Unleashed

by Amy McCulloch

  ‘Derek Baird, is it? Of BRIGHTSPRK?’ Eric Smith looks down at his red panda, whispering some sort of command. ‘Yes, I remember – the corporate spy who worked with us for so long. What a shame BRIGHTSPRK might not have long left for this world. You’ve seen the writing on the wall, haven’t you, Derek?’

  I look up at Mr Baird – whose face is looking a peculiar shade of grey. But maybe that’s from seeing inside the dome. At least – I really hope it is.

  Or maybe he looks so strange because Mr Baird doesn’t have his owl baku any longer. Instead, he has one of the BRIGHTSPRK halos, discs of light that plug into the neck the same way as bakus, perform the same functions, but are so . . . cold, is the only way I can describe it. They’re the opposite of the baku – they can be so discreet as to be almost totally invisible, designed to be an accessory, as bold or invisible as you prefer, to be a fashion statement or no statement at all. The devices aren’t meant to be companions.

  Eric’s red panda baku turns his head towards his master, whispering something. ‘I need to be getting back for the convention,’ Eric says, spinning on his heels.

  ‘There’s not going to be a convention now that BRIGHTSPRK know about this. We’ll tell everyone before you can get on stage. Once people know what you have planned . . .’ My words spill out of my mouth thick and fast, unleashed with the confidence of having my best friend and Mr Baird beside me.

  Mr Baird puts his hand on my shoulder – steadying me, but also stopping me. I flick my eyes up in his direction and his mouth is set in a firm line. He gives me a gentle shake of the head. ‘Let’s get out of here,’ he says. ‘I’ve got a car outside.’

  ‘All you’re doing is delaying the inevitable, Lacey,’ Eric says again. ‘I will push the update today. And then I will find and destroy that baku of yours.’

  ‘Never,’ I reply, defiantly.

  ‘Come on, Lacey,’ says Zora.

  I tear my eyes away from Eric Smith and search the crowd of Moncha-zombies for my dad, taking a final look at him. I have one final spark of hope that he will recognize me, but it’s quickly dashed. ‘I’ll come back for you,’ I whisper, before allowing Zora to half-drag me out of the door of the dome where there’s a private car waiting for us. I feel the shock of the cold air around me as we leave the fake sunshine and warmth for the real world.

  ‘That was unbelievable,’ says Mr Baird, once we’re installed in the car. ‘I’d heard rumours about a test facility but to see it in person . . .’

  ‘You mean the place where my dad has been imprisoned for the past ten years, and which was used to develop an update that has changed my mom?’

  Mr Baird shakes his head. ‘I’m sorry, Lacey, of course that’s what I mean. It’s horrendous. How he thought he could get away with this . . . But don’t worry – we’re not going to just leave your dad. I’ve let my superiors know where this place is; the police will be there soon.’

  ‘So Eric won’t be able to push the update?’ I lean back in the car seat, relieved to have a piece of good news.

  ‘He won’t. Everything is in motion to stop him in his tracks. It’s not just the authorities we will notify. We’ll push this out to the media too. Moncha Corp and Eric Smith are through,’ says Mr Baird. He instructs the car to take us back to the BRIGHTSPRK offices in Toronto. It won’t take long in the superfast car.

  I wrap my arms around my body, my head spinning with everything that we’ve learned. I feel like my heart is torn in so many different directions.

  Finding Dad alive – but zombified.

  Finding Monica – but not being able to set her free.

  Watching Jinx run away from those security bakus – and praying he escapes capture.

  Being able to stop the update from going out wide – but not being any closer to knowing how to reverse it.

  I need my mom back. The unupdated version.

  ‘Lacey, what you and your friends did today – it was incredibly brave. My mind is still trying to process it all.’

  I’m trying to process a lot, too. ‘Thanks, Mr Baird. But wait – how did you know where to find us? I tried to get in touch with you a few days ago.’

  ‘I was deep in hiding, I’m afraid. It was a condition of my BRIGHTSPRK contract. But your friend here managed to get word out to me.’ He nods at Zora.

  ‘How did you manage it when we couldn’t?’ I ask my friend.

  ‘Well, Jinx might be an ace hacker but I’m also a super coder,’ she replies with a wink. ‘I set up a tracker to search the internet for all details associated with the person who once owned the owl baku that your teacher had. Then it pinged up with this number, I called it, and got an answering service. I left a message and a few minutes later . . . he called me back. I told him to get here as soon as he could.’

  ‘You’re amazing but . . . how did you know we needed help?’

  ‘When River and I didn’t receive any messages from Ashley for over an hour, I knew something bad must have happened. I left Tobias’s family cottage in secret to meet Mr Baird on the main road, and it was a good thing I did – I was cut off from River too.’

  Linus squeaks. >>Lizard hasn’t responded to any of our messages.

  ‘They probably threatened to destroy Lizard if he didn’t cooperate – I don’t blame River,’ I say.

  ‘I have to say, I was pretty surprised to get the call from Zora,’ says Mr Baird. ‘But once she told me what was going on, I dropped everything to get up here as fast as possible. It’s unbelievable. The update cannot be allowed to roll out further.’

  Then Zora reaches out and grips my hand. ‘Lacey . . . did you really see your dad?’

  I nod, biting my lower lip.

  ‘Oh my god. That’s huge. Are you okay?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I say, honestly. ‘I mean . . . he’s alive. But who knows whether he will ever be back to normal. He had such an early version of Eric’s update. It might have permanently damaged his brain, as far as we know.’

  ‘We’ll find out,’ Zora says, fiercely.

  ‘And BRIGHTSPRK will help,’ affirms Mr Baird. ‘We will find a way to reverse everyone who has been updated so far.’

  ‘I hope you can,’ I whisper. I want to believe that BRIGHTSPRK would have the answer, but I know it’s not going to be easy.

  ‘Can you show us what else you saw inside the dome, Lacey? It’s important that we know everything.’

  I nod, and pull Slick out of my pocket. He’s almost drained of power, so I plug him into the car’s built-in charger. He opens up his projector and we cycle back through the footage. It’s clear that we have enough to prove to anyone what was going on. I’m so grateful to have him, for once. Zora doesn’t even bat an eyelid when Eric’s soliloquy comes on, and the extent of his plan comes to light. ‘I don’t think I’m surprised at anything, any more,’ she says, when the footage ends.

  ‘But what I still don’t understand is why he wants Jinx so badly,’ I say. ‘Jinx was out in the wild for a month, and no damage was done to Moncha. Can’t he just be left to live in peace?’

  ‘There must be a reason,’ says Mr Baird.

  ‘When Jinx comes back, I’ll ask him,’ I say, with more confidence than I have.

  ‘When?’ Mr Baird asks, one eyebrow raised. ‘Do you think he escaped from Lake Baku?’

  ‘I have to believe it.’ I lean back in the car and turn my head so that I’m facing the window.

  Even though Jinx is too far away by now to be able to hear me, I talk to him. I just don’t know if we’re doing the right thing. Leaving Dad there, not having Monica with us . . . I feel like we’ve come away with nothing.

  As if I could hear Jinx’s reply, there’s a little doubting and . . .

  And I can’t believe Tobias told his mom. After all our planning, all the measures we took . . . I trusted him.

  He betrayed me.

  I wonder what he’s doing right now. Tobias would have had to go back to the cottage and his parents. Would they consider what happene
d to be a triumph for him, or a failure? Maybe all Tobias needed to do was prove his own loyalty. He’s done that. To his parents, to Moncha Corp – and not to me.

  But who am I to him, anyway? His high school fling? The girl who has a big crush on him, who he indulged for a while?

  It doesn’t matter who I am to him. What matters is that the next phase of the update doesn’t roll out, that we figure out how to reverse it so I get Mom back. And maybe Dad too . . .

  With those thoughts swirling in my head, the adrenaline rushing through my veins finally drops. The leather seats seem to mould around me, and I feel my muscles relax for the first time in a long time. My eyelids droop, and the scenes of the Canadian countryside rushing by lull me to sleep.

  WHEN I WAKE UP, WE’RE back at the BRIGHTSPRK headquarters, a tall office building uptown. For a moment, in my post-waking-up haze, as we pull up outside the tower block, I think Mr Baird might have driven me straight home, and my heart lifts. I’m not used to being so far away from home for so long – and with everything that’s been going on, I’m yearning for my own bed and a hug from Mom.

  But I can’t go back and face Mom, not yet. Not until I have a way to reverse the update. And not until I can give her a solid answer about Dad.

  Zora reaches out and squeezes my hand. ‘I wonder what my sisters are up to at the moment.’

  I give her a small smile. Inside, though, I’m cursing myself. I’ve been so wrapped up in myself – and the discovery of my dad – that I haven’t been thinking about Zora. Her family all have low level bakus, and would be in line for the next phase of the update.

  ‘I bet they’re missing you a lot and can’t wait for you to be home.’

  ‘Yeah, so they have someone to bug all the time,’ she replies, dryly, but I can tell there’s a twinge of sadness there. I know she’s missing them – although it would take a lot of arm-twisting before she would ever admit it.

  Mr Baird places his hand on his halo and his face turns pale.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘We have to hurry,’ he says. He rushes out of the car, not even waiting for us to follow. Zora and I exchange a look, then scramble out of the car after him.

  Mr Baird looks over his shoulder as he jogs up the stairs. ‘Eric Smith has pushed up the convention again. To now. It’s all over the news.’

  ‘What?’ I cry out. ‘But you said we were able to stop him from going ahead at all?’

  ‘Lake Washington is so remote, it takes time for the authorities to check out our information and to get up there . . .’

  We’re swiped through the building security quickly, and taken through to a huge open-plan cafeteria space, with long rows of benches and tables, all very metallic and clean. A few eyes turn towards us as we enter, but most people are laser-like focused on a screen at the far end of the room.

  Mr Baird ushers us towards one of the tables, facing the projection – which covers almost the entire back wall. It’s more than an ordinary projector screen, of course. BRIGHTSPRK have such a different ethos to Moncha Corp: everything is slick and modern, not focused on comfort but on design. Moncha was one woman’s vision, whereas this company has cycled through many different owners and leaders. Still, I wonder now which one is going in the right direction. With only one person at the top, once that one person is corrupt, nothing is fail-safe. At least BRIGHTSPRK seem as intent on keeping their house as clean as they are their products.

  Projected from the halos, the image on screen is crystal clear. It’s almost like we’re live at the convention after all.

  Even the buzz from the crowd inside the Washington cottage is perfectly audible. The baku-cameras (most common are doves) are trained on the crowd, flying around to show off all the important people who are there. My heart twists as I spot Tobias standing to one side, with his parents. His dad has his hand on one shoulder and Nathan is at his side, beaming.

  I hope that’s the outcome Tobias wanted. Even though I wish he’d stood by me . . . can I blame him for wanting to be accepted by his family?

  ‘Even after knowing what they’ve done to your mom and dad . . .’ mutters Zora beside me. Clearly she hasn’t forgiven him.

  I lean into her, appreciating her support.

  Then, the atmosphere in both rooms changes. Something is happening on stage.

  Normally, this is when Monica would come out and put people at ease. I think that’s what lots of people are still expecting, even though Monica hasn’t been seen in months.

  But it’s not Monica or Eric who appears on the stage. It takes me a moment before I register who it is.

  ‘Is that . . . Mayor Coleman?’ says Mr Baird.

  ‘Who?’ I ask, with a frown.

  ‘The mayor of Toronto,’ he replies.

  Zora and I exchange a look. ‘What’s the mayor doing at the launch of a Moncha product?’ I ask.

  ‘Not just at the launch. Introducing it,’ Zora says.

  We turn our attention back to the announcement. Sure enough, Mayor Coleman is kicking off the speech. At first, I barely take in what she’s saying, my brain is whirring as to what it could all mean.

  But then it becomes crystal clear in an instant. ‘The City of Toronto has been proud to be a part of the Moncha journey, supporting Monica from her very first steps as a tech entrepreneur into the multinational corporation we see in front of us. We were delighted when Eric approached us with an exciting new venture, which will see the city partner with Moncha Corp to provide bakus for all of our residents, to serve as a model for all cities of the future. And, in an act of tremendous generosity, Moncha have donated level 1 bakus to anyone who hasn’t purchased one so far – Merry Christmas, everyone!’ A video flashes up behind her: of postal workers in Moncha-branded uniforms delivering brand new shiny insect bakus throughout the city. There are line-ups around the block for free ‘leash’ installation clinics. And then a montage plays of how harmonious life is when people and bakus work together: city workers cleaning up the streets with their loyal retriever bakus, maintenance workers fixing street lights with magpies and – worst of all, for us – the Toronto police with brand new, shiny, sharp-toothed panther bakus.

  While we’ve been away, Monchaville has expanded.

  And as the mayor speaks, a baku appears from beside her, a beautiful level 3 Great Dane. There’s a huge burst of applause from the audience, which the mayor bows to receive, placing one hand on her Great Dane’s back. Then Eric walks on to the stage, reaches out and takes the mayor’s hand. He looks so smug – as if all his chickens have come to roost at the same time. He’s the man who’s laid the golden egg: he’s managed to get rid of his partner, and secure the biggest deal in Moncha history, all in one fell swoop.

  With a single update.

  If every person in the city has now been given at least a level 1 baku . . . that means millions of people will now be updated.

  There’s only one conclusion: we can’t trust the authorities now. They’re in Eric’s pocket. I’m glad that we decided to come here, to the headquarters of one of Moncha’s biggest rivals. It’s one thing to convince politicians to be on your side. But another to convince a rival firm. Surely they would do anything to see Moncha Corp taken down.

  I try to turn my attention back to what Eric is saying now. ‘Thank you, Mayor Coleman. We’re delighted to partner with the City of Toronto to make it one of the best and happiest places to live on the planet. And now, for the next stage of our big announcement. We’ve been working around the clock on the latest update – which is about to revolutionize your lives. This update will bring your bakus even more in sync with your needs, taking even more decisions off your hands to help you lead your happiest life ever. This is the biggest improvement to happen to bakus, well, since the very first baku was released! We want everyone to access this update at the same time, so if everyone would plug into your leashes . . .’

  ‘No!’ I cry out. But at the same time, all at once, I notice a buzzing from around the room. Mr Bair
d’s halo is glowing, and he’s staring down at a projection on his hand. More of the BRIGHTSPRK employees are doing the same.

  Soon, it’s everyone in the room. Everyone at BRIGHTSPRK is receiving a message. I turn to Zora, who grips my hand. ‘What’s going on?’ she whispers to me.

  ‘No idea,’ I reply.

  The look on Mr Baird’s face is not good, though.

  ‘What is it?’ I ask him.

  ‘We’ve just had a company-wide message come through.’ Mr Baird isn’t really looking at me though. He’s looking around at all his co-workers, the buzz in the air almost impossibly loud. ‘Moncha has taken over BRIGHTSPRK. We’re all receiving an update to our halos.’

  All of a sudden, his eyes open wide, as he realizes the implication of what he’s just said. He raises his hand to rip the halo off his head – but too late. It flashes and changes colour, and Mr Baird goes stock-still.

  It happens all around us, to everyone at BRIGHTSPRK.

  ‘We should get out of here!’ Zora says.

  There’s a fierce buzzing in my zipped-up pocket too. Slick is begging to be updated.

  Zora’s hand flies to her shoulder as well – Linus is bounding up her arm, aiming for the leash. >>I’ve just received notification of the latest update! squeaks Linus. >>We should leash up now and then I can process it.

  ‘No!’ shout Zora and I in unison. Zora is just quick enough to grab Linus before he connects, and she stashes him in my other zipped-up pocket. ‘But he’s a level 2!’ Zora cries out.

  ‘But Eric Smith knew you were at the Lake too. Or maybe . . . maybe the update is going out even wider.’ I feel sick as the words leave my mouth.

  ‘Oh god, Lacey, I have to get home.’

  I nod, then look up at Mr Baird, still clinging on to a scrap of hope that this is all a big mistake – and that Eric Smith hasn’t been able to snatch a victory from the jaws of certain defeat. ‘Mr Baird? Are you all right?’

  But when he looks at me, his eyes are totally blank. ‘Miss Chu? What are you doing here?’