Annabeth laughs. It’s unclear if this is a bitter laugh or one of genuine humor.
Annabeth:It’s not like I haven’t had a stethoscope up my ass from the moment I got pregnant. They were tested every possible way, and now they know how to test for the Sickness accurately, they can see they’re safe. At least that’s what they say. And now everyone is open for business, I hope they’re right.
Rosita:Are they still testing you?
Annabeth raises her arm, which causes the cartoon to turn sideways. The children start to protest.
Annabeth:I have track marks. So do the girls. Did you know in Fat Landing, they have puncture-free blood extractors? That’s what they say in the group chat. We only go in twice a week now, but it was every day when I was pregnant. And to this day, everyone is interested in our blood work. I got an email from some health department guy on Earth. They said they were really interested in how we were doing. I guess everyone in the program got a similar message. They wanted consent to get a copy of my blood work. And the blood work of the twins.
Rosita:How did you respond?
Annabeth:Originally, I was likeSure, but the undersecretary of the New Generation program in Fat Landing sent out a mass email telling everyone not to comply, that it was none of the business of the Earth government how our babies were doing.
She leans in and whispers.
Annabeth:But the Earth guys emailed back a few days later, and they offered to set up a college fund for Mia and Tabitha in exchange for the data.
Rosita:College fund? In Earth yuan?
Annabeth:That’s right. The quarantine will be over by the time they’re old enough, and it would be nice for them to have the option to get off planet if they want, even if it’s just for college. They say the gravity there is only very slightly heavier than it is here, and you would barely notice it. The days there are in sync with the twenty-four-hour clock, too. Can you imagine? It took all those years to get here, and they can just step back in a matter of hours now.
Rosita:So, did you do it?
Annabeth:I figured,What could it hurt?All those people online are calling us names because we were altered. But you can’t even tell the difference between us and the Earthers. You can’t even tell a difference with most tests. Maybe my babies’ blood samples can help make them see that. Maybe it’ll help ease the prejudice.
(A time cut.)
Annabeth:I remember your mother, Rosita. I remember her bouncing you on her knee while reading a book. It’s one of my earliest memories. I remember your mom better than I remember my own. When my mom died, your mom picked me up and told me she would take care of me.
Annabeth lowers her head. She kisses each of her toddlers on the head.
Annabeth:And your mom was gone just six months later.
There is a long pause here as Annabeth looks out toward a nearby building. In the distance, a group of people appear to be landscaping the area in front of the building.
(Please note this building. It is the former location of the Burnt Ends school as outlined in the notes under Day One of Five and in scene thirteen.)
Annabeth:So yes, Rosita, I was fucking terrified of the Sickness when I got pregnant. I’m scared that my babies might still get it, despite the tests. I’m scared that whatever they did to us in vivo won’t actually protect us, and we’ll all get it, too, just maybe a little later. I’m scared all the time.
She turns to face the camera.
Annabeth:But I’ve learned pretty quickly that it’s part of being a parent. The moment one of these things pops out of you, you’re suddenly in a perpetual state of worry. It just comes with the job.
Chapter 14
“It’s called viral marketing,” Sam said indignantly as we rode back home. Sam and I sat next to each other in the hopper, but Lulu was berating him over the band.
“Now they can look up Rhythm Mafia and find that shitty recording you uploaded last year and find our farm.”
“Maybe,” I said. “Sam spelled ‘Rhythm’ incorrectly when he made the account, and they wouldn’t let us change it after.”
“Man, we should’ve enabled advertising on that,” Sam muttered before responding on the feed. “They’re watching us from the sky. They told those assholes where we were. They know where we’re from. We need to let them know we’re not scared of them. Besides, Roger was the one who started with the smack talk. Did you hear what he said to Chode? What the hell does the word ‘coitus’ even mean?”
Sam was right. They were clearly watching us. “Roger, where did you get that info about that guy’s dad? Is it true?”
“It was a fiction,” Roger said. “I made the supposition up. Chode’s legal name is Benji Winters. His father does work with a woman named Lois Chen, who enjoys posting photographs of herself in revealing clothing, and she calls herself ‘Mommy’ in several of her socialmedia postings. In addition, Chode’s mother has been arrested two times for domestic violence against Chode’s father. By planting this seed, we can perhaps sow chaos in the Chode family household, preventing him from further incursions. It is a proven tactic against remote enemies. We can’t strike them directly, so we strike at them psychologically.”
“Holy shit,” Sam muttered.
