Free Skyfall by Anthony Eaton

protocols.’
    â€˜Like you can talk,’ Kes snorted.
    â€˜No. Think about it, Kes. The city hasn’t built new domes in hundreds of years – hasn’t needed to. Plascrete doesn’t break down, and the extrusion process burns up too many resources to justify it. That’s why we have the population protocols in place. So there should be a stable number of people, and a stable amount of accommodation.’
    â€˜That’s the theory.’ Kes was looking at him strangely, but Lari didn’t take the hint.
    â€˜But clearly, domes like this have been modified to take more people than their intended capacity. I mean, just look at those res towers …’ He pointed at one of the grey structures, peppered with dark windows. ‘They must hold twice as many people as yours or mine. So obviously, someone, somewhere, is completely ignoring the protocols.’
    Kes turned her back on him and walked away a few steps.
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜Nothing.’ She refused to meet his eye. ‘Let’s just get back up top. You really don’t want to get into this with me at the moment, Lari.’
    â€˜You’re just tetchy because you almost got us busted back there.’
    â€˜It’s got nothing to do with that!’ she snapped.
    â€˜Then what? You have to admit that this dome is strange, and that you’re pleased you don’t have to live down here like this.’
    â€˜Strange? You think it’s strange? Only to you. This is how the other ninety percent live, Lari.’
    â€˜It wouldn’t be that many.’
    â€˜Want to put a bet on that? “Concentration of aptitude”, isn’t that what they call it? Well, if you’ve got no aptitude, down here is where you get concentrated.’
    The lift chimed and their names appeared on the readout. Once under way, it took Kes only a couple of minutes to reassign the lift back to her own dome and delog the original allocation.
    â€˜There. No harm done.’
    â€˜We hope.’
    â€˜We’re headed back, aren’t we? Back up to where you can mope around feeling sorry for yourself because you don’t want to be a scientist, while other people live down there in the filth and drink the bad water and work themselves to death to keep people like you happy in the sun.’
    â€˜Don’t you think you’re being a little over-dramatic?’
    â€˜Why don’t you just try and get past your own importance, Larinan Mann? Hasn’t it occurred to you that being you isn’t the worst thing in the sky? That perhaps some people would be happy to swap lives with yours?’
    â€˜It’s not my fault I’ve had opportunities. All they have to do is work a little harder and the system will recognise them for it. Look at you …’
    â€˜Me?’ Kes gave him a hard stare and Lari knew he was on dangerous ground, but he couldn’t stop himself.
    â€˜You’re a classic example. Your parents are both mid-level recyc technicians, and they live in a mixed-use dome, but they worked hard to give you every opportunity. They put off their second child until their first was well and truly developed and on her way to productivity and self-sufficiency, and the city realised that. That’s why you were admitted to the advanced school, and now you’re going to be able to make something of your life.’
    â€˜Are you saying’ – Kes’s voice was quiet now – ‘that you don’t think my parents have achieved anything for themselves in their lives?’
    â€˜Of course I’m not. They’ve achieved you. And if a few of the people who lived down there were prepared to take on the same sort of responsibility, then perhaps those domes wouldn’t be quite so crowded or their lives quite so tough.’
    â€˜You really think that? Then you should take the time to imagine what life must be like down there.’ She pointed through the floor.