Escape to New Atlantis

20 Out of the Shadows

Catalina

Saanvi, Sawyer, and I get to the front of the line at Pizza da Vinci. Super, we're able to get a table. I'm not completely seated when the ridiculous robot in its even more ridiculous chef's hat comes up to me. "Catalina Ortiz, you have a history of ordering Dr Pepper on ninety-eight percent of your visits. Will that be your preference today?"

"Uh, no. Just water." With a glance at the other two, "Make that water all around. And while you're at it, bring us each a slice of Leonardo's Masterpiece sprinkled liberally with cultured kangaroo bits." Saanvi corrects me, telling it she wants mastodon bits on her slice—how thoughtless of me to forget her preference for meat that's already extinct. But I guess we all draw a line somewhere. Even I would say no to cultured cannibal protein, the scandalous fad among dry-land celebrities.

Sawyer calls to the parting robot, "Charge this all to me." He sees my confused look. "You paid last time; now it's my turn. Saanvi can be next."

Saanvi shrugs. "I guess, but it seems like I should pick up the tab today since you two were the heroes of Mr. Fix-It's trial yesterday. Well, my dad too, but he's paid to do stuff like that. All you got was a case of the hives."

Dang, that girl doesn't miss a thing. I cross my arms to hide my stress-out rash and she gives me an evil grin.

Sawyer seems oblivious to my dermatological distress. "You know, the experience came in handy for me this morning. It was my first Ingenuity and Invention class and, I guess no surprise, the teacher knew exactly who I was because of the trial. He had me think back over that experience, looking for the lessons New Atlantis should learn from it. Well, the case was only solved because of one camera that wasn't even supposed to be down there. We need more cameras in the catwalks. In fact, without them, we're even blind to invaders arriving by submarine. So, he had me ask myself, 'Why aren't there cameras down there?' Then he had me ask why to my answer, and again to that next answer. He says if I ask why enough times, I'll finally dig down the roots of the problem. Once I do, I'm to apply my ingenuity to formulate a solution. It can't be just a quick tech fix, because it'll have to be super reliable, hard to defeat, easy to maintain, and do it all without breaking the bank. This class is unlike any I've ever had—it's going to be fun!"

What a nerd. OK, a cute nerd, but still...

Saanvi's about to give the counterpoint to how fun I&I classes are when we all get buzzed by our phones of an important message. It's a notice from the Resident Experience Ministry that "your cognitive enhancement software will be updated shortly. You may experience momentary confusion or disorientation." Goody. The last time I got one of these I was at the falafel place with Saanvi and nearly drowned in my own drool.

This is new to Sawyer, and there's terror on his face. We're trying to prepare him for what's coming, when BAM!

"...Catalina? Catalina, can you hear us? Are you OK?" It's Saanvi's voice, but she sounds far away.

I realize I'm sitting with my face down on a table. Lifting my head up a bit, I see Mona Lisa staring back at me. Oh, yeah, Pizza da Vinci. I sit fully up, with Saanvi to my left and Sawyer to my right, each holding one of my hands. Tears are streaming down my face, but at least I don't think I've drooled. Or wet myself.

The robot waiter zips over and asks if I need anything. Such an excellent question. "Yeah," I mumble. "A large Dr Pepper."

The enhancement also hit the other two pretty hard, but they didn't pass out. They tell me I was only out for a few seconds, so maybe I'm not as weird as I feel. The robot brings our order and I ignore the pizza and grab the Dr Pepper. By all that's holy, it's delicious. Where have you been lately, my good doctor?