Flight or Fight (The Out of Dodge Trilogy Book 1)

by Scott Bartlett

  “Have a seat,” the Hand said, still smiling.

  He did.

  “As FutureBrite’s largest shareholder, I have the privilege of welcoming you and briefing you on the child with whom you’ll be placed.” Xavier leaned forward, his hands on the edge of the desk. “We will, of course, be putting you in the unit we feel presents FutureBrite’s best face to the public of Dodge. But I’m sure that comes as no surprise to you. I’m confident you conceived of this project with SafeTalk’s and FutureBrite’s best interests in mind, and it’s in accordance with those interests that we will be conducting ourselves. Agreed?”

  “Yes.”

  “It would be absurd, I suppose, to imply you suggested this blog of yours for any other reason. To instead serve the interests of, say, Leo Intoever, or Natalie Lemonade.”

  “With respect, that would be quite absurd.”

  “Of course. Of course. You understand, as I do, that their interests are in direct conflict with ours. It’s a complete coincidence that you proposed this project shortly after learning that Lemonade will soon find herself on a prison barge.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you’re aware that if you do anything at all that harms my interests or the interests of this company, I will ruin you. You’ll wind up shackled on that prison barge alongside her, and you won’t reach the New World until you’re wrinkled and too weak to enjoy it.”

  Carl nodded, careful not to betray his unease.

  “Excellent. Now, then. On the desk in front of me I have a dossier on one Jenny Aprilsho. I’ve never met Ms. Aprilsho, but I’m told that if I read to you from a blue piece of paper at the very front of this dossier, you will have every detail you require as one of her caregivers. You don’t see paper very often, do you?” Xavier opened the manila folder, cleared his throat, and read. “This information is strictly confidential.” He looked up. “What an old-fashioned phrase!” He continued reading. “Jenny Aprilsho was taken from the Aprilsho family as a result of two separate incidents of violence perpetrated against her sister, Joy Aprilsho, as is documented in clips from her sister’s lifelog. A FutureBrite investigation revealed that Jenny’s parents were not properly equipped to manage Jenny’s violent impulses, and the company accepted her into care on May 1st, 2372, at age eight. Jenny is now twelve. She takes two medications daily to help curb her violent impulses. Jenny sees a psychiatrist once a week, who, while unable to arrive at a specific diagnosis for Jenny, is certain her maladaptive behavior must indicate a disorder to be identified later. Jenny attends a regular school; however, she’s closely monitored due to the threat she poses to the teachers, and she attends only for the morning session. As a precaution, Jenny’s caregivers-on-duty wait in the teachers’ lounge while she’s in class. Jenny is unaware of this. Jenny sees a tutor every day between three and four in the afternoon. During her free time, Jenny enjoys wearing her virtual reality headset and playing games approved for children her age. In the unit’s office, her caregivers can access a video feed showing what Jenny is doing in her game at any given time. It is a rule that Jenny must participate in sixty minutes of physical recreation every day. The highest risk of physical danger to her caregivers occurs during the implementation of this rule, and to manage that risk caregivers must always rely on the principles learned in their Corrective Crisis Intervention training. Jenny also enjoys engaging in imaginative play, and caregivers should be on high alert at these times as well, especially when her imaginative play involves archetypes traditionally associated with violence. Jenny has difficulty understanding the concept of personal space and must occasionally be reminded of its importance.”

  Xavier closed the folder and held one hand in the air, palm facing upward. “Sounds pretty straightforward, doesn’t it?”

  Carl noticed he was gripping the arms of his chair, and he released his grasp. “Yes. Very.” He coughed. “Um, as Jenny’s caregiver, will I be receiving this, uh, Crisis Training Thingy?”

  “Oh, that won’t be necessary. You’ll be there chiefly to observe the care being provided to Jenny. You aren’t replacing anyone, you see. Two other certified caregivers will be on hand at all times, and both will have completed the five-day Corrective Crisis Intervention course.”

  “Good, then,” Carl said.

  “If you exit the building the way you came, you’ll find a CabLab taxi waiting to bring you to your unit. FutureBrite has a contract with CabLab, so they meet all our transportation needs. Interesting, isn’t it, to consider that FutureBrite contributes substantially to CabLab’s maintenance of our city’s roads. In truth, this company is tightly woven into the very fabric of Dodgian society. Might make good fodder for your first blog post, eh?”

  “Interesting,” Carl said, “to see how it all works.”

  “By the way, I mentioned to John Anders that you’d be dropping by here this morning, and he said he wanted to tell you something. You’ll find him in the lobby on your way out.”

  “Thanks,” Carl said. “Good seeing you.”

  “Good seeing you, Carl. I know you’ll do well with this.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Carl,” Anders said when he emerged, standing up to shake his hand.

  “Anders. Xavier said you had something to tell me?”

  Anders scratched his ample stomach, staring into space for a moment. He looked back at Carl. “I do. You might want to sit down.”

  “No time, really. There’s a cab waiting outside.”

  “All right. This is a bit of a doozy, but it’s not like I didn’t warn you. I’ve been in touch with my friends at IPFly, and they gave me the name on the account used to remotely access your house.”

  “Who is it?”

  Anders picked up a smartpad from one of the chairs. He swiped at the touchscreen. “Look at the account name.”

  Carl glanced at the document it displayed. “Robespierre. Should I know that name? I don’t know a Robespierre.”

  “That’s the username. Look at the account owner’s name.”

  Carl looked, scanning the document until he found the name associated with the account. His eyes widened, and he read it again, unable to properly process what the screen displayed.

  He looked at Anders, whose mouth now turned down at the corners.

  The name was Maria Ylifeali.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  In the cab on the way to his first FutureBrite shift, Carl’s thoughts were a swirling, confused mess. Why would Maria do this to him? What could she possibly be trying to accomplish? He wondered whether this explained why she’d vanished. Maybe, despite making a show of acting disinterested and not monitoring his lifelog, she’d really studied it carefully and had seen that he was on the verge of finding her out, with Anders’s help. But why spend years tormenting him like that? Was she working with someone, or for someone?

  “Wait,” Carl had said, trying to make sense of the mental maelstrom Anders’s news had caused. “She was present once during a hacker attack. Both her and my father were there.”

  “She could have had help.”

  “But why? Why would she do this?”

  “You’re better positioned to know that than me, Carl. Has the hacker ever made any demands or hinted at wanting something?”

  “No. Not even once.”

  “Then the purpose was to troll you, which is harassment with the aim of provoking an emotional response, preferably a severe one. The question you need to answer now is what would Maria stand to gain from doing that?”

  Carl had no idea, but figuring it out would involve closely re-examining everything he thought he knew about her. Were her parents really dead? Did she really want to leave with him for the New World, or was there something else she stood to gain from their relationship? Did she know he was Schrödinger reborn? Who was she working with?

  Gregory Stronger, perhaps? Could it be that Maria had known Gregory long before Carl had “introduced” them? Maybe they’d even been lovers since before Carl met her. Maybe Carl
and Maria had never been truly monogamous at all.

  He’d had a lump in his throat since Anders shared the news, and now he was near tears. The urge to cry tightened his esophagus and pressed against the backs of his eyes. He sniffed, and fought it back.

  The taxi pulled over in front of a block of residences, and the driver passed him a smartpad. “Just sign on the line,” she said.

  Carl did and got out without saying anything. He didn’t trust himself to speak.

  For one confused moment, he looked around, registering his surroundings. This was his residence block. He checked the address he’d been given to confirm that Jenny Aprilsho did in fact live in the same complex as him. She did.

  He found the correct access pole and climbed up, ringing the hatchbell and hanging by one arm from one of the handles while he waited. The hatch swung open. “Come on in,” a jovial voice said from above.

  Carl swung his legs up, lodged his feet on the porch’s floor, and pulled himself into the unit. The moment he did, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He would check it in a minute.

  A short, wiry man stood in the porch with his hand held out. His gel-spiked hair came as high as Carl’s chest, though for such a diminutive man his handshake had a vigorous pump to it. “Hi!” he said. “I’m Ernest. Pleased to meet you.”

  “Carl.”

  “Oh, I know who you are, Mr. Intoeverylifeali.”

  “Carl will do.”

  “Carl it is. Come on in. We won’t be here much longer. The cab for school is due in ten minutes.”

  They left the porch and went into the TV room. Carl slipped his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the notification. It was his insurance app: his rate had gone up and would remain elevated for as long as he remained inside a FutureBrite unit. This could prove an expensive couple of weeks.

  A woman sat on the couch. She had a plain face and hair so blond it was almost white. “Hi,” she said when his gaze fell on her.

  “Hi. I’m Carl.”

  “Allison. Did they tell you about the personal space issue?”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  Allison gave her head a shake. “You need to be careful. I don’t know why they assign males to a unit with a female who has personal space issues.”

  Ernest raised his hand. “I was the one who first informed head office about the personal space issue.”

  Allison nodded. “True.”

  Carl cleared his throat. “Where is Jenny, then? Didn’t Ernest say the cab arrives in ten minutes?”

  “Eight minutes, now,” Allison said, checking her phone.

  “She’s still in bed,” Ernest said.

  “Shouldn’t someone…?”

  “Jenny!” Ernest called out, leaning back and craning his neck in the direction of the hallway. “Are you ready?” No response. Ernest shrugged. “You’re welcome to try if you like.”

  Allison held up a finger. “I wouldn’t go into her room. Knock, and speak to her through the door.”

  “Mm,” Ernest said.

  Carl had hoped to lean against a wall and wait until all parties were prepared to exit. Now he shuffled his feet, unsure what to do. Ernest and Allison were looking at him with raised eyebrows. He hadn’t expected to be given such an active role.

  He took a halting step in the direction of the hall, but he paused. “So, I’ll just…knock on her door, then?”

  Ernest nodded with more enthusiasm than Carl was used to from his SafeTalk associates, or from anyone else in his life for that matter.

  “All right.”

  “Door at the end of the hall,” Ernest said.

  Carl stood outside the door in question for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Then he knocked.

  “What?”

  “Jenny? This is Carl. It’s time to leave for school.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Carl.”

  “Who. Are. You?”

  “I’m from SafeTalk. I’m here to investigate the quality of care being provided to you by FutureBrite. My findings will be posted on a blog hosted by—”

  “I don’t have to listen to you!”

  “No,” Carl said, “well, not to me specifically, but you do have to go to school.”

  “Why?”

  “To learn things. Things you’ll need to know as an adult in the real world.”

  “Name one thing.”

  Carl stood for a moment, chewing his bottom lip. Then, suddenly, he had it. “Jenny, if you cooperate now, I’ll buy you a lollipop after school.”

  There was a rummaging sound, followed by the sound of hangers scraping across the bar of a closet. Ten seconds later, the door opened, revealing a pudgy twelve-year-old girl wearing a t-shirt that was too small for her and pajama pants. She looked at him, eyebrows raised. “You’re in my way.”

  “You can’t go to school in pajama pants,” Carl said. “Um, can you?”

  Jenny stepped closer to him and screamed in his face. “Get out of my way!”

  Carl stepped quickly to one side of the hall. Jenny marched to the TV room. “Let’s go, clowns,” she said.

  He returned to find Ernest and Allison wearing surprised expressions. Ernest puffed out his lips in a manner that suggested he was impressed. “Wow. We’re so happy to see you’re cooperating, Jenny.” He looked at Carl. “Wow.”

  “I’m in it for the lolly,” Jenny said, and moved to the porch.

  “I’m not sure…” Carl said, “whether I was actually…supposed to…bribe her…with candy. Sorry.”

  Allison’s eyes widened, as though Carl had done something outrageously heinous. Her reaction seemed disproportionate. Ernest leaned toward Carl and whispered, “We do generally try to limit her sugar intake.”

  Jenny claimed the CabLab taxi’s front seat, while Carl was relegated to the middle back seat between Ernest and Allison. When they arrived at the school in the city’s center, the taxi parked next to one of two entrances. “Have a good day, Jenny,” Ernest said. Allison was staring at her phone and didn’t seem to notice her charge was leaving.

  Jenny got out without saying anything and walked up the concrete path. Ernest waited until the door swung shut behind her. “All right,” he said. The CabLab driver instructed his cab to exit the parking lot, drive down the road a little, and re-enter the parking lot through another entrance. They pulled up alongside the school’s other entrance and got out. Inside, Allison motioned for Carl to stay put while Ernest went to an inner door, opened it slightly, and poked his head in. He quickly withdrew and ran back to them. “She’s coming down the hall toward us.”

  “Did she see you?” Allison said.

  “No. I’m sure she didn’t.”

  “Good. We’ll wait here until classes start.”

  The bell rang and the hallway slowly cleared of students. Ernest motioned for them to follow. “Walk quickly,” he said to Carl. “They keep the classroom doors open, and Jenny could be in any of them. We can’t let her see us.”

  After a brisk trot down the hall, they entered the teachers’ lounge. Allison and Ernest exchanged self-satisfied grins. “We did it,” Ernest said.

  The lounge consisted of tables scattered throughout the room, a kitchen area, and four couches arranged in a square, facing each other. They each took one of the latter. Other than a geezer eating lunch and reading something from a smartpad at the opposite end of the room, they were the only ones there.

  “Hi Percy,” Ernest said, raising a hand toward the geezer, who continued chewing and didn’t reply.

  Ernest and Allison both took out their phones and offered nothing else in the way of conversation. Carl frowned. He should have taken his smartpad, since this would have been the perfect time to write his first blog post.

  The morning dragged on until the time finally came for them to pretend to arrive at the school to pick up Jenny. Allison called CabLab. The lounge windows faced the parking lot, and she sat by one of them and watched for the taxi. Once it arrived, they snuck through the school to the outside a
nd got in the cab. Jenny’s class ended in two minutes.

  “Where’s my lolly?” she asked as soon as she got in.

  Ernest and Allison exchanged looks over Carl, who’d ended up seated between them again. Then they looked at him.

  “We haven’t actually acquired the lolly yet,” Carl said.

  “Why not? You’ve had hours.”

  “We haven’t been to a store.”

  “What have you been doing, then?”

  “We’ll get the lolly,” Carl said. “Soon.”

  “When?”

  “Now. Now?” Carl looked at Ernest, who shifted in his seat, frowning.

  “You’ll have to walk from the unit and get it,” Allison said. “Any CabLab trips we take must be preapproved by head office.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll walk to the store and buy your lolly as soon as we get home, Jenny.”

  “Maybe we could all go with you,” Ernest said. “And that can be Jenny’s physical recreation for the day. How does that sound, Jenny? Two birds with one stone. Exercise and a lolly.”

  “Suits me,” Jenny said.

  Despite her weight, Jenny refused the help of the harness to gain entry into the unit, instead insisting on scaling the pole herself. She failed twice, and after each attempt Ernest offered to climb up and lower the harness. Before her third try, Jenny lowered her eyebrows in angry determination, and Carl knew she would make it this time. She did.

  To Carl’s surprise, it turned out she wasn’t as eager to receive her lolly as she’d seemed. Before leaving for the store, she wanted to play one of her virtual reality games. They kept the headset in the unit office, and Ernest fetched it for her. She went into the TV room, sat in one of the armchairs, and strapped the headset on. Her mouth hung open slightly as she accessed the game. Carl joined Ernest and Allison in the office, where they each took a seat, waiting for Jenny to tell them she was ready for their walk. Ernest switched on a wall, which displayed the feed from Jenny’s game. Two cartoon arms were brushing a green creature’s purple mane.