over the rest of the Council, taking an informal vote on the proposal. Jake couldn’t disagree without putting himself under a microscope of scrutiny.
“Make it happen. We can’t risk a disgruntled rebel getting out of hand. Someone could get hurt.”
General agreement swept the table, while most of the Council still remained despondent and shocked by the footage of Meredith heisting the Vault.
“Assembly adjourned.” Sigh smacked the table with his hand and the group dispersed.
“See ya tomorrow night,” Sophia whispered behind Jake as they exited the room.
They stepped out into the Loop where people milled about and commuted to their job shifts.
“Sorry, I had to be the bearer of bad news, Jake.” Jim stuck around to gloat.
“Yeah, I just can’t believe Meredith would do such a thing,” Jake feigned disappointment.
“Well, whoever they are… we will get these bastards. Nobody is going to rebel on my watch.” Jim walked off into the passing crowd. Jake’s sight got lost in the crowd until they found a familiar hoodie.
It was Danny Ryder, standing thirty yards away.
The grim expression on his face cast an ominous shadow before him.
Despite colonists passing by, Danny remained at a distant and locked on Jake. He didn’t have to say anything; Jake understood and nodded to the directive conveyed.
⊶ < > ⊷
Jake took a quick lap around the Loop and found Danny’s pod. He slapped the button and the door shot open.
“What the hell?! Where the hell were you today?” Jake entered the pod, leading with aggression.
“Yeah… of course I know—”
“We are going to break into the X drive and use the data map to build an army—”
“Jake!” Danny tried to settle him.
“What?!”
“I wasn’t there because I found something. I found a message.”
“What kind of message?” he asked finally focused on what Danny was trying to say.
“It said, ‘Meredith Jones did not act alone. Sniff out the rebellion and destroy it by any means necessary.’” Danny adjusted himself as he found the words, perched on his lips. “The message came from the GENESIS to colonist #309. We still don’t have the map to know who it is, but we can be sure of one thing,” Danny explained with great difficulty.
“It means…” Jake’s knees buckled, struck by disbelief as he realized what it meant.
“GENESIS has planted a mole among us...”
Chapter 17
Requiem for Earth
Log Entry # 6
People sometimes ask, 'if you knew you had one day to live, what would you do?' Well my last day in Georgetown was much like the last day of my life. For all intents and purpose, I would be dying the next day, flying off to an undisclosed location and beginning a new life.
I had one last chance to do anything I wanted. What did I end up doing?
I did the same thing I did every day. I am a creature of habit and I am a firm believer that history repeats itself – I prove it every day.
Anyway so I popped my headphones in, grabbed a coffee from Earl at the corner café and watched the birds circle over the harbor.
"Somewhere... beyond the sea. Somewhere... waiting for me..." Bobby Darin crooned in my ear. There was something about that tune in that moment, maybe it was the trumpets or the hopping bass line. Whatever it was, it made me burst into laughter.
The irony of it all.
Humanity just cared so much about everything. And an asteroid comes and erases it all from existence. Working tirelessly on that promotion? Ain’t happening. Going to prom with the guy of your dreams? Not anymore. Your team on their way to the Super Bowl? Think again.
Here we have a species that's strongest instinct is self-preservation and, save the passengers of the thirteen Arks around the world, they are all going to die.
I couldn't help but think of what's next. And then I couldn’t help but think that the world had spiraled into an obsession with the present moment. Everything and everybody has been focused solely on the here and now for
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