Great Minds

By Shantea Gauthier

Anala and Velena are Great Minds, young scientists recruited into a government program devoted to saving their sky-high utopian city. Despite decades of repairs, the infrastructure is failing, but Anala has a scientific breakthrough that could change the path of humanity. She is the first to admit that her plan is extreme, and the government officials quickly divide over what to do, especially when their salvation depends on a dangerous excursion to the hostile surface.

Velena has caught the eye of a dangerous politician who could prevent her from contributing to the city’s salvation. Longing to escape, she discovers circumstances are more desperate than she thought, and she can no longer wait while Anala climbs the political ranks.

When Velena gains a spot on the critical excursion team, her opportunity to escape the oppression is too good to pass up, but can she threaten her best friend's chance to save the city in order to save herself?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shantea Gauthier
• Release date: Dec 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310062131

Shantea Gauthier

Shantea Gauthier is a biomechanics student who blogs, dances, makes wine, and has three kids. Her first and longest lasting love was writing and like in any good relationship, a lot of time and effort is required. She lives in California with her kids and husband. See what's new at www.ShanteaGauthier.com

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Great Minds

SHANTEA GAUTHIER

Copyright © 2015 Shantea Gauthier

www.shanteagauthier.com

Smashwords Edition

ISBN: 9781310062131

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To David, for making me make this happen.

1

Of the nineteen women in the group shower of the Science District women's dorms, only one enjoyed the tingle of the UV showers.

I wish I could do this every day, Anala said, looking back and forth, the whites of her eyes glowing several shades of purple. The words Another Perfect Day beamed at them from one wall.

I wish we could stop doing this, Velena replied, and a few women grumbled in agreement. You know, people used to use water to shower with.

That sounds nice, said Katie, a new arrival to the Science District and the newest Structural Integrity scientist.

That sounds wasteful, Anala scoffed.

You’re weird, Velena said.

Yeah, Katie agreed.

Nobody asked for your opinion, Velena snapped. It was one thing for Velena to comment on her friend’s peculiarities but she wouldn’t suffer a stranger’s insults. Everyone knew that Anala was the brightest and toughest woman in the room and Velena was proud to be her friend.

The ground swayed gently under their feet.

Khatzi walked over to where Velena was standing. Earthquake?

No, not today, Anala groaned. I have to speak to the governor today, and I'd better not be late.

Khatzi's eyes widened, bright green set in UV purple. You're speaking to the governor? What about? You're not getting married, are you?

Velena rolled her eyes. The thought of Anala wanting to get married seemed too far-fetched to consider. Anala was too involved in her work to worry about the business of procreating. Busy or not, Velena was being pressured to marry a descendant of Sky Town’s founders. The fat, old man had already lost one wife who’d disappeared or died. She didn’t know or care which.

Anala smiled. People see the governor for other reasons, Khatzi. Trust me, you'll find out soon enough.

Sounds exciting, Khatzi breathed. Oh, I wish I could work with you and then I’d be able to make a real difference.

Don’t be ridiculous, Velena said. You’re in Agriculture. Growing food is very important. It’s not like you’re in Structural Integrity or something really useless.

Katie glared.

Before anyone could say more, the fans kicked in, loudly and violently pushing the air around the room. Anala shook her hands through her brown hair to free any debris.

The ground swayed again, knocking some of the women off of their feet, crashing into those around them. Velena and Anala both stayed steady and upright.

The fans died, the room went dark, and nothing but the phosphorescent stripes painted on the walls were visible. They stood quietly for a moment.

Anala felt for her friend's shoulder and gave it a push. Well?

I'm working on it, Velena answered. I just have to find the control panel for the lock.

We're locked in? Katie asked. She started to talk aloud, her voice getting high pitched and agitated. No, we can't be locked in, the locks are the only weak point in the buildings. They have to be in case of emergency. The layers of thermostet, plastic, and self-healing alloy bands make the buildings indestructible. The doors are weak.

Khatzi interrupted, Why don’t you tell us something useful, like how to get out of this room?

I did, Katie squeaked. We have to go through the door.

If I could see you I'd slap you, Khatzi said.

That's the only way, Katie muttered. There aren’t any weak spots in the room and if there are, you don’t want to go through them.

Keep talking, Khatzi said. I'll just listen for your voice.

We're trapped here aren't we? Katie asked before going quiet.

Katie! Anala snapped. We're a room full of scientists and three of us are from Energy. You are a scientist and you will not embarrass yourself and panic just because the lights went out. You're supposed to know more about this building than any of us. How did you even get a job in the Science District?

Sorry.

Velena tried to pry the control panel open with no real luck. Does anyone have anything I can break this open with?

I'll do it, the amused voice of Janie McDermott said. The tall, older blonde held up her sizable fist. I had to do it once before and if I hurt myself I can treat it.

Go for it, Velena said.

It would make a lot more sense for you to have to treat someone else, Anala said, too late.

The control panel door popped when Janie’s fist hit it.

Nice one, Janie, Velena said, swinging the door open.

Thanks, now what?

The little panel door swung free of its hinges and crashed to the floor. Someone let out a scream of surprise. Anala sighed.

Now I just slide this wire out, Velena said, slipping her finger into the familiar nest of wires. The lock fell open loudly. And we're free.

It took a few of them to slide the heavy, smooth faced door open, but once they did they poured out into the locker room. The women scrambled in the dark to find their clothes.

That was a big one, Velena said. They keep getting bigger.

She felt Anala brush past her, muttering in agreement and then almost lost her balance when Katie crashed into her. The girl let out a little scream again. Someone pushed me.

This is going to ruin my schedule, Anala said in a low, aggravated voice.

Don’t blame me, I didn’t make the earthquake happen, Velena said, finding her clothes and pulling them on.

No, you didn’t, but if your department could do something about the old broken power system, we could stop sucking the energy out of the planet, and it would stop shaking us around.

Someone gasped. Velena guessed it was someone else from Alternative Energy, or maybe one of the younger girls who didn't know that Velena and Anala had been friends since they were young. The younger ones wouldn't know that they were both considered to be different, direct to the point of being rude by most. Velena ignored the gasp and grabbed her breakfast, a bland food bar and a syringe of fluid. She grabbed Anala and headed into the hallway.

Velena opened her mouth wide. You know as well as I do that we have ideas, but the government doesn’t approve any of them! I’m supposed to be researching alternative energy, but I get to clean up after earthquakes instead. We only have permission to preserve the old broken system since there is no actual evidence that our power lines cause these earthquakes! She took a deep breath and reached out. Her hand landed on Anala's face, feeling her expression in the dark. Why are you smiling?

Anala's voice went quiet. They were farther away from the others, but she did not want to be overheard. I’m smiling because if I don’t, there is no future. If I let things get bleak I have failed to make the world a better place for our descendants. I’m also smiling because I’m going over Dax’s head and talking to the governor about an idea I have. If this goes wrong, I’ll trade places with you. I’ll take your problems and you can take mine. Anala patted her shoulder, a smile still plastered on her face.

I don’t know which is worse, Velena muttered.

Dax is. Think about it. I’m stuck with Dax as my boss for life; you’d only have to be married to Jodir for a few years. If this goes wrong, we can switch places. I’ll just stop showering and scowl all the time and he won’t know the difference.

Velena scowled and wiggled the metal bar she kept in her pocket into the control panel. It popped open and she gently slid one wire out of place. The lock dropped open with a loud clang and they pushed the door open. Should I bother replacing the shower lock?

Anala sneered at her in the dark. I think it would be just fine if you didn't. I don't think I'd like to get stuck in there again. Especially if you decided not to show up that day.

You're the only one who likes showering. Everyone else skips out whenever they can but you would do it every day if you could.

I'm not normal, then. I'm fine with that. I'd rather be abnormal than wait for our city to fall out of the sky like all you normals.

Velena scoffed. Normal? That’s why I was put in Great Minds a year before you were? Because I’m so normal?

And what have you done with that Great Mind since then?

The white walls of the hallway looked gray in the darkness, the lights that normally shone through them were out with the power. Velena traced the wall with one hand and held onto Anala's shoulder with the other, slowly making her way down the familiar path in the unfamiliar darkness.

At least we won’t run into Jodir this morning, Velena whispered.

He hasn’t actually gotten approval to marry you yet, and he’s already had a wife. They won’t let him have another. Anala said. The rules are too strict. Sky Town had been around less than a century, but there weren't many resources in the clouds, and it had suffered greatly in the last few decades because of that. Besides, you can always just say no.

I really don't think that's an option, Velena responded. Alright, I found the control room. I'll see you later. Velena groped her way into the room with the panel of controls. The rooms that happened to have tiny floor windows would be the only ones that got light when the power was out. The rest would have to endure the darkness. Unlike the showers, the rooms did not have phosphorescent paint.

They normally went together to the RaPort door, waited for it to open, and got on. On earthquake days Velena went into the main control panel for the building and flipped the main power switches to reset the power. She was always half afraid, half excited for the day when the switches wouldn't do the trick and she would have to think of something else to restore power. The rapid transport system, or RaPorts, had a much more reliable power line. They wouldn't stop running unless they lost power completely and that wouldn't happen unless the thick line was cut. At thirteen, in her first year as an Energy tech, she had come up with a system to protect the RaPort line above all others so that no one would get stranded in the little car so high above the earth.

As she felt around the familiar power control panel of the women’s dorms, Velena felt her ear vibrating. She jumped, startled at first, then touched the communicator speared through her earlobe.

Darling? Are you alright? Jodir didn’t give her the chance to properly answer before he started talking. She shuddered.

I’m fine. This happens twice a week, of course I’m fine. She hated the communicator. Her ears weren’t pierced when she was being raised because her fosters thought that piercings were a symbol of religion, which was highly illegal in Sky Town. Jodir bought her the communicator as a present and when she tried to decline because her ears weren’t pierced, he gently took her earlobe and very cruelly stabbed the communicator’s post through it.

Fine, he said, sounding relieved. I’ll see you later then, Darling. Mart already has the power back here.

Velena silently went to work, jiggling wires and flipping switches and pouting. He'd made it sound as if Mart was better than her at her job just because he probably wasn’t trapped in the shower before he had to reset the men's power. He could hop right on the RaPort, which still ran in a power outage thanks to Velena’s innovation, and restore power to Residential District 6, where Jodir lived. She got the power back on quickly, and the women still stuck in their locked rooms could leave again.

Anala went to the government building, groomed and polished in comparison to the residents who had dressed in the dark and looked it. Her suit was crisp and clean and her hair was pulled back, exposing her long neck, making her look older and taller.

Velena went to the small, nearly empty Alternative Energy lab, and as soon as she walked in, she and the leader of Energy, Finn, headed for the powerhouse.

One of the smaller lines had snapped during the earthquake, which added stress to the already strained power system and caused the outage. They started to draw the broken line up and as Velena peered down the dizzying distance to the earth. With cold wind blowing against her face, she thought bitterly at what a waste her life as a researcher was.

2

Thank you Anala, for coming to see me, the governor said, standing near the automatic door to show her out. She felt so small and young next to the governor, Sky Town’s big, barrel chested beacon of hope. I look forward to great things from you. And I’m so sorry again that I was late.

Anala was stunned. An apology from the governor for being late to her proposal? The day couldn’t get any better. Thank you for hearing me out, Governor.

Jodir pushed past her, his fleshy body lingering for the briefest instant against hers before he shoved past the indignant governor.

Jodir, always a pleasure. The governor didn’t sound even a little sincere.

When the door slid closed behind her, Anala moved closer to it, almost kissing the familiar list of laws punishable by death posted near the governor's door.

Jodir, this is too much to ask, she heard the governor say.

Jodir's reply was too faint to hear. She moved closer, careful not to set off the sensor that would open the door again, straining to hear. Jodir was intent on marrying her friend, and she took an interest in what he was discussing with the governor.

And what about what I know of you?

She was your daughter, Jodir faintly replied. Anala's eyes grew wide. The governor only had one daughter. Marisol was supposed to have been married to Jodir for the standard four years, but she died after only one year without even having a child.

Women who were capable of bearing children were expected to marry someone who was a good genetic match and have a child who was strong, healthy, and genetically diverse from the rest of its generation. After the four year marriage, they were encouraged to repeat the process with a new match. At least, that was how it had worked once. After losing much of the town in its early years, the approvals became scarcer and further between. Anala, Velena, Katie and Khatzi were products of the last round and would be eligible for the next.

Anala heard the soft tapping of feet around the corner and jumped back from the door, staring intently at the posted laws.

Anala Ramsey, a friendly security tech’s voice boomed.

She looked at him and nodded. Zadif.

What are you doing here? he asked, in the only tone that frightened her. He sounded friendly, as if he really cared what she was doing and would have loved nothing more than to hear her answer.

I'm reading the posted laws, she answered bluntly. Her heart sped up.

Zadif wasn't bothered by her unfriendly response. I do that too, sometimes, he said, pointing at the third law. Right there it says that anyone who is involved in a religious cult can be put to death.

Anala made no reply. She heard the words old fool and murderers and longed to press her ear to the door and listen to what Jodir and the governor discussed so passionately.

It doesn't say that religion is outlawed, only religious cults are, the security tech continued.

Anala turned slowly to face him. Religions are cults, Zadif. Don't tell me you have an altar somewhere, or that you go to secret meetings in the darker districts. She quoted details that weren't on the posted list.

Zadif turned red. No I don't. I was only saying that it was interesting.

I find it interesting that you are meant to enforce laws that you don't understand, she said. I wonder if your views on murder make you sympathetic to those criminals as well. She was pushing her luck and she knew it, but she turned back to face the poster without letting her face register any expression.

He didn’t deserve such harsh treatment and she knew it. Zadif was good looking, and flirting didn't mean she had to marry him. Even having sex with him wouldn't mean she had to marry him, but Anala saw what happened when women starting breeding. They became worthless beyond what their wombs could put out. She was determined to avoid it at all cost, and that meant avoiding men until she was satisfied with her accomplishments. The others in Sky Town took the risk but she didn't. A single sexual encounter could lead to a single unauthorized pregnancy which could mean any punishment from forced marriage to incineration. There wasn’t a man alive worth the risk.

Make sure to report any problems to an official security tech, Zadif said in his most professional tone.

As soon as he was out of sight she pressed her ear to the door.

Any number of accidents could happen to you too, Jodir. the governor was saying.

Anala gritted her teeth. She'd missed something very important if the governor was threatening murder.

I thought of that. I know how to deal with murderers. You forget that it was my family who founded Sky Town and built it in the middle of a battlefield, with bricks of bones and mortar of the blood of the fallen.

And there are those who say books aren't dangerous, the governor said coolly. You seem to have a dramatic memory of events you were not even alive for.

Jodir's voice turned into a low growl. Anala could barely make out his words. You fat idiot, where would you be without me? You owe me everything.

He said a lot more, but she couldn't understand what. A chair scraped the floor and Anala jumped back, ready to run. The voices continued in the room and Anala moved in to hear more.

Already done, Jodir said. We are as far removed as you and your own dear wife were. What was her name? 1378-A? Something like that, wasn't it?

The governor stood, his weight pressing the chair down into the floor, scraping the legs against the hardened plastic. My marriage to my wife was legal and approved.

You said that the scientists were playing God, didn't you?

You cannot expect an accusation like that to stand.

Of course not, Jodir said. I'll do it based on the city records. It's there in your own voice. You say that the scientists are playing God. I could play just that part, over and over for the entire announcement. Do you think your good people would be as good to you if they knew, Governor?

The governor’s chair squeaked on the floor as he dropped into it.

Anala ran without knowing whether the conversation had ended or what it was really about. Jodir had influence over the governor for some reason, and if she just knew what it was she might be able to stop him from taking Velena as his unwilling wife.

At lunch, Anala grabbed a food bar in the lunch shop, injected her afternoon fluids, and found Velena sitting in the cafeteria staring through the window on the floor. Because she did this often, she was thought to be every bit as strange as she had been as a child. Anala smiled, shaking her head.

Look, Velena pointed, I wonder what that little thing is.

Anala bent forward and looked without getting close enough to see what her friend was pointing at. I got it, she whispered, close to Velena’s ear.

You did? Velena turned and smiled. That’s fantastic.

I was late, but the governor was later. He even apologized to me before approving my idea, Anala boasted. I saw Jodir on my way out. I hope he gets turned down.

She didn’t mention that it didn’t sound good for her friend.

Me too. I can’t bear to think of it now. So what’s the experiment?

I can’t tell you yet. Anala put a finger to her lips and winked.

Sounds exciting, I’m jealous. Velena looked wistfully out the window again.

Anala looked past Velena, out the window, thinking of her project and the bright future it promised. Did you know that people are mostly made of water?

No, Velena said, looking up anxiously. What does that mean?

Nothing, Anala said, backing away.

Anala's branch of research, officially titled Water Conservation and Reclamation, got approval for nearly every experiment they thought up since their most precious resource was running out fast. An earthquake decades before Anala was born reduced the amount of water that could be extracted from the earth per day. The Great Earthquake stunted their water supply even more, and when Anala was a child drinking water was outlawed. The problem was getting worse every year and the city couldn't afford to keep up the traditional methods of experimentation. The city needed fresh water. The city needed a good idea to cling to, and she had a great one.

You don’t mean that’s what your experiment is, do you? They’d been raised together and knew each other well. Anala didn’t have idle thoughts. Everything she said and thought had a point. If it involved water, it always came back to work.

Of course not. The only bodies we could even try it would be dried up dead old people anyway. It’s just a fact that you didn’t know, so I decided to share it with you.

Anala took a bite from her food bar, noticing through the window how similar the brown pitted earth looked to the brown pitted calorie and nutrition balanced food bar in her hand. The food bars were a result of the water problem. Traditional food wasted too much water, so they switched to carefully crafted food bars, which Anala found horrible in flavor and texture, but she hadn't even known anything else until an Agriculture tech started flirting with her and brought her fruits and vegetables from experiments. She was thinking about how she had only realized too late that he wasn't just after her for sex, but for marriage. She thought of how fortunate it had been that they were too close genetically to get approved. She also thought of how he'd almost ruined her life, but instead only ruined her pallet.

The building started to sway and the lights flickered off and on.

Looks like you’ll have extra work today, Anala said, nudging her friend's shoulder.

At least the power came back, Velena said quietly. Sometimes it didn’t come back for several minutes, throughout which everyone was instructed to remain still and wait for Alternative Energy Researchers to help.

The door started a squawk and then gave it up and chimed. Anala sighed. Even the door systems were malfunctioning. It could mean that the microchip system was compromised or just that the door wasn't working properly. If it was the microchip system, Sky Town was in worse trouble. Everyone was chipped, it was the only way to track rations, work, and credits in Sky Town.

Anala’s passion was fixing problems, and her most pressing issue was water. She made a lot of mental lists, everything in its place, and everything in order. She would address water, then power, then food, then medicine, until Sky Town was returned to its original glory. She chewed her food bar, occupying her mind to keep it off of the taste.

A man with an Agriculture uniform walked up to the old shoptender and greeted him with a wave. The shoptender was the oldest living person in Sky Town. He lived in his shop, knowing that the RaPorts, the rapid transport systems, were too rapid for old bodies. When the last Sky Train was dismantled many elderly people stopped travelling between districts, so the old man stayed in the water and power part of the science district, not willing to die just yet.

The half squawk sounded again. Anala sighed at the decaying magnificence around them. The power lines were breaking, one by one, and someday in her lifetime, they would cease to function. The city was