Prodigy Eternal (book 2)

Chapter Seventeen

Alex and Aris worked feverishly throughout the week, writing lines upon lines of code. They had to work in secret, and on several occasions lied to their new friends as to why they were spending so much time in their room. Fortunately, they had a perfect cover story — they needed to remain indoors to avoid the public, and needed to remain inside their room because they were in love and wanted privacy. Whenever they needed food or laundry, they would summon Akino or wait for everyone in the house to leave.

Alex studied the genetic sequences of planarian flatworms for their exceptional regenerative capabilities, as well as Turritopsis dohrnii and hydras for their biological immortality. Since Turritopsis dohrnii undergo cellular transdifferentiation, and other negligibly senescent organisms have no post-mitotic cells, they were the most natural sources on which to base their code.

In the late hours of the evening, Alex’s heavy eyes struggled to stay open.

“Let’s pick up where we left off in the morning, shall we?” Aris said with a groggy voice.

“Can’t,” Alex replied. “We’re so close.”

There were several holograms hovering above the king-sized bed. Aris shifted his weight and rolled onto his side. He propped himself up and with eager interest, reviewed the data Alex was working on.

“Alex, you’ve been at this thing relentlessly. Maybe it’s time we take a break and pick up again in the morning.”

“I know, it’s just… I can feel my brain becoming slower.”

“You probably just need sleep.”

“The effects are taking their toll on me with every waking hour, who knows what will happen after eight hours of sleep. I may not understand a single line of this code in the morning.”

“Just because you’re not able to process and assimilate data like you used to, and no longer have the same storage capacity as before, it doesn’t mean you will become stupid overnight,” Aris contended. “Look at me, I’m not nearly as smart as you and I even understand this stuff… that is, after you explained it to me.”

“Let me put it to you this way… it would be like me trying to build a house with stone tools. I can get certain tasks done, but other tasks would be impossible. Not to mention it would be incredibly inefficient.”

“Should I take over?” Aris offered. “I’m used to having a dull brain. It’s only been a week for you; you need time to get used to it.”

Alex got out of the way and allowed Aris to work. As soon she relinquished control of the coding device, she placed her head on her pillow and passed out.

In the morning, Alex awoke with a start, frustrated that she had fallen asleep. She quickly checked to see how far Aris had progressed with the code, and discovered it was nearly complete. She looked over at Aris and saw he was sleeping, face down in a small puddle of drool.

“Gross,” Alex said as she lazily pulled herself from the bed and slumberously dragged her feet to the ensuite bathroom.

After she finished washing her face and brushing her teeth, she heard a hushed argument coming from downstairs. Curious, Alex investigated the commotion by quietly following the sound to the grind lab. She heard her name mentioned a few times and figured Yuri was upset about her and Aris’s living arrangement. Either he wanted them to move out, or at least be more social. As Alex crept nearer to the door, she realized she was drastically mistaken.

“We have to do this, there’s no other way. The Fox isn’t someone who plays games, believe me,” Yuri said.

“What if Alex finds out?” Glitch asked.

“You guys care way too much about her,” Taranya said. “I say we give this to The Fox and hope he makes a deal with us. Although we couldn’t deliver him the patch, this is even better.”

Trying to be discreet, Alex remained positioned behind the door. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It sounded like her friends were conspiring to make some sort of deal with The Fox, whoever that was. Just then, Akino snuck up behind Alex and greeted her. “Hello, Alex, may I prepare a meal or a snack for you?”

“Dammit,” Alex said under her breath.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t understand. Please repeat your command.”

Realizing she was busted, Alex had no choice but to walk into the grind lab. When she did, Yuri and his friends greeted her with delight.

“Good morning, Alex!” Yuri said with joy. “Did you just wake up?” he asked, as if there was more to the question. He was trying to gauge how long she had been standing behind the door and how much of the conversation she had heard.

“Yeah, I just woke up. I hope I’m not interrupting anything. Looks like you guys are having a pretty serious meeting.”

There was an awkward silence, and none of them wanted to make eye contact with Alex. Until Alex knew the full picture, she didn’t want to confront them about what she had overheard.

“Alright then, I guess I’ll let you guys return to your meeting,” she said as she spun on her heels and went back upstairs.

As soon as she entered her room, she closed the door and jumped on the bed.

“Aris, wake up,” she said in an urgent whisper. She tried again, this time shaking him.

“Whaaat?” Aris groaned.

“Aris I just overheard a conversation where they were mentioning some kind of deal with ‘The Fox’, and my name was mentioned several times. They said there was no other way, and that I will find something out.”

“Is your birthday coming up?” he mumbled, still lying face down in his pillow.

“No.”

“Then I don’t know what to tell you. Have you tried asking them?”

“No, I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because if they are hiding something, which they seem to be, then we have to be subtle. Any grand gestures will spook them and we may never find out what they’re up to.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Glitch entered and said, “Hey, sorry to bother you guys, but I was wondering if you wanted to get some fresh air today and see the city? You two have been cooped up in this room for over a week.”

“Um… sure, can you give us a few minutes to get ready?”

“No problem, I’ll be waiting in the kitchen.”