Bubble

Chapter 22

"Is this a good one?" I spread out the leaves of the plant I was holding out so Dr. Truman could get a good look at it. The doctor inspected it for a moment before nodding her head, making her ponytail swish back and forth.

"You know, you're really good at this. You're the best intern we've ever had. And in a few years, you'll probably be the best scientist we've ever had."

I grinned at Dr. Truman's compliment. I tried my hardest everyday, and nothing made me happier than her recognition.

I stood up from my crouching position on the ground and walked over to the back of a truck-like vehicle, where I put the plant in a small pot and placed in a crate filled with dozens of others just like it. The lab team had gone out to the fields for the day to stock up on more of the plant specimens they needed for research, and Dr. Truman had kindly invited me along, saying that they were "lucky to have such a talented new scientist on their team".

I removed my blue latex gloves for a break and reached into my bag for my water bottle. It was a hot and sunny day, but I was having fun working out in the fields. We weren't very far from the colony, and we had a security team of soldiers with us, so we were completely safe. Or that's what I had been telling myself all day. I was still worried about the possibility of a Carno attack. Will had actually tried to get a spot on the protection detail so that he could go with me, but Deller had needed him for something in the camp, so I was left in the hands of other soldiers. But I trusted them; Will had told her that he had made sure the best men were on that team.

I smiled as I thought of him again; our date had been on constant replay in my mind. Will had brought me home around eleven (a full hour before my curfew), and given me a goodnight kiss before saying his signature goodbye. I had stayed out in the porch hammock for a while after he left, processing everything and watching the stars--something I would never get sick of.

I took another sip of water before screwing the cap back on and reaching for my gloves again. But before I could get both of them on, Dr. Truman called out to the group that it was time to pack up, and I glanced up at the sky to see that the sun was setting. I hadn't even noticed it was almost night; the day had flown by. I tossed my stuff into my bag and helped a couple other members of the crew pack up the back of the truck before crawling into the backseat with Dr. Truman and another intern.

Within ten minutes, we were pulling through the South Gate of the colony. When we were safely inside, I waved goodbye to Dr. Truman as I hopped out of the truck and began the long walk back to my family's house on the northeast side of the colony, but I stopped when I saw Austin sitting on the porch of one of the nearby units. He was swinging with Leah on the hammock; his arm was around her, and three other kids about their age were lounging around on the patio furniture.

I walked towards them to say hello, and Leah waved when she saw me, motioning for me to join them. "Guys, this is Austin's sister Emma," she said, introducing me to the group. "Emma, this is my brother Parker," she said, gesturing towards the young man on the couch. He was probably two or three years older than Leah, but shared her same dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes, freckles dotting across his nose. He wore the off-duty uniform of camo pants and an olive t-shirt, indicating he was part of the military. I thought I remembered him from the first day she met Will; he was the soldier who had come to find him after he offered to show me around.

Leah pointed to the girl sitting to the right of Parker. "This is my friend Ella." The girl had dark skin and hair, with gigantic brown eyes and a kind smile. Lena shifted her finger to point to a similar looking boy sitting on the ground and leaning against a rock. "And my friend Theo. We're all housemates," she said finishing her introductions, and they all waved back at me. I returned the favour, and was about to compliment them on their home when loud noises behind us made me turn around.

Armed soldiers were running around, half of them barking orders for all of the civilians to get indoors. The South Gate was lowering, and electronic blasts were being fired from the towers on the fence towards something in the fields. Then I heard someone yell, "Carnotiles, run!" and everyone scrambled for the door, knowing what the monsters were capable of. They all bolted towards the couches inside, keeping their heads down to avoid any stray shots, and I followed their lead, never having been in a situation like that before. It sounded like a war was raging outside the doors of the house, and I whimpered in fear.

Suddenly, all of the noise ceased, and silence clouded the room. One by one, we all stood up cautiously, making our way towards the door and bracing ourselves for what we mind find outside.

The soldiers were still holding their stance, weapons towards the gates when Captain Deller yelled, "At ease!" and they all stood down. Citizens were beginning to trickle out of their houses, and everyone looked around checking for danger. I saw dad walking away from the scene, and ran up to ask him about what had just gone down.

"Dad!"

He  turned at the sound of my voice, a look of relief filling his face when he saw that I was alright. 

"What happened?" I asked, catching up to him.

"A pack of damn Carnotiles attacked the gates, they must have been tracking your science team..." he trailed off, as the possibilities of how the situation could have gone ran through his mind. Dad's watch beeped, and he looked down to read the message that had come through, sighing and running a frustrated hand through his hair. "And to make matters worse, we have another security breach. The hacker must have used that as a cover. Dammit."

My eyes widened at his words, suddenly aware that this situation was a lot more complicated than it seemed. Dad waved a goodbye, told me to get home quickly, then he turned and ran off towards the command center. I could tell the situation was getting worse, and I feared for what would happen to Eos.