One of Her Kind

“Did she just say garden?” Sedona turned to Maple.

“Yes,” he smiled, “There’s still a lot for you to see. Just think, this city is 20 times larger than the city inside the dome. That’s room for a lot more surprises.”

Sedona looked over at him carefully as she vaguely remembered seeing him before. “What was your name when you still lived in the Dome?”

“It was Trenton,” he answered.

“I think I remember when you disappeared,” Sedona frowned, trying to recall exactly when that had been. “The Head of the scouts reported you had been attacked by sub-humans.”

“No! No attacks.” Maple/Trenton shook his head. “It was just my own stupidity. I had always wanted to explore the ruins – I just had to see what was out there. I tripped and knocked some chunks of stone loose and that triggered even more chunks that fell on top of me. I was lucky the Trumans found me when they did.” He paused and grinned. “I’m sure the city claimed I was eaten by the sub-humans!” He noticed Sedona’s guilty look. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Sedona didn’t want to admit that even she had believed the reports. Everyone in the city was horrified and angry at the sub-humans. She opened her mouth to deny it, then nodded instead, blushing as she did so.

Maple/Trenton laughed at her response. “I knew it!”

Then he grew serious again. “Listen Sedona, you need to pay attention to everything Green tells you. And really think about it. But think quickly. I was stubborn, I couldn’t accept the truth, not right away. And I lost my chance to return.”

“What do you mean?” Sedona felt alarmed again. “Are you a captive here?”

Maple gave a short bark of laughter. “No, of course not. I love it here. I have so much more freedom. Better food, better air. I love my work, and I can make friends here, real friends. I enjoy my life here so much more than when I was stuck inside that dome. I just wish I didn’t throw away my chance to help both cities!”

Sedona tilted her head thoughtfully at Maple’s little outburst. Obviously, there was still a lot she needed to know about.

Green came back into the room. “I’m sorry Sedona, we don’t have much time before we have to get you back up to the surface.”

“How will you do it?” she asked. Sedona was concerned. How would the scouts know she was there waiting for rescue? And what would keep them from knowing where she had been?

“We’re going to give you something that will put you to sleep. It will also keep you from remembering all of this,” he said, waving his arm in an arc around the room. “Early in the morning, we’ll place you near your trike. A scout patrol should be out looking for you by first light.”

“But won’t the patrol wonder where I’ve been for the last few hours.”

“No, it’s taken them a while to realize you’re late to report in. By now it’s getting dark and no one will venture out this late, not even for another scout. We’ve damaged your helmet, so it will look as if rubble fell on top of you, knocking you out. We’ll stage the scene carefully and Daisy will lead the patrol right to you.”

“Daisy! But why will Daisy be there?”

“Daisy is going to be the ‘orphan’ keeping watch over you. It’s her time to be adopted into the domed city.”

Sedona was puzzled and concerned for Daisy’s safety. “What do you mean, it’s her time? Time for what? And what about her family, and her grandmother Cherry?”

Green leaned back in his chair, choosing his next words carefully. “Have you ever wondered why so many of the orphans in your city look more like Domers than like Trumans?”

“Hmmm, you’re right, I have noticed that,” agreed Sedona. “And we don't seem to be able to find as many of them.”

“That’s correct. As the years go by, we have less and less of them to place there. Higher percentages of our population are born with the genetic adaptations our bodies need to live in the environment. Those of the young people you Domers call ‘orphans’ are actually sent up to the surface specifically for you to find.

Sedona was shocked. “But why? Why would you take them away from their families?”

“It’s not by choice, believe me. As I just mentioned, most Trumans have physically adapted to the climate. But still, there are always some born whose genetic patterns revert to the older type of people – the ones who are more like you. They're weaker than the rest of us and need to be 'rescued' by your people.”

“So they don’t look sub-hum … er… like Trumans?”

“That's correct. But it’s not only the way they look. Those physical adaptations are crucial for survival. So, the children who are throwbacks can only survive here as while they're very young. Once they reach puberty life becomes very difficult for them and they weaken. If they remain here in the underground city, they’ll sicken and die young.”

“That’s horrible. Will that happen to Daisy?” Sedona felt a pang. She liked that spunky little girl.

“No, it won’t happen to Daisy, because her family has chosen to release her to the domed city. She’ll have a chance at a healthier life and a normal – normal for your city that is – life span.”

Trenton jumped into the conversation. “It’s not a bad thing Sedona. The children and their parents know what must happen - they’re prepared when it’s time to go. The children go through a training program before they’re sent to the surface.”

Green added to Trenton's explanation. "Actually all of us train by coming up to the surface on nights the sky is clear. We need to keep our tolerance high to the toxic exposure. And we've built obstacle courses throughout the ruins behind sight of the dome, just so we can stay in shape."

He continued. As ‘orphans’ the children are virtually invisible to the people inside the domed city. They’re never noticed, so they’re able to gather information and send it back to us. That helps us avoid trouble and to be able to plan for the future. A future that will be good for all of us, Domers and Trumans.”

Sedona was quiet, thinking of all the orphans she had dealings with over the years. She had to admit she'd been blind too, she had assumed the orphans were less intelligent than her own robotic cat.

Green now stood up, and Maple followed him. “Time for bed,” said Green. It’s night outside and you do need to get some sleep. We’ll be waking you up very early so we can have you and Daisy in place before that search patrol comes looking for you.”

Maple/Trenton reached out his hand to Sedona as she stood up. “I’d love to get to know you better,” he said with a big smile. “But I have a feeling you’re going to do a better job of this than I did. You’re going to go back to the domed city and be a big help to us all. So, I’ll just say my goodbyes now. And I wish you the best.” Then he left the room.