The Extinction Trials(85)

Owen felt his body go numb. “What kind of salvation are we talking about here?”

“The same life the mesh offers everyone else: a unified society where our minds work together. In the case of minds like Cara’s and Maya’s, we make a few modifications to their brain wiring to prevent them from harming the greater good. Just like you, they will be changed.”

“Changed how?”

“We call the process pacification. Pacified individuals only have use of those parts of their brains that are safe. The effects are varied, but generally, you might see a pacified friend or family member doing more… basic work. Maya might be the woman wearing an apron, working in the back of a flower shop, bringing the plants in, or sweeping up. Or wiping down the tables at a café where you have lunch. She’ll enjoy the work. Her life will be a simple one—a life free of the burden of those thoughts that might harm her and all of us.”

Owen swallowed hard. “Will she remember me?”

“No, Owen. She won’t. That would be far too dangerous. But you could see her every day. If you wanted to.”

“When will she change?”

“It’s already started. First, the cure for the Genesis Virus will restore her memories. Then the mesh will begin mapping her brain and identifying any problematic areas. The duration of the process varies from person to person, but I expect she’ll be fully pacified by tomorrow morning.”





Chapter Sixty-Five





The orderlies in gray suits led Maya and Cara to a car that whisked them away to another part of The Colony, one that looked about like the receiving area they had first entered: it had a hallway and several doors and a hatch at the end.

The room they led Maya to had a couch and club chairs and a full bathroom. There was also a wide mirror in the wall, similar to the previous room. It was some sort of observation area. She was pretty certain of that.

When the door closed, leaving her alone, a sudden rush of fatigue swept over her. She wondered what the cause was—if it was the cure for the Genesis Virus they had given her, or the fall she had sustained when she had found the entrance to The Colony, or simply the exhaustion from the trek from the sea.

Whatever the cause, sleep came quickly for Maya.





When she woke, she was stiff and sore—and most importantly, she was in possession of something she had been wanting since she woke in Station 17: her memories.

Finally, Maya remembered.

She remembered everything.

Leaning back on the couch, she focused her mind on the first memory of Genesis Biosciences. In her mind’s eye, she saw herself wearing a freshly pressed suit, walking on the sidewalk toward the Genesis Biosciences building. A breeze tugged at her hair and stirred the faint smell of her shampoo. She clutched a portfolio in her right hand. It held a printed copy of her resume (which no one ever asked for any more, but she had the mortal fear of being asked for it and not having it). Also inside the small case was a notepad. She always took notes at job interviews. At home, in her small apartment, a round trash can by her desk was filled with discarded pages from prospective employers who had rejected her. And even more of those positions she had rejected.

The skyscraper’s entrance was a glass revolving door that spit out people and sucked others in, and as she shuffled through, she was reminded of her mother’s words to her: “For your first job, don’t pick the one that pays you the most. Or the one where you like the people the most. Pick the one where you can learn the most.”

“Learn about what?” she had asked.

“About yourself. It’s like an investment—learning about yourself. If you figure out your strengths and weaknesses—and find the right opportunity—there’s no limit to what you can accomplish, Maya.”

In the conference room, the interviewer asked a series of technical and general questions. As expected, she didn’t ask Maya for her resume. Maya didn’t offer. The interview ended the same way the dozen before had—with a promise that they would be in touch.

Maya received that response the same day, which she took as an indication of what sort of organization Genesis Biosciences was: decisive, efficient, and in a hurry. She liked that. She was all of those things too.

The second interview took place the next day. The questions were more difficult. She wasn’t familiar with one of the scientific questions they asked. She was nervous, but she didn’t fumble her words. She simply said, “I’m not familiar with quantum genomic sequencing. But I’ll begin researching it as soon as I leave this interview.”

The man smiled. “It’s understandable. We recently invented it. No one outside this building has ever heard of it.”

“Then why—” Maya realized the reason then. “Ah. I see.”

“We’re looking for the best and brightest here, Doctor Young. But we’re also looking for something else. We’re looking for certain kinds of minds. Curious minds. People who have a thirst for this kind of work. You’ll need it here. Genesis can be a brutal work environment. It’s challenging in ways you can’t appreciate now. And for the uncommitted, it’s a hard road. But for those who are life-long learners, those who thrive on achieving the impossible, anything is possible here.”

To Maya’s surprise, he stood and stepped toward the door. “It’s a yes from me, Maya. You’ll have one more interview, though. I wish you luck.”