Selfie: Device Kids Book One

by D. S. Murphy

  “Shut up,” Megan said, sitting up.

  “He was interested in the project and reached out.”

  “Todd Brieker was interested in your science fair project? That’s incredible Bree!”

  “Yeah, well that was before all this,” I said. “He probably wouldn’t touch us with a ten-foot pole now.” I bit my lip, frowning. Todd had sent his gift basket after I’d already turned him down, when he found out about Megan. Did that mean he was still interested in working together?

  “Anyway,” I said, “he sent us some killer stuff.”

  I ran her hands over all the new gear, and helped her set up her new devices. There was a finger-print login feature, and she could ask Gloria for almost anything she wanted, and use the earbuds to listen to music or TV shows.

  “Can I use your phone?” she asked finally. “I just want to hear her voice.”

  “Do you even remember mom’s voice? I mean the real one?”

  “Maybe,” she said. “I don’t know. But it’s still soothing.”

  Megan picked out a fantasy novel and had Gloria read it to her in my mother’s voice. We set it on speaker with the volume low so we could both listen. It was a surprisingly good patch, all things considered; it almost sounded like Mom was really here with us reading a bedtime story.

  After a while I realized Megan was sleeping, so I gently took my phone back. I scrolled through messages and saw two new ones, from Jens and Todd. I tapped on Todd’s message, but it was just a link to a VR room. I decided to test out the new headset and haptic gloves.

  I didn’t invite the others this time. Whatever Todd wanted, it was personal. I strapped on the gloves and headset, but as soon as I put the gear on my phone rang.

  I could see the caller ID in my field of vision, to the right of my screen. The CEO of Arcana, Todd Brieker, was calling me. I lifted my trembling fingers to swipe the notification and answer the call.

  “How did you get this number?” I asked.

  “You’re kidding, right?” he chuckled.

  My vision faded into blinding light and it felt like I was falling through space for a moment. Then I was in a vast library. A stream was running through the middle. The books were musty and lit by torches, revealing long corridors and crumbling stone arches. In the center was a wide desk, with parchment and a quill and ink set, next to a stack of gold coins and a miniature scale. Todd was dressed as some kind of Medieval baron, with furs and leather, warming his hands by the fire.

  “We can still do this thing,” he said, without turning around. “Together. Megan’s medical bills, paid. Plenty of money to pay for university, and here at Arcana you can work on whatever projects you want. We’ve been developing a technology for the blind, accessing the vision cortex directly, bypassing the eyes altogether.”

  “You mean, you could make Megan see again.”

  “It’s possible, with your help.”

  There was a dangerous gleam in his eye as he watched my reaction, and my eye was drawn to the silver dagger on his hip. Something felt off. The tech was basically out there already. Why did he need our help, especially if our program was faulty or dangerous?

  “What about what happened with Megan?” I asked. “Aren’t you afraid?”

  “New technology always comes with some bumps, but your experiments will be safer done in a proper lab, with support. This kind of thing never has to happen again.”

  I bit my lip, it still didn’t explain what was going on with me, but Todd wasn’t wrong. With his help we could figure it out, he had the resources. The NHTC were just treating us like dumb kids, criminals even.

  “And it’s not just about the tech,” Todd continued. “I see great potential in you and your friends. As it is, if word gets out about what really happened, you’ll be lucky to get a job at McDonalds. I hate to see talent go to waste.”

  I chewed my lip, thinking over his offer. Amy and Greg would be happy to take the deal, and I was over my head. David and Brad wanted to fight the system, but I wasn’t interested in politics. I didn’t want my family to suffer for some personal quest for tech autonomy. The Todd Briekers of the world would always win.

  “Can I think about it?” I asked quietly.

  “I suppose, but this really is your only option. I suggest you take it. Things could get much worse.”

  The call closed out, and suddenly I was booted from the system. I blinked my eyes in the dim room, Todd’s words ringing in my ears. It sounded like a warning, or a threat. I heard voices in the hall and ducked my head. I’d just made it out the window when the door opened. I crept back down the ledge and lowered myself down the drainpipe.

  By the time my feet hit the ground, my muscles were shaking. One of the orderlies was smoking a cigarette near the side entrance. I bummed one and asked for a light. I wasn’t really a smoker, but my nerves were shot and I felt jumpy. I sat in the dark, feeling dizzy and letting the smoke burn my lungs, blowing out great white clouds of smoke.

  I jumped when my phone rang again, but this time it was just David.

  “Hello?” I said, holding the phone up to my ear.

  “It wasn’t us,” David said quickly.

  “What?”

  “I found some code running in the background processes of your sister’s therabots. I’ve never seen anything like it before, it looks like some kind of virus. But it’s not from the NHTC, and we didn’t write it.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked.

  “There’s someone else,” David said. “Someone else did this to your sister. And I don’t think it was an accident. This was the intended result.”

  “But who could’ve—” I broke off as I looked at the new gear in my backpack; the gifts from Todd. The threatening phone call. He’d do anything to get this tech. He was trying to force my hand.

  I held the lit cigarette against my arm and winced in pain as it burned a hole in my skin. My eyes glowed ultraviolet in the dark, brighter than the red glow of the cigarette. David said that Todd was dangerous. If he got this tech, he’d be inside everyone. He’d have total power. Our version may not be perfect or bug free, but at least it was well-intended. If Todd was willing to cripple my little sister for this tech, there was no limit to how far he’d go. The only way to keep it out of his hands was to make it public, as soon as possible.

  “Still there?” David asked.

  “Do it,” I said quietly. “Release the app. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  20

  I got a message from Greg early the next morning. My heart squeezed with recognition at the name, but it wasn’t just giddiness or surprise. There was something darker there, more like dread. Anyway, the message wasn’t personal, only two words. It’s done.

  There was also a link to a meeting room and a time, just before school. Weird. I grabbed some toast and orange juice. Dad was already gone, today he’d be catching up on some work before spending a few hours with Megan. If all went well, she was supposed to be released today.

  I put on the new VR helmet and gloves and the giant noise-canceling headphones. Despite the quality build, I felt lighter and less encumbered with Arcana’s high-end gear. Even so, I wasn’t ready for the VR experience I was about to enter. After a couple loading screens, the landscape and texture details from Greg’s link began populating the space. It looked like someone brushing paint on a white canvas, then cleaning up the details until the brushstrokes were invisible.

  Suddenly I was in the dark. The air was crisp but thin; I felt light headed and leaned against an ancient crumbling stone wall, outlined by the light of the half moon. My eyes adjusted and I gasped at the scene around me; jagged mountain peaks cradled stepped-agriculture and flat valleys, between stone houses cutting up into the higher ground. The steps and pathways were remarkably precise, and a stream trickled next to them, with irrigation from what I assumed was a natural spring.

  I saw a figure down below in the darkness, standing in a shelled out building with no roof. By the time I appro
ached him, it was light enough to recognize Greg’s features. He was staring out at the dawning horizon but turned when I stepped on a branch.

  “Hey,” he said, smiling.

  “Hey,” I said, crossing my arms. I thought he was going to talk about the other night, or apologize again, or something. But he just sighed and took a drink from a steaming mug.

  “Want some?” he asked, just as Amy materialized out of nowhere.

  “Machu Picchu,” she said, taking my cup of coffee from Greg. “Cool. I’ve always wanted to go to Peru.”

  “What’s this all about?” David said, arriving suddenly. “Couldn’t it wait until school?”

  “I thought we needed to immortalize the event,” Greg said. A large tub full of ice and five bottles of champagne appeared out of nowhere.

  “You know we can’t actually drink that, right?” Amy said.

  “We don’t have to,” Greg said. “It’s just something to mark the occasion. We just launched our first app; and not just any app. This app could change the world.”

  “You’re strangely optimistic this morning,” I said.

  “I’ve been up all night drinking red-bull,” Greg said, “trying to navigate the terms and fine-print in the Arcana store. Also, we’ve had 3,925 downloads in the last hour.”

  “Yeehaw!” Brad shouted. Through the open stone windows I could see him approaching on some kind of large animal.

  “Is that an alpaca?” Amy asked.

  “I don’t know,” Brad said, dismounting, “is it?”

  “I feel like we should be dressed up for this,” Greg said, frowning at our casual base clothes. “Hold on.” He closed his eyes, and a second later he was wearing a full black tux.

  “You think that’s a suit? I’ll show you a suit.” Brad smirked. He spun around, and when he stopped again he was wearing a purple velvet suit with a ruffled shirt and an oversized top-hat.”

  “You look Willa Wonka,” Greg said.

  “I’ve been saving this one for a special occasion,” Amy said with a wink. I was physically pushed backwards as her skirt expanded around her, billowing out into thick folds of hot pink. She waved her hand over her head and her hair arranged into a tall, fancy bun.

  David and I exchanged a look. Then he shrugged and changed into a sharp suit and tie. Nothing fancy, but casual chic. It looked good on him.

  “One more thing,” I said, reaching up and taking off his glasses. “You don’t need them here anyway.”

  “How about you?” he said.

  “I don’t really keep a lot of virtual dresses around.”

  “Just put on what you were wearing last time,” David said. He grinned a little, and I could have sworn his cheeks got a little red.

  “Oh you mean this little thing?” I said, putting on my standard gear for Planet Plunder. The blue miniskirt showed off my black stockings, and was covered with straps and buckles. I pulled at the white cloak, feeling self-conscious as my classmates stared at me like they’d never seen me before.

  “Ahem,” Greg said finally, popping the cork and pouring five glasses full of champagne.

  “A toast. To our success,” Brad said.

  “To SelfX,” Amy said raising her glass. I jumped back when I took mine, spilling half my glass. With my new gloves, I could feel the fizzle of champagne against my arm. I stuck my fingers in the glass, then poured some champagne over my hand and laughed.

  “Um, we’re kind of trying to have a moment here,” Brad said. The other four were already holding their glasses up against each other.

  “Sorry,” I said. “These gloves are amazing. It feels cold, and wet.”

  “If only we could actually taste it,” Amy said.

  “Or get drunk,” Brad said.

  “I’ve thought about some kind of nicotine patch,” David said, “so people could smoke in VR and actually alleviate the cravings.”

  “Awesome,” Greg said. “In the meantime, it’s not really for drinking.” He grinned, then threw his glass against the stone wall. It shattered, filling the early morning dawn with broken glass and fizzling champagne.

  Brad picked up a whole bottle and shook it up, then he popped the cork with a knife and jumped around, spraying gushing champagne at all of us. I could feel it on my hands and arms, and even when I brushed the champagne off my face and hair, my fingers felt wet and sticky.

  David picked up a bottle as well, and slammed it against the stone, breaking off the bottom. Amy and I tossed our glasses off the edge of the ruins, then the five of us stood watching the sunrise illuminate the ancient stones of the fallen Incan empire.

  An hour later, we were in Mr. Leister’s first period class playing on our cell phones. At least, that’s what he thought each time he came around to make sure we were on task. We told him he couldn’t see the finished project until we were done; though actually he could have gone and downloaded it from the app store, like we all did.

  The public version of SelfX was similar to what we’d already been using on our phones, just stripped down to some basic features, and with a payment gateway so people could actually buy enhancements. We decided to make most features free for the first few days, and have them automatically reset after twenty-four hours like we’d been doing for ourselves. After that, most tweaks were $1 a day. One fancy look could take as many as ten individual tweaks, which would be $300 a month just for cosmetic changes.

  Then there were some invisible apps: more concentration, muscle workout, fall asleep easily, increased agility, stomach of steel, immune system boost. They were hard to see the results unless you used them for a few weeks, so we set them at a standard $10/month plan.

  “Just broke 10,000 downloads,” Greg said. “That’s like, 2000 an hour.”

  “Is that good?” Amy asked.

  “I don’t know, what are we measuring against? Farmville and CandyCrush get a million downloads a day. For a health and wellness app, it’s doing okay.”

  “It’s not exactly health and wellness though,” Amy said.

  “But putting it under games would be misleading, and some kid with a terminal illness might accidentally hack themselves.”

  “Note to self,” Amy said. “Add age verification.”

  “Also,” David said, “the app is only for those patients who qualified for the NHTS program. Nobody knows it exists, that it’s possible, so nobody is looking for it yet.”

  “The suspense is killing me,” Amy said. “I keep expecting the FBI to raid the school or something.”

  “Nobody knows it’s us,” Greg said. “The app, I mean, regular users won’t be able to find our personal information or even the location.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Brad said. “I mean, if people who are already following Basic Bree’s account or have seen that Halloween video, some of the hacks in the app are the same ones we used for our costumes.”

  “But they can’t prove anything,” David said. “Probably.”

  “In that case…” Brad’s thumbs raced across his keyboard, then he put his phone away. “Just posted the app to Reddit, YouTube and Facebook from an anonymous account. People who have seen the video should get an alert about the update.”

  “Didn’t you say there were like 10 million views?”

  “Thirteen, now,” Brad said. “Let’s meet at lunch and trade numbers.”

  “One more thing,” David said quietly just before the bell rang. “All our test kits are being used, as far as I can tell. The hashtag #SelfX is trending and Sequim is ground zero. But it does means we’re getting more data, and people are leaving comments.”

  “It’s a bit late for that now,” Amy said.

  “Not necessarily – if there’s any big issues, we can release a patch or an updated version of the app.”

  “The real question is,” I mumbled, “how many people are going to go blind today?”

  “Or get super-powers,” Brad smirked.

  ***

  The rest of the day was weird. I was practically gl
ued to my phone, more so than usual, and I even got it taken away during third period. As soon as I got it back I continued scrolling through the comments on the app. There were hundreds. Most people laughed it off as a stupid, potentially dangerous joke. But a few people wrote long comments. A husband with a terminal illness who didn’t qualify for the government’s program, but used his brother-in-laws recycled therabots to cure an inoperable brain tumor. A granddaughter who tweaked her grandfather’s therabots and brought him back from dementia.

  When I bothered to look up from my phone, people were making way too much eye contact, so I took out my dark shades and kept them on between classes. I also began using my basic stack again – it seemed weird not to, now that the app was out. I got a few nods and smirks from classmates, and heard at least one person whisper SelfX as I passed. It was like the whole school was buzzing with a shared secret, and for the first time I was in on it.

  The hashtag was everywhere, but mostly on Twitter, where people were posting close-up before and after pictures, with time stamps. There were a few unexpected results, and I wondered if other device kids were already dismantling our code and creating their own patched version of the app for off-label uses.

  I was almost to the lunch room when I got a WOL message from Jens that made me trip over my own feet.

  I know it was you. We need to talk about your app, now.

  My pulse raced, and my vision seemed to zoom in on the message until everything else was a blur. Bodies moved past me in the halls but I stumbled forward, gripping the phone with both hands. I looked up when I heard the scream, and a shape raced past me, shoving me hard to the side. I caught a glimpse of blonde hair and sagging skin that turned my stomach, just before my phone hit the ground, shattering the screen.

  “Shit!” I yelled, picking it up and blowing away the shards of glass. I tried to scroll but sliced my finger instead, smearing blood on the screen that filled the cracks and made them worse. Dark red lines cut through the content on my feed.