Pipe Dreams by Destiny Allison

hands. I don’t understand all of it, but from what I heard, the designers had slipped something called Priscilla into regular vaccinations before the rebellion. It was a virus and it mutated them, Detective.”
    Ramirez looked up sharply. “What do you mean?”
    “It changed them. Once they hit puberty, they stop feeling. It’s like they don’t register greed, hate, or even love. They’re not like us. And it’s hereditary. Their kids won’t feel either.”
    “Why? Why would they do that?”
    “I don’t know. This, I suppose,” Vanessa sighed.
    “This? You mean the NSO?”
    “From what I heard, they wanted to make a utopia. I think they used the rebellion to put their plan in place. I mean it ’s perfect, right? The outside world is dying and can’t interfere and they’ve got all these infected kids. So they put their government in place and let the kids grow up unmolested. Pretty soon, everyone else is expendable and they have this new race of people who won’t fight, or be jealous, or anything.”
    “That ’s impossible!” Staring at her in horror, Ramirez placed his hands flat on the couch as if they would stop the world from spinning. She shook her head, sadly.
    “You ’ve seen them, Detective. You know what the new workers are like. They don’t rebel, complain, or act like any teenager I’ve ever known.” She watched Ramirez carefully. He studied the plants in front of the window. The panes reflected the lamplight, blocking out a view of the Zone.
    “Do they know you know?” he asked.
    “If they did, I wouldn’t be here now. Can you imagine what people would do if it got out?”
    “Then why the investigation?” he asked, turning to face her.
    “I’m not sure. I’m the last of the early assistants. The rest are dead or disappeared. I’ve checked. I think maybe they’ve been getting rid of us slowly like they do the other workers. They couldn’t do it all at once because the kids needed training, but this is the first year all the assistants are teenagers. I’m guessing they kept me around until the training was complete. Someone had to know how things work. Now they don’t need me anymore. At some point, they won’t need you,” Vanessa said.
    Ramirez looked through her like she was vapor. She pitied him, but did not regret her choice. Her thighs ached and sitting was difficult. The monotony of terror had worn thin her fragile shell of self-preservation and, for the first time, she would rather face the streets than the consequences of this investigation. Until the detective rejected her offer, she had not known this. Tired of pretending, tired of doing the NSO’s bidding, and tired of life, she had only known she was ready to die.
    Now, she felt something else. Ramirez’s leaving had been unexpected, but his return was more of a surprise. How long had it been since someone, besides Isaac, had cared?  When was the last time a man had looked at her with lust and not acted on his desire?   Until now, her only hope had been the outside world would recover and destroy the NSO. Ramirez’s small act of honor had lightened her heart.
    Watching him absorb the information, she wanted to touch him, but if she did, he would shatter like glass. He rubbed a hand through his hair, hollow -eyed.
    “I have to go. I ’ll come back. I just have to think. Is that okay, me needing to think?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he stood and shuffled out of her apartment like an old man.
    Vanessa pulled the sheet tighter, suddenly cold. It was strange to have a man asking for her permission, but it didn’t matter. She had to go. It wasn’t safe here any longer. With Ramirez’s kindness no more than a sweet memory, she picked up the picture of her grandfather and kissed it. Setting it down, she blew out the candle and grabbed her journal. In her bedroom, she donned old clothes – jeans, a tee shirt, and sneakers. From the top shelf of the closet, she pulled down her daypack and set it