Unleashed

by Amy McCulloch

  ‘We have to get out of here, now,’ says Eric. ‘You, take Monica,’ he says, pointing at one of the guards. ‘And grab Pardem. We have to make sure that everything is to plan before proceeding.’ Then he turns to the guard holding me. ‘Escort Miss Chu out of the building and make sure she has no ability to get back inside. If she’s ever seen here again, confiscate her baku and disconnect her leash. She’ll be banned from ever being able to own a Moncha product again. And get these mangy creatures out of here.’

  Just like that, I’m frog-marched out of the building as Monica is taken the other way. All the cats – including Jinx – dissipate into the various hallways. I hope that means that Jinx has escaped, and is unharmed. I have no idea if Jinx managed to uninstall the update in the short period of time that he was leashed up to Monica.

  Or has all of this been in vain?

  THE SECURITY TEAM UNCEREMONIOUSLY PUSHES me out of one of the side entrances to Moncha HQ, tossing me so I tumble into a snow bank that’s built up along the edge of the sidewalk. I zip up my jacket, and pull my gloves back over my fingers. But I find myself frozen for a different reason. I have no idea what to do now. I don’t know if our plan has worked, or if we’re in as much trouble as before.

  If it hasn’t worked . . . how will we be able to reverse the update? Will Jinx have to find every single person in the city, one-by-one? And what if Eric rolls the update to the rest of the country, to the world? What then?

  Then, there will be no stopping him.

  I have to find out if it worked. I dash around the corner to the main courtyard. I have to stop to take a breath. It’s amazing to see all the bakus sitting outside, still as statues. Amazing how such a simple demonstration can be so powerful. I hope it’s catching the media’s attention. Or will Eric find a way to play this out as something positive for Moncha? I don’t know how, but if anyone can manipulate the situation, he can.

  A crowd has gathered at the front entrance of Moncha HQ, in front of the imposing double-doors. There’s a ring of media, cameras and microphones pointed at the doors, and then a wider circle of people around it. I feel sick to my stomach. It looks like Eric is still planning on making some sort of statement to the public. If he’s willing to do that . . . it doesn’t look good to me.

  ‘Lacey!’ I hear my name being shouted from across the street.

  I look up to see Zora barrelling across towards me. She crashes into me, her arms thrown around my body, squeezing me in a hug. When she pulls away, she asks, ‘Did it work?’

  I bite my lower lip. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘You don’t know? But . . . the word is that Monica is about to give a speech.’

  ‘Jinx connected but I don’t know if he had enough time to reverse the update completely.’

  Zora bites her bottom lip, chewing it furiously. There’s a commotion at the front of Moncha HQ, and all of a sudden, lights come on around the door. Zora grabs my hand. ‘Come on. We have to watch. We have to find out.’

  I allow her to pull me through the crowd, pushing our way past the journalists and crowd of onlookers who have gathered around. I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know who is going to appear at the door.

  The gates open – and out steps Monica Chan. And on her shoulder . . . is Jinx.

  I swallow, tears welling up in my eyes. Tears of relief.

  Jinx touches his tail to Monica’s throat, amplifying her voice so that she can be heard by everyone. Bird bakus descend from the sky, suddenly permitted to film again – Monica must have reversed the ban, wanting everyone to hear what she has to say. The reporters jostle and clamour for space, everyone wanting the best angle to film from.

  As for me? I feel as if the entire world grinds to a halt. I don’t feel anything any more: I don’t feel the cold of the air, or the wind on my face, or the heat of adrenaline in my cheeks. I’m holding my breath, wondering what Monica is going to say. Wondering if what we did worked.

  Wondering if our teamwork is enough.

  I exchange a look with Zora, and then across the way, I see Carter, his eyes wide with happy surprise. Kai and Ashley grin at me, and I see River’s head poking up behind. Jake catches my eye and winks. I scan the crowd, looking desperately for one more face.

  But he’s not there.

  I feel a wave of disappointment, but then I turn back to Monica. Please be all right, please be all right, I whisper.

  I hear Jinx’s voice in my head. >>Do you doubt me?

  Never, I think, fiercely.

  Silence descends on the courtyard as she steps forward.

  ‘In light of recent events, including an unauthorized update pushed through to certain level 1 and 2 bakus in Toronto, Moncha Corp have agreed to submit to a full and open government investigation.

  ‘As CEO of Moncha, I take full responsibility for the update and the resulting problems it has caused, and want to apologize unreservedly for the actions of certain members of my company. A reversal – developed by a group of dedicated and brilliant young coders and companioneers – is being issued as we speak, for all people and bakus affected.

  ‘Although I have always tried to operate under a culture of openness, it is clear that there were members of my corporation that felt differently. While glaring security leaks have obviously been revealed, please rest assured that we are working hard to make sure nothing like this ever occurs again. We are cooperating with other creators of personal assistant tech to create global regulations for our industry. But, if the recommendation is that we shut down production of the bakus, then we are prepared to take that step.

  ‘In the spirit of cooperation, Moncha will now work with the City of Toronto and BRIGHTSPRK on ways to make baku technology even safer.

  ‘We are confident that together, we will come up with a solution and keep bakus safe for everyone to own. After all, I know that I couldn’t possibly live without my baku.

  ‘Could you?’

  A world without bakus? It seems unthinkable now. They are so integrated within our society. People want to use the technology, now that we know it exists. We can’t go backwards.

  We can only learn how to use it responsibly.

  There’s a flurry of questions as Monica finishes speaking, but to me – it’s as if the universe has condensed into this tiny moment.

  ‘You did it!’ I squeeze Zora’s arm. ‘Your code worked! Everyone is going to be back to normal.’

  ‘We did it. We did it, Lace,’ Zora replies, her bright white teeth shining with the biggest grin I’ve seen in a long time.

  Yet my jaw drops before I can reply. Because Monica is looking directly at us. She’s waving away all the questions, telling reporters that she’ll have another press conference in a week, announcing all the changes in regulation that they will go through. Then she walks straight towards Zora and me.

  She extends her hand to us.

  ‘I have a lot to thank you both for,’ she says.

  I stare at her, scanning her face for traces of the update. But her eyes are bright and clear, and she seems to be standing taller than the last time I saw her at Lake Baku.

  ‘May I be the first to extend you an invitation back to Moncha HQ? I want you to have a front row seat to all the changes that are being made.’

  TWO DAYS LATER, WE STEP inside Moncha HQ, this time in the footsteps of its founder. A sort of reverential silence descends on us both as we enter the building. Even though this is now the fourth time that I’ve met Monica – this is the first time I feel like I’m meeting the real person. And I’m more scared than ever that reality won’t live up to expectation. Jinx is by my side, his tail lifted high in the air.

  >>Relax. The real Monica is the best. You’re going to love her.

  ‘Wow,’ says Zora, her neck craning back. ‘Linus, make sure you’re taking loads of pictures.’

  >>I’m on it.

  I grin. I forget that she’s never been inside the headquarters before, the impressive cathedral of glass and light and greenery. It�
�s not an opportunity that many people get. ‘This place . . . it’s like baku-Disney World,’ she whispers.

  Monica hears her, and laughs. ‘Not a bad idea, Miss Layeni.’

  We jump, not realizing that Monica was standing so close by. ‘Oh, you can call me Zora, Ms Chan,’ Zora stutters.

  Monica nods, ‘And you can call me Monica. We’re all friends here.’ We come to a stop in the centre of the foyer, at the edge of a bubbling fountain. She smiles, the full intensity of her gaze upon us. ‘Well, Lacey and Zora, I can’t thank you enough. What you did to reverse the update . . . it worked. In fact, there are many people here who would like to thank you.’

  All of a sudden, people appear from every doorway, and even at the balconies looking down on to the foyer. They launch into a voracious round of applause that echoes off the red brick and surrounds Zora and me with happiness and praise. Even the bakus give us a little siren song, chirruping or stomping the ground or barking and roaring to join the chorus.

  ‘It wasn’t just us,’ I say, the blush rising in my cheeks.

  Monica smiles at me. ‘I know. And I’ve invited some of the others along too . . .’

  She gestures behind me, and I spin around. The first person I see is Carter. He has Hunter next to him, restored to perfect condition. We nod to each other, still guarded in our interactions. I don’t think I’ll ever like him, but I do trust him a lot more. I know his devotion to his baku, and that reassures me.

  Next to Carter, I see Kai, River and Ashley, and their respective bakus. They look slightly sheepish to see me, even Kai, but I run at them, wrapping my arms around all three and pulling them into a big group hug. ‘I’m so glad to see you! Thank you for everything you did to help organize the protests.’

  ‘Way to go, Lacey,’ says Ashley. ‘You did it. You and Zora pulled through when we gave up.’

  ‘And hopefully we’ll be seeing you back at school, yeah? I want to be on your team next year,’ says River.

  I smile. ‘You better believe it.’

  I look over River’s shoulder, but the person I’m really looking for isn’t there. I’m not surprised any longer. Every day that goes by, I expect to hear from him, and every day . . . I’m disappointed.

  Then, I see him. Or rather, I see Aero. He swoops over our heads, still one of the most magnificent bakus I’ve ever seen. I follow him, watching him dive and soar, before landing on the shoulder of his owner.

  The rest of my friends step aside, to give us some space.

  ‘Hey, I’m sorry—’ says Tobias.

  ‘Hey, I’m sorry—’ I say.

  We both speak at the exact same time.

  ‘Jinx,’ Tobias says, with a small smile. I smile back at him. ‘Let me go first,’ he continues. ‘I am so sorry, Lacey. I know I betrayed your trust. I was a coward, and I have no excuse.’

  ‘I can hardly blame you for wanting to confide in your parents,’ I reply.

  His face screws up into a scowl. ‘I never wanted it to go further than that but Nathan overheard – and he ran straight to Eric. I’m so sorry. I should never have betrayed you.’

  ‘I wish you’d reached out to me sooner.’

  ‘I know. I wish I had too. But my parents banned me from contacting you . . .’

  ‘It’s okay, it’s over now,’ I say. It’s true. The stakes have been so high – with minds and dreams on the line – I don’t want to hold a grudge when everything ended up going to plan. ‘Friends?’ I ask.

  A spark of disappointment flickers across Tobias’s face, but he nods. ‘Of course,’ he says, his voice soft. ‘Friends.’

  Monica claps her hands together, and we turn around to face her. ‘All right, now that we’re all here . . . let’s head up to my office. I’ve got a lot of explaining to do, and I want your group to be the first to hear about any of it. Before we have any sort of public press conference or anything.’

  The crowd gives us another cheer as Monica leads us over to the elevator. It warms my heart to see all the employees so glad to have their fearless leader back.

  We take the elevator to the very highest floor, which opens up directly into her office. It’s decorated in typical Monica style – a bit mid-century modern, with eclectic touches – lots of resting places for bakus, and plenty of lush green foliage. She gestures for us to take a seat on big, comfy golden leather couches. But I can’t sit down. Because I’m too excited. There are lots of people in the office that I recognize: one is Mr Baird, back with his owl baku.

  The next face I see is even more surprising. ‘Oh my god, Paul? Is that you?’ Paul and his lemur baku George are standing right by Monica’s desk. I run up to him and give him a big hug. He guffaws in surprise but hugs me back. ‘Well done, my favourite tinkerer,’ he says, gruffly. ‘Well done.’

  Before I take a seat with the others, Monica pulls me to one side. ‘Lacey – I trust your mom is okay?’

  ‘Yes, she’s much better, thank you. Grateful for the offer of compensation.’ Everyone who was forced to receive the update is being given a pay-out. ‘But I mean . . . she has a lot of questions. And most of them are about Dad.’ It’s the question that I’ve wanted to ask the most, ever since the reversal went out to the wider public.

  Did it work on the volunteers at Lake Baku? The ones who had been under the influence of the update for so much longer? I’ve been in constant contact with Carter, who’d been given the same information – that the volunteers were being looked after, but that there was no concrete news on their progress so far.

  It’s been the most agonizing wait.

  Monica nods, her mouth drawn into a thin line. ‘Of course.’ She gestures over my shoulder to Carter, and he rushes over. ‘I wanted to be the first to tell you both. Everyone who was imprisoned at Lake Baku, including your mom, Carter, and your dad, Lacey, are being treated with the utmost care, as we speak. Many of the volunteers suffered greatly at the hands of my former business partner. I swear, if I had known what was going on up there—’ Her eyes flash with anger. ‘Of course, it’s no excuse. I never should have taken my eye off Eric’s work; I should have been more questioning, more demanding.

  ‘But that’s in the past now, and it will never happen again. All the volunteers have made good progress and we’re confident we’ll get them back to their normal selves. I promise, you and your mom will be able to see Albert again before too long. He is desperate to see you both. Carter, your mom too. It’s going to take a lot of patience – and rehabilitation – but you’ll have the full resources of Moncha at your disposal.’

  My heart soars to hear that he is okay, and that the update isn’t permanent. I know it’s going to be hard on my mom, that there will be a lot of residual anger and frustration and tears over the lost time we could have had with him.

  But the important thing is that he’s coming home.

  ‘Thank you,’ is all I manage to utter.

  She gestures for me to take a seat, so I squeeze in between Ashley and Zora on the couch. I lift my eyes up to Tobias, and then quickly look away again. Friends, I say firmly in my mind.

  >>Yeah, right, says Jinx, and I have to stifle a smile.

  ‘My dear friends,’ Monica begins. I want to listen to her, but movement down around her ankles distracts me. It’s a loping gait that I recognize, and then the baku comes fully into view: the sloth, Pardem. I recoil in disgust. I want that baku as far away from me as possible. Even Jinx tenses in my arms, the way I’ve noticed bakus tense – he seems to vibrate at an even faster speed, his electronic hum seeming even louder.

  ‘It’s okay, Lacey,’ Monica says, clocking my reaction. To my dismay, Monica scoops the sloth baku up into her arms, and connects him to her leash.

  ‘No!’ I cry out.

  Monica shakes her head. ‘It’s all right; there’s no update in his system any longer. I’ve grown attached to this baku and decided to keep him. Despite what he represents. Because it wasn’t his fault. It was his programming.’

  It takes a few second
s for me to recover my breath, but she’s right. The sloth bakus were never the problem. The update was.

  Doesn’t mean I find the sight of them any less triggering, though.

  ‘I’m sure you’re all wondering how things at Moncha are going to progress from now on. Most of you heard my press conference a couple of days ago. Of course, I have resumed my position as CEO of the Moncha Corp. Team Happiness has been disbanded and, after thorough interviews and investigations, it’s clear that most employees were kept in the dark about the team’s true objective. He kept the circle extremely small. The fault lay alone at the feet of Eric Smith.’ At this, her gaze falls solely on Carter. ‘I know it’s been a difficult week for you, Carter, and I thank you for all your help. Eric has given himself up voluntarily to the authorities, and he is being processed as we speak. The likelihood is that he will spend the rest of his life in prison.’

  ‘As long as I get my mom back, then that’s what he deserves,’ Carter says, sticking out his chin defiantly. I have to admire him. I can’t imagine what it would be like to know that my dad was behind a plot like this – and that I might never see him again, except behind the bars of a prison cell. Deserving or not, it’s got to be tough if that’s your parent.

  Monica continues: ‘As you’ve probably noticed, your old teacher, Derek Baird is here. He is a senior VP at BRIGHTSPRK. Plans are full steam ahead to work with him and his team at BRIGHTSPRK, the City and other big technology companies to come up with proper legislation to regulate the advanced technology that we’re all developing at lightning speed. But one step we’ve taken is the formation of an impartial board, who will oversee all the developments here at Moncha Corp – total transparency. And Paul here, one of my former board members, is going to oversee that.’

  I grin, seeing the pride on Paul’s face. I’m glad he’s back in a position he deserves.

  Monica continues. ‘It’s clear that I wasn’t careful enough in planning for the time of my demise – whether that’s accidental or done through malice. We need better protections in place, so that we can protect the future of bakus – and the future of all of us – going forward.’