‘You think your friends are okay?’ Sonia asked.
Ethan nodded. He could see what the Zeroes had in store. Every choice that would lead them toward their destinies.
Nate was going into politics, but not the elected kind. From now on, prison reform was his jam. No stopping that guy. He and Phan would work on the Powers Amnesty Act together. For everyone, even the kids who hadn’t been born yet, so people could explore their powers, unafraid. Ethan’s mom would wind up on the nondiscrimination task force. And years down the line his sister Jess, as a federal marshal, would enforce the ever-living shit out of it.
Eventually there would be backlash, as there always was when a new group of people had their humanity recognized, but Flicker would protect the Amnesty Act from the bench. Seeing from other people’s points of view was a pretty useful move when you were a federal judge.
As was turning into an avenging angel of retina-burning beauty.
Chizara was going to become a surgeon. Her work would be cutting-edge, which was a nifty trick for someone who never used a knife. She was going to give ‘Do no harm’ a whole new meaning. A vast wave of Makers would follow her example, fine-tuning human bodies into healthier machines.
Thibault’s future was harder to see. For a while, he’d move around. Town to town, country to country. Working with people one on one. Taking care of loners. People who got ignored, who needed a friend. As for him and Flicker…well, that was private.
But they would always be there to help each other see.
And then there was Kelsie. Ethan had to laugh. No one even had a word yet for what she would become. DJ ambassador? Negotiator-at-large? Planetary music therapist? People would love her, always, because no one would ever forget that microsecond after she defeated Swarm, when they were all in her head, feeling what she felt.
Which was love. For everyone.
Even her own mom.
There was a lot she could do for a world in which everyone trusted her. In fact, everyone would go on trusting her, no matter what, even if she turned evil one day and really did bring down that endless, global swarm.
Lucky for humanity, Chizara would always be there to keep her honest.
A waitress finally noticed them sitting at the back and came to take their order.
‘You guys see what went down on Bourbon Street?’she asked.
‘Front-row seat,’ Sonia said. ‘It was kind of like…an explosion.’
The waitress’s eyes widened. ‘Is everyone okay?’
Sonia nodded. ‘Mostly. Coffee?’
‘Sure thing, Penguin Girl.’ The waitress looked at Ethan. ‘And for you?’
Ethan opened his mouth to order something – anything – but he was overwhelmed by another omniscient kick to the brain. He could see the waitress going home tonight, ready to tell her boyfriend she wanted to get pregnant. But when she got there, he was gone. Packed up while she was working and fled to another town.
Ethan tried to talk. He wanted to tell her it was all going to be okay. She was better off without him anyhow. So was her kid, who would come in three years. And that kid was going to be amazing. Smart and capable and talented and extra-freaking-superpowered.
One of the next generation, the Ones, with way better abilities than the – let’s all face it – generally crappy Zero powers.
But Ethan couldn’t tell her any of that, because his voice was gone. His Zeroes voice and his real voice. They existed only inside his skull.
He knew everything, but he couldn’t say any of it.
‘Ethan?’ Sonia asked again.
No big deal. He didn’t need a voice to communicate. And anyhow, Nexus had caused this. It was only temporary. Maybe?
His own future was one thing he couldn’t see.
Ethan gently wrested the waitress’s order pad from her hand and gestured for her pencil. She handed it over, not hiding her pity.
He positioned the pencil over the pad, ready to scribble down everything he’d just realized, about everyone. The waitress, the Zeroes, everyone. He rubbed his eyes and wondered how to begin. It was such a giant, intricate jigsaw that he didn’t want to skip any details.
Fitting it all down on one notepad would be impossible. He’d need months. He’d need help from Sonia to make his writing sing. But it would be his contribution to the new world order. His and Sonia’s.
He hoped so, anyhow.
After a minute he leaned back and gave up with a sigh – he’d only managed to scrawl two words in his spidery handwriting.
Sonia took the pad and read it, her eyebrows raised.
‘Poor kid,’ the waitress said. ‘What’s he want?’
Sonia looked at Ethan, and grinned.
‘It says, “More coffee”.’
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
SCOTT WESTERFELD is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Uglies and Leviathan trilogies. His novel So Yesterday won the Victorian Premier’ s Literary Award. His latest solo work is the graphic novel Spill Zone.
MARGO LANAGAN has won four World Fantasy Awards for her short stories and for her novels Tender Morsels and Sea Hearts. Her work has also been shortlisted in the Hugo and Nebula awards and longlisted in the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and for the Carnegie Medal.
DEBORAH BIANCOTTI has published two short story collections. Her Aurealis-shortlisted ‘Bad Power’ explored ordinary people discovering their superpowers.
All three authors live in Sydney, where they are part of the overlapping communities of writers of genre and young adult fiction. They meet at a pub to keep the Zeroes series on track and squabble about characters’ motivations.
Scott Westerfeld, Nexus
(Series: Zeroes # 3)
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