Genesis

Chapter 27

Hey y'all! I'm really sorry I didn't post a chapter last week so this chapter is a little longer than usual. Also, next week's chapter should be a longer one as well because I get school off for Thanksgiving!

Comment what your favorite Thanksgiving food is!

Happy reading!

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Ximon wasn't joking when he said I'd be bored out of my mind. The day seems to span at least 5 years as we walk around and Ximon enlightens me about all of the rules and procedures of the lab. Finally, my watch reads 4:30 pm and Ximon tells me I can go home for the day.

"I know today wasn't all that great," says Ximon as I get ready to leave. "But tomorrow we'll go outside the dome for the first time to give you some experience out in the field."

As I take the transport strip home, my mind churns wildly with ideas of how to sneak away from Ximon so I can see my mother. At the moment, I don't think I will get to slip away tomorrow. So, my plan is to be extra obedient and scope out how I can do it in the future.

When I arrive in Ximon's office the next day, he is already sitting in his chair. Shockingly, his computer isn't on which tips me off that either today is very important or Ximon just enjoys working outside the dome.

"Ah, there you are, Kaze," says Ximon. "I was about to leave without you." When I open my mouth to tell him that I was exactly on time, he cuts me off.

"Early is on time, on time is late, late is death," says Ximon casually. I raise my eyebrows at him, not sure whether to laugh or to take him seriously.

"Anyway, there's a hover waiting for us so let's skedaddle," Ximon says, getting out of his chair. I nod once and follow him out of his office, down the twisting hallways of the exploration department, and outside where a hover is parked waiting for us. We climb inside and immediately we're off to the dome wall. It feels almost surreal that I'm leaving the dome because of my job. If I hadn't gotten locked outside the dome I would still be repairing buzzbikes in my shop and cracking jokes with my brother. My life has changed so much since then.

"Have fun out there, Ximon," says a man's voice, jolting me out of my thoughts. I take a quick glance out the window and see that we are passing through the dome wall's gates. The man who addressed Ximon is the same man who admitted me back into the dome when I was locked out. Ximon gives the man a wave and a smile. Ximon must go through these gates pretty often if that sourball is nice enough to talk to Ximon in a civilized manner. I can't say the same for the way he talked to me.

"Where are we going, exactly?" I ask Ximon.

"There's a small exploration facility located somewhat nearby the petrified forest. I take it you learned about the petrified forest in school?" Ximon replies.

"Yes," I say. "I'm surprised I didn't see the building when I was locked out here. It would have helped me quite a bit."

"You wouldn't have been able to notice it anyway. It's disguised with decently new cloaking technology that they haven't put into your textbooks yet. Even if you did see it, though, it's completely unmanned at night. There's no cleanup crew, no overnight workers, no nothing out there after the last foghorn. You would have most likely just pounded on the doors and invited all the beasts of the forest right to you," says Ximon. I don't reply. I wonder how close the building is to the forest. Visiting my mother might be easier than I thought.

Finally, the hover comes to a stop. Ximon clambers outside and gestures for me to follow him. Standing beside the hover, I can't see anything but sand dunes in front of me and the edge of the petrified forest to my left. Unperturbed, Ximon takes a few steps forward so he is in front of the hover.

"Fatum est extra," Ximon says calmly, though I'm not sure who he is speaking to. Suddenly, starting at the ground, a building starts to mold into existence. I watch in awe as, piece by piece, the exploration facility in all its scientific glory is revealed to my eyes. I turn to look at Ximon who is smiling widely.

" 'Fatum est extra' is the exploration department's motto. It means "Our destiny is beyond" in the ancient language of Latin," Ximon tells me. I turn the words over in my head.

"Beyond what?" I ask. Ximon looks over at me again. On the surface his expression is thoughtful, but there is some deeper emotion swimming beneath it and I can't puzzle out what it is.

"Beyond whatever you want to go beyond," Ximon says. "When the exploration department was founded, their goal was to go beyond where they were at the time. It meant trying to support life outside the dome. It meant finding new ways to protect those inside the dome. It meant that this department would work to discover new ways forward. It's what you and I are still trying to do now." My look of amazement turns into a thoughtful look as well as I take in the words of Ximon's short speech.

"Come on," says Ximon. "Let's go do our job." I break out of my reverie and follow him towards the entrance to the building.