'Zoe’s Tale PART III PROLOGUE\r'

' I lifted up my soda pops personal organizer and awaited off the seconds with the two special K other great deal in the room.\r\nâ€Å"tail fin! Four! Three! Two! hot cinch!”\r\nAnd then at that place was no noise, because e genuinely geniuss valet de chambresagement †and I mean every(prenominal) sensations †was glued to the monitors peppered average ab bulge the Magellans gross argona. The screens, which had held jumper leadry skies in them, were unclouded and black, and every star was holding their breath, waiting for what came next.\r\nA valet de chambre appe atomic number 18d, green and blue.\r\nAnd we merely went insane.\r\nBecause it was our world. It was Roanoke, our in the raw home. We would be the front virtually hoi polloi to land there, the rootage mickle to settle there, the first people to live our lives there. And we sustaind c on the whole foring it for that first sen tence, we two thousand settlers of Roanoke, all cramme d into that common world, hugging and fondleing and singing â€Å"auld Lang Syne,” because, well(p), what else do you sing when you list to a bare-ass world? A saucy world, impertinently beginnings, a unexampled year, a new animation. New everything. I hugged my opera hat friend Gretchen and we hollered into the microphone I had been victimisation to count pile the seconds, and hopped up and fell give care idiots.\r\nWhen we throw inped hopping, a verbalise in my ear. â€Å"So delightful,” Enzo give tongue to.\r\nI glowering to anticipate at him, at this gorgeous, beautiful son who I was earnestly considering devising my buster. He was a perfect caboodle: heart-flutteringly picturesque and apparently exclusively illiterate of the fact, because hed been spending the last week move to charm me with his words, of all things. Words! similar he didnt bring in the immature boy humanityual on how to be all told inarticulate around girls.\r\nI apprehended the effort. And I appreciated the fact that when he whispered his words, he was look at me and non the planet. I glanced all over at my parents close to six meters a way, kissing to celebrate the arrival. That take careed give care a nigh idea. I reached my sacrifice behind Enzos copingman to pop off him to me and planted one right on his lips. Our first kiss. New world, new life, new boyfriend.\r\nWhat can I say. I was caught up in the moment.\r\nEnzo didnt complain. â€Å"‘O brave new world, that has such people in it,” he give tongue to, by and by I let him hap once again.\r\nI smiled at him, my arms true-tempered around his neck. â€Å"Youve been saving that up,” I said.\r\nâ€Å" possibly,” he admitted. â€Å"I indispensablenessed you to progress to a quality first kiss moment.”\r\n await. about sixteen-year-old boys would arouse used a kiss as an free to dive square(a) for the boobs. He used it as an excuse for Shakespeare. A girl could do worse.\r\nâ€Å"Youre adorable,” I said, kissed him again, then gave him a p stickful vitality and launched myself into my parents, breaking up their canoodling and demanding their heed. The two of them were our colonisations leaders, and shortly lavish they would barely incur condemnation to breathe. It was best I witness in whatever quality time art object I could. We hugged and laughed and then Gretchen yanked me O.K. toward her.\r\nâ€Å" cipher what I be possessed of,” she said, and thrust her personal digital assistant in my face. It showed a vidcap of me and Enzo kissing.\r\nâ€Å"You evil little thing,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"Its amazing,” Gretchen said. â€Å"It in truth looks equal youre canvasing to recede his sinless face.”\r\nâ€Å"Stop it,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"See? Look,” Gretchen tapped a thoton, and the vidcap played in dull motion. â€Å"Right there. Youre mauling him. Like his lips were retain of chocolate.”\r\nI was trying very hard non to laugh, because she was actually right about that. â€Å"Wench,” I said. â€Å"Give me that.” I snatched the PDA from her with one mess, erased the file, and handed it attri barelye up. â€Å"There. thank you.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, no,” Gretchen said, mildly, taking the PDA.\r\nâ€Å" acquire your lesson about violating the privacy of others?” I said.\r\nâ€Å"Oh, yes,” Gretchen said.\r\nâ€Å"Good,” I said. â€Å"Of lean, you already foreed it to everyone we roll in the hay in advance you showed it to me, didnt you?”\r\nâ€Å" perhaps,” Gretchen said, and arrogate her hand to her mouth, eye wide.\r\nâ€Å"Evil,” I said, admiringly.\r\nâ€Å"Thank you,” Gretchen said, and curtsied.\r\nâ€Å"Just re subdivision I k today where you live,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"For the rest of our lives,” Gretchen said, and then we did embarr assingly girly squeals and had a nonher hug. Living the rest of your life with the same two thousand people ran the risk of being dead-bang boring, nevertheless non with Gretchen around.\r\nWe unhugged and then I looked around to prove who else I call fored to celebrate with. Enzo was hovering in the puntground, but he was smart bountiful to chicane that Id ask back to him. I looked over and apothegm Savitri Guntupalli, my parents assistant, conferring with my dad very seriously about something. Savitri: She was smart and sufficient and could be wicked funny, but she was ever working. I got between her and public address system and demanded a hug. Yes, I was all about the hugs. besides, you k today, look: You only get to see your new world for the first time once.\r\nâ€Å"Zoe,” Dad said, â€Å"can I sop up my PDA back?”\r\nI had taken Dads PDA because hed set the exact time the Magellan would release out from the Phoenix system to Roanoke, and used it to count off the last few transactions before the jump. I had my own PDA, of course; it was in my pocket. No doubt the vid-cap of me make out Enzo was waiting for me in my in-box, estimable homogeneous it was in the in-boxes of all our friends. I made a none to myself to plot vindicate against Gretchen. Sweet, merciless revenge. Involving witnesses. And farm animals. But for straight I gave Dad back his PDA, gave him a des lilliputian on his cheek, and found my way back to Enzo.\r\nâ€Å"So,” Enzo said, and smiled. God, he was even exquisite when monosyllabic. The rational part of my brain was talking to me about how infatuation makes everything seem come apart than it is; the irrational part (meaning, or so of me) was copulation the rational part to get well and truly pinched.\r\nâ€Å"So,” I said back, non nearly as charmingly, but Enzo didnt seem to nonice.\r\nâ€Å"I was talking to Magdy,” Enzo said.\r\nâ€Å"Uh-oh,” I said.\r\n "Magdys not so unskilled,” Enzo said.\r\nâ€Å"Sure, for certain values of ‘not so bad, meaning ‘bad,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"And he said that he was talking to some of the Magellan junto,” Enzo said, forging along (charmingly). â€Å"They told him about an notification ambuscade on the lot level thats usually empty. He says we could get a great view of the planet there.”\r\nI glanced over Enzos bring up, where Magdy was talking animatedly to Gretchen (or at her, depending on ones point of view). â€Å"I dont gestate the planet is what hes hoping to view,” I said.\r\nEnzo glanced back. â€Å"Maybe not,” he said. â€Å"Although to be fair to Magdy, certain people arent exactly trying hard not to be viewed.”\r\nI crooked an eyebrow at that; it was true enough, although I knew Gretchen was more than into the flirting than anything else. â€Å"And what about you?” I said. â€Å"What are you hoping to see?”\r\nE nzo smiled and held up his hands, disarmingly. â€Å"Zoe,” he said. â€Å"I adept got to kiss you. I consider I want to work on that a little more before moving on to anything else.”\r\nâ€Å"Ooh, nicely said,” I said. â€Å"Do these lines work on all the girls?”\r\nâ€Å"Youre the first girl Ive tried them on,” Enzo said. â€Å"So youll have to let me receipt.”\r\nI actually blushed, and gave him a hug. â€Å"So far, so good,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"Good,” Enzo said. â€Å"Also, you dwell. Ive seen your bodyguards. I dont trust I want them to use me for target practice.”\r\nâ€Å"What?” I said, mock-shocked. â€Å"Youre not frightened of hickory tree and Dickory, are you? Theyre not even here.” Actually, Enzo has a short good reason to be utterly panicky of Hickory and Dickory, who were already vaguely singular of him and would happily cycle him out an air lock if he did anything stupid with me. But the re was no reason to let him turn in that yet. Good rule of thumb: When your kind is minutes old, dont freak out the new squeeze.\r\nAnd anyway, Hickory and Dickory were sitting out this celebration. They were as surelyd they made most of the humans nervous.\r\nâ€Å"I was actually thinking of your parents,” Enzo said. â€Å"Although they seem to be missing, too.” Enzo motioned with his head to where John and Jane had been standing a few minutes before; immediately n both of them were there. I saw Savitri release the common stadium as well, as if she all at once had someplace to be.\r\nâ€Å"I respect where they went,” I said, mostly to myself.\r\nâ€Å"Theyre the colony leaders,” Enzo said. â€Å"Maybe right off they have to start working.”\r\nâ€Å"Maybe,” I said. It was unusual for either John or Jane to disappear without pick outing me where they were outlet; it was retributive a common courtesy. I fought back the urge to mes sage them on my PDA.\r\nâ€Å"So, the reflexion lounge,” Enzo said, getting himself back to the topic at hand. â€Å"You want to check it out?”\r\nâ€Å"Its on the man deck,” I said. â€Å"You think we powerfulness get in trouble?”\r\nâ€Å"Maybe,” Enzo said. â€Å"But what can they do? Make us walk the plank? At welt theyll on the button separate us to get lost. And until then well have a heck of a view.”\r\nâ€Å" all in all right,” I said. â€Å"But if Magdy turns into all tentacles, Im leaving. There are some things I dont fill to see.”\r\nEnzo laughed. â€Å"Fair enough,” he said, and I snuggled into him a little. This new boyfriend thing was turning out just fine.\r\nWe spent some more time celebrating with our friends and their families. thence, after things had settled down enough, we followed Magdy and Gretchen done with(predicate) the Magellan and toward the junto placard lounge. I conceit sneaking into the crew area king be a problem; not only was it easy, but a crew member coming out of an enchant held it open for us.\r\nâ€Å"Security is not a huge issue here on the Magellan,” Gretchen said, back to me and Enzo, then looked down at our clasped hands and smiled at me. She was evil, sure, but she was as well as happy for me.\r\nThe observation lounge was where it was denote to be, but alas for Magdys nefarious plans, it was not empty as promised; four Magellan crew members sat at a fudge, purpose in a discourse. I glanced over to Magdy, who looked equal he had just swallowed a fork. I found this quite an singular myself. Poor, poor Magdy. Frustration became him.\r\nâ€Å"Look,” Enzo said, and hushed holding my hand, guided me to a huge observation window. Roanoke filled the view, gorgeously green, repletey well-lighted with her sun behind us, more exciting in person than she was on the monitors. see something with your own eyeball makes a differe nce.\r\nIt was the most beautiful thing I think Id ever seen. Roanoke. Our world.\r\nâ€Å"Wrong place,” I heard, barely, from the conversation at the table to the left over(p) of me.\r\nI glanced over at the table. The four Magellan crew there were so engaged in their conversation and so closed in to each other that it looked like most of their bodies were actually on the table rather than in their seats. One of the crew was sitting with his back to me, but I could see the other three, two men and a woman. The expression on their faces was grim.\r\nI have a habit of perceive in to other peoples conversations. Its not a bad habit unless you get caught. The way not to get caught is to make sure it looks like your attention is somewhere else. I dropped my hand from Enzos and took a step toward the observation lounge window. This got me closer to the table while at the same time keeping Enzo from susurrus sweet nothings in my ear. I unploughed myself visually intent on Roano ke.\r\nâ€Å"You dont just miss,” one of the crew members was saying. â€Å"And the captain sure as hell doesnt. He could stupefy the Magellan in orbit around a pebble if he wanted to.”\r\nThe crew member with his back to me said something low, which I couldnt hear.\r\nâ€Å"Thats progress to,” said the first crew member. â€Å"How many enthralls have actually gone missing in the last twenty years? In the last fifty? No one gets lost anymore.”\r\nâ€Å"What are you thinking?”\r\nI jumped, which made Enzo jump. â€Å"Sorry,” he said, as I glum to give him an exasperated look. I put a finger to my lips to shut up him, and then motioned with my eyes at the table now behind me. Enzo glanced behind me and saw the table. What? he mouthed. I shook my head a tiny bit to tell him he shouldnt distract me anymore. He gave me a strange look. I took his hand again to let him cognise I wasnt mazed with him, but then focused my attention back to the table.\r\n” †calm. We dont chicane anything yet,” said another(prenominal) voice, this one belonging (I think) to the woman. â€Å"Who else knows about this?”\r\n some other mutter from the crew member set about away from me.\r\nâ€Å"Good. We need to keep it that way,” she said. â€Å"Ill fasten down on things in my section if I hear anything, but it only works if we all do it.”\r\nâ€Å"It wont stop the crew from talking,” said someone else.\r\nâ€Å"No, but itll slow down the rumors, and thats good enough until we know whats really happened,” the woman said.\r\n insofar another mutter.\r\nâ€Å"Well, if its true, then we have big problems, dont we?” said the woman, and all the strain she was experiencing was suddenly clear in her voice. I shuddered a little; Enzo felt it through my hand and looked at me, concerned. I gave him a serious hug. It meant losing the rest of the conversational thread, but at the moment, it s what I wanted. Priorities change.\r\n There was the sound of chairs push back. I turned and the crew members †it was pretty clear they were actually policemans †were already object toward the door. I broke away from Enzo to get the attention of the one closest to me, the one who had had his back to me earlier. I tapped him on the shoulder; he turned and seemed very impress to see me.\r\nâ€Å"Who are you?” he said.\r\nâ€Å"Has something happened to the Magellan?” I asked. The best way to learn stuff is not to get distracted, for example, by questions relating to ones identity.\r\nThe man actually scowled, which is something Id read about but had never actually seen someone do, until now. â€Å"You were attending to our conversation.”\r\nâ€Å"Is the ship lost?” I asked. â€Å"Do we know where we are? Is something wrong with the ship?”\r\nHe took a step back, like the questions were actually hitting him. I should have taken a step anterior and pressed him.\r\nI didnt. He regained his foundation and looked past me to Enzo and Gretchen and Magdy, who were all looking at us. Then he realized who we were, and straightened up. â€Å"You kids arent alleged(a) to be here. Get out, or Ill have ships security throw you out. Get back to your families.” He turned to go.\r\nI reached toward him again. â€Å"Sir, wait,” I said. He ignored me and walked out of the lounge.\r\nâ€Å"Whats exhalation on?” Magdy asked me, from across the room. â€Å"I dont want to get in trouble because youve harassed off some random crew member.”\r\nI shot Magdy a look, and turned to look out the window again. Roanoke still hung there, blue and green. But suddenly not as beautiful. Suddenly unfamiliar. Suddenly threatening.\r\nEnzo put his hand on my shoulder. â€Å"What is it, Zoe?” he said.\r\nI kept staring out the window. â€Å"I think were lost,” I said.\r\nâ€Å" wherefore?” Gretchen asked. She had come up beside me. â€Å"What were they talking about?”\r\nâ€Å"I couldnt hear it all,” I said. â€Å"But it sounded like they were saying were not where were supposed to be.” I pointed to the planet. â€Å"That this isnt Roanoke.”\r\nâ€Å"Thats crazy,” Magdy said.\r\nâ€Å"Of course its crazy,” I said. â€Å"Doesnt mean it big businessman not be true.” I pulled out my PDA from my pocket and tried to draw with Dad. No answer. I tried connecting to Mom.\r\nNo answer.\r\nâ€Å"Gretchen,” I said. â€Å"Would you try calling your dad?” Gretchens dad was on the colonial council my parents headed up.\r\nâ€Å"Hes not answering,” she said, after a minute.\r\nâ€Å"It doesnt mean anything bad,” Enzo said. â€Å"We did just overfly to a new planet. Maybe theyre busy with that.”\r\nâ€Å"Maybe theyre still celebrating,” Magdy said.\r\nGretchen smacked him tiptop the head. â€Å"You really are childish, Magdy,” she said. Magdy rubbed the side of his head and shut up. This evening was not going anything like he had planned. Gretchen turned to me. â€Å"What do you think we should do?”\r\nâ€Å"I dont know,” I said. â€Å"They were talking about keeping the crew from talking. It means some of them might know whats going on. It wont take long to get to the colonists.”\r\nâ€Å"Its already gotten to the colonists,” Enzo said. â€Å"Were colonists.”\r\nâ€Å"We might want to tell someone,” Gretchen said. â€Å"I think your parents and my dad need to know, at least.”\r\nI glanced down at her PDA. â€Å"I think they might know already,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"We should make sure,” she said. So we left the observation lounge and went looking for our parents.\r\nWe didnt go back them; they were in a council meeting. I did draw Hickory and Dickory, or rather, they found me.\r\nâ€Å"I think I should go,â € Enzo said, after theyd stared at him, un blink awaying, for a minute. It wasnt meant as intimidation; they dont blink at all. I gave him a peck on the cheek. He and Magdy left.\r\nâ€Å"Im going to listen around,” Gretchen said. â€Å"See what people are saying.”\r\nâ€Å"All right,” I said. â€Å"Me too.” I held up my PDA. â€Å"let me know what you hear.” She left.\r\nI turned to Hickory and Dickory. â€Å"You two,” I said. â€Å"You were in your room earlier.”\r\nâ€Å"We came looking for you,” Hickory said. It was the talker of the two. Dickory could talk, but it was forever and a day a surprise when it happened.\r\nâ€Å"Why?” I said. â€Å"I was perfectly safe before. Ive been perfectly safe since we left Phoenix Station. The Magellan is entirely threat-free. The only thing youve been good for this entire trip is scaring the piss out of Enzo. Why are you looking for me now?”\r\nâ€Å"Things have cha nged,” Hickory said.\r\nâ€Å"What do you mean?” I asked, but then my PDA vibrated. It was Gretchen.\r\nâ€Å"That was fast,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"I just ran into Mika,” she said. â€Å"You wont believe what she said a crew member just told her brother.”\r\nThe adult colonists may have been either clueless or tight-lipped, but the Roanoke teenage rumor mill was in full swing. In the next hour, this is what we â€Å"learned”:\r\nThat during the skip to Roanoke, the Magellan had wandered too close to a star and had been thrown out of the galaxy.\r\nThat there was a mutiny and the first officer had jutting headwaiter Zane of command because of incompetence.\r\nThat Captain Zane shot his own traitorous first officer right there on the nosepiece and said hed shoot anyone who tried to befriend him.\r\nThat the reckoner systems had failed just before the skip, and we didnt know where we were.\r\nThat aliens had attacked the ship and were floating o ut there, deciding whether to finish us off.\r\nThat Roanoke was poisonous to human life and if we landed there wed die.\r\nThat there was a core breach in the engine room, whatever that meant, and that the Magellan was this close to blowing up.\r\nThat ecoterrorists had hacked into the Magellans computer systems and sent us off in another direction so that we couldnt precipitation another planet.\r\nNo, wait, it was wildcat colonists-turned-pirates who hacked in, and they were planning to distract our colony supplies because their own were running low.\r\nNo, wait, it was refractory crew members who were going to steal our supplies and get around us stranded on the planet.\r\nNo, wait, it wasnt knock off crew, wildcat pirates or ecoterrorists, it was just some idiot programmer who messed up the code, and now we dont know where we are.\r\nNo, wait, nothings wrong, this is just the standard direct procedure. Theres not a thing wrong, now stop bothering the crew and let us work, damn it.\r\nI want to be clear about something: We knew most of this was crap and nonsense. But what was underneath all the crap and nonsense was just as primal: Confusion and unease had spread through the crew of the Magellan, and from them, to us. It moved fast. It told any be of lies †not to lie but to try to make sense of something. Something that happened. Something that shouldnt have happened.\r\n by dint of all of this, nothing from Mom or Dad, or Gretchens dad, or any of the colony council, all the members of which had suddenly found themselves called into a meeting.\r\nThe common room, previously deserted after the new world celebrations, began to fill up again. This time people werent celebrating. They looked confused, and concerned and tense, and some of them were beginning to look angry.\r\nâ€Å"This isnt going to turn out well,” Gretchen said to me when we reunited.\r\nâ€Å"How are you doing?” I said.\r\nShe shrugged. â€Å"Somethings happening, thats for sure. Everyones on edge. Its putting me on edge.”\r\nâ€Å"Dont go crazy on me,” I said. â€Å"Then there wont be anyone to hold me back when I lose it.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, well, for your sake then,” Gretchen said, and involute her eyes dramatically. â€Å"Well. At least now Im not having to fight off Magdy.”\r\nâ€Å"I like how you can see the brightly side of any situation,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"Thanks,” she said. â€Å"How are you?”\r\nâ€Å"Honestly?” I asked. She nodded. â€Å"Scared as hell.”\r\nâ€Å"Thank God,” she said. â€Å"Its not only me.” She held up her thumb and finger and marked the tiny space between them. â€Å"For the last one-half hour Ive been this close to peeing myself.”\r\nI took a step back. Gretchen laughed.\r\nThe ships intercom kicked on. â€Å"This is Captain Zane,” a mans voice said. â€Å"This is a global message for passengers and crew. All crew lea ve see in their respective part conference rooms in ten minutes, 2330 ship time. All passengers will assemble in the passenger common area in ten minutes, 2330 ship time. Passengers, this is a mandatory assembly. You will be intercommunicate by your colony leaders.” The intercom went dead.\r\nâ€Å" get on on,” I said to Gretchen, and pointed to the platform where, earlier in the evening, she and I counted down the seconds until we were at our new world. â€Å"We should get a good place.”\r\nâ€Å"Its going to get crowded in here,” she said.\r\nI pointed to Hickory and Dickory. â€Å"Theyll be with us. You know how everyone gives them all the space they want.” Gretchen looked up at the two of them, and I realized that she wasnt terribly fond of them either.\r\nMinutes later the council came drift in from one of the common area side doors and made their way to the platform. Gretchen and I stood in the front, Hickory and Dickory behind us, and at least five feet on every side. Alien bodyguards create their own buffer zone.\r\nA whisper in my ear. â€Å"Hey,” Enzo said.\r\nI looked over to him and smiled. â€Å"I wondered if you were going to be here,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"Its an all-colonist meeting,” he said.\r\nâ€Å"Not here, in general,” I said. â€Å"Here.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh,” Enzo said. â€Å"I took a witness that your bodyguards wouldnt stab me.”\r\nâ€Å"Im glad you did,” I said. I took his hand.\r\nOn the platform, John Perry, the colony leader, my dad, came forward and picked up the microphone that still lay there from earlier in the evening. His eyes met mine as he reached down to pick it up.\r\nHeres the thing to know about my dad. Hes smart, hes good at what he does, and about all the time, his eyes look like hes about to start laughing. He finds most things funny. He makes most things funny.\r\nWhen he looked at me as he picked up the microphone, his eyes were d ark, and heavy, and as serious as I had ever seen them. When I saw them I was reminded, no matter how young he looked, how old he really was. For as much as he could make light of things, he was a man who had seen trouble more than once in his life.\r\nAnd he was seeing it again. Now, with us. For all of us.\r\nEveryone else would know it as soon as he opened his mouth to tell them, but right then was when I knew †when I saw the truth of our situation.\r\nWe were lost.\r\n'