“Sorry, force of habit. Go on.”
“Then, suddenly, I was fine.” Charlie’s hands trembled and he almost spilled his drink. “The doctors had never seen anything like it. What’s more, I haven’t had a day’s illness since.”
“That’s good, ain’t it?”
“I’m not just fine.” He blew on his tea. “I’m… different.”
“Howd’ya mean?”
“It’s going to sound weird.”
“You don’t say?” Daffodil feigned surprise. “And I been havin such a normal couple of days.”
“I’m faster and stronger than I used to be.” Charlie flexed his muscles. “What’s more, I can perform Olympic-level gymnastics or black-belt kung fu or play guitar like a rock star, just by watching someone do it on TV. I could manage that van after five minutes of looking at my mother drive.” He seemed lost for a second. “I didn’t tell Mum about my abilities ’cause I was scared. But I guess she spotted it anyway.” He shook his head sadly. “She obviously knew a lot more than she was letting on.”
“Handy talent to have, instant expertise.” Daffodil was suitably impressed. “No wonder Frankie picked you.”
“I ain’t convinced that’s the reason.” Charlie’s voice was suddenly huskier and his accent took on a weird twang. “I’m five foot five and weigh eighty pounds. Hardly the type to save the world, huh?”
“Holy cow!” Daffodil’s jaw dropped. “You sound exactly like me.”
“Told you.” His tone returned to normal. “There’s nothing I can’t copy.”
“You got any idea how it happened?”
“Didn’t have a clue until I talked to Dad.”
“Ole hairy-face didn’t say anything about that. I was listenin.”
“Worked it out myself,” Charlie said flatly. “Right after he broke into Manticorps’ Marginal Research Division, I miraculously began to recover. All signs of meningitis and pneumonia gone.” He closed his eyes. “My father didn’t infiltrate Manticorps to free Frankie. He went to steal the Atlas Serum.”
“The stuff that makes soldiers faster and stronger?”
“And resistant to disease.” Charlie sipped his tea. “He sacrificed his own freedom in the hope that some experimental drug would give me the strength to survive.”
“No kiddin!”
“He probably went straight to the hospital after he escaped from Manticorps’ labs and made me drink it. I was so delirious, I wouldn’t even have known he was there.”
“Seems like it worked. And your pop’s a regular hero, to boot.” Daffodil looked bewildered. “So why ain’t you happier?”
“You heard him. The Atlas Serum wasn’t only designed to make soldiers stronger and smarter. It made them more aggressive too. And we’re talking about trained, disciplined men, not a short-arsed teenager.” Charlie studied his hands but there wasn’t a mark on them. “Whatever is running through my veins is changing me. And for the worse.”
“You talkin about sproutin hair and extra teeth?” The girl shuffled back and held up her hands. “Do I need to fetch a rolled-up newspaper?”
“Who knows? I’m trying to control my new abilities, but I don’t know if I can.” Charlie rapped white knuckles against his head. “I’m always angry these days. Can’t remember the last time I smiled.”
“You’re a teenager,” Daffodil said sympathetically. “I doubt anyone will notice.”
“I don’t think the way I used to either. My mind makes leaps of logic it wasn’t capable of before.”
“That so? Gimme an example.”
“OK.” Charlie pointed to the computer. “If Dad wanted to talk to me last night, Frankie could have accessed my PC from right here in this room.”
“What about Manticorps’ bugs?”
“A running tap or radio hiss will disrupt any listening device.” Charlie spread his hands. “Why go to all the trouble of sending you?”
“Maybe he thought I should get out more. I’m kinda lackin in the life-experience department.”
“I think Frankie knew a set of short-circuited devices and a strange girl climbing my drainpipe would force Manticorps into action,” Charlie said glumly. “Their goons would move in and I’d have to go on the run. It was his way of guaranteeing I’d end up here.” The boy’s lip curled in revulsion. “Now I’ve got no choice but to fight back if my family is ever going to be safe.”
“That’s pretty sneaky.” Daffodil pouted. “I’m gettin awful tired of bein used, Chaz. Or maybe I’m just tired. I haven’t slept for almost two days now.” She yawned loudly. “There’s only one way we can find out what’s really goin on. We gotta talk to Frankie.”
8
“I suppose we’d better.” Charlie nodded. “I’ve got plenty of questions and, like you, most of them contain a swear word or two.”
“So go ahead and ask him.” She indicated the PC. “He can access any computer and appear on its screen.”
“So you don’t need to touch it?”
“That was just to get your attention. I’m a bit of a show-off sometimes.”
“You don’t say. But I want you to leave the room.”
“Why?”
“It’s a private conversation.”
Daffodil looked hurt but tapped her neck anyway. “Frankie would prefer me to stay. He says we’re a team.”
“I don’t care what he’d prefer,” Charlie persisted. “If he wants my help, you’ll both have to suck it up.”
“I’m part of this too, Chaz. Why are you being so bloody-minded?”
“I’ll make it quick,” he relented. “I promise.”
“All right,” Daffodil moped. “You make rotten coffee anyway. I’m going to get my own.”
She marched out of the room.
“What part of ‘we’re a team’ did you not get?” The computer sprang to life, a swarm of coloured dots appearing on the screen. “This isn’t a great start to our relationship.”
The voice had a synthetic timbre but was far more animated than the boy had anticipated.
“You don’t talk the way I thought you would.” Charlie blinked in surprise.
“What? You were expecting a Dalek?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“I’ve been picking up my vocabulary from YouTube, so I can blend in. Still don’t get the point of Grumpy Cat, though. I mean, he can’t help the way he looks. What’s so funny about that?” Frankie sniggered in a disturbingly human way. “He does look at bit like you, though.”
“Quite finished?” The boy was determined not to be wrong-footed.
“Not in the slightest. But you’d better cut to the chase before Daffodil starts listening at the door. She’s getting fed up of following instructions.”
“You too, apparently.”
Gerry’s warning flashed into Charlie’s mind again.
Frankie is fighting his programming.
“I sense a certain hostility towards myself and Mac. Have you considered therapy?”
“Have you considered shutting up for a second?” the boy replied evenly. “This conversation isn’t something she needs to hear, all right?”
“Oh sure. Why include the only pal you’ve got? You’ve got some serious trust issues, kid.”
“Where are my mum and dad, Frankie? Are they all right?”
“Gerry is alive and safe, and Marion is on her way to join him. But don’t bother calling her. I jammed her phone.”
“I need proof.”
“Like their exact locations? Why don’t I draw a map, tell you which bus goes there and wave goodbye from the front door? Actually, forget the last bit. I don’t have hands.”
“Why didn’t Dad wait here for me?” Charlie refused to rise to the bait.
“A father-and-son reunion? That’s the kind of distraction I don’t need.”
“It’s not up to you!”
“Here’s the deal, pal,” Frankie said slowly. “You do what I say without asking any more questions. In return, I’ll see you’r
e all reunited when this is over. I’ll also tell Daffodil who she really is and how to remove my chip from her neck. Sound fair?”
“Sounds like blackmail.” The boy’s eye twitched.
“Gerry Ray programmed me to protect human life. That includes you, Mac, and your parents, whether I like the idea or not.” Frankie made a sniffing noise. “He didn’t say I had to be nice about it.”
In the kitchen, they could hear Daffodil stirring her coffee.
“The point is, you’ll never be safe until the threat from Manticorps is neutralised, and that’s exactly what you’re going to help me do. I’m not offering you a choice, so stop acting like some spoiled brat.”
Charlie tried to stay calm, but he could feel hot rage bubbling up inside him. “I should believe the word of some machine?”
“I’m NOT a machine. I’m an artificial intelligence. At least your father knew the difference.”
“I’m not my father.” Charlie pulled a knife he had taken from the kitchen out of his belt and held it up. “The Atlas Serum has made me very unpredictable.”
“If by ‘unpredictable’ you mean ‘crazy as a box of frogs’, I couldn’t agree more. I’m not actually in this computer, so what do you hope to achieve with that?”
“Just checking you can see me.” He nodded at the screen’s tiny camera.
“I can. Congratulations. You win a lollipop.”
“Now I’ll make you a promise,” the boy said icily. “If I suspect for one moment you’re lying about my parents being all right, I will cut you out of Daffodil’s neck and drop your chip down the nearest drain.”
“Nice try. But removing me in such a crude manner would seriously hurt your friend.”
“I don’t have any friends.” Charlie’s eyes glittered. “Better remember that.” He threw the knife across the room. It hit bull’s-eye on a tatty dartboard attached to the wall.
“That was certainly to the point.” Frankie laughed uproariously. “Get it? I made a joke.”
“I don’t have a sense of humour.” The boy stepped back, breathing heavily. “And you’d better keep this conversation to yourself.”
“Look. We seem to have got off on the wrong foot.” Frankie sounded contrite. “I’m just a bit annoyed. Programmed to do this and that and given no choice about it. In a way, we’re in the same boat.”
“With you as the captain. Meanwhile Mac and I are going to be doing the rowing without knowing where we’re going.”
“Nice analogy.” Frankie chuckled. “It all rhymed too. When this is done, maybe you can write an epic poem about our adventures.”
“You trying to get on my good side? ’Cause I haven’t got one of those either.”
“How about this as a peace offering, then? Gerry Ray stuck a letter addressed to you in the top drawer of the dresser, when he thought I wasn’t looking. I’m dying to know the contents but I didn’t ask Daffodil to read it to me and I won’t ever pester you about what it says. That’s how trust works. See where I’m going with this?”
“Spare me the lecture.” Charlie glowered. “And I still don’t know why you picked a fourteen year old to help you, even if I do have a few talents.”
“’Cause you’ve got a winning personality and nice teeth. No more whining. I hold all the cards and you know it.”
“You can come back now, Mac,” the boy shouted angrily.
“In a minute. Got my hand stuck in the espresso machine.”
“I’m afraid she’s a bit clueless without me.”
“We’ll see about that. And switch off that damned camera. I’ve been spied on enough by Manticorps.”
“Have a nap, then. You were up half the night and lack of shut-eye is making you crabby.”
“I don’t need much sleep these days. This is just the way I am.”
“But Daffodil does. She must be on her last legs, and no amount of coffee will fix that.”
The light on the computer went out and the girl sauntered back in, two fingers stuck in her mouth. She seemed rather unsteady on her feet.
“Find out anything interestin?” She rubbed her eyes and yawned again.
“Nope,” Charlie sighed. “I only had time for a short chat.”
Daffodil turned her head and gave a sharp intake of breath. “Why is there a knife stickin out of that round thing?” She tilted her head as Frankie fed her more information. “Oh. It’s a dartboard. You were playin a game?”
“Sort of. I lost.”
Charlie walked over to the dartboard, pulled out the knife and yanked open the dresser drawer. He removed an envelope and used the blade to open it.
There was one page, written in his father’s neat handwriting.
Son.
You must memorise the string of numbers on the other side of the paper, then destroy it. If this message does fall into the wrong hands, the sequence will be meaningless to most people. But you are not most people and I’m sure you will figure it out. It might come in useful as a bargaining chip.
But whatever you do, don’t EVER let Frankie see it.
I love you, kid.
Dad
Charlie flipped the scrap of paper over. On the other side was a string of numbers.
55 45 86 962 04 334 145 223 52972
“We better memorise this.” Daffodil leaned over his shoulder.
“No need.” Charlie tore up the page before she could see it properly. “I’ve done it.”
“Jeezy peeps.” The girl looked stunned. “Bet you don’t need to make a list when you go shoppin.” She staggered a little and leaned against the wall to right herself. “Chaz, I don’t feel so good. I’m really tired.”
“Go sit down then.” He pushed her away. “I’m trying to work out what this sequence means.”
He closed his eyes and concentrated. Gerry thought he could interpret what the numbers meant and so he’d try his hardest. Maybe it was a cipher. Or coordinates of some sort.
There was a thump behind him.
When Charlie turned round, his companion was lying on the floor.
9
Daffodil woke under the duvet of an enormous bed in a pink and white room. The curtains were open and birds twittered outside. She stretched and rolled over.
“What the…?”
Charlie was sitting in an armchair watching her. On the bedside table was a tray, laden with coffee, muffins and toast.
“You don’t half snore,” he said.
“And you got the manners of a junkyard dog in a bone factory.” Daffodil looked around suspiciously. “How did I get here?”
“I carried you.” The boy handed her a slice of toast. “You’ve been out cold since yesterday afternoon.”
The girl peered under her covers.
“Chill out,” Charlie said. “You’re still wearing your clothes. But if you want to get changed, the wardrobe is full of stuff your size.” He bit into a muffin. “Mine too. Frankie seems to have thought of everything.”
“That’s a mixed blessing.” Daffodil rolled her eyes. He ain’t got much fashion sense, if my last outfit was anything to go by.”
She propped herself up on the pillow and took a slurp of coffee.
“So, you ready to have another go at findin out what Frankie actually wants us to do?”
“I bet you’ve already tried that, despite me asking you not to.”
“Course I did. But he won’t tell me nothin unless you’re in on the conversation.”
“All right. Just don’t expect me to be nice about it.”
“There’s a surprise. We’ll use the computer in the living room.”
“Get up then.” Charlie patted his knees. “Grab a shower and let’s chat with our boss.”
“Eh… Chaz?” Daffodil drummed on the covers.
“What?”
“I’m awful cute, but you gotta understand that that kiss we shared was just for show. I sure as hell ain’t gettin undressed in front of you.”
“Sorry! Sorry!” He backed out of the door, cheeks
scarlet.
A slow grin spread over Daffodil’s face.
“I don’t think you’re as bad as you make out, Mr Unsociable.”
Charlie was wearing the same outfit he’d had on yesterday. The boy had obviously sat by her bedside all night.
*
Daffodil finally emerged from the bedroom, combing her damp hair. She was wearing a yellow polka dot dress and pink cardigan.
‘Yikes!” Charlie was on the couch, finishing off his own breakfast.
“Soon as we get the chance, bub, I’m goin clothes shoppin.”
“I’ll drive you. That outfit’s making my eyes hurt.”
“Moment of truth, Chaz.” She snapped her fingers. “Talk to us, Frankie.”
The computer flickered to life. A pattern of glowing orbs appeared on the screen and the red light of the camera began to glow again.
“The boy wonder is here,” Daffodil proclaimed. “And ready to participate. You wanna give us the low-down?”
“Have a nice sleep, Charlie?” the computer asked, as if nothing had happened the day before. “Or did you spend half the night fuming about your situation?”
“What do you think?”
There was a yawning noise from the screen. “And… that’s the sound of me not giving a damn.”
“Y’all must have had an interestin conversation.” Daffodil raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think Frankie cares for you much, Chazzle.”
“Aw, I like the kid fine. I’m just trying to get a bit of banter going.”
“Start with something simpler,” she suggested. “Like getting him to smile.”
“I’m waiting for one of you to actually say something funny,” Charlie grunted.
“That’s more like it!”
“I’m sure Chaz has plenty of questions.” Daffodil relaxed on the couch and put both hands behind her head. “I’ll join in whenever I got somethin irrelevant to say.”
“My first is a no-brainer.” Charlie didn’t bother with niceties. “What the hell are you? You seem light years ahead of any AI I ever read about.”
“Me too,” Daffodil added. “And I don’t just read comic books.”
It's Only the End of the World Page 4
