The First

by Glen Kenner

Staying on the far side of the street, we start walking. The building looks to be all red brick and two stories high. The front has a simple walkway that leads up to a glass door and into a dimly lit reception area. The right side of the building has one door - an emergency exit - and long, thin horizontal windows near the top of the second story. Seems like they really don’t want anyone to break in here. Behind the building is the employee parking lot. Looks like it holds maybe a hundred cars. It’s completely enclosed in six foot chain link with another two feet of razor wire along the top. It’s also completely empty. Not one goddamn car. We stop and take a long look at that.

  -You worked in IT at a hospital in Des Moines, right?

  -Cleveland. Yes.

  -Did you have IT staff on hand twenty-four seven?

  -Sure. That was me and another guy named Arjun. This guy was obsessed with hentai and would-

  -Is it odd that a company running the software that powers cameras and listening devices around the city twenty-four seven wouldn’t have at least one techie working at night?

  -Maybe. Maybe not. I mean, they might outsource it to India. Or their overnight guy might work from home. I got to do that one night a week. Or maybe there’s a dude in there but he took the bus or rode his bike or got dropped off by his mom. I dunno.

  -Well, shit, I got that one wrong. I just assumed there would be employees working.

  I look at Sarah and Glen Ray and they just look back at me. Damnit.

  -Ok, nothing’s changed. We still go in, just in case the IT guy’s in there because mommy dropped him off and he’s now sitting in a bathroom stall perving on some hentai. Are you sure that wasn’t you, Glen Ray?

  -What? I never read any, uh-

  -Let’s look for a dumpster. Find the dumpster and we’ll find the cleaning lady. Assuming she hasn’t already taken out the trash.

  We walk around the block and come to the very back of the parking lot and it’s completely dark. No street lights at all. Glen Ray pushes his face against the fence and peers through the darkness for a dumpster this far back from the building.

  -Nothing. Just picnic tables and a barbeque grill.

  We continue walking, turn the corner and right up the street we see it under a street lamp. Across from the building is an eight foot high wooden structure with a massive sliding door and a padlock. As we walk up, we can see the sign on the door that says it’s for Alokin Denshi Digi-Tech use only. Bingo.

  -Ok. We just need to wait until-

  Suddenly a side door directly across the street from the dumpster starts to open and the three of us scatter at top speed. Thousands of years of sneaking around in places I wasn’t supposed to be taught me to always race for a spot behind the witness. Or victim. I get around the corner to the front of the building and count to three and take a quick look back. It’s the cleaning lady. An elderly red-haired woman who comes out of the door backwards, using her body to push the heavy metal door open and hold it in place as she drops off two large trash bags next to the door. Then she goes back inside and the door slams shut with a loud ca-clank.

  The burner in my pocket vibrates and I answer it through my headset. It’s Glen Ray.

  -You want me to take care of her? Like I did the drug dealers?

  -What the fuck is wrong with you, Glen Ray? She’s an old lady!

  -I don’t like old people. They creep me out.

  -Leave her alone. Can you put Sarah on?

  -I’ll do what I gotta do...

  He says this to himself and then I hear a beep and then another and Sarah says, that was close.

  -Yeah it was. Listen, at some point, the cleaning lady is going to have to take the trash bags across the street to the dumpster. When she does, we’ll make a run for the door. A quiet run. Simple as that.

  Glen Ray asks what if she locks the door behind her?

  -Do you want me to get the key from her?

  -No. I don’t want you anywhere near her. Do you understand me? I’ll take care of things if that happens.

  -What if-

  The door starts to open again and we go silent. Like before, she’s pushing the door open with her body as she comes out backwards. She has four more bags of trash. She sets them down next to the other two and then picks them all up at once, three bags per hand. She looks up and down the street and then moves away from the door, letting it slam behind her as she shuffles off across the street. When she gets to the padlock, I whisper into my headset, go go go.

  I come around the corner and see Sarah doing the same from the opposite side. I think she was born for this, unlike Glen Ray who comes out from behind the wooden enclosure, runs past the cleaning lady less than five feet away and tries to shoot across the street. Sarah reaches the door a half second before me and yanks on the handle. It’s locked.

  Sarah and I both whisper fuck.

  Just then Glen Ray slams into the door with a muted oof and bounces back and lands in the grass at our feet. I grab him with one arm around his chest and a hand over his mouth. I look over my shoulder at the cleaning lady. She’s sliding back the door to get to the dumpster. I drag Glen Ray back around the corner and Sarah runs back to her side.

  -What the fuck was that, goddamnit?

  -I couldn’t stop in time!

  He looks ready to cry.

  -I’m not used to running so fast! I was looking at my feet and I looked up and bam! Why didn’t you guys open the door?

  -It’s locked!

  -That’s not my fault!

  Sarah’s whispered voice comes over our headsets.

  -Guys! What are we going to do now?

  Glen Ray starts to go around the corner.

  -I’ll get the key.

  -Like hell you will!

  I clamp onto his neck.

  Sarah whispers again.

  -When she goes back to the door, I’ll come up behind her and keep it from closing. She might be hard of hearing but I’m sure she’s used to hearing that loud noise it makes when it slams shut. So, you guys get behind me, we’ll slip in and let the door slam behind us and hope she goes about her work. Sound good?

  Glen Ray and I look at each other and both nod our heads and say yeah.

  I peek around the corner and see Sarah doing the same from her side. Then we watch the old woman lift the bags up, one by one, and toss them into the dumpster. The dumpster is as high as she is tall but she gets each one in without any problems. She then comes out, slides the huge door closed, locks the padlock and starts walking back across the street.

  This has to work. It has to.

  She gets to the door and takes off a rubber bracelet from her wrist that looks to hold a dozen keys. She puts in a key, turns it, and as she opens the door, Sarah comes up behind her without making a sound. The cleaning lady walks through and lets go of the door behind her. Glen Ray and I sprint over on the grass as Sarah catches the door and pulls it back open. The three of us squeeze in as one and Sarah lets go of the door and it slams shut with the same loud ca-clank. We stand there, inside a long hallway, with nowhere to go, and watch the old woman walk down the hallway and turn a corner.

  It worked. Finally.

  -Let’s split up. We’re looking for the IT department or maybe just a nerd that looks like he works in IT. Whoever finds what we’re looking for, hang back and call the rest of us. Let’s handle this as a group.

  I look at Glen Ray and he rolls his eyes.

  We walk down the hallway and at the end, Sarah goes left, I go straight, and Glen Ray goes right. How hard can it be to find an IT department?

  I walk into a large room, look left, and here it is. The IT department. Well, damn.

  -Guys, I found it. It was right in front of us. But we might have a problem.

  Glen Ray is the first one in the room. He takes one look and says that we’re screwed.

  Sarah walks in and does a double take.

  Glen Ray runs starts running his fingers through his hair. He looks nervous.

  -It’s their NOC. And it’s
a nice one.

  The room we’re in is easily a hundred by a hundred feet but within it, right in front of us, is another room, maybe sixty or seventy feet by the same. It’s built up a few feet off of the floor and has a ramp leading to the thick metal door. Next to the door is an access panel and a fingerprint scanner. Large darkly tinted windows, almost floor to ceiling, make up the wall. Inside we can see a row of desks lined with desktop monitors and behind them row after row of servers, all with small flashing lights of red and green.

  Outside of the NOC, where we are standing, are some small couches, a few bean bag chairs, a large flat screen tv hanging in the corner, and a refrigerator. I bet the other departments fucking hate these guys.

  Glen Ray turns to me and Sarah.

  -NOC. N. O. C. stands for network operations center. Or maybe it’s their SOC. The S stands for security. Either way, they have it locked up tight. I mean, the three of us could probably break one of these windows in a minute or two, but that defeats the purpose of sneaking around, right? And there’s no way we’re hacking a passcode and fingerprint scanner. Also no way in hell that the creepy old lady has access to this.

  -So, unless there’s an IT guy in the john or break room, we’re screwed.

  -Yup.

  -Well, we’re here. Let’s search the building. Glen Ray, you stay on this floor and find the break room. Sarah, check the restrooms. I’ll take the second floor. Ok?

  They both nod.

  -Meet back down here as soon as we can. And again, if you find someone, hang back and call for the rest of us. No vigilante shit, Glen Ray. Got it?

  He rolls his eyes again but I stare at him until he says he’s got it.

  We split up and I head toward the front of the building looking for the stairs to the second floor. Down a hallway and then I turn left and sprint down another hallway and come out in the reception area. Small desk, a few chairs, the glass door leading out to the street, and an elevator. Can’t take the elevator. Might open up right in front of the cleaning lady. There’s a metal door in the corner. It’s the stairs. Stairs going up and stairs going down. Down? Fuck. I take the stairs going up and come out in a break room. Lots of small tables, a flat screen on the wall, a foosball table, some old school arcade games, vending machines, and a row of refrigerators. Through the breakroom is a large room with a few rows of desks and computers. On the far side are two restrooms and another room with glass walls. Inside is a guy sleeping on a couch. I step back into the breakroom and call the others.

  -I got a guy up on the second floor. Find the lobby in the front. There’s a door to the stairs in the corner.

  Sarah and Glen Ray hang up and I look around the room a bit more. I’ve never been in a breakroom before, not as an employee, but this looks like every one that I’ve seen on tv. Except maybe the games. That’s Silicon Valley Google Facebook shit right there, I guess. There are also some motivational posters on the walls about teamwork and a row of eight by ten photos of employees holding up a plaque with their names below and the date they won employee of the quarter. Doesn’t look so sinister.

  Sarah comes through the door into the breakroom and looks around.

  -He’s in a room through there. Asleep on a couch.

  She peeks around the corner and comes back.

  -It’s an employee lounge. He has to be the IT guy. Sleeping on the job. How do you want to handle it?

  -Let’s wait for Glen Ray in case this guy only understands geek-speak. But we’ll have to be calm and friendly. Unless he’s not willing to help us.

  I call Glen Ray. He says he’s coming. I hang up just as Sarah and I hear the door open in the other room and music. We step back in the middle of the breakroom with tables and chairs on either side of us. No where for us to hide or him to run, but I’d rather not he get hurt in a panicked attempt. He walks in. He’s got on headphones and has his head down and is bobbing his head to the blaring music and playing air drums.

  Sarah says oh shit.

  -He’s a First.

  I don’t hear a buzz but he takes a few more steps and then I hear it. And so does he. He whips his head up and sees us and stops dead in his tracks.

  -Who the…

  His eyes go wide when he sees Sarah and he turns and knocks into a table and sends it and the chairs flying. He runs out of the breakroom and we follow. He goes right over a table of computers and runs back into the lounge and slams the door.

  -He’s got to have a phone! We need to get him out of there!

  Sarah reaches the door first and twists the knob. It’s locked. She puts her shoulder against the door and pushes and takes it right off its hinges. The guy was on the other side trying to keep it closed and he’s thrown back and lands on the ground.

  Sarah and I step into the lounge. The dude is in full panic mode.

  He’s scooting backwards and staring at Sarah, saying no no no no. Sarah holds up her hands and forces a smile.

  -Hey. It’s ok. Everything’s ok. We’re not going to hurt you. Come on. Get up.

  -You’re… you’re… her! Don’t… please don’t…

  I step in front of Sarah and she takes a few steps backward until she’s out of the lounge.

  -Hey, dude, calm down. She’s not going to hurt you. Ok? Calm down.

  -You’re John Smith. Shit. I mean, I know you live in St Louis, but what are you doing here? What’s she doing here? What do you want?

  -Calm down. Everything’s ok. Why don’t you get up and sit on the couch, ok?

  He lies there another thirty seconds catching his breath and then gets up and sits on the couch. There are two overstuffed chairs opposite the couch and I tell him I’m going to bring Sarah in.

  Sarah walks in and we both sit in the chairs. His eyes are wide and he can’t stop staring at Sarah.

  Sarah looks at him and smiles.

  -So, you’ve heard of me?

  He tells us his name is Andre Wilson. He’s from LA. I ask him the standard questions. Conceived, born, year. LA, LA, 1957.

  -What are you doing working here? For Kingsley?

  -I, uh… I’ve been working with computers since I was a teenager. In the seventies. This place is doing some really cool stuff. I wanted to be involved.

  -So why not Google or-

  -I did work at Google. I knew Sergey through Stanford. I joined in 2000. I made a lot of money and left to do some other stuff.

  -What do you know about Sarah?

  -Only that she ripped off a guy’s head in Paris. And that the prophecy is true, I guess. Look, don’t kill me, ok? I don’t know anything else. I’ll keep quiet, I swear to God.

  He starts scooting back on the couch again and it looks like he’s suddenly having a panic attack.

  I lean forward and try to get him to look at me instead of Sarah.

  -Andre, the prophecy isn’t true. Ok? I know what you’ve read online, but it’s not true. We talked with the History Keepers and got it all sorted out. It’s not true. She’s a First, just like you.

  -She ripped a guy’s head off in Paris! She went through First Death a week ago and she ripped a guy’s head off. She’s the prophecy!

  -No, she’s not. And that fucker Jimmy O’Reilly in Paris deserved it. Look, take some deep breaths, alright? No one is hurting anyone tonight. We actually need your help, alright?

  Right then Andre reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. Sarah takes one big step across the room and snatches it from his hand and crushes it before she even sits back down.

  I look at her and then back at Andre.

  -Calls are a no no, Andre.

  That reminds me of something. I turn and whisper to Sarah.

  -Where the fuck is Glen Ray? Can you call him?

  She nods her head and I turn back to Andre.

  -Ok, let’s start over. First of all, how did you get to work? We didn’t see any cars in the parking lot.

  -I ride my bike. I try to maintain a negative carbon footprint. Do know the impact that the combustion engine h
as had on the planet?

  -Not off the top of my head, no. But hey, Andre, we really need your help, alright? We need you. So you’re ok. No one is getting hurt tonight. Or any night. But listen close. What you’re doing here, at this place, is not what you think. This technology is not going to be used for whatever good reasons you think it is. I’ve known Kingsley a long time. This technology is not going to help Firsts. So we need you to help us. We need you to go into the system, get in the files or whatever you do, and shut it all down. Erase it. Delete it. Whatever. Just get rid of it. Tonight. Right now.

  Sarah says something quietly into her headset and then hits my thigh. I turn and say, yeah?

  -Glen Ray just killed the cleaning lady.

  -The fuck?

  Sarah hands me her headset and I hear Glen Ray on the other end, breathing heavy.

  -What did you do, you stupid-

  -I killed her. Or maybe she’s still alive, I’m not sure. Shit, I’m sorry John. It’s not my fault. Fuck.

  -What happened? Where are you?

  -I’m in the lobby. I came around the corner and she was in here wiping down the desk and she saw me and just sort of jumped a little and then grabbed her arm and kind of collapsed. Heart attack, I guess. She’s so old. She’s laying here in front of the desk. What do I do?

  -Oh fuck. Do you know CPR?

  -Is that the one where you push on their chest or the one where you breath in their mouth, because she is so old and creepy looking and-

  -You stupid fucking… Stay there! We’re coming.

  I turn to Andre and tell him to come with us. I say quietly to Sarah not to let him out of her sight.

  We run across the room and breakroom and I stop as quickly as I can.

  -Is there aspirin somewhere?

  He shrugs.

  -I don’t know. I’ve never had a headache.

  Sarah runs across the room and grabs a red case hanging on the wall. A first aid kit. We run out of the breakroom and down the stairs and pop out into the lobby. Glen Ray is crouched down next to the cleaning lady with his hand up to her nose and mouth.

  -She’s breathing.

  Sarah pushes Glen Ray aside and starts CPR. She starts to hum a song and pushes on the janitor’s chest in beat with the tune. I recognize it. Staying Alive. The Bee Gees. Glen Ray starts singing along and Andre finds the beat and plays the drums on the desk. Without looking up, Sarah tells us the song has 103 beats a minute, almost perfect for the hundred compressions per minute for CPR.