Read Online EHuman Dawn by Nicole Sallak Anderson - Free Book Online
Authors: Nicole Sallak Anderson
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get on Neuro to recharge, the Guardians erase any knowledge of those thoughts. The knowledge of solar power is not permitted on Neuro. All traces of it are diligently erased and kept secret. Hell, even you might have thought of it a million times. But those thoughts no longer exist in your database.”
“Shit,” Adam moaned.
“Unfortunately, solar power isn’t the only secret the Guardians keep,” Dawn added.
Once Adam was dressed and all three donned their energy packs, they left the outpost. Origen took the lead, Adam in the middle and Dawn at the rear. They made their way out of the dark basement, up a few sets of stairs and back outside to the dark sky.
Adam noticed that they were in the industrial part of town, where the Transportation Department had their repair headquarters. It was relatively silent at the moment, many workershad the evenings off, but during the day, PTDs, HyperTrains and HyperJets would be coming and going as they came in for repairs and upgrades, then back out again to work. They crossed several sets of tracks before moving into the shadow of the larger storehouses, buildings containing goods from other cities.
“Where are we going?” Adam asked.
“Quiet for now,” Dawn shushed him, “once we’re in the sewers, I’ll explain more.”
“Sewers?” he asked as the word was unfamiliar to him.
“She asked you to be quiet!” Origen hissed, impatiently. It was always the same with the new recruits—asking questions when they should be silent. Origen was completely vexed by the entire experience. He never went on these sorts of missions. They were beneath his status as one of the O12. Yet Dawn had begged him to accompany her on this one. Even though it had seemed strange to him, he’d agreed to her request. When Dawn asked him to do anything, he always said yes. He couldn’t help himself. He’d loved her for ages.
Origen took a moment to turn and gaze over Adam Winter’s head and look at her. He was startled to catch her looking at the newcomer with—what was it—longing? He shook his head and continued leading the way out of town. He must have been imagining things. There was no way his Dawn was attracted to this neophyte, pretty-boy Newsreel host. Impossible.
Adam reluctantly stayed silent as the three of them came to the edge of the city. Two sets of rail tracks led off into the distance. One veered left to the Northwest, while the other went due North, both disappearing into the foliage. Origen led them up the Northern track and into the cover of the trees.
They walked for about a mile before Adam noticed the terrain change. The trees became thinner and then nonexistent. A huge, circular area of cleared land opened in front of him, at leastfive miles in diameter. The rail tracks led right through the middle of the clearing. Origen gestured them to stay to the tree line and travel the circumference. It was clear they weren’t to follow the tracks into the middle of what surrounded them.
The clearing was thronged with piles and piles of junk. Electronic gadgets, containers, tables and chairs; layers upon layers of human garbage. They came to the edge of a small creek that snaked about the clearing and away into the trees. An ooze seeped from the garbage piles and into the water. Origen signaled that they were to turn away from the refuse and follow the putrid creek.
Before Adam turned to follow him, he took one last look behind him at the immense space. Mountains of long-forgotten items covered almost every square inch. Then his eyes discovered a section he hadn’t seen at first. There, in the heart of the clearing, rose the largest mountain of all.
It was completely made of eHumans.
Piled on top of one another. Dead. Lifeless. Adam recalled the pictures of Chengdu Douglas had given him. Had that many already died here? Had they started unplugging in New Omaha?
Adam froze on the spot, unable to take another step, terrified that it was already too late for the eHuman
“Shit,” Adam moaned.
“Unfortunately, solar power isn’t the only secret the Guardians keep,” Dawn added.
Once Adam was dressed and all three donned their energy packs, they left the outpost. Origen took the lead, Adam in the middle and Dawn at the rear. They made their way out of the dark basement, up a few sets of stairs and back outside to the dark sky.
Adam noticed that they were in the industrial part of town, where the Transportation Department had their repair headquarters. It was relatively silent at the moment, many workershad the evenings off, but during the day, PTDs, HyperTrains and HyperJets would be coming and going as they came in for repairs and upgrades, then back out again to work. They crossed several sets of tracks before moving into the shadow of the larger storehouses, buildings containing goods from other cities.
“Where are we going?” Adam asked.
“Quiet for now,” Dawn shushed him, “once we’re in the sewers, I’ll explain more.”
“Sewers?” he asked as the word was unfamiliar to him.
“She asked you to be quiet!” Origen hissed, impatiently. It was always the same with the new recruits—asking questions when they should be silent. Origen was completely vexed by the entire experience. He never went on these sorts of missions. They were beneath his status as one of the O12. Yet Dawn had begged him to accompany her on this one. Even though it had seemed strange to him, he’d agreed to her request. When Dawn asked him to do anything, he always said yes. He couldn’t help himself. He’d loved her for ages.
Origen took a moment to turn and gaze over Adam Winter’s head and look at her. He was startled to catch her looking at the newcomer with—what was it—longing? He shook his head and continued leading the way out of town. He must have been imagining things. There was no way his Dawn was attracted to this neophyte, pretty-boy Newsreel host. Impossible.
Adam reluctantly stayed silent as the three of them came to the edge of the city. Two sets of rail tracks led off into the distance. One veered left to the Northwest, while the other went due North, both disappearing into the foliage. Origen led them up the Northern track and into the cover of the trees.
They walked for about a mile before Adam noticed the terrain change. The trees became thinner and then nonexistent. A huge, circular area of cleared land opened in front of him, at leastfive miles in diameter. The rail tracks led right through the middle of the clearing. Origen gestured them to stay to the tree line and travel the circumference. It was clear they weren’t to follow the tracks into the middle of what surrounded them.
The clearing was thronged with piles and piles of junk. Electronic gadgets, containers, tables and chairs; layers upon layers of human garbage. They came to the edge of a small creek that snaked about the clearing and away into the trees. An ooze seeped from the garbage piles and into the water. Origen signaled that they were to turn away from the refuse and follow the putrid creek.
Before Adam turned to follow him, he took one last look behind him at the immense space. Mountains of long-forgotten items covered almost every square inch. Then his eyes discovered a section he hadn’t seen at first. There, in the heart of the clearing, rose the largest mountain of all.
It was completely made of eHumans.
Piled on top of one another. Dead. Lifeless. Adam recalled the pictures of Chengdu Douglas had given him. Had that many already died here? Had they started unplugging in New Omaha?
Adam froze on the spot, unable to take another step, terrified that it was already too late for the eHuman
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