Limbo (The Last Humans Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

your Screen locally.”
    “Devious,” I subvocalize and dismiss my Screen.
    She stands there looking smug, and I turn my attention inward.
    If what Phoe said is true and I really can survive for hours without breathing, I should be able to hold my breath beyond my previous record of fifty seconds.
    I hold my breath to put her words to the test.
    At first it feels like any other time I’ve held my breath—not bothersome at the beginning.
    Emboldened, I count Theodores: one Theodore, two Theodores, three …
    I know from prior experience that ten seconds is when a slight discomfort usually begins.
    This time, however, it doesn’t. I feel exactly the way I did on the first second.
    After thirty seconds, I still don’t feel any unease.
    After sixty Theodores, my mood improves with every passing second.
    “I’m glad you finally appreciate my gift.” A hint of mockery dances in Phoe’s voice. “But you didn’t knock him out strongly enough to hang out here much longer. At this point, I’m preventing him from getting up using methods I’d rather not use, given all the unwanted attention. I also don’t consider it very ethical to be doing this, even if it’s Owen we’re talking about.”
    “Will you make him Forget?” I pointedly keep holding my breath.
    “I already did,” Phoe says. “If you really want to test the Respirocytes, you should sprint to your favorite spot while holding your breath.”
    “That’s a great idea,” I think.
    “The only type of ideas I get.” She grins, turns her back to me, and runs.
    Resisting the temptation to give Owen’s butt a kick, I follow her.
    Phoe runs fast, but I keep up. In a few moments, I’m approaching my full-on sprinting speed.
    I take long strides and focus on my breath. Minutes pass, and I don’t feel the need to breathe. A few more minutes later, there still isn’t a hint of me running out of breath. As I run, pure joy replaces my initial concerns and my grievances with Phoe. Every millisecond is identical to that very first rush I got when I started sprinting. And it’s not just not needing to breathe that’s different. Running is subtly easier. My muscles seem to recover faster from the exertion.
    “If you inhale, they’ll recover even faster,” Phoe says over her shoulder. “Though I believe you should be able to keep this up for a while.”
    I exhale and instantly inhale again, then hold my breath for another minute as I run.
    “I should’ve run faster to test your limits,” Phoe says when we reach the bushes that signal the Edge of Oasis.
    She walks through them and I follow, still holding that last breath.
    “Why do we have these nanos if we don’t use them?” I think at Phoe.
    “They’re embedded into the embryos that become citizens of Oasis,” she responds in my head. “Like I told you before, since the Forebears eliminated natural reproduction along with sex, all Oasis babies result from embryos that came from Earth, during a time when not using this technology in a baby was considered criminally negligent. The Elderly must somehow disable and control these nanos. When I get my hands on that process, we might allow a new generation to be born the way they should’ve been.”
    I digest what she said as I look at the strange skies. Here, there are stars where the Goo used to be, stars that meet the morning sky where the sun is still coming up. Augmented Reality manages to blend and smooth the two impossible views together. The blue sky has a couple of stars near the horizon, then it darkens gradually, going fully black where the Goo would be. I breathe out audibly in awe. This view will take a long time to get used to.
    My lungs nearly empty, I force myself to exhale some more, testing what will happen. Nothing really does, and I’m able to stay this way, though holding the ‘out’ breath while my lungs are empty feels unpleasant. I allow my body to inhale normally, then exhale, and repeat the cycle a few times. When my breathing