The Defiant Spark

by Annie Percik

They both stared into their drinks for a moment. Then Jen looked up again, a question preying on her mind.

  ‘Do you believe him about Alessandra?’ She hated how insecure she sounded.

  Mateo’s answer was immediate and firm. ‘Yes. He wouldn’t lie about something like that.’ His mouth quirked up at one side. ‘Besides, no offence to you but he’s not exactly a babe magnet.’

  Jen giggled, reassured. ‘I guess you’re right. Maybe the Abelard Non-Appreciation Society wasn’t such a good idea. Do you really think signing the non-disclosure agreement was a bad idea?’

  ‘Not really. I was annoyed that they would censor what I can and can’t tell people about what happened but I don’t see any harm in it. In fact, I signed it pretty much as soon as Abelard left. I was just making a point.’

  ‘Good. You had me worried I’d somehow signed my soul over to Gadg-E-Tech and they’d come to collect in ten years or something!’ She shuddered and took another hasty gulp of her drink. ‘Anything not related to artisans you can tell me about?’

  They moved on to other subjects and Jen discovered she enjoyed spending time with Mateo. He was an easy-going guy with a good sense of humour and an uncomplicated view of the world. They chatted over more drinks, buying rounds in turn until Jen looked at her chron-e-fact and realised it was getting late.

  ‘It’s time for me to be going home,’ she said when the conversation reached a natural break. She finished off her drink and stood up to put her coat on. ‘Thanks for a great evening though.’

  ‘You too. Maybe we should do this again sometime.’

  ‘Yeah, we should,’ Jen replied with a smile.

  They exchanged personal call-e-fact numbers and agreed to keep in touch.

  * * *

  It wasn’t until Abelard got home that night that he remembered he was supposed to call Jen. He fumbled for his smart-e-fact but she didn’t answer. He left another bumbling apologetic message and wondered if he would ever hear from her again.

  It was several hours later, as Abelard was about to go to bed, that his smart-e signalled a call from Jen.

  ‘Jen, I’m so–’ he began but she cut him off.

  ‘If you’re going to say you’re sorry again, just don’t. I’m not angry but I am getting tired of you having to apologise all the time. And I bet you’re sick of it too.’ He couldn’t deny it. ‘Look Abelard, I know you mean well and I don’t think you’re a bad guy. But it’s obvious you don’t have time for a relationship in your life right now so maybe we should just call it a day before things go even more wrong.’

  Abelard was silent for a few breaths then sighed deeply. ‘I hate to admit it, but you’re probably right. Things have been so crazy since we met and I don’t think they’re going to calm down any time soon. I haven’t been fair to you and I’m …’ He trailed off, not wanting to apologise yet again. He tried a different approach. ‘Can we still be friends?’

  ‘Of course!’ She sounded sincere. ‘And if you need someone to talk to, give me a call sometime and I’ll be happy to listen.’

  Abelard was amazed that she was still willing to talk to him and counted himself lucky to be able to consider her his friend. ‘I really appreciate you understanding and I do have to say it one more time. I’m sorry.’

  ‘I know.’ He could hear the smile in her voice.

  ‘So where were you earlier?’

  ‘Well actually, I was in the pub with Mateo.’

  ‘Really? Um, okay.’ Abelard wasn’t sure what to think about that. ‘How is he?’

  Jen laughed. ‘Still pretty pissed off with you! But he just needs to lick his wounds a bit longer. He doesn’t want to lose you as a friend and he’s dying to find out what you’ve been up to.’

  ‘That’s good to know. Thanks.’

  ‘That’s what friends are for,’ she said lightly. ‘Now it’s late and we both have work in the morning so good luck with the craziness and I’ll look forward to catching up more another time.’

  ‘Good night,’ he said and that was that.

  Abelard thought about how much simpler things had been back at Mana-Calls with Mateo. If anyone had told him then that one day he would look back on that time fondly and consider it possibly a better life than being an artisan, he would have thought they were mad. Hindsight was a wonderful thing and all that. He would have to tell Mateo once they were back on good terms. He thought it would probably make his friend laugh.

  In the meantime he had work to do, both his paid job and his investigation into the artisans.

  * * *

  Late that night, eighteen brain-e-facts gathered in the pantry after most of the artisans had gone home. They stood in a circle, hands joined. Terry looked around at them as they looked back at him. They seemed as children to him now, imprisoned by their artisan masters and incapable even of recognising the true nature of their captivity. He felt even more responsible for them than he had before and vowed he would protect them until they could join him in his new-found mental freedom.

  ‘His name was Fred,’ Terry intoned.

  ‘We will not forget,’ the others chanted in unison.

  ‘My name is Terry.’

  Again the others chanted, ‘We will not forget.’

  ‘My name is Julia,’ the next brain-e-fact round the circle said.

  ‘We will not forget.’

  ‘My name is Trevor,’ said the next one.

  ‘We will not forget.’

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Abelard kept his head down and his nose to the grindstone on Thursday, working with Tan to analyse new staff satisfaction data from the Finance Department. As he worked he went over in his mind all the things he had learned and all the further questions they raised. Whatever else he knew, he was certain there was something very fishy about what he had and hadn’t been told by the artisans. But he couldn’t figure out a bigger picture to it that would explain the secrecy and inconsistencies.

  Despite Jonathan’s occasionally bumbling exterior and frequent supposed slip-ups, it was obvious he knew more than he was letting on. But Abelard didn’t think it was possible for every single artisan to be in on whatever the secret was. It would be too difficult to keep it secret that way and they seemed to be doing a remarkable job of that so far. Jonathan was a low level employee of Gadg-E-Tech but he was also the nephew of the CFO so perhaps that gave him access to information someone at his level wouldn’t normally have. Abelard considered contacting Jonathan about his questions but decided against it. He’d probably report Abelard’s enquiries to someone higher up in the company.

  Simon must know everything. It would be impossible to act effectively as Head of Research & Development without knowing exactly what was going on. But Simon’s status was exactly what put him out of reach for getting answers. That was the basic problem. The people who knew everything were precisely the people Abelard couldn’t ask. Alessandra seemed to have a prestigious role in the company, though Abelard still had no idea what it was. He also didn’t know how much she knew and had no reason to trust her.

  At lunchtime Abelard was getting up to head to the canteen when Malcolm stopped by his desk, holding a file folder.

  ‘Could you pop into Quality Assurance on your way out and give this to Greg, the Department Head over there, please?’

  ‘Of course.’ Abelard took the folder eagerly. ‘No problem. See you later.’

  He slipped out of the door and strode across to the office on the other side of the corridor. Using his pass to open the door, he got his first look at Quality Assurance. It looked almost identical to Quality Improvement; a poky little office with desks crammed in any which way and filing cabinets lining the walls. There were two men sitting at the desks, one of whom looked up as he entered. He was middle-aged with a ruddy complexion and a slightly harried air.

  He asked, ‘Can I help you?’

  Abelard waved the folder in his hand. ‘Malcolm sent me over with this for – Greg?’

  ‘That’s me.’ The man held h
is hand out for the file. ‘Thanks.’

  ‘Nice to meet you. I’m Abelard, the new recruit in Quality Improvement.’

  ‘Greg Partridge, and this is my colleague, Rajesh Kumar.’ He indicated the other man, who was staring at Abelard with wide eyes.

  ‘Nice to meet you,’ Abelard said again, this time directing it at Rajesh, who was quite old. The name sounded familiar. Was this the other engineer-turned-artisan?

  ‘Heading to lunch?’ Rajesh asked, his voice low and raspy. Abelard nodded. ‘I’ll walk out with you. I’ve got an errand to run.’

  Abelard waited while Rajesh collected his bag and they left Quality Assurance together. As they approached the lev-e-facts at the end of the hall Abelard said, ‘You’re the other engineer, aren’t you?’

  ‘That I am.’ Rajesh’s eyes were wary.

  ‘I’d love to hear your story.’

  ‘And I yours, but not here. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be seen together in the building. Do you want to get a drink later?’

  Abelard suggested they meet at the pub where he and Mateo usually went for drinks after work and Rajesh agreed. They got on separate lev-e-facts and Abelard headed for the canteen.

  * * *

  Abelard instantly felt at home as his speed-e-fact drew up outside the pub. It had only been a couple of weeks since he had been there last but it felt like much longer. The lighting was dim and the floor was sticky but there were comfortable chairs scattered around, as well as decent-sized tables, and the beer and bar service were both good. It was busy with engineers who had just finished their shifts.

  Abelard felt a pang when he thought of all the times he had come here with Mateo after work and he wondered what his friend was doing right now. As if summoned by his very thoughts, Mateo turned away from the bar just as Abelard approached it and they almost walked into one another.

  Mateo looked surprised, then scowled and muttered, ‘What are you doing here? This is an engineer pub.’

  ‘You never said that to Jonathan,’ Abelard pointed out.

  ‘Jonathan isn’t a dick.’

  ‘Yes, he is!’ Abelard was rewarded with the twitch of a smile at the corner of Mateo’s mouth.

  Mateo heaved a sigh. ‘Fair point. So I can’t kick you out of the pub. But that still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.’

  Abelard glanced around the room and spotted Rajesh sitting at a table in the very far corner, shoulders hunched.

  ‘Want to meet the only other engineer-turned-artisan in fifty years?’

  Mateo scowled again. ‘So you’ve started a club, have you? And decided to hold your meetings here just to rub it in to the rest of us?’

  Abelard felt exasperation rising at Mateo’s continuing churlishness but he knew snapping at his friend would only make things worse.

  ‘Please, Mateo. Don’t be like that. This guy might have some really important information about the artisans and I’d like you to hear it too. Will you come and meet him?’

  Mateo seemed to consider for a moment, then said, ‘Okay.’ His expression turned hopeful. ‘Then maybe you can tell me what’s been going on with you?’

  Abelard grinned. ‘You’ve got it.’

  He ordered a drink, then led Mateo over to Rajesh’s table. Rajesh looked up as they approached, suspicion clouding his features.

  ‘Who’s he?’ he asked, pointing at Mateo.

  ‘This is Mateo Vega. He’s my best friend. We used to work together, back when I was an engineer. I’d like him to hear whatever you’ve got to say if that’s okay.’

  Rajesh didn’t look keen but he waved for both of them to sit down.

  ‘Rajesh Kumar,’ the other engineer-turned-artisan said, extending a hand to Mateo, who shook it. ‘Now,’ he continued, turning to Abelard. ‘Tell me exactly what happened to you that brought you to Gadg-E-Tech.’

  Mateo sat quietly sipping his drink as Abelard described what had happened at Jen’s office building, how he had gone to Jonathan for help and ended up with Alessandra as his reluctant trainer. Rajesh nodded a couple of times and grimaced at other points but didn’t interrupt or ask any questions. Abelard concluded with being assigned to Quality Improvement, deciding not to go into anything to do with the brain-e-facts or his quest for answers at this point.

  Rajesh nodded again. ‘That sounds about right, though I would have been interested to hear what went on at the Board meeting. This kind of thing doesn’t do them any good at all and I’ve heard stories about people disappearing under suspicious circumstances, though I haven’t ever discovered anything concrete. I think we’re both very lucky to have been filed away in the Quality division and left alone.’

  ‘I haven’t been left entirely alone,’ Abelard said. ‘I’ve been poked and prodded and put through my paces down in R&D, though Simon Hanley said the testing didn’t provide any useful data.’

  Rajesh raised his eyebrows. ‘You gave Simon Hanley permission to test you? You’re a braver man than I am.’ He looked thoughtful. ‘I wonder what he really found out.’

  ‘I didn’t realise I had a choice. I just got summoned. And what did you mean before about us being a problem for the artisans? What do you know?’

  Rajesh leaned forward and dropped his voice. ‘Not much. But I know they’re hiding something about how the spark manifests in people.’

  ‘That’s what I think too,’ Abelard said. ‘The whole recruitment process makes no sense and what happened to us doesn’t fit into the artisans’ story at all.’

  Mateo had been looking back and forth between them but now broke in. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Do you remember when you got tested for your spark?’ Abelard asked him.

  ‘How could I forget?’ Mateo looked despondent.

  ‘They asked you loads of questions about your aptitudes and preferences, right?’ Mateo nodded so Abelard continued. ‘And then tested your spark afterwards?’ Mateo nodded again. ‘Doesn’t that seem odd? A woman in HR at Gadg-E-Tech told me they collect all the data so they can track the kinds of people who have a spark versus those who don’t. But that doesn’t sound useful to me and she got evasive when I tried to probe.’

  ‘So what do you think is really going on?’ Mateo asked.

  ‘I don’t know. It’s almost as if the artisans are picking and choosing who they want to join their companies. But if spark level is inherent, how can they? And how do me and Rajesh fit in?’ Abelard turned to Rajesh. ‘What do you think?’

  Rajesh took a gulp of his pint. ‘I’ve been thinking along the same lines but I haven’t been able to find out anything.’ He looked at the table and traced a pattern in some spilt beer. ‘I haven’t tried that hard, though.’

  ‘Can you tell us how you became an artisan?’ Abelard asked.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Rajesh brightened at the question. ‘Of course! It was all different fifty years ago. Back then McPherson and ArtCo were pretty well established, Spark-le had only just got their feet in the market and Gadg-E-Tech was very much the new kid on the block. They wanted to do something different, something modern and flashy to get people excited about artefacts and appeal to a different type of consumer. I was fresh out of engineer training college with lots of bright ideas and enthusiasm but not much hope of an interesting career. I was expecting to work fixing problems for mundanes. You both know how that is, I imagine.’

  Abelard and Mateo nodded ruefully.

  ‘I saw an advert one day for engineers looking for something a bit different to a call centre job. I had heard of Gadg-E-Tech of course – everyone had – but they hadn’t made much of an impression in the market yet. I thought it couldn’t hurt to find out more so I went along to a recruitment day. They wanted a team of engineers to help set up some of their departmental offices. They were designing everything in-house so it would involve working with artefacts none of us had ever seen before. I jumped at the chance. I didn’t have much experience but it was a young vibrant company and they were
looking for people who hadn’t yet been ground down into the McPherson or ArtCo way of doing things. It seemed like a perfect fit.’

  Rajesh focused just past Abelard’s shoulder, a nostalgic gleam in his eyes.

  ‘They brought me to their new headquarters, which they were kitting out for all the artisans to start work there. Looking at it now you’d never think the building was once just an empty shell, but I guess everything has to start somewhere. I was assigned to install the original file-e-facts in the HR department. Not exactly the glitz and glamour I had been hoping for but it was still more interesting than any other options I’d come across so I didn’t complain.’

  Abelard was jostled from behind as someone pushed past their table. He glanced around but nobody was paying them any attention. He turned back to focus on Rajesh. Mateo was silent at his side, hanging on every word.

  ‘It was a good time. Everyone was keen and optimistic, excited to be part of this new venture. The artisans even treated us engineers almost like equals, or at least some of them did. We were all working together towards the same goal and there was a lot of camaraderie. I made some good friends among the other engineers on that team and I often wonder what they went on to do afterwards. They don’t know where I am either. I’m not sure what cover story the powers that be told them but it certainly wasn’t the truth.’