Z 2134

spoon and peered at Ana, almost as though he were angry. “Who have you been talking to?” he glared at her. “And why have you been listening to their lies? You saw your father with your own eyes! How can that be a setup?”
    “What if they can implant false memories in your brain?”
    “They can’t,” Michael said. “That’s impossible.”
    “Says who? There are already chips inside us for tracking and scanning, so The City can do that weird people inventory they do. Why couldn’t they do other things, too?”
    Michael said nothing, chewing on the thought like unfamiliar food. Finally he said, “I guess it’s theoretically possible, but still, doesn’t seem all that likely. Besides, why would anyone want to mess with your memories or set up your dad? Sounds like a wacky Underground conspiracy.” He scooped another spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth, narrowing his eyes at her as if to suggest she’d been talking to Liam.
    “I don’t know, Michael.” Ana’s voice dipped even lower. “I saw things.”
    “What things?” Michael narrowed his eyes. His expression started to shift as he leaned closer, though not by much, and whispered, “I’m not sure I like where this is going.”
    Ana didn’t know where to start, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to finish even if she did. It was only minutes until Michael’s lunch was over, and she was eating on stolen time.
    “Awful things, Michael,” she whispered through gritted teeth. “Just terrible.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to tell you here. Not now, and not with only a minute or two left.” She brought the spoon to her lips again, but only for a second before lowering it back to the bowl and leaning all the way forward across the table. “After work, meet me at The Social, OK?”
    Michael said, “OK,” though he looked more angry than anything else, including concerned. They finished their lunch in silence, then took their trays to the counter, said goodbye, and returned to work.
    Ana trudged through the rest of the workday, wishing she’d never brought anything up to Michael, at least not without being able to finish. Now he was probably worried sick about her. She hoped he wouldn’t say anything to anyone.
    She didn’t think he’d ever betray her confidence, but she didn’t know what he might do in efforts to protect her — what damage he might inadvertently cause.
    Like the bar.
    And Iris and the lady in the church.
    Ana shook the blame from her mind before it poisoned her.
    As the day wore on, Ana found herself wanting to spill her guts to her brother, whether what Duncan said was true or not. She’d have to wait until after dinner to get him alone. But what would she say? Adam wanted to believe in their father’s innocence so much, he would easily buy a City setup. But then he might blame Ana for testifying against their father and sending him to die outside The Wall.
    Ana would have a better idea about what she thought after speaking to Michael. He would be harder to convince than anyone she knew. Convincing him would give her the confidence to speak with Adam.
    Ana kept her nose down, counting minutes until she finished her shift so she could finally ditch the factory and get to The Social. She’d try another Red Bomb, work up some courage, and then go home and tell Adam everything.
    When Ana’s scheduled workday ended at 6:14, she powered down her station, set her thumb on the scanner to clock out, then heard the voice of Section-D Supervisor, Trudy Giff, behind her.
    “Sorry, Ms. Lovecraft,” she said, “but you’re going to be working overtime tonight since you left early for lunch this afternoon — 22 minutes early means 44 minutes of overtime, due immediately.”
    Ana boiled with rage, though Trudy Giff probably couldn’t tell from behind Ana’s fake smile and syrupy sweet voice. “But I worked my entire shift,” Ana insisted. “And I didn’t take any extra minutes. I just left a few early, then came back and finished everything for the day. I’m even ahead with my work and have already started on tomorrow’s.”
    It was true. Ana’s sorrow made for a high level of efficiency.
    Trudy Giff shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ms. Lovecraft, but you took off mandatory work so you could eat with your friend without prior approval. That’s never permitted. You’ve let me, yourself, and everyone else in D-Section down.”
    Trudy Giff turned without another word and disappeared from the factory floor.