into Ryan.”
“More cleaning?”
“Would the great and awesome Elliot ever let us do anything else?” Jake asks and bows in mock worship of the absent Elliot. I’m torn between laughing and crying for him. “I should go before the royal highness notices my absence. You guys have fun.”
My resolve to be nice wavers when Jake leaves. Ryan shifts his weight from foot to foot and fidgets. He looks like a child waiting for a teacher’s approval. I suspect he’s waiting for an invitation to stay, but I’m not ready to give it. I walk around him and sit down at my computer.
“I’ll meet you at the northeast gate after lunch.” Bitterness tinges his voice and when I glance up he’s wearing a forlorn puppy dog expression. I swear under my breath when the door closes behind him.
Most of the bio-domes border the base on the east. However there are a few bio-domes on the northwest corner of the base reserved for scientific research. The zoo has been setup in one of the smallest domes which directly connect to the perimeter fence.
It’s Troy’s first visit to the zoo and his excitement shows. He claims that he’s never seen anything except the few animals that dare to venture near the fence. I’m lucky to have a job that
usually
allows me to venture outside of the base.
I know Troy means this to be a treat for Ryan and me, but I’m horrified by what I see. The zoo is basically a wide variety of animals stuffed into aquariums and cages much too small for any kind of long-term care. The fact that their suffering isn’t for scientific research, but for personal enjoyment sickens me even more.
An enux sits with its legs tucked under itself and its head curled under its wing. The large, flightless bird is built for long distance speed, but I doubt it can stand without hitting its head. A slimy toad–like thing hops back and forth from one side of its glass tank to the other. An eel-like creature I recognize as an Angula sits curled up in its water bowl; someone has mistakenly put it in an environment suited for a snake.
“Who’s responsible for all these animals?” I ask.
“I’m not sure. One of my coworkers told me about the zoo. I can see if he knows.” Troy taps on an animal’s tank. “Is this thing alive?”
I look at a tiny, emaciated bird. “Barely.” I walk over to the supply area and find some grubs. I tear the screen cover off the tank.
Troy looks around nervously. “You could get in trouble for that. They’ve really been cracking down on safely protocols across the base.”
“I’m not about to let him starve because of a rule or two. Besides, this place is open to the public and has unsealed cages. If the animals haven’t been properly examined and deemed safe for human contact, the blame falls on whoever’s in charge.” I reach in the cage, take the food bowl, and dump the uneaten seed onto the trash. The minute the bird eyes the bowl’s new contents it flutters its wings, hops over and eagerly pecks and swallows grub after grub. I eventually have to remove the bowl before the bird becomes sick from overeating. I turn back to Troy.
“And yes, please ask your friend who runs the zoo. They may have good intentions, but these animals are needlessly suffering.”
“Brett,” Ryan calls.
Alarmed by his tone, I hurry over to the cage he’s inspecting and cover my mouth. I think I’m looking at a meerkit, but it’s unlike any meerkit I’ve ever seen. Instead of a vibrant blue or purple, the animal is a dull blue-gray color, and a jagged red line etches the back of her right hand and arm. She lies listlessly on her back, and barely blinks when I tap on the metal cage.
“What happened to her?” I ask.
“I don’t know, but she looks really sick,” Ryan says. “This is heartbreaking.” For a second, his eyes lift to my face, and I sense he’s talking about more than just the animals.
I coo and purr at the creature, try to coax her closer. She briefly meets my eyes, but then stares blankly at the top of her cage again. “We need to find out who’s in charge. Now.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you guys.” Troy looks absolutely miserable.
I catch hold of his arm. “Don’t you dare feel bad about this. You didn’t cause this mess. In fact bringing us here was a good thing. Because of you, these animals will finally get the help they need.”
After visiting half the field labs and most of the base labs, Ryan and I find someone who’ll actually admit they have anything to do with the zoo. That person tells us to find a botanist named Noah, and points us in the direction of his base lab. As I storm toward the lab, Ryan steps in front of me and forces me to stop. I try sidestepping, but he takes hold of my arms.
“You can yell at me all you want later,” he says. “Right now you need to calm down. Chewing this guy out will make you feel better, but it won’t help the animals. You’ll accomplish more by being nice.”
I ball my fists and grind my teeth. I know he’s right, but that fact does nothing to calm me. I close my eyes and force myself to take slow deep breaths. Eventually I feel my muscles relax and my heartbeat take on a more regular rhythm.
“Fine. I’ll be nice.”
Ryan holds me for a moment longer as his eyes search my face. Satisfied I’ve calmed, he lets me go and we enter the lab.
Noah spins in his chair and greets us with a goofy ear-to-ear smile. “What brings you to my lair today?” I briefly wonder if his addiction to whatever his preferred role-playing game is the reason the animals are in such poor condition. Ryan sends me a warning look.
I reign in my temper. “We visited the zoo today and had a few questions for you.”
“Ah you had the pleasure of visiting my ark.” Seeing our puzzled looks, he clarifies. “You know, because I’m Noah and I have two of every animal. Well, not exactly two of each, but you get the idea, right?”
I’m tempted to explain my puzzled look is a reaction to his lame joke, but I think of the animals and bite back the words. “Are you the only person taking care of all those animals or do you have other people that help?” I ask.
“Nope, just me.” He actually sounds proud. “There are a few scientists that help with collecting, but they really don’t like the feeding and cleaning part of everything.”
“That’s a lot of work. Maybe you should release some of the older displays. It would make room for new animals or at least cut down on your workload.” I offer.
His eyes widen. “Oh, no. I couldn’t do that. The only reason the other scientists bring me the animals is because I’ve promised to return them for dissection.”
“Well,” Ryan says before I explode. “It’s obvious you need some help. Let us take care of some of the feeding and cleaning.”
Noah wearily eyes us. “I don’t know. I’ve invested a lot of time and work into this. I don’t need a couple of hotshots swooping in and taking credit.”
Ryan sidesteps in front of me, physically blocking my path to Noah. “I don’t think the zoo is something you
want
to take credit for right now,” he says, his voice unbelievably calm. “Animals are cramped in improper environments and in some cases starving. We have no interest in stealing credit. We want to help and you’d be wise to take advantage of that.”
I watch as Noah’s face reddens. “Don’t you dare point fingers at me!” he hollers. “You have no idea how hard it is to figure out proper habitats and food for animals when you have absolutely no information. And don’t tell me to look them up in the database.
That thing
is a joke.”
Ryan towers over the seated Noah. “How those animals are being treated isn’t a joke,” he says quietly. “You have a meerkit so sick that it’s lost all of its color.”
“Ha! Sapphire? That monkey’s lucky to be alive. She was found badly injured just a few weeks ago. I took her in and bandaged her up. As far as I can tell, she doesn’t have any infections. She’s been drinking and eating all the fruit I give her. The color loss is probably a seasonal thing. It
is
almost winter, you know.”
“Fine,” Ryan growls. “That’s one animal that may not be as bad off as she looks, but do you seriously think Dr. Brant will allow the zoo to continue if she knows the state of the rest of these animals?”
So much for Ryan’s plan to be nice. At the rate he’s going, we’ll have no choice except telling Dr. Brant, but I don’t want the zoo closed – who knows what would happen to the animals. I could learn so much taking care of them and studying them up close, and then maybe being banned from the field wouldn’t be so bad. I decide to try a new strategy, some good cop bad cop. I tug Ryan’s shirt and pull him backward. Then I slide past him and saunter up to Noah, channeling every bit of flirty cheerleader I can muster.
“That’s exactly where we can help,” I purr. “We’ve been assigned to rebuild the database. We’ve been working our way through months and months of data. That’s how I know the proper food and habitats for all your animals.” I tilt my head toward Ryan. “He’s just a plant guy and is really only good for cage cleaning.” I pause to twirl my hair around my finger and bat my eyes. Behind me, Ryan coughs to mask his laugh, but my act has done its job. Noah’s jaw hangs loose, and I’m sure if I look close enough I’d find some drool. “You’d really be doing me a favor. I can’t get back into the field until the database is done. Taking care of the animals is just the thing I need to cheer myself up. So will you please let us help you?”
Noah blinks a few times then stammers, “Yeah sure, whatever you want. I’d love your help.”
I consider asking Noah to release just Sapphire. In his current state Noah just might agree, but I doubt Sapphire could travel the short distance back to her home. As sick as she looks, her family might not accept her back. I’ll have to nurse her back to health first. I just hope I can.
“Great,” I coo. “We’ll get right to work on the animals.”
Ryan and I work right up to dinnertime. We muck out the cages, give fresh water to all the animals, and provide an assortment of different foods. We carefully record the amount of each food in order to judge what each animal actually consumes. I transfer a few animals into new habitats, but I still need to get larger cages for many of them. My muscles ache, and though I smell like a barn, I catch myself humming. I’ve been too busy to feel hurt or worry about the pods.
As we try to wash up in the zoo’s tiny sink, Ryan asks, “Dinner?”
“Huh?” I sputter through the water I just splashed on my face.
Ryan tosses me a towel. “Dinner. Do you want to have dinner together?”
Working together is one thing, but am I ready to be friends with him again? I guess there’s only one way to find out. “I need a shower first,” I say.