Madison laughed, and Haru raised his eyebrow, confused. Kira watched him, waiting, until his lack of humor was so funny she couldn’t help herself and burst into laughter as well.
“How are you guys doing?” asked Madison.
“Surviving,” said Kira. “Barely.”
Madison grimaced. “Rough night in maternity?”
“Ariel had her baby.”
Madison went pale, and her eyes drooped in genuine sadness. Kira could see how much it hurt her, now that she was almost eighteen. Madison wasn’t pregnant yet, but it was only a matter of time. “I’m so sorry. I’ll follow you back after the meeting to say hi to her, and see if there’s anything I can do.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Kira, “but you’ll have to do it without me—we have a salvage run today.”
“But you were up all night!” Madison protested. “They can’t make you do a salvage run.”
“I’ll grab a nap before leaving,” said Kira, “but I need to go—I’ve been falling apart at work, and I could use the change of pace. Plus I need to prove to Skousen that I can handle it. If the Defense Grid wants a medic on their salvage run, I’ll be the best damn medic they’ve ever seen.”
“They’re lucky to have you,” said Madison, hugging her again. “Is Jayden going?”
Kira nodded. “He’s the sergeant in charge.”
Madison smiled. “Give him a hug for me.” Jayden and Madison were siblings—not adopted siblings, actual birth siblings, the only direct genetic relatives left in the world. They were proof, some said, that RM immunity could be inherited, which only made it more frustrating that so far none of the newborns had done it. More likely, Kira thought, Madison and Jayden were an anomaly that might never be repeated.
Jayden was also, as Kira often informed Madison, one of the more attractive human beings left on the planet. Kira glanced impishly at Marcus. “Just a hug? I could pass along a kiss or two.”
Marcus looked awkwardly at Haru. “So. Any idea what the meeting’s gonna be about?”
Kira and Madison laughed, and Kira sighed happily. Madison always made her feel better.
“They’re closing the school,” said Haru. “The youngest kids on the island are turning fourteen, and there are practically more teachers now than students. I’m guessing they’re going to graduate everyone into trade programs early, and send the teachers somewhere they can be more useful.”
“You think?” asked Kira.
Haru shrugged. “It’s what I’d do.”
“They’re probably going to yak about the Partials again,” said Madison. “The Senate can never shut up about those things.”
“Can you blame them?” asked Haru. “They killed everyone on Earth.”
“Present company excepted,” said Marcus.
“I’m not saying they weren’t dangerous,” said Madison, “but it’s been eleven years since anyone has seen one. Life goes on. Besides, we’ve clearly got bigger problems now. I’m guessing they’re going to talk about the Voice.”
“We’ll find out soon enough, I guess,” said Kira, nodding toward the north; the coliseum was just visible beyond the trees. The Senate had its own building, of course, in an actual town hall, but “town hall” meetings like this one, where the entire city was asked to attend, were held in the coliseum. They rarely filled it, but the adults said it used to fill up all the time, back in the old days when they’d used it for sports. Before the Break.