CYPHER: A Dystopian Novel

by Barbara Winkes

  Then there was Katlena.

  Seven minutes to eight.

  Tick. Tock.

  Ami accepted the folder and opened it, writing her name on the first line. Ami Moore, 51308, requesting documents of identification from Cynthia Webber, 49088, ID expired. $20,000 paid in cash. Tears welled up in her eyes, and for a moment, the lines blurred. How could she even blame the woman who had taken her name, when Ami was doing the same thing to someone else, diminishing another cypher’s chances of ever getting their life back? Katlena got up and walked around the table, laying a hand on her shoulder.

  “We’ll get this right eventually,” she said. “Just don’t go.”

  By the time Ami had filled out all the requested forms, it was 8:23 p.m. She hadn’t made the call. Trenton would draw his own conclusions from that.

  * * * *

  “Do you have any clothes of your own?” Katlena wondered out loud.

  “You know we weren’t supposed to own any.”

  “Says the woman who hid a laptop with internet access inside her wall. I wonder if every single cypher unit has its little hiding space.”

  “I wouldn’t know.” Ami raised her shoulders. She didn’t want to think about this too hard at the moment. She was so tired. Katlena, on the other hand, was energized by today’s success.

  “Anyway, we need to go clothes-shopping, get rid of all the black and white stuff,” she said.

  “Even with the promotion you gave me, I don’t think I’ll get paid before the end of the month,” Ami reminded her.

  “No worries. You can always pay me back.”

  “Katlena, stop it! You just left $20,000 in Documents in my name. I’ll worry enough about how to pay you back for that.”

  “Don’t. You don’t have to pay me back in money.”

  “That’s not funny at all.”

  Katlena sat beside her, embracing her from behind. “I’m sorry. I’m just so happy that you’re here with me, and…well, the fact that I overdosed on caffeine today might also have something to do with it.”

  Reluctantly, Ami got up. “You should eat something then.”

  Katlena gave a long look that was smoldering if nothing else. “I should,” she said, the tone of her voice melting Ami’s hesitation away. Drago’s hateful words flickered in her mind, and she pushed them away. She deserved a life. She deserved someone who desired her.

  “Later,” Katlena finished her sentence. She stood, and this time, Ami didn’t back away. Katlena’s touch was cautious and gentle, nothing to be afraid of, no pain, if anything, the slow pace was driving her crazy. They kissed all the way stumbling into the bedroom, clothes sailing to the floor. Ami shivered as the cool sheets brushed against her skin, but only for a moment until Katlena pulled her close again, her body warm and exciting against Ami’s.

  Noelle had been thoughtful to provide Ami with a set of clothes, but of course her bra and panties were still the same black and white. For a moment, she was ashamed of that.

  “Don’t worry,” Katlena whispered, fingertips brushing over the fabric. “You’re not going to wear those, ever again.”

  “You want me to wear no underwear until I have the time to go shopping?”

  “There’s an idea.” Katlena tossed the simple white panties with the 51308 stitched into them, aside. “I like my personal assistant…accessible.”

  Ami gasped at the touch of warm fingers, content with not having a smart comeback at hand for the moment. Katlena didn’t seem to expect one.

  * * * *

  They had pizza and beer, turning in soon afterwards. Tomorrow would be another long day, and Katlena still had to prove her new leadership.

  “For now you’re safe,” Katlena had said. “I’ll bring in a new bill that will annul the three-year-clause, and everyone who has documents obtained under that law will have to give them back. With a little luck, we’ll have you back to Ami, all official, before Drago’s trial even starts. His witness won’t be of much use then.”

  “Did you ever sleep with Noelle?”

  Katlena looked startled by the question. “Thanks for asking, but no?”

  “You wanted to though.”

  “Maybe. That was before I met you.”

  Ami flashed her a quick smile. “I feel much better now. There’s something else I meant to ask you about,” she said, pulling the drawer of the nightstand open.

  They hadn’t had a lot of time to explore the boundaries of their relationship when the world around them was changing so rapidly. The black silk ties she had seen once had made Ami wonder about Katlena. She was obviously caring and compassionate, but she also didn’t mind the power that came with Drago’s position. She’d longed for it for some time before the turn of events gave her an opening. There was another facet to her, though, reminding Ami of a conversation they’d had earlier.

  “I’m not sure if this is the right moment,” Katlena said. She was actually blushing.

  Ami leaned back into the pillows. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment for five years. If you have some kinky secret there, I think I should know.”

  “Ami.”

  “Did you ever use them on anyone?”

  “Now, come on. This is not the time.”

  “Wait, you said I could tie you up, any time I wanted to. Or was that simply a figure of speech?”

  Katlena’s silence spoke volumes.

  Ami propped herself up on one elbow, regarding her lover. “So?”

  Katlena turned away from her abruptly. “Forget about it. Like I said. Not a good time.”

  “We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Why wait? I’ve been waiting forever, Katlena. To be happy. To make someone happy.”

  Ami had begun to form an idea where Katlena was coming from. She was at the top of her game, had been on the fast track before, but the price would be to keep secrets. There could be no vulnerability, no deviation in the eyes of the City’s double standards. The responsibility would be on her, always…unless someone lifted it for a little while.

  “Let me do this,” she whispered, running the soft silky fabric over Katlena’s wrists. “I don’t mind being on the other side of this equation for once… and I know you don’t mind either. You wanted to do this from the first time you arrested me. A little inappropriate, Inspector Cervantes, but you’re lucky.”

  Katlena moaned softly as Ami tied the knots around her wrists, brushing her fingers over her arms. She sat back, nearly lightheaded from the rush of excitement and pleasure. They fit together, she realized, her hands shaky with anticipation. Living her life as number, a nothing for five years, she desperately needed to be in control, complementing Katlena’s desire to, for once, give up all control.

  She leaned forward, covering Katlena’s body with hers. The touch of skin to skin was almost electric. They shared a deep, hungry kiss before Ami straightened.

  “Just don’t call me Cynthia, okay?”

  “I wouldn’t dare,” Katlena promised.

  “Good,” Ami whispered. “I have plans for you.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  Her body was pliant and relaxed under the careful exploration of Ami’s hands, testimony of how much she too had been longing for someone to complete her. Ami had every intention to make that happen, and the moment Katlena’s eyes fluttered shut, her body straining into Ami’s touch, she knew she had succeeded.

  * * * *

  There was no reason to relax, Ami realized when they entered the IdA building the next morning. The security guards were on high alert, because with Drago out, the situation was still highly unstable. Everyone working here knew it. Hale was sulking at his desk.

  “He’ll get over it,” Noelle said with a shrug. “There’s been some good development. We’ve been able to intercept a phone conversation of Jenkins’. Still no definite location, but we’re on it. There’s something else though. You might want to listen to it first.”

  She’d been talking to Katlena only, something that alarmed Ami. D
rago had wanted to make her a suspect in the murder case. Did they still not trust her?

  “Okay,” Katlena said. “In the meantime, meet Cynthia. Until I have all the paperwork done to make that stupid three-year-clause go away.”

  “Nice to meet you. I suppose we can get a head start on that before you come back.”

  “Good idea.”

  Ami felt slightly uncomfortable being left alone with Inspector Raymond, especially after what she’d learned the day before, and knowing that Noelle was well aware of her relationship with Katlena.

  “I see you didn’t have time yet to go shopping,” Noelle remarked. “It’s a bit of a nuthouse here at the moment. I expect it to be better once Drago’s behind bars, for real this time.”

  “I’ll go later. I’ll wash your clothes and bring them tomorrow.”

  “Sure, there’s no hurry.”

  “What’s on that tape?”

  Katlena would tell her eventually, but Ami was more interested in why Noelle hadn’t wanted her to go in.

  Noelle closed the folder in front of her and regarded Ami.

  “I hope you won’t get me wrong. I know you’ve had some tough times lately. You’re not to blame for any of it, even if they turned out to your advantage in the end. You might know I have a brother who was once a cypher.”

  “I didn’t know,” Ami said truthfully.

  “I came to work here because I needed to answer a question for myself. The people who sell themselves, looking for an easy way out—is it the cypher thing that messes them up, or are they messed up to begin with, is that why they do it?”

  Ami tried hard not to be hurt, or offended by those words. It was what people were taught. She suspected many never cared to raise the questions that had made Noelle work for the IdA.

  “Did you answer that question?”

  “What I know is that Katlena cares about you a great deal. More than she should, probably, but that’s her business. I hope you’re just as serious about her. The world she wants to create, as chief of the IdA, doesn’t exist yet. Until it does, you could do more harm than good to her. I hope you keep that in mind.”

  “I am not trying to harm her,” Ami started to protest. She’d been in no way prepared for this conversation, but now that Katlena was returning, there was no time to defend herself.

  The woman in question looked serious. “Ami, you better sit down before you hear this. It looks like we have found your daughter.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ami needed to sit indeed. In the phone call, Brad Jenkins was talking to a woman, probably the same his wife had mentioned, discussing further strategy.

  “Maybe we should back off for awhile. Children died,” he said. “I didn’t sign up for that, and Mrs. Davidson—”

  “Jean is not to be in the loop on this, do you understand?” the woman said sharply. “Are they still within the City limits?”

  “Melissa,” he said, sounding uncomfortable. “We said that for the child—”

  “We might need some additional leverage, now that Drago has officially become a liability. Tell Jean not to activate yet.”

  “I don’t like it. When it happens, I want her and the kid outside of the City.”

  “Jean can take care of herself. Wait. I’ll have to call you back.”

  Ami felt slightly under-whelmed and disappointed. No definite location, and no exact hint. “This is for real…?”

  “Jean Davidson adopted Lily five years ago. She and her husband became allies. It’s all too much to be a coincidence,” Katlena said. “In any case it will help with the trial that we hear Drago’s name mentioned by someone who is obviously involved with the murders. We’ll find Jenkins and this woman, we not only solve the case but hopefully avoid a catastrophe.”

  “It’s the ‘when it happens’ that worries me a bit,” Noelle remarked. “We don’t know what it is, and, well, when.”

  “I know. I want everyone working on this. We need to find Jenkins. Now. Ami?”

  Ami followed Katlena back to her desk.

  “You know that we’ll reverse the three-year-clause, right? We’ll get this done, but you heard the conversation. They’re planning something, and we need to be faster than that.”

  “How can I help?” Ami asked.

  Katlena picked up her purse and took a few bills out of her pocket. “Listen carefully. I want you to go buy a few things to wear. Whatever it is you need. Have a coffee if you want. When you’re done, pack everything you need from your place, take a cab and wait for me at home.”

  Ami was stunned. “No! This could be Lily we’re talking about. I want to be there!”

  “There is no time to discuss this. You have all the papers. You’ll be safe out there. I don’t want you here, or anywhere near the investigation. You’ll hear from me the moment we know about Lily, but I won’t put you in danger.” Katlena’s tone left no room for negotiation. Ami had to try anyway.

  “You want me to go shopping and then move in with you with all the pretty clothes bought with your money? I should have known. It’s the same thing as always. Doesn’t matter if I wear the numbers or not, I’m just supposed to do as you say.”

  “Not always,” Katlena said softly, and the memory of last night flashed in her mind, at the moment unbidden, but too powerful to ignore. “Please do this for me. I can’t do my job when I have to worry about you.”

  “You think I can deal with getting the right outfit when my daughter’s life is at stake?”

  Ami knew she was about to give in. As much as she craved to be there the moment they found Lily, she knew it wasn’t her place. This was a law enforcement operation.

  “For their individual reasons, they both seem to care about her. They don’t want anything to happen to her, no one does. I need you to be under the radar. Can you do that for me, Ami?”

  Ami shrugged, making no attempt to hide her resignation.

  “I guess.”

  Katlena laid her hand over Ami’s.

  “We’re making big steps every day. We’ll find her and bring her back to you. Obviously, her adoptive parents are involved in something illegal. No matter how much they believe in the cause, they will have to give her up.”

  It was hard to tell if Katlena really believed that, or if all she needed was to secure Ami’s cooperation.

  “Okay. Okay, I get it. Fine. I’ll go shopping.”

  “Hey. I expect you to pay me back once you get your first IdA approved paycheck.”

  “Yeah, sure. In money or other ways?”

  Katlena looked down at her desktop, but a small smile played over her lips.

  “Go.”

  * * * *

  She hadn’t thought under the present circumstances, she could bring herself to care, but when Ami entered the first store, she felt close to having a panic attack. She didn’t want to spend a lot of money, just buy something to get her over the next few days and to laundry day. The colors and loud music in the boutique were overwhelming.

  For five years, every stitch of cloth on her body had belonged to the City government. If she needed anything new, tops, bottoms, socks, or underwear, summer and winter, there was a form to be filled out: 51308 basic requirements/clothes. Most of the time, it was approved. Ami hated asking for anything, so she had only done it when absolutely necessary. She had to show up for work the next day. She had to think of a way to make more money, for Lily, so she had to leave the house. Those had been her only incentives.

  “Can I help you?” the sales clerk asked, making her jump. It seemed so unreal that she was here, like in a disturbing dream, while Katlena was hunting murderers. Finding Lily. It didn’t seem right.

  “Miss? Are you okay?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry.” It was only the second day, but the shift was enormous. Ami only now realized how accustomed she had become to people looking at her with anger and pity, prejudice, because of those numbers stitched into her black and white clothes. She felt like she was the one going undercover.
>
  “Actually, I could use a little help.”

  “Of course. What were you looking for?”

  About an hour later, Ami wasn’t too sure about her choices. Katlena had been right. She did need a coffee. She hadn’t had to buy things for herself in years, and now that she’d been confronted with the necessity, she had no idea what was appropriate for her age or would look good on her. Not that looking good was the priority, but she thought the sales clerk had done a decent job. She’d do as Katlena had said, pack up and wait for her at home.

  Unwittingly she had to smile. Katlena’s apartment had become more of a home than her own had ever been, within a few days. Needless to say, she felt a whole lot safer there. The Cypher ID building wasn’t too big on the kind of security that would protect its inhabitants. Inmates, really. Ami frowned. It was only with the relative distance of the past few days that she could fully acknowledge these facts. If she’d tried earlier, she might have given up already.

  She walked to the building, her coffee to go in hand. Two men were smoking in front of the entry, regarding her curiously. Ami was all of a sudden very aware of the bags in her hands. Cyphers didn’t bring home colorful bags. They waited for their deliveries. Color meant change, she realized, all of a sudden excited and scared at the same time. In her years living here, Ami had barely talked to anyone except Cara. No one would try to make her stay, but some might be envious. Ami knew she would have been, although watching from behind her curtain would have been all. Others might express their envy in a different way. She had to hurry up.

  Once in her apartment, Ami put on a new shirt and skirt, then hurried down to the basement to put Noelle’s clothes in the laundry. She hoped the inspector wouldn’t mind the government-issued laundry detergent.

  Back upstairs, she put her remaining purchases into a duffel bag, then took a look around the apartment. The summary she came up with was more than sobering. She’d take the stockings, because those were the only items without the number 51308.

  Nothing belonged to her, not the soap in the bathroom or the coffeemaker in the kitchen. When a cypher signed the papers, all of their belongings would be given to charity or simply tossed, depending on what could still be used. They started on a clean slate. Not that she’d had a lot to begin with, but the job at ShelTech didn’t allow her to purchase these things for herself. She’d started out here with nothing, and she’d go back to nothing. Debt, actually, to Katlena, for a couple of new outfits and a coffee, the costs of the name Cynthia Webber not included.