Free The Cage of Zeus by Sayuri Ueda, Takami Nieda Page B

district along the way.
    Kline gestured toward the path, and they began to walk. Shirosaki felt as if he were being led through a garden made for pleasing tourists.
    Suddenly the image that had triggered his wakefulness in the hibernation chamber came flooding back to life. The oppressive smell of greenery. The memory of the Summer Dome. A prophetic dream? Or coincidence?
    Shirosaki asked Kline, “Is the entire district a plantation of some sort?”
    “There’s a separate garden elsewhere. These plants have been bioengineered. They constantly release oxygen and absorb CO 2 gases regardless of the availability of light energy. They take in the air and release just the oxygen back into the environment.”
    “Water and nutrients?”
    “They don’t require as much of either as normal plants.”
    “I see they bear fruit.”
    “Not edible, I’m afraid,” Kline said. “They absorb just the carbon from the CO 2 gases. When they mature, they’re harvested and processed for carbon fiber at the recycling plant.”
    Kline picked one of the fruit and handed it to Shirosaki. It had none of the fleshy elasticity of edible fruit. Shirosaki squeezed it and the fruit crumbled, leaving a powdery residue in his hand like pumice.
    Shirosaki and Kline passed by several Rounds as they walked.
    The Rounds wore flat shoes and long tunics, which resembled quarter-sleeved Chinese dresses with stand-up collars. The front of the lightweight cloth was decorated with embroidery from collar to chest. Since the tunics were identical, the embroidered designs alone seemed to reflect individual tastes. The children, scampering around the garden in sandals, were dressed more simply. All of the Rounds wore portable comm devices on their arms or chests.
    “I feel as if I’ve wandered into an ancient civilization.”
    “When we considered the proper attire for a society without sexual distinctions, this was the design we came up with.”
    “It seems a bit more classical-looking than unisex. It’s enough to make you forget this is a space station.”
    “Would you have preferred a different design? Such domestic matters tend to take a back seat here.”
    “Are the Rounds happy with it?” Shirosaki asked.
    “They don’t say either way. Although the embroidery was their idea.”
    None of the Rounds registered any emotion upon seeing Kline and Shirosaki.
    Their oddly tranquil gaze as they walked past without so much as a smile reminded Shirosaki of Dr. Tei’s light brown eyes.
    “I have a feeling we’re not welcome here.”
    “Don’t let it bother you. It’s a kind of etiquette here.”
    “How do you mean?”
    “The Rounds have a different physiology and accordingly, they have different values. Disregarding the other is the most peaceful method of interaction,” Kline explained.
    “But you all live on the same station.”
    “This is the special district. It isn’t like the other parts of the station. You musn’t think of this place in the same way.”
    Residential units were scattered throughout the garden. The yellowish-ochre modules bunched together resembled an insect’s nest.
    “Those are the residential quarters,” Kline explained.
    “Does each of the quarters house only one Round?”
    “There are units that accommodate one, and larger units that house five or six.”
    “Are they resistant to gunfire and explosions?”
    “Not likely. Under fire they’d probably just fall into a heap in seconds.”
    Shirosaki stared at the clusters of units as he continued to walk. There were residences scattered all throughout the district. Impossible for an intruder to take many hostages at once. Most of the residents should be able to escape.
    Since the plan was to neutralize any threat of an attack at the docking bays, it was unlikely anyone would penetrate the station this far.
    A Round family was peering at Shirosaki from the window of a residential unit. Shirosaki smiled and waved as he would to his own child, but neither the adult