“You think Barbra could be like your mother?” he asks.
The thought of it sounds crazy. I’ve wanted someone in my life for years but never thought it could be possible. “I don’t know. I’m going to have to feel it out.”
His glowing green mouth dips down. “So you’ll use intuition to decide? I can’t help you then. I’m not human.”
I know he can’t get upset, but it seems like he does whenever he talks about not being human. “You’re just as human to me.”
“Then why do you always say you want a human connection?” he asks, his frown still present.
Oops. “I’m sorry, Sunny. You’re everything to me.”
I drag myself off the bed, the stress sapping my energy, and hold out my hand to him. He accepts, then hops off the bed, his stuffed animal, Bean, still in his other arm.
I rummage through my messenger bag, moving my steel water bottle aside to find a letter. I stuff it into my pocket. “Come on.”
Sun streams in through the skylights, illuminating Barbra’s many oil paintings adorning the walls. My eye catches the large rendition of Samuel Adams in his colonial clothes. He holds the New American flag in one hand and the new constitution in the other.
Red, white, and blue streamers crisscross the kitchen, and a flag hangs from a pole. The smell of frying potatoes and vegetables fills my nose. The morning news chatters in the background as holograms project from Barbra’s old q-link that lies on the counter. The decorations are new, but the smell of delicious food and the morning news are mainstays.
Barbra is at the door checking the locks, something she started doing more often lately. She turns around, and her standard affectionate smile makes her chubby cheeks puff out. The bags under her eyes are even darker today, though. “Happy Freedom Day, Sweetheart. Can you believe it’s been eighty years since the 2040 revolution?” she asks, her voice muffled from the flu.
I shrug.
Barbra stumbles, looking like she’ll topple over. I dart to her side and stabilize her.
“I’m fine. I’ve just been a little dizzy.” She hugs me. Her lavender and citrus perfume stays behind as she releases me.
Her hugs used to feel suffocating, but over the months, that has changed. Now, I find myself breathing instead of holding my breath.
She studies me. “You’re so beautiful with those big brown eyes and that copper skin.”
I wave away the compliment.
“Your parents must have been quite the pair. What was their ancestry?”
“My mom was Dominican. I have no idea what my dad was.”
“Dominican. That’s what I see in you.” She brushes her long bangs from her eyes and stirs the sizzling potatoes. “I’m making extra breakfast since it’s a holiday…and to fatten you up.”
I look at my bony wrists, then grimace as my eyes land on the knotted burn scar. Barbra glances at it but says nothing since I’ve told her I don’t want to talk about it.
“What do you think about my decorations? If I didn’t have this darned flu, I would have done more.”
I look around the festive room again. How much more decorative could it get? “They look great.”
“According to the news, the flu is really spreading this year. I even got the flu shot. Can you believe it?”
Even though I never get sick, I tuck my hands into my pockets.
Barbra shrugs. “What are you going to do? Ooo, we should watch fireworks from the roof tonight.”
It would be the first time in years that I’ve celebrated anything. “Sure. You’re feeling well enough?”
“I’ll lie down for a while after we eat. I’ll be just fine,” she says, then adds egg substitute to the home fries.
Barbra’s q-link emits a familiar electronic jingle. “Do do do. Evo, the next stage of evolution.”
I roll my eyes at the holograms floating above it. Looks like they have a new commercial.
An older woman with crow’s feet glances at her wedding ring, then frowns at a balding man with a round stomach.
“Unhappy with your partner’s declining appearance?” asks a disembodied male voice.
The couple nods.
With the Evo’s augmented reality program, everyone is attractive.”
The woman’s wrinkles vanish, and the blonde in her hair chases away the gray. The man’s stomach flattens, and his hair fills in. They smile at each other. The image fades as he leans in to kiss his upgraded lady.
Another scene appears. A man in a crumpled business suit sits at a cubical and sighs.
“Does your job have you burned out?”
The businessman nods.
“With the Evo’s direct brain link, you can learn anything instantly, communicate telepathically, and finish your work in a quarter of the time.”
The scene fades to another with the businessman leaning back in his chair, his feet on his desk.
A hologram of a man opening a package appears. He pulls out a thin, half-centimeter device with a huge smile. Seconds later, he holds the device to his temple, and it disappears into his head.
“The Evo installs in seconds, and you can easily uninstall anytime you like,” the narrator says. “Upgrade your brain in the next stage of evolution with the Xyphotech Evo. It’s the only unhackable brain implant in existence. No credit, bad credit, no problem. And now, with the twenty percent discount, the Evo is affordable for your entire family.”
A hologram of a well-dressed mother and two young boys appears in the air. They’re sitting in what looks like a tech mogul’s mansion and smiling at each other as if they just won the lottery.
“Think smarter, faster, better. Evo: the next stage of evolution.”
I shake my head, my eyes narrowed. “You can watch the news directly inside your brain with your Evo, you know.”
“I know,” says Barbra. “I’m just used to this. Did you get to see my Navin painting? I did a lot last night.”
I don’t know why she likes the dead revolutionary so much. Are things even better now than they used to be? “I’ll check it out.”
“He was so handsome, and I’m doing him justice,” she says with a big grin. “I’m excited to finish it now that I have the time after leaving my job at Fort Stroudsburg.”
It’s weird that she left her job. She always talked about how much she loved contributing to our great country. “How come you quit? I thought you loved being an analyst.”
She stares off for a moment. “I realized what’s important in life. It’s not a job or an obligation, it’s health and happiness. And you just hear so many distressing things being an analyst. Plus, now I can spend more time with you before getting a new job.”
That’s nice of her.
“Luckily, since I have the Evo now,” she says, pointing to her temple, “I can get a job anywhere. It’s strange to be one of the evolved. Even President Toscano and VP Garza are norms.”
I look down to hide my distaste. I’m sure they’d become evolved if allowed.
Sunny hugs my leg. He knows how much I hate the Evo.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” says Barbra. “I know you don’t have one. You know, they’re cheap now. I could get you one.”
I shake my head more violently than necessary. If she only knew what happened to me, she’d never talk about it. I’ll always remember when my dying mother made me swear never to upgrade. I was only six, but I take the pledge as seriously as ever.
As if I didn’t have enough of a reason to hate it, it allows for programming speeds of up to eighty percent faster than q-links. I’m fast, but I can’t even imagine how good I’d be with that increase. Not fair.
She covers a sneeze. “If you change your mind, tell me. I know how much you like to program.”
The teakettle whistles and Barbra jumps, looking startled. She grabs it and turns it off.
The holographic newscaster appears again. “And now, an update on the unfortunate NIA spy blimp crash at a Stroudsburg, PA wedding reception, which left the groom dead a
nd the bride injured.”
My stomach sinks, and I feel queasy. I don’t want to watch this again, but I can’t turn away.
“After a two-week investigation, the crash was ruled an accident. The blimp driver, who escaped with minor injuries, claims to have lost control because the bride’s father possessed him. Investigators believe that the father’s protest against the National Intelligence Agency’s presence may have distracted the driver,” says the newscaster.
My eyes widen at the possession remark.
The newscaster continues, “The driver is being charged with manslaughter and has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Here’s the footage.”
A hologram of the wedding reception materializes above Barbra’s q-link. A powerful-looking Indian man with a full, graying beard shouts at an NIA blimp with other guests. Suddenly, the blimp accelerates and veers into the crowd. Men in suits and women in gowns scatter. The bride trips on her dress, and the groom runs to help her. The blimp crashes into them.
“The bride’s father left us with this quote,” says the newscaster.
The camera zooms into the horrified look of the gray-bearded protest leader. “The fourth amendment prohibits the government from limiting our right to privacy. The NIA blimp program is a violation of this right. It’s unforgivable that it led to my daughter’s injuries and her husband’s death. The rule that people can’t sue the NIA is absurd. There will be no justice for this.”
I’ve hated the NIA ever since my mother told me what they did. Or, at least, since I realized what it meant for her. But now, I hate them twice as much for disrupting that wedding.
When the father of the bride’s protest went live on local news, I remember being so angry that they’d ruin someone’s fairytale day. I imagined myself at the wedding, somehow lucky enough to be getting married. I would have been furious at those devils. Now, a man is dead.
I grab my stomach, feeling even sicker. Sunny frowns up at me and clutches my other hand.
The image of the reception disappears and is replaced by a blonde news anchor with unnaturally plump lips.
“Director Tempton of the NIA has left us with this statement, ‘The use of blimps for surveillance has been ruled constitutional. Although we mourn the loss of life, the NIA protects your children from the ever-present threat of missile strikes from the Republic of South America. We all must remain vigilant for our loved ones. Surveillance saves lives.’”
“Up next,” says Barbra’s q-link, “President Toscano’s Freedom Day speech.”
I turn to Barbra, considering what to say to see if I can trust her. The demonic image of my first foster father, the Archfiend, creeps into my mind.
A shiver runs through me.
I force away the memory. Something smaller. Maybe something about my mother…yeah. “Barb—”
“Hold on,” she says. “Can you check the door locks? I want to see this.”
I frown. Paranoid much? I go to check the back door, and Sunny follows me. It’s still locked. Next to the door, a baseball bat is propped against the wall.
That’s new.
“Just be careful with the carpet. I just cleaned them.”
I laugh to myself. She cleans them like every four days.
Next to the bat, at Barbra’s painting station, is a huge, mostly finished portrait that rests on an easel. Barbra has been working on it sparingly for the last six months, but as she said, she made good progress last night.
I admire the realism of Navin’s partially finished face and his pet raven, Ron Paul. I take a moment to appreciate her work, then leave for the kitchen.
“In this year 2120, we are blessed to live in the freest country in the world,” says President Toscano on the news.
The audience cheers.
Her sharp features and animated hand motions make her look like a natural leader. Her skin is smooth like someone in their thirties despite being in her forties. Vice President Garza stands to her right, his dark eyes fixed proudly on her.
President Toscano smiles as she waits for the applause to die down. “Today, we celebrate the Great American Revolution where General Navin Briggs and other patriots saved fathers, mothers, and children from oppression and corruption. We now have unprecedented freedom, gold-backed money, and our median income is higher in real terms than ever before. We have learned the importance of antitrust laws, political spending limits, lobbying bans, and competition for a free and prosperous society. We have almost no corruption because of our small transparent government, strong whistleblower policies, and watchdog agencies. And we’ve had zero armed conflicts since the revolution.
“Like all nations, we have challenges. The Republic of South America has made great strides in computing and technology, rivaling our very own Xyphotech. But our Evo is superior to their Eletron, just as we are the superior nation. We will overcome these challenges thoroughly but peacefully and usher in our next great era.
“Through our remembrance of General Briggs and the new stronger constitution he brought us, we remain free and prosperous. Happy Freedom Day, everyone!”
The view pans out to a vast audience of excited people who clap and cheer.
Barbra whistles in celebration. “Freedom! Toscano is wonderful. She’s really stayed true to our traditions of liberty and limited government, especially since she’s critical of the NIA. Garza’s tech trade war with the RSA is going to hurt everyone, though.”
I nod to her. I never listened to one of the president’s talks before and cheated my way through American History. I suppose it must be much better for people now, but why didn’t they fix foster care?
Maybe they weren’t capable. Looks like it’s up to me.
I return to the living room to do some programming. “Chim, activate sub-routine two-hundred-ten and lines thirty through fifty of protocol B.”
Lines of code and graphical interfaces rise as holograms from my q-link.
“Programming your blockchain?” asks Sunny.
“You know it,” I say, then continue rattling off predefined command words, which build lines of code.
Holograms zip around as my fingers and hand fly through the motions of moving, deleting, duplicating, and altering snippets of code. I use an enhanced coding program of my own creation, designed to make the process even faster. I quickly compile various sections, and the general framework of my blockchain begins to form.
“Boy, do your fingers move fast,” Barbra says behind me.
I flinch and look back. “Do they?” I ask, with a nervous laugh.
She shakes her head fondly. “You don’t even know how special you are.”
I look down as a smile tugs at my lips.
“Well, breakfast is ready.”
I accept the warm plate from her, and the aroma makes my stomach growl.
With a knowing look, Barbra takes the plate back to heap more food on it. “I hear you talking to your Foster Buddy all the time. You know I’m here to listen. I mean, if you’d like a human ear now and then.”
I sit at my usual place, where a steaming cup of tea waits. What she doesn’t realize is that I talk to her more than any person in the last eleven years. “I’m just shy.” And careful. “Sunny, will you wait for me in my room?”
With a nod, he waddles down the hall.
Barbra sneezes again.
“Bless you,” I say around a mouthful of food. It’s delicious.
“I noticed Sunny sounds creepy smart sometimes.”
My breath catches in my throat.
“Not like those horrid AIs, but smart,” she says. “I thought those Foster Buddies were supposed to be dumb.”
Intelligent AI are banned. She can never know about Sunny. A lie rolls off my tongue, “I did a minor language adjustment to make him sound smarter.”
Barbra puts her hand on mine in a motherly way. Various colors of paint are flecked on her fingers. “You’re so clever.”
My first instinct is to pull away, just like any time someone touch
es me. I don’t because I know she cares, even though she’s exposing me to her flu.
I consider opening up to her about my past, but when my stomach flutters, I chicken out. Instead, I grab my letter and hand it to her. “Here’s my final report card. It came in the mail yesterday.”
Barbra rips it open and scans it. “Let’s see. Fae Luna. Junior. Would you look at this? All As.”
I smile at her, loving that she’s impressed. I never got anything worse than an A after the foster demons in my second hell made me sleep outside for a night when I failed a class. I even got A’s in history without reading anything. I wonder what I’ll do next year, though, if I’m not hacking the teacher guides and test answers.
“Oh, it says here you don’t participate in online discussions.”
I consider lying again. I have my whole life to avoid problems, but I want things to be different with Barbra. “I’m just too nervous to speak to so many people.”
“You’ll get there.”
“…and that is why we’ve commissioned a new Navin Briggs statue,” says the president. “And it’s right here at the National Mall!”
Barbra gasps and twists to watch the projection. “What a great surprise.”
I roll my eyes behind her back.
“Did you know that General Briggs once had information to cripple a key military base if he acted quickly,” says Barbra. “He also learned they planned to strike a hospital they believed to be a rebel stronghold. It wasn’t, and Navin gave up his golden opportunity so he could evacuate the hospital. That’s the kind of man he was.”
My eyebrows rise. “Not bad.”
“He was also a huge environmentalist and animal lover,” she says. “Before the revolution, our water and air were poisoned, and millions of animals were dying. Navin turned it all around, and now we have the healthiest environment in the world.”
He does sound impressive.
The camera slides to another section to show an immense statue covered in a tarp. Holograms of Navin Briggs and his historical moments, like when he stormed the Pentagon, project behind the monument.
“And here it is…Navin Briggs the Bringer of Freedom,” says President Toscano.
The Astral Hacker (Cryptopunk Revolution Book 1) Page 2
