After a long moment to allow herself to maul over what it sounded like Jared was trying to admit to her, Lili finally spoke again, “What sort of things?” was her only question.

Though, Jared didn't answer her right away. Instead his deep brown eyes moved toward the door just as Ian entered the cafeteria for his own afternoon meal. In response, Jared took a deep, cautious breath as he watched Ian move to collect his lunch.

“Jared?” Lili’s voice interrupted his obvious discomfort a moment later.

Forcing his attention from Ian back to the woman who sat across from him, “Do you mind if we finish lunch somewhere else?”

Lili’s brow furrowed a bit at his sudden suggestion. But her curiosity concerning the strange things he had begun to tell her about, managed to outweigh her curiosity about his reaction to Ian’s arrival. “Sure, we could uh, go to my cabin?” she offered with her own nervousness easily returning at not only the prospect of the secret Jared seemed to want to tell her; but also at the prospect of having anyone else, besides her own mother, ever join her alone in those close living quarters each of the ship’s crew and sub-crew were assigned.

Jared simply nodded wordlessly and gathered his tray as he stood and quickly moved toward the entrance nearest their table, rather than the one that Ian had come through. Though it seemed Ian still hadn't noticed either Jared’s or Lili’s presence in the room yet.

Lili hurried to gather her tray and follow him from the cafeteria, out into the long passageways that led to the other wings of the huge ship. After a few more long, quiet moments they finally arrived at the large wing designated as the living quarters for the “non-civilians” such as the flight crew, technology team, science team, and security team. This was one of the most secure wings of the ship, requiring badges, security codes, and retinal scans to even enter.

She sighed softly after they passed the security measures at the main door of the wing. Then they had to travel down another passageway to her own cabin, where she had to once more scan her ID badge, before entering her security code to activate a retinal scanner. Only then could she access the visitor ID screen, where Jared then had to follow the same steps himself.

It was a complicated process any time one moved from one wing of the ship to another, and even more complicated when it came to accessing private living areas. But nothing seemed over-cautious when the last remaining members of their race had only the ship’s doors to protect them from the unknown reaches of the galaxy that surrounded them every day of their new lives onboard those E-ships.

The cabins were the size of a small one bedroom apartment in the old version of the world. After entering, Lili allowed another awkward smile before moving to set her tray upon the tiny table at the corner of the main living space. She then gestured for Jared to take a seat across from her.

“Sorry about all that. I just... I don’t really want other people knowing about this stuff. At least not until I understand any of it myself,” Jared told her apologetically, seeming only the slightest bit more relaxed.

“Especially, Ian?” she asked, the words left her lips before she had allowed herself the time to determine whether they should.

Jared sighed a bit uncomfortably as he continued to try and hide his nervousness by poking at the food he honestly seemed to have lost all interest in before even taking the first bite. “He is a bit intimidating,” he managed to confess with only the slightest hint of a smile. His words caught her a bit, considering her own reactions when she found herself in the presence of a personality as overwhelmingly dominant, and closely guarded, as Ian’s seemed to be.

“I thought I was the only one who thought that,” she smiled slightly, casting her eyes downwards with a blush.

“Well, I mean he is in charge of security, and assessing security risks, and getting rid of them if there are any, isn’t he?” Jared returned quietly.

“You were planning on being a security risk, then?” she asked. Lili had never even entertained the thought of this shy young man being such. Though her encounters with him had been rather limited.

“No,” he laughed uneasily, “but you know how people react to things they don’t understand. It scares them. Believe me, I know it scares me,” he repeated more quietly. He then quickly looked back her way, still a bit uncomfortable sharing his secrets just yet. “So your mom is his boss, everybody’s boss, really. So why would you think he’s intimidating?” he couldn’t help asking.

Lili then looked down again with another uneasy chuckle, “It has nothing to do with my mom, honest. She doesn’t really act like anyone’s boss, anyway. She just is,” she added with a slight shrug.

“You didn’t say why you would be intimidated by him, though,” Jared reminded her gently, then couldn’t stop himself from adding, “I thought you actually kind of, well, liked him?” he dared.

Lili let out a laugh that was obviously to hide another blush she couldn’t help feeling rush to her cheeks at the sound of someone calling her on the attraction she didn’t even let herself consciously admit to having. And it was even more awkward, when that someone was another boy who she would have had to have been blind not to be at least physically attracted to as well. “Seriously?” she continued, “I barely even talk to Ian,” she added for weight.

“Since when do you have to talk to people to think they’re attractive?” he pointed out, though did so with a gentle smile before adding, “I mean, I think people are attractive… People that I barely talk to…. Maybe because, I’m intimidated by them?” he added with a slightly wry smile over at her.

Lili just shook her head, unable to find much of an argument to oppose his logic. Instead, she attempted a subject change, “I thought we came here to talk about you, not him,” she reminded gently.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” he allowed another small smile before taking one more deep breath, trying to find the words to explain the things he needed to find someone to share with; someone who could hopefully help him to make any sense of them at all.

It was nearing midnight when Ian made the final rounds of his shift, which took him past the lab Jared usually worked in. Instead of finding Jared or the other scientists at the dimly lit desk in the corner, it was Kyle who continued to look down at the papers Jared had given him that afternoon. He was leaning over Jared’s usual desk, running a hand through his shoulder length curls stressfully as Ian appeared to check the lab that night.

“You switch jobs or something?” Ian greeted Kyle with his usual smirk.

Kyle just rolled his eyes at the greeting before providing any response of his own, “Like there’s any point in even trying to explain this to someone like you?” was the teen’s response as he gestured to the readout before him. Though the apprehension that rarely ever seeped into his voice outweighed his usual attempt at sarcasm any time he found himself interacting with Ian.

“Well whatever it is, it’s obviously had your panties in a bunch for…” Ian pointedly glanced at his watch, “twelve straight hours now. So it must be something new. Something important.”

“Everything I do is important,” Kyle returned smartly.

“Whoa, junior. I think your ego and that big brain of yours combined, they just might put us over the weight limit of the ship. I might have to file a report,” Ian returned smugly.

“Is there a reason you’re still talking to me?” Kyle returned as he continued to keep his attention glued to the desk rather than on Ian.

Ian sighed impatiently as he moved to lean upon the desk Kyle sat at and craned his neck in an attempt at finally forcing Kyle’s eyes up to meet his own, “So, fess up. What the hell has the genius in such a tizzy?”

Kyle simply looked up at Ian out of the side of those pale blue eyes before conceding to offer some kind of response. “According to this, you and I are going to be forced to spend a lot more time together in coming weeks. I’m thrilled by the prospect, as you can tell,” he added.

“Why would you and I ever spend any time together?” Ian returned with the same bite to his tone, only tempered by his curiosity to hear what the explanation might be.

“We both knew we’d have to, eventually,” Kyle shrugged as he pushed the papers away with a sigh.

“Yeah, eventually. Eventually, if we found a planet to survey,” Ian stated, though spoke more slowly as he pondered whether that truly was what the younger of the two was actually telling him.

“Welcome to eventually,” Kyle responded quietly, attempting to hide a nervousness that his self-assured manner never had seemed to display prior to the prospect they now found themselves speaking of.

“There’s a planet?” Ian repeated, his own self-assured demeanor still faltering enough to allow a small stammer to seep into his own voice.

“Yeah, and you and I are ‘pre-chosen,’ if you will,” Kyle responded with a sarcasm that continued to try and hide the ever so foreign feeling of not knowing what lie ahead. And ‘not knowing’ was something that Kyle had never been accustomed to.

“So, have you told Miranda?” Ian asked him with a deep breath, their usual sarcastic interactions all but forgotten at that particular moment in time.

“Yeah, just did,” Kyle sighed. “She and Charles want me to choose the other two team members who will go with us when we reach this place,” he returned in a quiet, contemplative tone.

“Only two? And they want you to choose?” Ian repeated, matching Kyle's quiet tone as he raised a brow.

“I am a genius, remember?” Kyle reminded pointedly.

Ian simply scoffed, “So just because you got a big IQ, you get to decide who might determine the future of our entire race… And who might even lose their lives doing so?” Ian had to add on a more serious note.

“Well if you do your job that shouldn’t be the case,” Kyle returned.

“But still, you get to decide? Do you even know the names of anyone on the ship besides your precious computers?”

“Believe me, I know plenty,” Kyle assured, then allowed himself to add, “But don’t worry, my choices will all be subject to approval, of course.”

“Subject to whose approval?” Ian asked skeptically.

Another sigh from Kyle before he answered. “Miranda’s of course, and Charles’.” He then took a breath before his voice dropped, “And yours,” he forced the words out with a mumble as he looked down once more.

“So, the Neanderthal has to approve the genius’s choices?” Ian had to chuckle.

“All three of you have to approve,” Kyle reminded. He then continued, with the slightest trace of defeat, “So, we may as well save time and choose them, together,” he forced himself to suggest, though with a slight cringe.

Ian allowed his own thoughtful sigh as he moved to take a seat in the dim corner of the lab next to Jared’s desk, “I suppose it’s a given that we’ll also need some sort of medical expert. And there aren’t that many qualified doctors on the ship, aside from Hamil and his team. And they have to stay aboard to take care of everyone left here.”

“That’s not a problem; I can easily take care of that,” Kyle responded.

“Pray tell how?” Ian returned with another raise of the brow.

Kyle sighed again, as though preparing to share some hidden knowledge with him. “It’s simple. Any of us, the new E-children, we can handle that.”

Ian let out a chuckle, “I gotta hear this.”

Another sigh from Kyle as he glanced around the abandoned lab, “I guess since you’re gonna be the main security guy off-ship, there are a few things you need to know.”

“Like?” Ian pressed with continuing skepticism.

“Why do you think they’re so careful about allowing any births on the ship at all? Why every girl got an IUD with her boarding pass or her first period? And why it’s only removed after it’s approved by the entire science team, your dad, and Miranda?”

“Um, cause we only have enough resources for so many of us to survive for so long?” Ian offered with a shrug, as though his answer was common knowledge.

“Yeah, that’s the safer story to tell everyone,” Kyle added ominously.

“There’s another story?” Ian returned, wondering if Kyle was being truthful, or just screwing with him, which was their usual form of communication with one another.

“Think about it, Ian. There’s been approximately two hundred deaths aboard the ship in the last twenty years. And only one birth allowed each year? That’s one-tenth of the people the ship was originally designed to support. Aren’t we supposed to be trying to save the human race? Kind of oddly counter-productive when we have the resources to safely replace each of the ten who die natural deaths each year, but only one birth is allowed each year. It doesn’t take a math genius to see that the numbers don’t quite add up.”

Ian furrowed his brow further at Kyle’s odd statement. He then attempted to find logic in those numbers, “Well, isn’t it safer to have more resources than we need, than to just let people run around popping kids out left and right?”

“Yeah, that’s the theory: The one that all the civilians are told and that they easily believe, just like you did.”

“You’re saying there’s some other reason behind it then?”

Kyle just shook his head with a knowing smile. It was true that the information he was now sharing with Ian was reserved for only the science team, Miranda, and Charles. But the discovery of this new planet they would be setting foot on soon had more than upgraded Ian’s already high security clearance. After all, Ian had to approve the team that was sent to the planet with the two of them. And in order to do that, he would need to learn the facts that he hadn’t been privy to before.

“Think about it, Ian. Think about who you’re talking to. I’m only sixteen, and supposedly the most intelligent person on this entire ship.”

“There’s that ego again,” Ian scoffed with another shake of his head.

“It’s not ego, it’s fact. And why is it fact? How am I more intelligent than the scientific experts that created the very home we now live on? Me, some sixteen year old kid? Does that make sense to you?”

Another scoff as Ian continued, “There’s always been child prodigies.”

“And I blew all of those so-called geniuses back on earth completely away when they gave me all those tests.”

“You really are this conceited?” Ian shook his head at the young man before him.

“I’m not being conceited; I’m trying to finally tell you what they really don’t want the majority of the people on this ship to know. I wasn’t the only child they tested. They tested the ones who were born on earth, and each of the twenty who were born here, on the ship, away from earth and its pollution and its atmosphere. Like I said, any of the E-children born here could be that medical expert we need for this trip.”

“Yeah, and so could I if I decided to take all the courses they used to teach in med schools,” Ian pointed out smartly.

“Yeah, maybe you could, maybe, in eight, ten years. But we need someone who could do it in eight to ten days, hours even,” he added more quietly. “And the children like me; we could.”