by Adams, M. L.
“No thanks, I already ate,” she said.
“Come on,” Mason pressed.
“I can’t,” she snapped. “I was just saying hi to Ben.”
Mason shrugged. “Oh, well okay. Maybe some other time?”
I suppressed a smile. Mason sometimes had that effect on girls. He tended to be a bit—persistent.
Without replying, Katherine turned back to me and flashed a huge smile. “See ya around, Ben,” she said, before walking off.
“Bye, Katherine,” Mason and I replied in stereo.
I glanced at my friend and frowned. Mason spent more time talking and thinking about girls than anyone I had ever known. I considered giving him a hard time for running Katherine off, but decided there was no point. It’s not like I needed the complication anyway. And Katherine was definitely a major complication.
“Man, Katherine sure is hot,” he said as he glanced over his shoulder and watched her walk away. “Look at that—”
“Hi, Mason,” I said before he could finish.
He shook his head as he set his tray down on the table. “I still can’t believe she said yes to you for the homecoming dance.”
“Gee, thanks,” I replied. “Not that it mattered.”
Mason grinned, and said, “Now her ditching you I can believe.”
Under the table, I kicked him in the shin.
“Ow!”
“You deserved that,” I said.
He stared at me for several seconds, then shrugged. “Probably. How’d it go with Bradley?”
Great as always, I said to myself. Oh, did I mention she saved my life?
“All right, I guess,” I said aloud, wanting to change the subject.
“I’m sure,” he replied. He laughed and flipped his head in the direction Katherine had gone. “What was that all about?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? Whatever, dude. You two are the talk of the school. I’m guessing she was here to tell you to never text her again. Right?”
“She was just saying hi.”
“Uh huh,” Mason countered.
“Speaking of that,” I said. “Should you be sitting here? My social status isn’t going to earn you any points with the ladies right now.”
“Don’t really care,” he replied. “Old news. If you ask me, that cyborg registry thing is a joke.”
I smiled to myself. Despite his quirks and obsession with the female sex, Mason was a good friend.
“Besides, there is this girl I like and she has an augment,” he continued. “Since you’re probably her new hero, I better stay on your good side.”
And there it is, I thought. Always looking for an in with the girls.
“Glad I could help your love life,” I said.
For the next ten minutes, we caught up while we ate. The latest video games, who was doing what at school, and whether or not I would try and rejoin the football team.
That would be a no.
As usual, Mason did most of the talking. I listened as he rambled on. While a small part of me enjoyed the conversation, the truth was, I didn’t really care. Not today. Video games, girls, exams, the daily grind of teenagers at Endo Valley, just didn’t seem important at the moment.
“So, I’m going to ask this girl out,” Mason said. “Why don’t you find someone and we’ll double?”
Against my better judgment, I took the bait. “Ask who? Katherine?”
Mason laughed. “Yeah right, that ship has sailed, buddy. I’m talking about one of my sister’s friends. You know they all like you, right?”
“You mean they did like me.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Mason said, waving his hand. “This thing will blow over in a few days when the next scandal erupts. Pretty soon you’ll be ancient history. Come on, just ask one.”
I groaned and wondered why he was always so concerned with finding me a girlfriend. “Maybe I’ll just ask Jessica,” I said.
Mason extended his middle finger. “Not my sister, you dick. You stay away from her. I said one of her friends.”
I grinned and took my last bite of spaghetti. Jessica, Mason’s younger sister, was smart, funny and really cute. She was also a great friend. Or, at least had been. After my weekend debacle, I wasn’t sure if that was still the case. We hadn’t spoken since Friday night.
“So, is she still mad at me?” I asked.
“Dunno. Probably.”
“Great,” I mumbled.
“Hey, you’re not getting off that easy,” Mason said. “Ask. One. Out.”
Does he have the ability to think about anything other than girls for more than a minute?
“How about Taylor?” he continued. “She’s totally hot. I wouldn’t call her desperate by any means. But you could at least try. Or Saige? Or even Isabelle . . .”
Guess not.
A commotion near the entrance of the lunchroom caught my eye. No fewer than a dozen letter-jacket wearing varsity football players walked into the lunchroom. At the front of the group was Danny Brewer. Somehow, he managed to make the rest of the team look tiny.
Oh right, steroids, I thought. That’s how.
I stood, grabbed my tray, and made my escape.
“Cassidy, Abby, Kate . . .” Mason continued.
“See you in class,” I said over my shoulder as he continued to rattle off the names of his sister’s friends. “Gotta run!”
11
After school, I made my way through the crowded halls to my locker. I approached each hallway intersection with caution and found myself repeatedly checking over my shoulder. I knew most of the football team should already be at practice, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
Just in case, I wasted no time at my locker. After grabbing my bag and jacket, I turned to leave.
I didn’t get far.
Standing quietly behind me was Jessica. She wore a dark brown sweater and had a backpack slung over one shoulder. Her auburn-colored hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail. One look into her blue eyes, which were narrowed into tiny slits, and I knew Mason was right.
Still mad.
“Ben Raine,” she growled as she stepped forward.
At five three, Jessica was about eight inches shorter than me. That didn’t change the fact that I was terrified. With one hand, she reached up and grabbed my jaw, then proceeded to yank my head from side to side.
“I don’t see any data ports,” she said.
I swallowed hard, not sure what to say. It didn’t surprise me she honed in on the one thing Megan and the football coaches missed. After jerking my head around for another few seconds, she finally let go.
“I looked it up online, Ben. There isn’t a commercially available augment that doesn’t have a data port near the temple. Which means you have some top-secret augment.”
My heart stopped.
“Or you’re lying.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Anything I said at this point would just end up being another lie. I was already at my quota for the week.
“Fine, whatever.” Her face red with anger, she stepped back and turned away. “Keep being a jerk.”
“Jessica, wait,” I said, stepping quickly to her and gently grabbing her arm. “I’m sorry.”
She twisted out of my grasp. “Let go.”
“Look Jess, it’s . . . a long story.”
“Don’t care, Ben,” she said, walking away. “You don’t lie to friends.”
I jogged to catch up with her. “Please don’t be mad at me. You and Mason are like the only friends I have left. I’m sorry, I really am. When I can tell you about it, I will. Okay?”
After several more steps, she stopped and looked up at me. The fire in her eyes waned. “Fine, whatever, Ben,” she said. “But if you lie to me again, I will kick your ass.”
I grinned and put my hands up in a defensive posture. “I have no doubt.”
Without further comment, she turned and walked down the hall. As I watched her leave, an idea struck me. I j
ogged after her. “Hey, one more thing,” I said. “You worked at your mom’s medical office last summer, right?”
“Yeah, I was an office assistant. Why?”
“You know anything about medical records?”
“Medical records?”
“Sorry, weird question,” I said. “Thought maybe since you worked there, you might know a few things. I was hoping to get a copy of mine.”
“Not much,” Jessica said, frowning. “All the records were stored on a server. I didn’t have access. They keep them locked down.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured,” I replied.
When we stopped at the next hallway intersection, Jessica turned to me, a concerned look on her face. “You okay, Ben?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just curious about something.”
She stared at me, then said, “Well, if it’s important, I can ask my mom about it tonight. Maybe she can help.”
“Nah,” I answered. “No big deal.”
“Why don’t you just ask Court?”
Courtney, my oldest sister, was in her second year at medical school. I hadn’t even considered she might know something about accessing patient records. “Uh, yeah. That’s a good idea,” I said. “I’ll give her a call.”
“I’m going to tell her you forgot about her,” Jessica said playfully. “She won’t be happy.”
“Sure, like you don’t forget about Mason whenever possible.”
She laughed. “True.”
After saying goodbye, I made a beeline for the student parking lot. Three minutes later, I was safely in my Jeep and headed home.
Later that night I took Jessica’s advice and called Courtney. Two minutes into the call, I was slowly and methodically bumping my forehead against the top of my desk. She had pretty much told me the same thing the hospital FAQ did. Basically, I wasn’t getting my medical record without my parent’s help.
“So no other way?” I asked.
“I suppose you could steal them,” Courtney said.
I lifted my head and stared at the phone. “Did you say . . . steal them?”
She laughed. “I’m kidding, Ben. But we did review a case in my medical law class where a group of hackers did just that. They broke into a medical office server and stole personal information from patient records. They got a hold of tens of thousands of records before they were caught. It was a pretty big deal.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Courtney joked.
“Thanks . . . mom,” I replied.
She laughed again, and asked, “Why do you want your records anyway?”
“No big deal. Just trying to learn more about my cancer. That year of my life is pretty much a blur. Been thinking about it a lot.”
There was dead air for a moment.
“Well, you could interview me,” Courtney said. “I remember it all too well.”
I stared at the picture of my sister on the display of my phone. My battle with cancer and subsequent years at CyberLife had been hard on my family. Especially during the years I lived on the research campus. I had always been close to my sisters. But it was hard to see them during those years and we gradually grew apart. Eventually, Courtney went off to college. Amanda followed a year later.
“Yeah, I bet,” I replied softly.
“You okay, Benjamin?”
“Sure,” I lied. “Why?”
“You sound . . . down.”
I rested my chin on my hands and gazed out the window. I was tired and mentally exhausted. “I’m all right,” I said. “Midterm week, that’s all.”
“I understand that,” she said. “I barely have time to breathe. Every week in med school feels like midterm week.”
“Good point,” I said. “Guess I shouldn’t complain.”
More silence. Finally, Courtney said, “Well I need to run, Benjamin. Have to study. Sorry I wasn’t more help.”
“Nah, it’s good, sis. Glad we could catch up. Can you do me a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t tell mom I asked about my medical record. You know her, she’ll freak out.”
Courtney laughed. “Definitely. And okay, my lips are sealed.”
12
An hour later, after another failed attempt to study for my American Government mid-term, I climbed into bed. I rubbed my face and tried to think of a time when I felt more overwhelmed.
I couldn’t.
Not even during my years battling cancer and playing lab rat at CyberLife. Then I had one thing to focus on—beating the odds. It gave me clarity. A mission.
Now, in the span of a few short days, so much piled on. I closed my eyes as a series of images cascaded through my mind.
Megan . . .
Dr. Merrick . . .
Detective Frost . . .
Football . . .
Katherine . . .
Midterms . . .
And, of course, the four words I couldn’t get out of my head.
You never had cancer.
Unable to fall asleep, a half-hour later I climbed out of bed and walked down to the kitchen. I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and poured a giant glass of milk. When I returned to my room, the display on my phone was on. I read the message.
You awake?
It was Jessica.
Of course.
I took a bite of my sandwich and waited for a reply.
Talked to my mom. She says you’ll need your parent’s signature. Takes two weeks. Sorry.
Same story from three different sources, I thought. So much for the medical record idea.
Thanks Jess.
Did your sister have any ideas?
Sure. Hire a hacker.
LOL. Really?
Yep.
My phone was silent for several minutes. I figured Jessica was studying or getting ready for bed, so I typed a good night message. Before I hit SEND, she texted back.
I know one.
I stared at my phone, then typed: Know one what?
A hacker.
I waited.
When no LOL or just kidding message came in, I replied: Can you meet me outside?
It’s freezing!
Please?
Ok, give me 2.
At ten after eleven, I crept down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the side door of the house. The air was thick with moisture and it was cold. As I climbed the fence, I heard a sliding glass door open and close.
“Hey,” I said, as I landed on the ground a few feet from her.
“Hey,” she said back. “It’s freakin’ cold out here.”
She wore only pajama pants, flip-flops, and a hoodie.
“Well no wonder, dork,” I said. “Here, take my jacket.”
She didn’t argue as I handed it to her.
“So, your text,” I said as Jessica slipped my jacket on. “You know . . . a hacker?”
She shrugged and rubbed her hands together. “Yeah, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“I mean, I know of one. But I was kinda kidding Ben. Is this really that important?”
Yes, it’s important.
“I don’t know, Jess,” I said aloud. “Maybe.”
With a sigh, she said, “Well, there is this new girl in my class. Sarah. Rumor has it she’s a hacker. For a price anyway.”
“Really? For money?”
“That’s what I’ve heard,” Jessica answered. “I don’t know her well. She seems nice enough, though. Been my partner in chemistry lab a few times.”
I sighed. I had hoped it was one of Jessica’s good friends. Maybe one I already knew. A total stranger wasn’t part of my plan.
“My toes are freezing,” she said.
I didn’t know what else to say. In fact, I wasn’t even sure why I bothered to come out. Was I really desperate enough to hire a hacker?
You never had cancer.
“So, hypothetically,” I said. “If I wanted to talk to this Sarah girl, how would I find her?”
Jessica rubbed her hands faster and started to bounce in place. “Well, I have lab on Friday. You could stop by before or after class.”
“Anything sooner?” I asked.
“Guess you could email her,” she said. “Or, I think she hangs out in the library a lot. You might find her there.”
“Thanks, Jess. Sorry I brought you out in the cold.”
“It’s fine,” she said, a concerned look on her face. “You sure you’re okay, Ben? All this medical record talk has me worried. Were you hurt on Friday night?”
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m okay. Just looking into something.”
She stared at me for another few seconds. Had it been warmer outside, I would have gotten the third degree. Instead, she said, “Okay, Ben. But if something isn’t okay, you let me know. Got it?”
“You’ll be the first to know, Jess,” I said. “Now get some sleep.”
We said our good-byes and I climbed back over the fence and went inside. I needed sleep, too, having gotten only a few hours the night before. But my mind continued to race and I knew sleep wouldn’t come easy. While I sat at my desk and worked on the PB&J, I thought about my conversation with Jessica. I put my feet up, leaned back in the chair, and closed my eyes.
Hiring a hacker isn’t an option, I told myself over and over. I’m not that desperate.
Right?
“Do you even know how your system works?” Megan asked, a frown on her face.
I stood in the center of her laboratory on the second floor of CyberLife’s main research building. Megan knelt on the floor next to me, using a hex wrench to reattach a titanium panel that protected one of my leg’s electronic circuit boards.
I sighed. I could see the sun setting through the window on the far side of the room. Just another fourteen-hour day of testing and tweaking my cybernetic leg. I was exhausted and not feeling particularly chatty.
“Yoo-hoo, Ben. Wake up.”
I looked down at her and shrugged. “I dunno. A little I guess.”
The truth was, even after five years, I knew next to nothing about the cybernetic part of my body. At least from a technical standpoint. I’d always left those concerns to Megan and the other experts at CyberLife. From my point of view, the system just worked.
Most of the time anyway.
Megan shook her head, and said, “Benjamin, I love you. But sometimes you’re impossible.”
