Elsa glanced at Chloe. “They're engaged. Two of the biggest kids imaginable, but they are sweet together, and no,” she glanced at Joshua in the rearview mirror. “You're sitting back there with your fiancee.”
I laughed, slugging his shoulder. “See! You get to sit with me for the entire trip.”
Joshua groaned. “It's torture back here.”
I patted his thigh and felt his fingers lace with mine. At least it helped pass some of the time.
As night began to fall, we stopped the car and ate a quick dinner that we'd packed before switching seats in the vehicle. Joshua drove and I sat in the front seat with him as Elsa and Chloe slept in the back.
“You know where we're going?” I knew we were to head east, but I didn't want us getting lost on the way.
“I got us to Shadow,” Joshua reminded me with a smug grin. “I think I can handle the map, considering I drew it.”
“Okay. Okay.” I held up my hands in mock surrender. “You win.” We continued to head east as we drove further into the desert. I was grateful it was late March and the weather hadn't warmed up enough to make this trip unbearable. “Let me know when you get tired,” I offered.
“Why, so you can tease me some more?” Joshua glanced at me. “I'm okay for a while. It's dark, you should try and get a few hours of sleep.” I felt his hand on my arm and knew he wasn't joking.
I nodded weakly. “Thanks.” I tried to get comfortable in my seat before I shut my eyes. It wasn't long until I drifted to sleep.
CHAPTER 16
We drove nonstop, except for the occasional bathroom break and to switch drivers. Solar energy powered the vehicle throughout the night. I read about it once in a textbook back in Genesis. Fossil fuels had grown near extinct and with wars breaking out over the last remaining oil wells, the government demanded production of energy-efficient, solar and wind powered vehicles. I remembered the solar symbol and saw it etched on the dashboard.
I was sore beyond belief, cramped up in the car for nearly thirty hours. It felt like thirty years. As we drew closer to Torv, I could see the city stretch out in front of us. The air here had grown warmer, humid. I peered out the side, taking in the sight of the town.
We drove through the main city iron gates: they stood two stories tall and surrounded the entire town. “So this is Torv?” I mused. It reminded me of Haven, which had been situated a few hours north.
Chloe beamed proudly. “Home sweet home.”
We drove through the tall gates and further into the cobblestone-paved streets. My eyes moved over the buildings. The town looked lavish in comparison to everything else I'd seen. The buildings looked well-kept and lights shown through their windows as they used electricity to light their town.
It wasn't that Shadow didn't use electricity, but it was used sparingly. Generators ran the older parts of town and the newer homes in Shadow operated using solar technology with blackout capabilities for the windows. The city center never had been upgraded. Seeing Torv, it reminded me of Haven and I felt my stomach somersault. My fingers gripped Joshua's arm, digging into his flesh, unable to stop myself.
“This is…” My mouth was agape as we turned the corner and the buildings grew taller. Neon lights flashed and pulsed for the local theater. “Wow.” I didn't know what else to say. I'd never seen an actual theater with movies or actors. I'd read about it in a fantasy novel but I'd never experienced it. Torv was lavish, even more so than Haven had been. “How many people live here?”
Chloe thought about it for a moment. “Not sure. We're not a particularly small town,” she confessed, “but we always have enough for everyone.”
We pulled to the corner of the street, parked the car, and piled out. I couldn't believe how humid and warm it was outside. Joshua pulled open the trunk and we grabbed our bags. Chloe grabbed her testing kits as we followed her inside, and I was thankful for air conditioning. I couldn't imagine how the weather was in the summer here if it was warm already! We walked down the corridor as I slowed to take it all in. The carpet was plush and pale. The walls were freshly painted in a light blue with white trim boards that stretched from ceiling to floor. My feet sunk into the cushioned carpeting; I was surprised by luxury wasted on the ground. I stood with my bag in hand as we approached the elevator. I'd never been in one but remembered them from Haven. “How many floors are there?” I asked as Chloe pushed the arrow to head up.
“Eighty-seven,” she boasted proudly, as if she had anything to do with its construction. I stifled a laugh.
“How do you run this place with electricity? Our generators would never keep up.” The doors slowly creaked open and Chloe stepped in first, followed by Elsa and then Joshua and myself. The elevator looked well-kept and I grabbed the railing inside as the doors closed. Chloe pressed the button for floor forty-seven. My ears popped as I felt us being catapulted faster and higher, watching the numbers rushing past, until we slowed to a stop at our floor.
Chloe gave me a funny look as if I was an idiot for not knowing the answer. “The entire building runs on solar energy. There are panels on the roof. Much like your homes back in Shadow.” Chloe was either observant or someone had explained to her how we'd run our town. Either way I wasn't impressed by her knowledge. Instead, it made my stomach somersault, wondering what else she'd figured out about us.
Chloe and Elsa stepped out onto the forty-seventh floor and Joshua followed behind her. I took a minute to glance around before I heard a sudden ding and jumped out past the closing doors. I didn't want to be left behind.
“Where are we going?” I questioned, walking cautiously down the long corridor. I had no idea what awaited us in Torv.
Chloe didn't so much as glance back at me. “Just follow me.” She knew where she was heading and kept the pace as we walked past closed doors. My eyes scanned over the plaques on the doors. They looked new considering the age of the building. I wondered who these people were, and why there was a room with their names attached. Was it a hospital of some kind? I was aware Chloe would take us by to see the pregnant women, but I had hoped for a quick shower and change of clothes first.
We rounded a corner—I could only presume we had been in the other side of the building—as a huge window to my left overlooked the city of Torv. “Wow,” I gasped. It was beautiful here. Past the city walls I couldn't see another town in sight. I wondered how they kept the government from interfering in their way of life.
“Quite the view?” Chloe smiled. “We're almost there.” She pushed open a door on the right side of the hallway. “My lab is in here,” she explained, leaving the door open. I hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside the white, sterile room. One long metal table was situated in the center. White cabinets covered the walls.
“What's all that?” I couldn't help but feel curious. The only lab I'd been in was Elsa's back in Shadow. Machines and electronic devices I didn't recognize littered the metal counter. Slowly I approached, my fingers grazing over one such device with a slight hole at the top.
“That's a microscope.” Chloe laughed softly. “It helps you examine incredibly small things by making it so you can see them.”
Elsa came up beside me, resting a hand on my shoulder. “We have one of those, it just isn't in my lab.”
“We do?” I glanced from Elsa to Chloe, giving a faint smile. “Of course we do.” I shouldn't expect any less of our town. Even though it's not nearly as fancy, Shadow is technologically superior to most cities. Was Torv more advanced than Shadow? I couldn't know for certain but the fact they were becoming somewhat successful in impregnating women made me think it was possible. “So what else do you do in here?” I smiled weakly at Chloe as I decided it was best to keep my hands off the equipment. She hadn't scolded me yet but I didn't like feeling talked down to either. It wasn't my fault I didn't know what a microscope was!
Chloe offered a warm smile. “Well, in here I do the lab tests and analyze samples but our scientists can determine the genetics that make up a person.”
I nodded, pretending I knew what Chloe was talking about.
“The building blocks of humans,” Chloe elaborated, glancing at Elsa. “Remember how I told you I used to work in Genesis Beta?”
