by ST Branton
“You’re press, right?” asked the guy with the skinny arms. “Lucky.” He did his best to approximate a suave smirk. “Do you think you could sneak me in? I’ll make it worth your while.”
I commanded my facial muscles not to organize themselves in any configuration resembling disgust. “Sorry, pal. I didn’t get a plus-one.” Before he had the chance to reply, I waded off in the direction where the guy had motioned for me to go. There was a table outside the conference center’s ticket office manned by a fearsomely put-together middle-aged woman.
“Media?” she asked. There were only a few media cards left unclaimed, which she had fanned in front of her on the tabletop. I scanned them quickly with my eyes. Thankfully, there was only one Monica.
“Monica Tellenburg.”
She sifted through the IDs, barely double-checking with a quick glance at my face. I put on as much nonchalance as I could muster. “Here you are, dear. Better get in there quick. I think it’s going to be quite full tonight.”
Somewhat startled by the simplicity of the ruse, I thanked her and walked away. In line to enter the special side door, I checked the credentials she’d given me, and I had to do a double take myself. As it turned out, Monica Tellenburg did look like me. No wonder Namiko had singled her out so quickly. A twinge of guilt poked at my stomach.
“Thanks, Monica,” I whispered. “I hope you nail the driverless car story.”
I am sure she will make the most of the information on the steel monsters that lack a charioteer.
“Do me a favor and keep it quiet tonight?” I said. “I’m gonna need to concentrate, and it’s hard to do that with some smartass talking in my head.”
Noted. I will only speak to notify you of your mistakes.
“Oh, that’s perfect.”
***
The inside of the conference center looked like it was made of jewels. Points of light reflected off the glass and stone façade like stars on the polished floor. Soft piano music piped through hidden speakers as impeccably dressed waiters circulated with the fanciest appetizer trays I’d ever seen. I kept my head on a permanent swivel, scouring the glammed-out room for signs of Monk, who’d escaped my scrutiny by slipping in during my press badge adventure.
It didn’t take me long to locate the press table during my circuit of the room, but I did my best to stay away from that area. Our little trick had fooled that woman at check-in, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t work as well around the actual press, particularly if there was anyone over there who knew Monica Tellenburg in real life. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to bluff my way through small talk. I’d never been much for extended improv.
The party itself wasn’t altogether unpleasant. Among the legitimate guests, I felt woefully underdressed, but everyone was either too polite or too intent on getting sloshed on the free high-end booze to notice me slowly circling the room. My first sighting of Monk happened on the third or fourth pass and only because my ears caught a woman’s voice gushing, “Oh, Mr. Monk, you’re just as delightful as I imagined!”
Surreptitiously, I turned to see the back of a trim figure in a dark blue suit, his arm around the waist of an hourglass in red. He was nothing like the nerd-turned businessman that I expected from his photos. And as Namiko had said, his new girlfriend appeared to be physically affixed to his side. A sweep of gold bangles on both wrists matched the rich twist in her hair. Her perfect manicure stood out brightly against the dark shade of Monk’s suit. They were both laughing.
She started to turn her head in my direction.
My whole body pivoted as I looked away toward the empty stage. We had just barely missed making eye contact, but I could feel her gaze linger on me for a second or two, as if she’d known it was me watching her. Part of me wanted to turn back toward her as a challenge, but the risk was too great. I was there for recon only, not to make a scene.
Despite that, just the shadow of her glance chilled me to the bone. I shivered. Why the hell was she looking at me? Why did I feel like she could see through me? There was absolutely something going on with Monk’s new squeeze, and I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know what it was.
Plainly speaking, she freaked me out. The next time I spotted a waiter holding water glasses, I flagged him down, took one, and downed half of it in one gulp.
How are you feeling? Good old Marcus, just checking in. You look shaken.
“I think I might be in over my head,” I whispered, so softly there was almost no sound.
You know what they say, he answered. Sink or swim.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
By the time Monk actually got up to do his thing, I had acclimated somewhat to the atmosphere of the gala. To my immense relief, the real press had dispersed rapidly throughout the crowd, seeking quotes and sound bites from the biggest stars. They paid no attention to me.
When my feet got tired of methodically circling, I found a seat in an inconspicuous corner and took it, content to wait for the main event. Eventually, the lights in the hall flickered a few times and dimmed, and a guy in a silvery white ensemble got up to make introductions.
He spoke for about four minutes, during which, by my estimation, he said absolutely nothing. It was easy to see the version of Silicon Valley that Namiko saw now that I was surrounded by it. Dozens and dozens of ludicrously wealthy mavens only concerned with belongings.
“This is a man who has built an empire out of nothing but a few simple pages of code, a man who formed diamonds from sand. He stands before you all tonight as the greatest, proudest innovator of his time. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Silas Monk!”
The crowd, which had been mercifully subdued up to this point, erupted into a dignified roar. Monk took the stage like a real celebrity, smiling and waving, posing for a few well-timed cameras. Unsurprisingly, he was not alone. The woman in the red dress hung delicately on his arm. She smiled, too, but she didn’t make any attempt to draw undue attention to herself.
She didn’t need to. My false brothers and sisters in the media devoured her. The image of Silas Monk, tech star extraordinaire, paired off with a perfect blonde bombshell was too good to resist. I supposed if I was in their shoes, I’d be excited about it, too, but as an observer, the whole spectacle just sort of rubbed me the wrong way. It felt too much like a put-on.
To Monk’s credit, some of that feeling went away when he began to speak—but only some. The fact that his girlfriend sat perched in a chair just to the side of the podium detracted from the impact of his words. Half the men and a fair number of the women in his audience only had eyes for her.
Monk himself was possessed of a certain kind of awkward charm. His enthusiasm was so potent that it was difficult not to get caught up in it. He paced excitedly around the stage, talking with his hands, even jumping up and down a little bit.
“I can’t tell you how privileged and grateful I feel to be able to share these incredible advancements with you tonight. We are on the cusp of something truly life-changing, not just for the lucky few here in this room, but for every man, woman, and child on Earth. While it is indisputable that we live in a time of frequent uncertainty, I am beyond proud to announce to you tonight that those uncertainties will soon come to an end.
“My developer and I have poured our blood, sweat, and tears into the creation of the future; indeed, into the salvation of mankind. It is my esteemed pleasure to present this gift, so long in the making, tonight.”
The lights went down, and a tense murmur ran through the onlookers. As the lights came up again, a sheer curtain dropped from the back of the stage, and something mounted atop a heavy square pedestal came rolling forward, draped in a shroud. Silas Monk took the woman in red by the hand, and together, they each grasped a corner of the covering. Cameras flashed. He threw the captive crowd a wide, sweaty grin.
“For too long, humanity has toiled in the darkness. Now,” he announced. “Behold the LIGHT!”
The shroud fluttered down to the stage, revealing an object in
a thick glass case. It was smaller than I’d anticipated, and from my vantage point, I couldn’t really tell what it was supposed to be. The guests at the front sent up a dutiful cheer, and there was quite a bit of chatter from the experts in the room.
Monk stood beside his latest gadget beaming, his arm once more locked around the blonde’s waist. Her facial expression hadn’t budged an inch, but her eyes picked over the crowd.
I made sure not to look at her for more than a few seconds at a time. The prospect of making eye contact filled me with dread, which was doubly upsetting because I didn’t know why. Keeping my head down, I joined the waves of curious spectators moving up to get a closer look at the LIGHT.
I never got nearer than three rows back from the stage, but by then, I could ascertain that it was, in fact, some sort of drill, albeit one I’d never seen before. The slot for the bit seemed impossibly thin, and I thought I could see something glowing down in the mechanism of the device.
A slew of diagrams were brought out on boards and easels, ostensibly in order to explain how the thing worked, but they were one hundred percent inscrutable to me. Combined with the constant camera flashes, I was starting to get one killer headache.
Monk waved his hands at the advancing throng, grinning with delight at the palpable excitement in the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, I must implore you to wait a moment,” he said, putting on airs. “You see, we’re not quite done here.” The crowd murmured. Monk stepped back toward the glass case. “In fact, I would consider what you’re about to see the main event of our little soiree. I couldn’t leave tonight without a demonstration, could I?”
You could’ve heard a pin drop in the atrium. The hinges on the back of the case squeaked in the dead silence as Monk reached in and released the securing anchors. The glass lifted away, leaving the device naked on its pedestal. At the same time, a huge, thick sheet of apparent stone or metal came down on a heavy-duty apparatus to be positioned in front of the drill.
Monk put on a pair of tinted goggles. A sheer curtain dropped down in front of the drill’s bit path. “And then,” he intoned, “there was LIGHT.” He flipped a switch on the side of the instrument. A glow began in its bowels. I heard the distinct sound of a mechanism spooling up.
It was hard to describe what happened next. The curtain seemed to flash and ripple, and a plume of sudden smoke erupted around the target slab. When it cleared, a clean hole stood out in the center.
Monk turned to the audience and bowed. A beat later, the applause began. My brain, still wrapping itself around the brief spectacle I’d just witnessed, throbbed with the effort.
“I need some air,” I whispered to Marcus. “Let’s go.”
***
The conference center had a row of side doors that opened on a garden promenade. I stepped out onto the walk, deeply inhaling the crisp night air. The stars were out in full force, as much as they were ever out in the heart of the city, but the breeze had a bite that was enough to keep most of the attendees inside. Personally, I found both the temperature and the solitude extremely refreshing.
“So, what do you think?” I asked my medallion, making sure to face out toward the lush garden so that no one could see me talking to myself. “Weapon of the gods or just Palo Alto’s latest modern gem?”
Not a weapon yet, but it could be formidable if it got into the wrong hands.
“I think one of those diagrams said there’s a laser in it.” I fished my phone out of my bag. “Gonna have to go back in and snap a few photos. Namiko’ll be all over this.”
I am glad you have found a living ally, however temporary. Your quest is brave, but lonely.
“It’s… it’s not that lonely. Plus, I get to do cool shit like crash this party pretty much all the time now. And Lord knows you’re never going anywhere.”
Deep down, though, I kind of agreed. Having someone to share the experience helped me feel like I was finally getting to move past the darkest phase of my life. Vic Stratton, Emo Vigilante, was emerging from her cocoon to become Vic Stratton, Hunter of Gods.
That had a pretty nice ring to it.
***
I wasn’t sure how long I stayed out there, but I had a miniature heart attack when someone called to me. “Miss?”
My whole body froze, a million different scenarios spinning through my head. A million ways I could have messed up. My first thought was that Monica Tellenburg had turned up and wanted revenge. But the guy trying to get my attention was just a friendly staff member.
“I wanted to make sure you were all right,” he said. “And let you know the reception is starting if you’d like to come in and get a drink.”
Would I ever.
“You’re too kind,” I said, stepping away from the railing. “I guess I did lose track of time. I just came out for some air.” None of that was technically untrue. Being present at this event was, I suspected, likely very similar to being a human inside Carcerum: beautiful people, lavish displays of wealth, and a pervasive sense that you do not belong.
“I understand, miss.” He chuckled. “It’s awfully full in here tonight. Hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”
He left as abruptly as he had arrived, and I let the crowd carry me back toward the stage. The LIGHT drill itself was gone, obviously, but the diagrams remained. Snapping a photo of each, I put away my phone and headed toward the bar.
Now that I’d seen the great invention, it was time to get close to the mastermind.
For a larger than life, celebrity tech guru, Silas Monk sure knew how to blend in. I first tried to locate him by tracking down areas with the loudest noise, but that seemed to just show me who was the drunkest. Then I tried looking for dark blue suits, but there were a thousand of those. Ultimately, it was the red dress that I spotted, practically exploding in a sea of sensible shades. And of course, Monk had his arm wrapped around her.
Hmm. Marcus chose not to elaborate, so I didn’t press him. Instead, I started gently pushing my way toward Monk’s location, tracking him through glimpses of that scarlet fabric. I knew I was getting close when I could hear the blonde’s gold bangles jingling along the length of her arm
All of a sudden, I had broken through some sort of invisible people barrier, and I stood face to face with her, not a single person between us. There was an extreme familiarity about her that I couldn’t pinpoint until I realized she was tall. Too tall, really.
She smiled at me with her perfect teeth. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced, have we?”
“No.” My voice came out as an anxious caricature of itself. “Not yet.”
“My name is Eve.” She appraised me thoroughly. “I love your sweater. Come, sit down and have a drink.
“Oh, I’m all right.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I was just wondering if I might have a chance to speak with Mr. Monk? I’m a huge fan of his work.”
The woman laughed softly. “Of course you are, darling. Everyone is.” She glanced over one slender shoulder. “I’m afraid Silas is terribly busy at the moment, but I’m sure he won’t be too much longer. You’re welcome to wait here with me if you like. Then you’ll be sure to catch his attention.”
“Right.” The whole interaction made me feel like I wanted to jump out of my skin. My gaze moved restlessly around the room, lighting on everything except her face. But I couldn’t stay away from it forever. Eventually, our eyes happened to lock for the tiniest fraction of a second.
I instantly forgot why I hadn’t liked her before. She was so sweet, so welcoming, so safe. Who was I to deny her generous offer of a drink at the bar? The whole purpose of this little adventure was to gather information, right? And what better way to do it than networking with Silas Monk’s constant companion?
If there was a Nobel Prize for investigation, I deserved it.
“Tell me about yourself,” Eve encouraged. “You’re so young to have been invited to one of Silas’s galas. It’s very impressive.”
Her voice bubbled like ne
wly poured champagne, and I suddenly felt very warm—like someone was wrapping me in a thick blanket. A buzzing sound seemed to fill the room, drowning out any voice but hers.
Without thinking, I answered, “Oh, I wouldn’t say I was invited.”
Victoria, Marcus cautioned.
I scrambled for damage control. “I have a press ID. I’m just… not on the official guest list.”
“Is this your passion then? Tech journalism? If so, it must have been very exciting to watch Silas unveil the machine that’s going to change the world.”
I smiled widely. “This has been the best night of my life. The only thing that could make it better is a real interview with the most famous genius on Earth.”
Eve laughed. It was a sound like falling water. “You are just darling. What’s your name?” She accepted a drink from the bartender and offered it to me. “Please, I insist.”
I hesitated, but it didn’t last long. One drink would barely register. “Thank you. I’m Vic.”
“Vic? That must be short for something. Victoria, perhaps?”
The name I had so deliberately abandoned sounded brand new—at least coming from someone other than Marcus. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“May I call you Victoria instead? It’s such a beautiful name. One I would consider for my own daughter.”
Victoria? Marcus’s voice rattled in my head.
I sent Marcus a barrage of psychic messages to can it and let me handle things. I was doing great on my own, paving a way to my real target. The more Eve warmed up to me, the easier it would be to access Monk, preferably one on one. All I had to do was keep her focused on me until he appeared.
Then, almost out of nowhere, there he was. That dark blue suit obviously cost more money than I had ever earned in my entire life, and it was tailored expertly to fit his form. His unremarkable face notwithstanding, he was like a living catalog picture, at once a pioneer and the industry’s clean-cut golden boy.
