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  Libby got up and told the receptionist in the waiting area to put back her next appointment, and to get me a cup of tea. She asked me lots more questions about how I'd survived, what I did on Lindisfarne, and then she moved on to how I would like my life to be, if I had a choice.

  "Oh, that's easy," I said. "I want a life like my parents had. I want a happy marriage, and children of my own. A big family! I never wanted a career. My mother used to say that marriage and motherhood was what we were programmed for, biologically, and all this feminism is going against nature. I know it's old fashioned, but I think that, too. That's not wrong, is it?"

  Libby leant forward and took my hand. "Of course it's not. And perhaps that can become a reality now."

  I dared to feel happy when she said that. Like everything I had been through didn't matter any more. "Do you really think so?"

  "I most certainly do. You're a sweet girl, and you have such strength. I think you will do very well here in Central, Flora." Then she asked me if I'd ever been pregnant, and if I worried that, because of those men who made me have sex with them, I might have a problem conceiving when the time came.

  "Oh no," I said. "The reason I never got pregnant was that one of the girls in the group, Deb, she stole me the contraceptive pill from a chemist."

  "Are you still on it now?"

  I laughed at that. "No! I stopped taking it as soon as we escaped."

  "And you have regular periods?"

  "I didn't at first, but I think that was because I was suffering from malnutrition. But they came back as soon as life settled down, on Lindisfarne."

  Libby kept nodding and making notes. "I'm sorry to have to ask you all these personal questions, Flora, but we do need to have a full picture of your health situation so that you can be cared for as well as possible while you're here."

  "Shouldn't that be part of my medical?"

  She smiled. "In your case, the two are closely related. Now, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to. Have you had unprotected intercourse with anyone else since you escaped from that group?"

  "No. And don't worry, I don't feel at all embarrassed. The other girls in that group were really open about sex, and Deb who got me the pills was so kind that I learned not to be shocked."

  "What happened to Deb?"

  "Oh." I shut my eyes. "She got ill. The virus. She died." I didn't want to think about poor Deb, my friend, lying in that room in one of the houses we camped in, crying in pain; I shut the picture out.

  "I'm so sorry, Flora. The losses have piled up for you, haven't they? I'm sorry to return to this subject, but I do need to ask you—do you see yourself as being able to have a normal sex life in the future?"

  I couldn't work out why she was so obsessed with sex, because it's the last thing on my mind, but I told her that when I go to bed with the man I fall in love with, it will be like the first time for me. Because the other stuff, with the horrible men, it wasn't the same thing. Deb told me it was assault, that was all. Something entirely different.

  I had my medical next. Libby came in with me and told me that I would have to have an internal examination, too, because of what those men did, to make sure I wasn't damaged and hadn't got any 'latent infections', but she held my hand all the way through it. Actually she didn't need to, but it was nice that she did. Then I had a little injection that made me feel all woozy and lovely, and a lovely, quiet, gentle man called Jared put the chip in my shoulder. I didn't even feel him doing it. He said I might have a little discomfort for a day or so, but after that I wouldn't know it was there.

  Libby asked me if I felt okay about the chip, and I said that I didn't mind at all.

  "I'll never have to worry about anything bad happening to me, will I? Because someone will always be able to find me. If I'm still living here when I have a family of my own, I'll have my own children chipped as soon as they can walk!"

  That pleased her very much, and she asked me if I'd like to work in the crèche. I told her that I loved children and couldn't think of anything I would like more, and I left my evaluations with a big smile on my face, went back to my cosy little flat, and slept for ten hours straight.

  Next day was the first day of my very first job, ever!

  The crèche is at the side of the Supplies Zone, which is like an enormous indoor market where people buy everything they need. It's nothing like the malls in the pictures they showed us, but people keep saying, 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. The clothes area, where Naomi is working, is like a jumble sale; by the end of the day she was in a right tizzy, trying to keep everything in nice piles or hung up on the rails.

  I loved being with the children, especially as I know some of them, like Phoenix, Leif and Fern, Sophia and James. When Alice dropped off Leif and Fern she was really upset, because before the virus she was a stay-at-home mum, as she and Tom think it's important that children grow up in a stable home environment. She was planning to home-school, too. But in order for the family to have enough credits, she has to work.

  Alice asked for office work, but she's not that computer literate because she and Tom were Offliners, so she wasn't even considered.

  "So I said, I'll work in the crèche, but I was told they don't allow parents to work there in case they centre too much attention on their own children. I like cooking so they suggested the bakery, but they don't make gluten-free options so I refused on principle. Then they said the only other positions open were Sanitation or Collection, and Collection would take me away from my family for days at a time, so what choice do I have?"

  Poor Alice, she's got to clean in the medical centre, and the canteens and WC cabins on the building sites.

  "We came here for a better life, and what do I get? My kids taken away from me, and five hours a day on my hands and knees, cleaning up other people's dirt. Tom's a qualified draughtsman but now he's humping muck on a building site, just so we can buy enough tins of soup and bags of lentils to feed our children—and the Fun Zone for the children, the one we saw in that clever presentation, it's still just a huge patch of churned up earth."

  "But that's what we're here for," I said. "We're working together to make those things a reality."

  She wasn't listening. "I said to Tom, we'll give it a couple of months, and if it doesn't get any better we're going back to Lindisfarne."

  I felt sorry for her, and guilty, again, because my job is lovely. When I finished for the day, I picked out two super escapist romances from the library nook in Supplies, and took them back to my little flat to read in bed. After my hot shower. Bliss!

  It's my second working day and I'm putting on a bit of mascara and lipstick while drinking my coffee (with real milk!), when there's a knock at the door. It's Erika, all smiles, saying that Alex Verlander wants to see me.

  "But what about my job?" I can't let those children down!

  "Someone will cover for you today. And don't look so worried, it's nothing bad!" She puts her arm around me and leads me downstairs. "It's something very, very good."

  We travel the mile or so to the Hub in her Porsche; it's ages since I've been in smart car, and I enjoy the experience. I'm excited; I was hoping I'd get to visit the Hub again. It's lovely, a smart, luxurious office building. This is real life!

  We go up in a lift right to the top, but the room she takes me to is not an office, as I'm expecting.

  There are bookshelves, pictures on the wall. Pretty curtains, and the sun shines through the window. For a moment my eyes fill with tears, because I wish Mummy was here. She would have loved the crushed velvet cushion covers.

  Dex is there too, and Erika gestures to me to sit on a cream leather sofa.

  "This is where we receive our VIPs, Flora," Erika tells me.

  I laugh, a bit nervously. "I'm a VIP?"

  "You sure are." We sit down, and they're all smiling at me.

  "You're quite a girl, Flora," Alex says.

  That makes me laugh again, but not because it's funny; I'm just so nervous. "I am?"
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  "Yes indeed. You're beautiful inside and out, you've survived some terrible ordeals and come out the other end with a smile on your face, and you know what you want." He pauses. "You're what we want."

  Oh dear, this makes me laugh, too. "You?"

  "Yes. The management of UK2."

  "Why would you want me?" I ask, and I feel my cheeks go pink.

  "We don't just want you. We need you." Then Alex laughs, too. "Sorry, I'm just having a sneaky tease, I don't mean to scare you! Okay, I'll cut to the chase. Flora, we want to tell you about the Juno Initiative, which is the most important project to be undertaken in the new world."

  Suddenly, I feel very, very excited. As if my whole life is about to change, in a wonderful way. "Tell me," I whisper.

  Erika leans forward. "Do you know who Juno was?"

  I shake my head.

  "She was the Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth. Wife of the great Jupiter, and the divine protector. That's why we've chosen her as the symbol for this vital initiative that will pull our world out of the ashes towards a bright tomorrow. The coming together of men and women to bring forth the next generation is the essence of the human race. Now, it is even more important than ever."

  She sits back, and I feel as though they've rehearsed this speech, because as she sits back, Alex leans forward. I feel so special; I am important enough to prepare for.

  "Flora, were any children born while you lived on Lindisfarne? Did any of the women become pregnant?"

  "No—oh, there was one girl. Janey. She killed herself."

  He looks so sad. "That's such a tragedy. Dex tells me that the women he talked to, back there, were terrified of this most natural, rewarding experience for any woman. And the story's the same the country over, no doubt the world over. Young men have lost their wives, Flora. Young women at their most fertile are scared of giving birth in this new, harsh world; they know how dangerous a process it was before modern medicine."

  We're all nodding and looking serious; Dex talks about how frightened Naomi was when she had Phoenix, but then, suddenly, Alex claps his hands.

  "So what's going to happen? Does the human race die out? Hell, no!" He turns to me. "Flora, here at Central we have experienced doctors and fully equipped medical facilities. We have nutritious food, clean, secure housing, and a spirit of community. And we want babies! Yay, babies!" He punches the air, as do Erika and Dex, so I do, as well; we all say, "Yay, babies!" and laugh and smile at each other.

  "You want me to have one?" I say. I'm not daft. I've put two and two together, and sussed out why Libby was asking me about my periods.

  Erika comes to sit by me, and takes my hand. "Yes, honey, we do, but this isn't some scary, dystopian movie. No one is going to force you into anything. We want you to raise a child with the man you love. Only problem is, we haven't got time to let nature take its course. We can't afford to wait ten or fifteen years while our young adults go travelling, party, date, build careers, and wait for the appearance of that ideal partner. We're looking ahead to when people like me, Alex and Dex will be gone. We need birthing to begin now, intensively, so the next generation is being raised while we're still here to guide them, and teach them about the mistakes that were made before we got this opportunity to start over. And this is what the Juno Initiative is all about."

  She looks to Alex.

  "We're selecting healthy young people, like you, Flora," he says. "Those signing up for Juno will have their details recorded on our database, and a selection of suitable partners will be identified. But this isn't about pairing via a computer-selected match. Potential mates will be hand-picked, and the final choice is up to the individual. When you've met the right guy or gal, you'll commit to a binding partnership ceremony, and bring your children up in a traditional family unit."

  "And if you want to be a part of this, sweetie," continues Erika—I'm getting neck ache looking from one to the other—"you'll be housed in one of the deluxe family apartments in the Juno complex. Dad will go out to work, but he'll earn extra credits for his family. Mom will stay home and prepare for the birth." She puts up her hand. "Sure, I know, pregnancy is not an illness, and in the old world it was usual for women to work for the first seven months. But we've all suffered; we don't yet know the effects of a bad diet, of cold, of hardship. You'll be monitored constantly. There's a communal area in the complex for socialising, you'll attend parenting classes—we want our Junos to be proper, full time moms." She gazes down at the pale gold carpet and shuts her eyes, then looks back up at me, and her face breaks into such a warm smile. "We want to bring back the traditional family."

  They're all waiting for me, with hope in their eyes. I stand up, and walk to the window, where I look out on UK Central.

  "Look to the left," Alex says. "The new gated development, behind the trees. That's Juno."

  It's beautiful. Small blocks of white flats, with balconies and big, picture windows, nothing like the Rez Zones. Wrought iron security gates, a kiosk for the guards. There is even a duck pond, and swings! The sun is shining on it. This is my new life.

  I turn round, and I can't stop smiling.

  "Yes," I tell them. "Yes. I'll do it."

  I sit with Chester, holding his hand (he's gorgeous, I'm smiling so much my cheeks hurt—it feels like love at first sight!), and we listen to Alex and Erika telling us that they don't only want us to be the first Junos. They want us to be the poster couple for the whole project. We're to help recruit, and have one-on-one meetings with selected candidates to help choose their mates.

  "Once you're pregnant," Erika says, "you'll be a beautiful inspiration. We want our prospective Junos to meet you guys and think, uh-uh, I want their life."

  Dex says, "You show the ideal, you create the desire. And you two will be that ideal."

  Me, the ideal!

  Alex stands up. "Come here. Come look at yourselves."

  He guides us over to a full length mirror, and in our reflection I see my future.

  Chester is so yummy he makes me want to shout 'Squeeee!', like Mummy and I used to when we were really excited. He's holding my hand, and we look like the cover of a romance novel, Chester with his strong shoulders, so masculine, and me with the sun shining on my pale hair; I'm prettier, all of a sudden. I look as if one day I might be as beautiful as my mother.

  He kisses me on the cheek. "You're an angel," he whispers. "My goddess."

  "Prince and Princess Juno," Alex says.

  I'm blushing so much; I turn to look at Dex, who is gazing at me with such pride, like Daddy used to.

  "What do you think, Dex?"

  "I think you were wasted on Lindisfarne," he says, and we all laugh. The mention of Lindisfarne casts a shadow, though. There, everyone was so suspicious, wary about UK Central. And I wonder. Is there a catch?

  I have to ask.

  "There's not," Alex assures us. "But there are rules. Juno couples are required to become pregnant within six months of signing up, and not indulge in any behaviour likely to hamper this: no drinking or smoking, for instance. Mums will have their cycle monitored and their temperature taken during their most fertile days, and Dads will have their sperm count checked. Regular drink and drug tests will be performed; Dad, you can have the odd beer once Mum is in the family way, but no more."

  Well, that won't be a problem. And Chester looks so blooming with health I'm sure he lives on B vitamins and fruit smoothies!

  Erika smiles at us. "Now, you'll have two days of total privacy in Chester's Hub Residential apartment—this is your time. Then, if you're both in agreement, your binding partnership ceremony will occur in the meeting room of the Hub. But I think you're already a little in love, aren't you?" Everyone laughs again; the atmosphere in the room is wonderful. "Now all that's left is for you to get to know each other!"

  Chester whispers in my ear, "I can't wait!"

  Then I remember something. "What about my job at the crèche? I do love the children, and it's good practice for me, isn't it
?"

  Erika looks at Alex. "Can she go part-time until we have confirmed fertilisation?"

  He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. We can't risk you picking up any infections from the kiddies, or getting over-tired; it's all about Juno for you, now. Meanwhile, we'll start preparing for your binding partnership ceremony. You want to invite some friends, that's cool, and we'll see if we can't rustle up a little spread—well, it's something to celebrate, isn't it? For everyone in Central!"

  Later, Chester and I curl up on the sofa in his gorgeous apartment, and tell each other our life stories. He's the son of Harlan Odenkirk, one of the directors at Maxlo. Daddy would have been so proud that I'm marrying into the company! I just wish he was here to give me away, at a proper wedding in a church, like we used to talk about. But I'm sure he's watching me from Heaven.

  On the second night, after a lovely meal I prepared, Chester pulls me to him and kisses me, so softly, on the mouth.

  "As soon as I saw your picture, I said, that's her. That's the one. We're so lucky to have this chance, in this shit-show of a world."

  "You mustn't use bad language in front of our baby," I tell him, but I'm laughing, and I kiss him back, and all of a sudden I find that I actually do want to go to bed with him, and I know it will be nothing like what happened before.

  There are vases of flowers in our bedroom, heart-shaped chocolates on the bedside table, and a wind chime blowing in the breeze by the open window. Perfect.

  Mummy was right—she told me that I should believe in fairy tales, because they can come true if you wish hard enough, and you really can find your handsome prince!

  Chapter Seventeen

  An island, somewhere in the Pacific

  "It's true. It's in Tas, all round the coast of west and north Aus, and there are cases on Lomax 6 and 10, and Makani."

  Ludlow slurps from a glass of mango juice before glancing at the manila folder that Tanya has just slapped on his desk. "And it's the same everywhere?"