Thankfully, Sunny looks like a boy instead of a robot, or someone might have realized what he is. He jogs over and helps me to my feet. I take a step toward the man to get my money back.
The man groans and pushes himself up.
I frown, not wanting to mess with him again, and pull the other bag’s strap further up my shoulder. At least I still have my toothbrush. I grab Sunny’s hand and jog the other way, leaving the money behind. Hell. I probably won’t be able to pull off another ATM hack.
I glance at my q-link to check my power.
Diablo, it’s at ten percent. If my face-shift hologram fails, I’ll be screwed. I had to run away from the charging tower to escape. Should I go back?
Police sirens blare somewhere in that direction.
I can’t go back. I hustle down another street as quickly as I can manage with my injured ankle. This latest disaster definitely set back my healing. I pass by a bank that certainly has cameras outside and check my q-link again.
Five percent.
Oh hell. “Come on, Sunny.” I jog again and wince in pain at every step. We turn down an alley and then two more.
My q-link beeps. One percent. I rush up to the house and climb into the window. On the way in, my shoelace gets stuck on a nail. I tumble to the ground inside with a grunt.
Oww. I lie there for a second, then crawl over to my blanket and collapse.
CHAPTER 4
SELF-AWARE
Sunny stands over me. “I’m going to scan you to make sure you have no serious injuries.”
I’m too fried to respond.
“You have several contusions and minor cuts but no serious damage.”
That’s good at least. Too bad I’m in so much pain. “I’m sorry I lost Bean. I know how much you like him.”
“That doesn’t matter, Fae. You are much more important to me. Even though I never told you, I consider you to be my mother.”
Awww. He’s not human, but I feel closer to him than anyone in forever. I hug his metal body. You would think it would be unpleasant, but when he wraps his little arms around me, I feel loved. “Thank you, Sunny.”
“What are we going to do, Fae? Things are even worse now.”
You’re telling me. First, I need to charge my q-link. “Hold on. I need to do something, then we’ll figure it out.”
Most people have ambient power in their houses to charge all devices. Maybe I can extend the neighbor’s power beyond the borders of their house. I was hoping I’d be done hacking after the ATM, but what choice do I have now? If I’m going to avoid the police, I need to do this.
I access the neighbor’s power network, and the defensive program projects from my wrist. It’s child’s play, but I’ll only have seconds before my battery dies. Am I fast enough?
I scan the code, then attack with a flurry of commands. I hack as fast as I can, but my dwindling battery distracts me. I force my mind to focus and execute the final lines.
An instant before my battery dies, I break through and extend the electric field in my direction. My q-link’s power increases. I wait until it’s full, then undo my hack.
I lie back down. “Let’s figure out our next steps.”
“I think we need help. We should contact Blaze.”
I’d love to have someone save me, especially since I don’t know if I can do this alone, but… “Another person will only make things worse.”
He sits next to me and rests his hand on mine. “Fae. You have several injuries, we still have no money, and you’re wanted for murder. Things can’t get much worse.”
I want to argue, but I’m just too tired. I twist to my side, my dark curls draping over my face.
“This seems too big for you to handle, and Blaze is your friend.”
“But the second law,” I say.
He frowns. “I know. But you broke it once.”
The hug Barbra gave me when I said I wanted her to adopt me thawed my icy core. I wouldn’t have admitted it then, but I felt safe.
The image of scissors protruding from her chest flashes before my eyes.
I push it away. “It was a disaster. I can’t go through something like that again. I don’t need anybody anyway.”
“But I do. Will you call her for me? It won’t be like that again,” he says, his hand squeezing mine.
His little pleading voice makes me want to despite what I went through. “I can’t call her. I didn’t help her with the hack. Do you understand? She needed me, and I wasn’t there. Now, I need her, and she’s supposed to come running? I can’t call her. I can’t.”
“You wanted to do the hack, though. You had the complication with Barbra. Maybe you can tell Blaze that.”
I nod slowly. Maybe she would understand. Who knows? It would be nice to have help to get on my feet, at least. After that, I can leave and take care of myself again.
What if she got arrested for her hack since I didn’t help, though? I would feel terrible. I guess there is only one way to find out. “I’ll contact her.” And suddenly, I’m ready to break the second law again. I can’t wait until this blows up in my face.
At least if I plead to her as StarFeather, she’ll be more likely to listen. In-game, she was always there for me. “Chim, access Silent City.”
“Your account has been deleted.”
What? No way! “Chim, access the game archives.” They store deleted accounts for a while. I can get it back.
After a short hack, I’m into the archives. I scan through the deleted accounts. It’s not there. I smack the ground. Hell, this is cracked. It has to be connected to my deleted apps and Progs account.
I check to see if there’s any record of my account and find that they’ve accused me of violating the service agreement for the second time. I’m also banned from starting new accounts for six months. There’s no way I violated anything, but it’s not as if I can contact them since I’m a wanted criminal.
Silent City was always a rewarding, safe escape for me, and now, it’s over. A year of progress on my character, StarFeather, is lost forever. I’ll need another way to contact Blaze now too.
I’ll have to hack into the game and get her data. The servers are local, so she should at least be on this side of the state. I access the game, and after a few minutes, I locate her name and contact information.
Naveha Jain. She lives in Stroudsburg. That helps. I lift my q-link to call, then lower it, biting my lip. I imagine Blaze’s anger since I didn’t help her. I don’t know if I can take it. I sigh and call her anyway.
“Hello,” she says.
For a moment, I say nothing, then hesitantly, I say, “Blaze, it’s me, StarFeather.”
“How did you get my number? How do I know it’s even you?”
I think of all our in-game interactions, all of our victories, strategies, and conversations. What could I tell her? “I’m not nearly as shapely as my avatar.”
“What?”
“You said you had a hard time believing I could be such a great leader and so shapely. I’m short and thin.”
“So, it’s really you?”
“It is,” I say, my voice cracking and pitiful.” Then in a rush, I say, “Everything is falling apart. I wanted to help you, but then something horrible happened. And then I was mugged, and I don’t know what to do anymore,” I say, feeling myself begin to break down.
“Shhh. Shhh. It will be all right. Come here. I’ll help you.”
☼☼☼
The sun shines down, and birds chirp happily in the distance, making things seem less bleak. I walk down the busy streets, trying to step carefully without drawing attention to my limp.
I check my q-link’s power level for the third time, even though it’s almost full. Nearly running out sure did a number on me. With this amount of power, my holographic disguise will easily last. Just a regular girl walking with her little brother.
I can’t help wondering how much Blaze has in common with her toned, attractive avatar. She’s probably a slob with no
teeth. Everyone always wants his or her avatar to look good. I think of mine, tall, muscular, someone who could lead. Not someone like me.
We step up to a tall apartment building in the bad part of town. The overgrown grass does nothing to distract from the colorful curses graffitied on the pavement, shed, and even the complex’s lower levels. It looks like one of the dilapidated buildings in Silent City.
Sweat drips down my body, but I’m not sure if it’s from my nerves or the summer heat.
I walk through the open entryway and take the elevator to her floor. I lift my hand to knock on her door, but hesitate and murmur to Sunny, “Remember to talk dumb. She can’t know what you are. This is very important.”
His little-boy head nods in a rather robotic way.
I considered temporarily overwriting his language programming, but it feels wrong, like duct taping a child’s mouth shut. He was always good around Barbra. I’ll just have to trust him.
I take a deep breath and knock.
Blaze appears before me in a tank top. She has the same pretty face, the same full lips, and the same smooth, dark skin. She’s even wearing a colorful headband. She’s just like her avatar. All except her right arm and shoulder, which is a chromed metal cybernetic enhancement.
I meet her eyes, and although they’re the same ones I’ve seen a hundred times, they’re red and puffy.
She squints down at Sunny, then back at me. “StarFeather?”
“It’s me.”
She motions us in.
We enter her small one-bedroom apartment. My q-link connects and begins to restore the power I used on the way.
Scratches and stains mar the walls, and a fist-sized hole gapes in the ceiling, exposing support beams above a coffee table. A small pile of drywall dust lies on the table next to a laughing Buddha statue. There’s no other furniture.
“Sorry about the place. I just moved in,” she says, sweeping up the drywall dust with her hands.
It’s a million times nicer than the house I just left. At least there are no rats…I think. “I’m just happy for your help.”
“And who’s this little guy?” she asks, pointing to Sunny.
I let my disguise fall away. “Sunny, you can drop the hologram.”
He does and morphs into a little metal robot.
“Wow, you have military face-shift software.” She looks at me again. “You’re so much smaller than your avatar.”
I wince. And slower, weaker, and less confident.
“And so young. What are you, fifteen?”
I stop myself from rolling my eyes. “Seventeen.”
“That’s smart to choose a taller, older avatar,” she says, oblivious to my annoyance. “It helped you command.”
My heart lifts a little because of her compliment. I wonder how much harder it would have been to lead if my avatar looked like me. I shake my head at the thought of me standing in front of a group of soldiers, giving orders before battle. I’m sure there would be plenty of laughter before a real leader took over.
“You’re so exotic looking and what pretty golden-brown eyes.”
If she notices my blush—and how could she miss it—she doesn’t show it.
She examines me closer. “How did you get that bruise and that cut? From the mugging? Your clothes are all ripped too. And, oh my God, look at your neck.” She walks up and touches my shoulder, her other hand hovering near my bruised eye. “Are you okay?”
I turn to conceal my icy hatred toward the mugger.
“And what’s this scar?” she asks, pointing to my right wrist.
I hide my arm behind my back. “It’s nothing.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll get you fixed up,” she says, misinterpreting my body language for pain or fear. “Face-shift software is illegal. What did you need it for? Did you hack it?”
I ignore the first question, not ready to talk about it. “I didn’t want to risk it. I programmed it.”
Her eyebrows rise. “You were always my best student, but wow. I still have some tricks to teach you, though.”
I’ll need them if I’m going to figure this out and escape the police. “Looking forward to it, teacher.”
“Let me see what you’re working with?”
I raise my square-faced, black and green q-link. “It’s a Lumicode 3000,” I say with a grin.
“That’s a nice model, more advanced than mine. I like Lumicode too, not that Xyphotech garbage. And what’s this? A Foster Buddy?” she asks.
“I call him Sunny. He’s been with me for years.”
Blaze grins down at me like you would a puppy, then pulls me into a tight hug. The sweet smell of jasmine drifts around me. “Wow. I never thought we’d meet.”
I stand there for a second, completely unprepared for the affection. My face flushes when I realize it’s pressed between her boobs. I hesitantly squeeze her back. It feels strange to be touched, but at the same time, natural.
“I can’t believe some scumbag mugged you,” she says. “Didn’t you want to go to the hospital? Or don’t you have money?”
“The pain is no worse than I’ve felt a half-dozen other times. It won’t slow me down,” I say with more confidence than I feel.
Blaze looks me up and down, shaking her head. “You are StarFeather.”
Pride rises inside me, despite my weariness.
“I’ll do my best to doctor you myself, but we both know how little medical experience I have. Then you can rest while I make you food.”
My mouth waters at the thought of real food.
She takes me into the bathroom and removes a medical kit. She gently washes my cuts, then covers them with waterproof bandages. “I have a towel here for a shower, which you probably want.”
I look down at my dirty, ripped shorts and shirt and catch a whiff of rotting apple. It would be nice.
“Let me get some clothes for you.”
She returns a moment later and lays out shorts and a T-shirt. “You’ll need this too,” she says, holding up a belt before leaving.
I comb the knots out of my hair, then step into the luxuriously warm shower, letting my recent nightmares wash away with the dirt.
I walk back to the living room, dressed in Blaze’s baggy clothes.
She exits the kitchen and looks me over. “Not the best fit, but we’ll get you more clothes. Your hair looks much better, though. I’m cooking some veggie burgers. Lie down in here until I’m done,” she says, walking me to her bedroom.
A round pillow with a lotus flower image rests on the ground near the wall. Partially burnt candles encircle it. On one side, a flowing fountain trickles water next to a tall green Buddha.
Interesting. She’s into meditation like my father was. I don’t know much about her since we mostly talked about programming and the game.
I slide by her partially open closet and glance inside at her clothes.
Her eyes widen, and she pushes it shut. “Here you go,” she says, motioning to the bed. “Just relax, and I’ll bring the food to you.” She leaves.
I smile, and warmth ripples through me. She’s just as kind as she was online.
I place Sunny’s bag, which is now our only bag, down next to the bed. “Sunny, stay next to me and enter sleep mode to be safe. I’m going to lie down for a minute.”
As I crawl into bed, my eyes catch an image of the letter A, overlapping a circle that’s printed on her sheets. I wonder what that is.
☼☼☼
Two demons tower over me. The smaller one is twisted with a skeletal face. The other is huge and ominous, with icy blue eyes that radiate evil. The Archfiend.
A crackling fire roars in the fireplace pouring forth stifling heat. Sweat clings to my shivering body.
“The truth. Give me the truth,” the Archfiend growls.
I shrink back, hoping to disappear.
He leans in and opens his mouth inhumanly wide, finger-long fangs protruding from his black gums.
My mind tells me to run or hide, but my bod
y is frozen.
With each moment, he seems to grow. His face is flushed and twisted in rage. I wilt under his power.
“Tell me the truth.”
The fury in his voice pries open my stubborn mouth. I don’t want to say the words; I know what that will mean. I can’t resist, though, and I spill the secret.
The shadowy figure to my left lets out a pitiful moan.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
The fleshy demon reaches out a clawed hand and shoves me.
My eyes bolt open, and I jerk my head side to side. My heart pounds, and I gulp in air. This isn’t the house I broke into. I reach for my knife before I remember that I lost it as I try to figure out where I am. Oh. Blaze’s house. She’s nowhere to be seen, but Sunny is still in sleep mode next to the bed.
My heart slows, and I stretch, feeling reborn after the long sleep. My stomach growls. I guess I missed lunch and dinner yesterday.
I test my ankle by doing a quick walk around the room, and it feels much better. I flop back on the bed. “Chim, check the news.” I scan through various articles that pop up.
‘President of the RSA vows harsh response to three-hundred-billion in US tech tariffs and boycott of Neurôdados products.’
Looks like the trade war is heating up. I wish they’d leave it be before things get worse.
‘Scientist claims that there is a society of humans living inside the Earth.’
They must be reading too much fantasy.
‘The proposed legislation for employment quotas for norms expected to pass by a landslide.’
Finally, something good for people.
‘US Olympic course shooting team, led by Alexander Fiore called ‘The Dream Team’ by former gold medalist.’
A knock at the door.
“Yes?”
“It’s me, Blaze. I made breakfast for you.”
“Come in,” I say excitedly. Even though I took care of myself most of my life. It’s nice to have someone do it.
She puts down a tray with two plates of bagels with hummus and fried sweet potatoes. “I made some extra for you. You must be hungry.”
The Astral Hacker (Cryptopunk Revolution Book 1) Page 8
