Story 33/1001

• thanks
• consumption
• lie

My hands shivered. This can’t be right. It’s only been ten years – the resources should last for another twenty, at least. And by that time, we should be able to gather many new ones.

But the calculations aren’t wrong.

I rushed to the head of our department. If anyone will know what to do, it will be her.

“Nella.” She frowned looking at her apologetic secretary behind me.

“I’m sorry, Joanna, I need to talk to you.” My voice was trembling, and she nodded.

Her secretary apologized once more and closed the doors.

“What is it, Nella?” Joanna approached me. I took out my tablet and the charts showed up in the air next to us.

I swiped a few times, trying to calm my breath. Her eyes widened.

“It’s our resources consumption. They’re reducing much faster than we anticipated.” I turned to her. “Joanna, we can’t even purify outside water yet. The virus-“

“When did you learn of this?”

“Just now. I-“

“Did you come straight here?”

“Yes. Joa-“

“You didn’t talk with anyone?”

“No. Why-“

“Your lab is secured? Locked?”

I nodded. Her reaction shouldn’t surprise me, ever since she sat on this chair and came to this office, she became a politician first. But I was shocked. No, I was mad.

“Joanna, what are you implying? Why are you asking this?”

“We need to keep this a secret.” Joanna looked at me, like she was trying to read my mind.

“You want to lie?”

“I want to not say anything for now. It’s not the same.”

“If we don’t say anything, we won’t have water or food next year.”

“Nella, if we say anything now, especially without any form of a solution, everyone who trusted us, everyone who survived the virus, will just panic again. The walls we built to protect ourselves from the outside, can’t protect us if we rot from the inside.”

I bit my tongue. Joanna sat on her chair. I knew her since kindergarten. We were different back then. The world was different back then. Now everything was about survival. Even if we say the walls will keep us safe, the dome above our heads will purify the air, the water we drink is not contagious – those are all just temporary solutions. We created a community, we saved as many as we can, we made them think that this was a safe place for them to start families, for them to live.

But the truth is, we are barely making it. Even if everyone outside of this department thinks that we are safe, that this is finally over, Joanna should think the same as me. Joanna should know that this fight is just beginning.

And I need her on my side.

Whenever we encountered a problem, we dealt with it like scientists would –  because that’s who we always wanted to be. I put up a blank board and handed Joanna my tablet.

“How long have you been in this chair?” I asked. “Maybe it’s time you become a scientist again.”

She got up and took the tablet.

“What’s the first thing we need, boss?” I smiled.

“Show me the charts again. And all the resource consumptions throughout the ten years. And our original theory. Let’s start from the beginning.”

The charts showed up next to the board and Joanna tied her hair in a messy bun.

“Three months.” Joanna said. “Give me three months of silence about this, and work with me to figure it out. If we can’t do it by then, I’ll give a formal declaration.”

“Thanks, Jo.” I said, giving her a pen for the board.

“Come here and help me, already.”