“Are you sure you’re OK to take care of everyone while we’re gone?” I ask Marc.
His grin is answer enough, but of course he has to gush about how ready he is. He really seems to like his role as boss of all the younger kids, and I have to admit he’s good at it. His lack of a filter sometimes makes it seem like he’s not very smart, but when you put him in the right role, Marc can be surprisingly competent.
“So yeah, you guys can take as long as you need,” he finally concludes. “We won’t have any problems.”
I believe him. He’s done a lot since Father died. I know half of it is just him trying to remake the campus in the image of his favorite team drama, Hillside High, but I can’t argue with his results. Setting up the athletics program was a great idea. The soccer league has been especially successful with getting everyone out and having fun. I can’t believe they never had anything like recess or sports teams here. I also can’t believe I didn’t even notice that when I got here. Mrs. Hastings and the rest of the staff helped, but Marc’s the one that really got all the little kids through the tough time of mourning after I killed Father. Everyone seems to be doing pretty well now. If Marc were just a little less accident-prone, rash, and impetuous, I might start to think that we should reconsider upgrading his implant.
“OK, brother,” I tell him, giving him a clap on the shoulder. “You’re in charge then. Louise will be here to back you up if you need it, and Mrs. Hastings will help like she always does. We shouldn’t be gone for more than a couple of weeks. And don’t worry, I’ve already handled all the boring stuff that might come up while we’re gone.”
“Thanks man,” he says, putting his hand on my shoulder. “I know you always work so hard. You’re a good guy.”
I wish that was true. I take my leave and follow my to-do list and go check on Erik and Lisa. They’re the last two from the Geologists to get their implants, and they should be up and around now. I head through the big double doors to the medical wing of the Residence and find them relaxing on one of the couches in the small waiting room. Erik is short but powerfully built, with broad shoulders and tawny brown hair, nearly the same color as his skin, that never seems to quite stay in place. Lisa is lean and tall. Her long red hair is almost always topped with large headphones, which she pulls down to her neck when she sees me coming.
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“Hey, how did the procedure go? Everything good for you two?” I ask them.
“Yeah,” Erik answers. “Still getting used to the console, but I’m doing OK.”
“Same here,” Lisa says, “the whole walking and reading thing is pretty hard for me.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get it,” I reassure them. “Just takes practice. No headaches or anything though?”
“No, not any to speak of,” Lisa says, and Erik nods in agreement.
“Great. You two take it easy the rest of today. And let Louise know if you have any problems at all with the implant. Evan, Andrea, and I will be out on a mission for the next little while, but she’ll take good care of you.”.”
“Sure thing,” Erik says as I take my leave.
I wish Louise would have been able to come on the trip. I understand why she feels like she needs to stay here to keep an eye on the Geologists and make sure there aren’t any complications with their implants, but it would be so much more comfortable taking her instead of Andrea. Then on the other hand, maybe this trip will shake things up between Andrea and me. She can’t ignore me during the whole mission, can she? We’ve got to at least get to a working relationship, even though I don’t expect her to ever forgive me for what I did to Jeff. I mean, I get that. I don’t forgive myself for it either.
The next alarm pop in my console sends me back to my office. I’ve got a final call with my new assistant who’s starting tomorrow. I think he should be able to take on a bunch of my day-to-day tasks. I can’t remember him very well—I’ve done a lot of interviews lately—but my index tells me he did great in our earlier conversations. If this works out, I can actually go on this trip I’ve been planning. Here’s hoping that Alan is as good as I don’t remember him being.