Nudge and I looked at each other at the same time, and Angel read our minds. In the next moment we had each found boots in our sizes beneath various beds. Ari copied us, managing to find some extra-large ones. In seconds we had laced them onto our feet and hidden our filthy, shredded sneakers.
“Oh, yeah,” said Total. “Now we blend.”
I made a face at him and then turned my attention to the TV screens. There were three screens on each wall, and if they’d been showing, say, a soccer game, I would have been in pig heaven.
However, they were broadcasting the earnest face of a fair-haired woman who was speaking in consecutive languages. We tapped our feet through German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese, with our room’s occupants scarily shouting agreement and praise every so often.
Nudge frowned. “Who does she remind me of? I feel like I’ve seen her before.”
I thought, then shrugged. “No idea.”
Finally the whitecoat got to English. “The time of the Re-Evolution is here!” she said forcefully. Various voices in the room cheered.
“We have begun implementing the By-Half Plan! Even as you watch this, the weak, the unnecessary, the ones who drain our resources, are being eliminated!”
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More cheers, while we five looked at one another in horror and then quickly remembered to cheer along with the others.
The woman looked out from the screen with the sincere zeal of a serious nut job. “We are creating a new world. A world where there is no hunger, no sickness, no weakness.”
“Because they killed everyone,” I muttered.
“The causes of war will be eliminated,” she went on earnestly. “There will be plenty of food for everyone. There will be plenty of room for everyone. People will cease to fight over property, food, wealth, energy resources.”
Everyone in the room cheered.
“Yep, no reason to fight,” I whispered. “Unless, of course, you’re persnickety about religion. I bet everyone will be so healthy and happy that it won’t even matter anymore. It’s not like people take it that seriously.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
Every so often someone would walk past us, not giving us a second glance. We cheered with the others and tried to look busy by smoothing beds, lining up shoes, picking lint off blankets.
“Remember,” said the whitecoat, “we can’t achieve Re-Evolution without you, our chosen ones. The new order must be pure. All races are equal. All genders are equal. But illness, weakness, and other flaws must be eliminated.”
“All genders?” whispered Nudge. “Aren’t there just the two? Or did I miss something?”
I shrugged. “No idea. Maybe they’ve created others.”
The thought was fairly repulsive, and we made “eew” faces at each other.
“So if you know of anyone who should experience the glory of martyrdom so that others may live in paradise, please inform your supervisor immediately,” said the woman. “It will reflect well on you, and you will be praised.”
I looked at the others, appalled. “Oh, my God,” I said softly. “They want people to turn in anyone who isn’t perfect. Which is, like, everyone! No one is perfect!”
I couldn’t have said it better myself, Max, said the Voice.
So what now? I thought.
You’re where you need to be, doing what you need to do, said the Voice. It was so rare that I got approval from the Voice that I was taken aback. But are you sure you can do this alone?
I’ve got Nudge and Angel and Total and Ari, I thought.
You’re missing half your family, said the Voice. Who are also half your army.
Not my fault, I thought testily. Not my decision.
Does that mean it isn’t your problem and you don’t have to fix it?
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. On the TV screen, the whitecoat had switched back to German.