by T. C. Edge
I pursed my lips. "You know your history. Or myth. I can't remember which. Still, though, it's not that snappy. Maybe just the T-Chip for short?"
"T-Chip," he said, nodding. "OK, I'm cool with that."
It seemed a pointless conversation, but we were getting rather good at those. I did prefer to have shortened names for tech I designed, like my V-Sig chip, to make things easier to explain.
It was coming up on midnight when we began approaching my neighbourhood once more, closing in on the residential district that served the industrial sector. The air grew a little smoggier here, the skies a swamp of dark grey. Street lamps illuminated the fog, swarming around them and dancing in the night. But otherwise, it was silent and still. And in that quietened setting, I felt my exhaustion creeping in.
I let out a long, slow sigh, walking wearily down the street. I needed to rest, and I needed to eat. A weariness, built up over several days of poor sleep and hard work, was suddenly coming on strong.
"You look tired, Paige," Ford said, observing me as we went. "I'm not surprised, given how much you've been working. You have a lot on your plate right now."
"I'm...I'm OK," I said, yawning at the most inopportune of moments.
Ford raised his eyes. "Oh yeah, you seem wide awake. You'll burn out soon enough, you know. You can't burn the candle at both ends."
"Like I have a choice," I responded. "I'll just have to manage my workload, I guess. Learn to live on less sleep."
"Yes, well, we can't have you turning up to work late again. That certainly won't do."
I stopped and looked at him. "How did you know about that?" And then it dawned on me. The cameras. He could access them too, watch me coming and going. He probably had one or two inside the safe-house as well. I narrowed my eyes on him. "Have you been spying on me, Ford?"
"Why change the habit of a lifetime," he said lightly, and with a grin. "It's how we met after all."
"And that doesn't make you sound like a creep."
He let out a small laugh. "It's not like I sit there, hour after hour, watching you work. You think I don't have better things to do?"
"Honestly, I don't know what you do when you're not with me."
"Ah, the classic attitude of the narcissist. The world revolves around you, right?"
"Well, my world does, yes," I said, flicking my hair back and smiling conceitedly.
Those warm brown eyes were fond again. He looked at me for a protracted moment before turning away. "Anyway, there's nothing sinister to it, I promise," he said. "But I would stress that you put the safe-house back into order before leaving it. I know you were rushed yesterday morning, but it's a good habit to get into to make sure it has the appearance of a normal unit, just in case."
"Oh, right, yeah. Sorry, that won't happen again."
"No, I hope not," he said. Then he dug into his pocket, fishing around for something. "I didn't mention this the other day, but I think, with everything you've got going on, it'll probably come in handy for you."
He presented a see-through packet with a white powder inside, a good handful of the stuff.
"What's that?" I asked. "Looks like a drug. It's not Dazzle, is it?" I winked.
"We should be so lucky," he laughed. "No, not Dazzle, but it is a drug of sorts. You know how I told you that Lenny only needs to sleep about half an hour a night?"
I nodded.
"Well, that's one of his gifts, one that a few other Variants have. The ability to operate with hardly any rest. This," he said, lifting the powder, "has been synthesised from Lenny's blood. We have a chemist called Scissors. He's a genius like you. Makes this to help us on missions sometimes." He tossed me the bag. "I'm guessing you could use it."
I looked down at the packet, a few questions coming to mind. "And it's...safe?" I asked.
"Sure, if you take the right dose," he said. "Just pop a teaspoon of that into water, give it a good stir or shake, and take it when you're feeling tired. It'll give you energy for five or six hours, and your concentration levels will stay high, allowing you to work effectively. We call it Rest-Less." He grinned. "You know, because it allows you to rest...less."
I pursed my lips. I quite liked the name. "And how much sleep will I need? I can't forgo it completely, right?"
"No, that's not advisable. I've seen some people take Rest-Less for days in a row without sleeping and they end up hitting the wall eventually. However, if you can get an hour or two of good sleep each night, then you'll be fine for a while."
I nodded, stashing the packet into my coat. "OK, great," I said. "So, I'll be able to work, design, and train as well." I looked at him optimistically. "You will be training me regularly, right? Even if you're not meant to?"
"Paige, there are several things I'm not meant to do, but with you, I seem to be making a few exceptions."
I smiled at him, as he returned the expression, before turning his eyes down the road.
And with that, he escorted me back to my apartment unit, said goodbye with a kiss to the back of my hand, and slipped off again into the night.
20
My life fell into a cycle.
Work, design, train, repeat.
Sleep became secondary and mostly unimportant as I began using the Rest-Less drug Ford had given me. It became quickly clear how effective it was. If ever I was beginning to tire, I took another dose. The concentration and energy high it gave me shot my productivity levels through the roof.
I grew fidgety at work, though, wasting my time packing ration boxes. It was the only pointless thing I was doing, and yet took up by far the most time. I sat there, all day, thinking of how to get out of coming in. Aside from actually being sick, there really wasn't much I could do.
"Grin and bear it," Ford told me each night, or whenever we got to meet. "It won't last forever, Paige. And you're doing brilliantly elsewhere."
I had learned by now that Ford was generous with his praise, but it didn't come free either. When he said it, it tended to mean something, and if I was being honest with myself, training was going well.
We trained most nights at the abandoned hospital, taking advantage of whatever window we could find between Ford's duties with the VLA. Since his training of me wasn't officially sanctioned, we had to keep it on the down-low, sometimes meeting for an hour only, and at others taking the entire night to practice and hone our - or my - skills.
It went well, and I learned quickly through the rest of that week. While at first Ford insisted on coming to the safe-house to pick me up, I soon broke him down and told him he didn't need to bother.
"All it's doing is eating into our training time," I told him. "It's much easier if you just come here from the Bends, and I come here from Southbank. It's right between us, Ford. You don't have to escort me each time. Don't forget, I'm used to sneaking around. I've been doing this for a while."
I managed to convince him in the end, despite his reservations. If he had time, we'd go back to Southbank together. If not, then he certainly didn't need to feel compelled to bother. I stressed that point and made it clear. Eventually, we settled on a happy middle ground.
Around my training, and duties at the warehouse, I continued to work on the T-Chip technology, and by the end of the week, had managed to finally crack it. It was a exhilarating feeling, but I didn't want to get ahead of myself quite yet. I ran a few simulations, and they all came up positive.
All it needed now was a real-world test.
It was the following Monday when I finally got my chance. As they often did on Mondays, the custodians came by the warehouse for their randomised testing. I had integrated the T-Chip technology with my V-Sig chip by now, so was covered on both ends. If they were scanning for Variants, my V-Sig chip would hide my signature, as it always had. If they were scanning for ill-techs, however, I didn't need to bother taking off the V-Sig chip anymore, because it was integrated with my new, untraceable T-Chip technology.
As the custodians arrived that morning, then, I hoped they were s
canning for ill-techs, so I could perform my real world test. I looked up as they came in, and the workers began shuffling forwards into position. Becca, of course, had been apprised of my recent success.
She looked at me nervously. "Are you sure it's going to work?"
"There's only one way to find out, Becs," I whispered. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."
I turned to look at the custodians, gleaming in their black chrome armour. Thoughts of Layla came to mind, whose fate no one at the factory seemed to know. It was only a couple of weeks ago that she'd been taken in for a drugs breach.
And right now, I still had some Rest-Less lingering in my blood.
I felt confident, however, that it wouldn't be traced either. Not only was it an in-house drug, only used by the VLA, and therefore not on the custodians' 'banned substances' list, but my new T-Chip tech should be able to conceal its presence in my system. It was another test, really, that I felt safe enough undertaking.
Two birds, one stone. If I passed , then it would be considered a significant breakthrough.
I stepped into position, with Becca just ahead of me. I hadn't actually told her about Rest-Less yet, nor several other things that, frankly, she didn't necessarily need to know. She had a particular aversion to drugs, owing to the deaths of her parents from overdoses when she was only a young child. I thought it best not to mention I'd been dipping my toe into that particular pool. It would only dredge up horrible memories for her.
The line began to move, doing so quickly. As always, Mr Beecham hovered around, making sure no one was trying to conceal themselves as Layla did, and generally keeping people in order. His eyes fell to me, and he managed a smile. Over the last few days, my performance here had improved as a result of the Rest-Less, even if my mood had not.
The line continued to shift, and my nerves began to build. Doubts came from nowhere, blooming in my mind. I went over it all again, as I had a hundred times, searching for some mistake, some oversight, that might see me exposed.
But no, there was nothing, was there? I can't have made a mistake.
I hadn't made a mistake.
I firmed myself once more, knowing it wasn't sensible to show nerves here. The custodians sniffed out the jittery ones, and might just take them off for questioning. That was especially the case if it was a slow morning for them. If one had had a bad weekend, or woken up on the wrong side of the bed, they might just be inclined to take it out on one of us.
One by one, we shifted on.
One by one, the green light came.
One by one, hands were stamped and workers shuffled back to their positions.
The warehouse held its breath, all operations going on hold. Only once the custodians left would it be safe to breathe again.
Soon enough, Becca stepped forwards. She was always nervous during these tests, and more so today than usual. The custodians stepped ahead of her, tall and intimidating, faceless in their lightless helmets. Their panel scanners went up and down her body. There seemed to be a slight delay. And then, finally, the green light came.
I let out a slow breath of relief as her hand was stamped and she moved off, legs wobbling with each step. She looked at me with an anxious smile. I returned an expression that told her everything would be fine.
I held myself together well as I moved forward to be scanned, my training with Ford paying off. He had taught me to remain calm, whatever the situation, to judge everything on its merits with a clear mind. I took position as I always did, fully knowing I'd be fine. And if I wasn't, well, I had my contingencies. I'd escape underground, join the VLA full time, and grab mum and Becca before the custodians could do the same.
Honestly, that wouldn't be the worst outcome.
At least I'd be out of this mindless job...
A beeping sounded, drawing me from my thoughts, and I saw the scanners running up and down my frame. I looked vaguely at the custodian performing the check, my face reflected in his black visor. It was always slightly unnerving being this close to them, knowing they could see you, but you couldn't truly see them. You'd look at their mask and see only yourself, not knowing what lay beyond.
A man, surely, given this one's size. Young, old, I couldn't tell. Was he staring at me, hating me? Was he smiling and thinking happier thoughts, recalling some pleasant memory of the weekend just passed. Perhaps he enjoyed his life, perhaps he despised it. Maybe he resented his job just as much as I did mine.
It was, in the end, impossible to know who was behind the mask, and that was the entire point.
Faces, you could read. In a black, reflective veil, you saw only a distorted image of yourself.
The beeping stopped after just a moment, and the panel shone out green. I held my pose, not a hint of relief escaping me. Stoic, Paige, always be stoic, I could hear Ford's voice say in my head. Your emotions can betray you. Shackle them, strangle them until you can let them go. Give nothing away in public.
Those words, perhaps above all others, had resonated with me over the last week. I was prone to revealing too much to the world at times, and that was something that could get me in trouble. I'd done it with the Reaper outside the Crossing, and look where that almost got me. From now on, I'd present the face the world needed to see, not the one I wanted to show.
A black gloved hand reached out, and a stamp came down upon the back of my palm. From behind the black mask, a modulated voice grunted out.
"Back to your station." He turned to the line. "Next."
I kept possession of my cool as I moved away, returning to my workstation to join Becca. I sat, my expression unreadable, until the custodians withdrew and work resumed.
Then, and only then, did I break out into the smallest of smiles.
21
"It works? You're serious, it works?"
I stood at the heart of the abandoned hospital with Ford, a place I'd grown to like with a man about whom I could say the same. His handsome face was split into a smile, his hands on my shoulders, gripping tight. Those big brown eyes of his shone within the low glare of the foyer. I'd never seen him so openly pleased.
"It works," I confirmed. I tapped the back of my head. "Tested it today. The scanners didn't pick up the chip, or the Rest-Less in my blood." I wanted to burst out proudly, but kept my cool. "It works," I repeated through a whisper, my grin just starting to broaden.
His chest inflated and he pulled me into a powerful hug, pressing his body to mine. I hesitated just a second, and then clung back. My chin nestled perfectly against his wide shoulder. The scent coming from his neck was mildly intoxicating...
He pulled back, letting me go, and then took a few paces around the open foyer. His head tipped back, face looking to the heavens, and he let out a howling roar of delight.
I looked on, slightly bemused, eyebrows lifting. He turned to me again with a glorious grin.
"Come on, it feels so good!" he said. "Celebrate with me, Paige. Sing to the heavens!"
He roared again, whooping, clenching his fists and letting his echoing voice ring out. I considered it a slight overreaction, but really it wasn't. This was a tremendous breakthrough with a whole host of applications. With the T-Chip tech, you'd even be able to augment your body with hidden, bionic upgrades, and make them untraceable to the scanners.
Essentially, we could begin to fight fire with fire if we wanted. We were already biologically and genetically enhanced. Now, within reason, we could bionically upgrade our bodies too.
He turned to me again, eyes lit bright. "Come on, Paige, just let go. It feels good. There's no one here to hear us, don't worry!"
He stood still now, arched his back, and let out a great, wolf-like howl. I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to suppress a giggle without much success.
"There it is," he said, noticing. "That laugh of yours is adorable." He grinned brightly. "Now come on, just give me one howl. Just one, and I'll leave you alone." He stepped over towards me, and took a grip of my hands. "OK, with me. Head back and howl, OK." He smil
ed again. "One...two..."
His head began to arch skyward, as he glanced to see that I was doing the same. He was acting so wildly overzealous that - and this was very unlike me - I felt compelled to join in. I tipped my head back, filled my lungs, opened my mouth wide...and let rip.
My voice flew, filling the space, screaming through the halls and corridors, shattering fractured glass and frightening pigeons alike. The very foundations of the old hospital seemed to shudder, as though intimidated by our wild, animal calling.
I cried out long and hard and didn't even realise it when Ford had stopped. My lungs emptied, unleashing every atom of air they could expel. Only when I ran dry and my throat grew hoarse from the effort did I relent, my mouth falling closed, the echoing bellows of my primal roar still fading off into distant recesses of the building.
I hauled a breath to refill my lungs, but found I needed to take several. Only when I'd completed the job did I grin sheepishly and look at Ford. "Er, sorry," I panted. "I think I got a bit carried away there."
He smiled in that affectionate way of his and shook his head. "No," he whispered. "No, that was just perfect."
A short silence followed behind as my echoing calls faded away. I drew a few more breaths, steadying myself, as Ford's expression reformed, turning a little more serious.
"All right," he said, "enough fun for now. It's time to focus. I have a full schedule for you tonight, Paige." He looked at his watch, nodding quietly to himself. "We'll try to fit in a few hours. Are your energy levels good, or do you need some more Rest-Less?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. I feel like I've got a natural pump on at the moment, actually. That wolf-howling...it really gets you going."
"It does, doesn't it?" he smiled. "I try to get other recruits doing it when they hit a milestone, or achieve something we've been working on. It's kind of...euphoric, isn't it?"
I nodded silently, though felt a pinch of disappointment at his words. How asinine I was, thinking this was just a moment for me. Thinking that I brought this side of him out, when really it had been there all along.
