A Plague Upon Your House

A few days after that lucky encounter, Sedona stopped in at Tower One right after work. She wanted to report to Lundun that she had managed to get access to Pariss. As she entered Lundun’s suite, she saw orphan 34 leaving by a back door. Something about her fragile appearance and the painful way she moved suggested that she was injured somehow. What was going on here, wondered Sedona?

But before she could ask, or say something to Lundun about it, she spied a small plate sitting on a nearby table. And the plate had tomatoes on it. Tomatoes! Why did Lundun have a dish full of fresh food in his quarters? And, come to think of it, she asked herself, “How do I even know what tomatoes look like?”

She was distracted from asking questions when Lundun moved closer to her, obstructing her view of the dish. Did he do that on purpose? When he just stared at her impatiently, Sedona gave him a brief report of her efforts to get closer to Pariss.

Lundun patted her shoulder absent-mindedly, saying “Good job, keep it up!” Then quickly stepping forward, he nearly pushed her backward to the door.

Clearly, he had other things to do. Could his rushed attitude have anything to do with Karachi? He was always trying to worm his way into Lundun’s good graces. As Lundun not-so-gently guided her out the door, his parting words were, “Be careful who you spend time with. There are rumors of a new illness.” The door shut in her face.

Sedona slowly walked the ring road around the towers, heading home. She'd been feeling out of sorts before the meeting. Now she wondered if maybe she should get checked out again at the clinic – she’d been having such weird, unsettling dreams. And Lundun’s strange behavior only added to the odd feeling. Now she suddenly remembered a snippet from last night’s dream - a man’s voice telling her that the orphans approved of her.

What a strange thought! Really … maybe she should get a check-up! Just then a group of people came walking in her direction. Sedona was startled when one of the women turned to  look right at her. And she had gray eyes, just like Sedona’s!  The woman turned forward again, and the group passed on by. But she couldn’t help wondering if that woman might actually be her mother. She realized she’d developed a habit of watching for her mother whenever she was out and about in the city.

Ten steps before she reached her door, Sedona heard the siren go off to warn everyone to seek shelter. It was the plague siren, meaning everyone had to quarantine within their own housing unit. Luckily, this time, Sedona was only stuck inside her apartment for half a day. When she came outside and walked to the nearest square, people were clustered together and talking about it. These alarms seemed to be happening more frequently.  

But for now, the scare was over. Except that the roofer’s section was still quarantined! Sedona began to worry about Jakarta, hoping he was safe and healthy.

Two days later, the quarantine was completely lifted. On her way home from work, Sedona bumped into Jakarta on the walkway. She was so relieved to see him that she impulsively gave him a big hug. Startled by her unexpected display of emotion, Jakarta turned pink. He told her this illness wasn’t too bad - only three of the roofers were seriously ill. Jakarta himself only had an upset stomach and a mild rash.

But one of those sick roofers was Oslo, the big roofer who had frightened Sedona in the tunnels. And - he had died! All the citizens of the city met in the various squares at the end of the day to have a farewell service for him. His reputation as a strong roofer had made him a city hero. Even Jakarta was sad; Oslo had helped train him and saved his life on one occasion.

But Sedona couldn’t help thinking how out of control and menacing his behavior had been when she saw him in the tunnels outside the farming sector. She honestly couldn’t feel sorry that he was dead. But because she felt it was expected of her, she pretended to be sad. It was difficult to do, but she managed to make it believable. Then she sighed ... more lies.