by A. Bernette
A few minutes later Stephen stood up and backed away from Stella’s desk.
“It’s ready for you,” he said. “Okay. So we need to give this message but make it sound normal. Are you ready?” Stephen asked.
“I guess so,” Stella said confused. “What is it you want to say?”
“I’m trying to say that we want to talk soon. That we want to hear what he might have found out. That you are sending this message with a scrambled source. That he can send one back that way. That the thing we can’t talk about is earthquakes and volcanoes about to happen,” Stephen said, hopeful Stella could make it sound like it needed to.
Stella sat in front of his system for and tried to make sense of what he’d just said. They were twins, but wired completely different.
“Okay. Here’s what I’m sending. ‘Hey, all scramble brained over here. Sorry, I had to cut out but would love to talk again soon even if I can’t talk about what’s got me all cracked up and ready to explode. Ever felt scrambled? I’m sure you have.’ How’s that?” Stella turned and asked Stephen.
“I suppose it will be sufficient. It gets the message across that we need him to receive.”
“Can I go ahead and send him the message now?” Stella asked back. She was proud she’d made sense of his message which sounded a little creepy.
“Yeah, go for it,” Stephen said to Stella nervously. Stella sent the message, stood up, and sat back down next to Stephen on her unmade bed.
“Are you ready to go back home?” Stephen asked Stella as they waited.
“Definitely. I am ready for a normal Summer - one that doesn’t require a parka. I’m ready to be off this continent and see some kids our age. I’m ready for our birthday party and getting our new status as para-adults, too,” Stella said almost daydreaming. She’d been ready to go home since before she’d left for camp.
“You know we don’t get anything as para-adults. The only thing new is that we can get in more trouble for doing things. Things like what we are doing now,” Stephen said correcting Stella.
“That’s not true Stephen. You’re being pessimistic. We get new freedoms, a later curfew, aggregated voting rights in local elections, we can get our first license, and more. Plus, we get an upgrade on our watches which raises the programs we can access to the para-adult programs. Even if we do something wrong or get in trouble we don’t get in as much trouble,” Stella corrected him.
“I think you are being overly optimistic,” Stephen argued back.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you about what happened at camp. Alexis, some other kids, and I saw something really strange. We went into the teacher’s cafeteria, I think, behind Dr. Lima and these three people. They were strange and scary but in a cool mysterious way,” Stella beamed.
Stephen looked at her appalled, “You snuck into a building on the university campus? What if you’d been caught?”
Stella cocked her head to the side and ignored his question. “We snuck in because we needed to. Once we got inside, we heard the strangest conversation between Ms. Joykill, also known as Dr. Lima, and these people. We had to run out of there because Ms. Joykill must have heard us. Oh my god, it was so exciting. Makes me want to go exploring,” Stella said with a broad smile.
“You shouldn’t have been snooping around and going into rooms you weren’t supposed to be in Stella,” Stephen admonished her.
“Like I said, I had to. Have you ever thought about what else was here in the ARC? This place is so much bigger than either of us ever knew and then with all of the off limit areas and locked doors, aren’t you curious?” Stella asked Stephen.
“Of course I’m curious, but I’m not going to go in locked rooms or areas that say off limits. That would be bad citizenry,” Stephen said with a look of surprise that Stella would suggest it.
“Don’t act all high and mighty Stephen. Just because it’s not a physical door you are walking through, what do you think you are doing with all this trying to break into files and get access to data that has restricted access? Same thing,” Stella retorted.
“I disagree - it’s not the same thing. I think we have a message back. Hold on.” Stephen was happy for a change of subject.
It bothered him that what Stella said was possibly true. He was behaving like a criminal and putting himself in the position of risking the loss of his full citizenship status because of being overly curious. It didn’t make him feel much better that he was doing it because he had to, not just for fun.
Stephen paused. “What if we get in trouble? What if someone finds out?” he asked Stella.
“Well then, do it soon, before you are sixteen,” Stella smiled. “We can’t stop now. We may be breaking the law, but it doesn’t mean we are doing something wrong.” Stella always had a way of making him feel…confused.
“Marco just sent us something. He says, ‘We’ll talk soon. Feeling scrambled too and a little overwhelmed. So much to think about and I just need a little time to sort things out. You’ll be the first to hear from me when I’m ready. Stay warm.’
Stephen looked confused. “Oh, I get it. Okay,” Stephen nodded.
“Yeah, I got it too,” Stella smiled. “So how do we actually get the files once he gets them open?” Stella asked Stephen. “How do we receive anything safely?”
“We have to use the same process as before. If Marco can open them maybe it’ll be safer to wait until we are home for him to send them. We have access to more systems and networks there so it wouldn’t be as traceable.”
“Don’t you think if Marco can manage to open up these blocked files, he can manage to send something without it being traced? My worry is us opening it up or having it show up on our side,” Stella said.
“Yes, you are right but there is still much more risk here,” Stephen nodded.
“So you think we should wait until we are home to have him send it?” Stella asked confused.
“Right. Tell him that Stella,” Stephen said to his sister who just stared at him.
“Stephen, if we don’t get it until we are home how can we use it to figure out the ARC?” Stella asked Stephen.
“We will just have to wait until we’re back or study the files from home,” Stephen answered.
“Between you, Marco, and Alexis we can figure this out. We’re gonna have to risk it. Everyone is going to be so busy the next few days they won’t notice anything. You know how to clean up the network. So as soon as you get it on something safe, just get rid of any trace of it. You can do that right?” Stella smiled a sneaky smile and then her eyes got wide as something dawned on her.
“Stephen, what if someone or something is trying to tell you something in that chat room but can’t get in?” Stella asked, as the idea dawned on her.
Stephen looked at her. She was making no sense.
“I mean, Marco put that block on the class chat room so no one else could get in besides the two of you, right?” she asked.
“Yes,” Stephen said with a pause.
“What if the staticky sound is someone or something trying to get in, but being blocked? Aren’t you curious about what it is?” She smiled mischievously at Stephen.
Stephen lied, “Not that curious, but I get what you mean. We don’t have much time but I could go back in and see if anyone is there.”
Chapter Twenty
Coincidence
Antarctic Research Center
There was the sound again telling him someone else was there. He sat up quickly and tried to speak.
“Hello? Hello?” Canson Pritchard said.
Canson had been disconnected from the room the last time he’d tried to get in. He needed Marco and Stephen to know he was there.
“This is Mr. Pritchard, from the advanced science and technology class. Your science in life class. Who is this?” Canson waited for a response. He was hopeful one of them would answer.
On the other end Stephen and Stella sat staring at the screen, their eyes wide in panic. They hadn’t turned on their side of th
e video and quickly muted the sound.
“What should we do?” Stephen asked Stella.
“I don’t know. It’s your teacher. Will you get in trouble for using the class chat room?” Stella answered him back in whisper. She got up and stood in the corner by the door where she would be out of the picture.
“Hello?” Canson’s voice came through again. “It’s okay. You’re not in trouble. Are you still there?” Canson tried to calm the person on the other end.
Stephen looked at Stella once again and then turned his voice back on.
“Hello?” Canson’s voice cracked with nervousness.
“Hello. I’m here,” Stephen finally said, clearing his throat and sounding a bit calmer.
“Who is this?” Canson asked.
“Ummm. I’m in your class. I’m sorry for using this room to talk. I, we, I-I just didn’t, we didn’t know,” Stephen stopped. He was stammering all over his words. “I needed a secure place to talk to someone, Mr. Pritchard. Please accept my apology.”
“I see. Do you mind telling me who you are? I can’t quite catch your voice,” Canson prodded. He was curious what Stephen would say.
“I’m sorry Mr. Pritchard for using this interface. It won’t happen again.”
“Wait! Don’t go. I know who you are. I know who the other kid is too.” Canson paused and Stephen considered disconnecting again, but his sister in the corner urged him to talk.
“I’m here,” Stephen replied.
“I need to talk to you Stephen. It’s important.”
“Hold on, Mr. Pritchard,” Stephen said and put his voice back on mute. “Get Marco back in the chat room Stella. Hurry. I think it’s going to be okay,” Stephen said before turning his voice back on.
“I’m back. What’s going on Mr. Pritchard?” Stephen asked.
There was a moment of silence as Canson’s eyes seemed to look straight at Stephen even though his video was still off.
“Stephen, I need you to listen very carefully. What I have to tell you is very important and may not, well, probably not, make any sense. It has to do with you, your sister, Marco and a girl you haven’t met, but your sister has, named Alexis, Ren, and two others.”
“I met Alexis, sort of,” said Stephen. Stella walked out of the corner and sat back down on Stephen’s bed. “Stella is here too,” Stephen told Canson who was glad she was there to hear what he had to say as well.
“What do you need to tell us?” Stephen asked, leaning in. The staticky sound came to an end and then Marco appeared on the other side of the projection showing on Stephen’s wall.
“Hold on,” Stephen said wanting Marco to hear this. “Marco, I have our teacher Mr. Pritchard on the line. He has something to tell us. It has to do with that friend of yours too, Alexis.”
Marco wasn’t sure whether to speak but Stephen had already called out his name. He figured he’d take a chance. He was pretty sure there was no way this would end well, but nothing he was involved in at the time was likely going to end well.
“Yeah, what’s going on?” Marco asked reluctantly.
“Marco, thanks for coming back. I was trying to get in on your connection, but I’m guessing you two did something to block me,” Canson said. Both boys were silent. They actually liked their teacher but they could still get in trouble for what they did.
“Anyways, the three of you here, you two, and Stella, are a part of something bigger. The fact that you all are connected isn’t a mistake, an accident, or coincidence. We’ve been working very hard to get Alexis and Marco connected and then connect them with you and Stella,” Canson paused, letting what he said ruminate for a moment.
“Can I get Alexis on my system? Seems she may want to hear this too,” Marco asked.
“Sorry she can’t get into this room. It’s for registered students only,” Mr. Pritchard said but Marco had already sent her a message to have her open up a transmission with him. She’d be able to hear everything going on in the room and at least see him.
While Marco went to get Alexis connected, he, Stephen, and Stella were all wondering what this was all about. When Marco saw Alexis come up he quickly caught her up on the conversation, leaving out the fluff. She’d have questions but he would let Mr. Pritchard answer them.
“We’re back,” Marco said. “Alexis can hear us but she can’t see you,” he added.
“No problem,” said Canson as he readied himself to continue. He understood why he was the one who had to get them prepped. With everything going on with Mave he had to fill in the gap. It didn’t make him feel any more comfortable. He took a deep breath.
“Again, this may not make any sense but you are all together, so to speak, for a reason. You are part of a small group of kids designed to perform a certain mission.” Canson stopped again trying to find words that would make sense.
“Designed? How are we designed?” Stella asked, sitting up behind Stephen.
“That’s a good question. I can try to explain but it’s much bigger than me. You were made with certain, hmmm, qualities that you can use when the time is right. Then you were given a serum before birth to enhance these natural qualities. They aren’t fully developed yet because before they can be fully there and usable, you have to know they even exist,” Canson sighed, pleased he’d managed to find words that might help them begin to understand.
“So each of you have some general talent or gift or ability that sets you apart from others. For example, Stella, you can get a sense of what is happening before it happens and a sense of what people are thinking. Not exact but their motivations, fears, you know? It’s just a part of who you are.”
“Are you saying we’re like part cyborg or something? Or we aren’t all human?” Stella asked worried.
“Yeah, what do you mean? How do you mean we were made?” Marco asked.
“It’s something you have to feel more than me just telling you. Each of you has it and the rest do too. Next month when Stella and Stephen are approaching their sixteenth birthday we want to hold a special ceremony for all of you.
“How many of us are there?” Alexis’s voice broke into the conversation from somewhere in the distance.
“There are supposed to be eight of you. We have managed to reach seven of you. The status of the eighth remains uncertain,” Canson said back to Alexis and the others. “But we want to get you all together, in a way, so we can help you better understand your mission.”
“This is bull. Is this some kind of new project you are doing for school Mr. Pritchard? Technology and society or science and society?” Marco asked.
Stephen just sat and listened silently. He was following the sequence of incidents and coincidences that led to this point. He tried to reason that it was just coincidence but the likelihood of all of the random events truly being just random kept falling outside of his range of likely probabilities.
As he settled on accepting that perhaps Mr. Pritchard wasn’t lying his thoughts turned to something else. That there wasn’t anything really special about him. Sure he was smart, but a lot of people were smart.
“Mr. Pritchard, you said we all have special qualities. I don’t have anything special,” Stephen spoke up awkwardly.
“What are you worried about that part for Stephen? He’s saying we are here for a mission. That we were designed! Doesn’t that seem a bit stranger than whether or not you have a special quality? And besides that, of course you do but that’s not the point,” Marco said, bewildered at Stephen.
“All of you were given something shortly before birth, a booster shot so to speak. The full effects of it haven’t really been seen yet. You’ll see a difference when the time is right and after the ceremony. I need you all to trust me, trust those who have always been there for you. We will all participate in this. It is my plan to go through this with Marco and Alexis. Stephen and Stella you’ll be with Mave.
“Mave! How is she involved with this?” Stella asked while moving in closer. She now wondered just how much she didn’t
understand.
“Mave is like me. We have been assigned to you,” Canson said, offering no further explanation.
Instead, Canson continued with his original thought. “Some details are still being worked out and I’m glad to say that isn’t my area, but until then, keep searching for the truth of what is going on.”
“Wait, Mr. Pritchard. Maybe you can help us with something,” Stephen said.
“What?” Canson asked curiously.
“We have some files we can’t open. It’s really important because it has to do with some work we are doing here and stuff happening in other places and we…”
Mr. Pritchard cut Stephen off. “I can’t help you with that. I believe between you, Marco, and Alexis you have all the skills you need to get what you need. Besides, as a full adult the consequences are much worse. You’ve got a few years before you turn twenty-one.”
“Can I ask you something?” Stella asked Mr. Pritchard.
“Sure.”
“How did you get involved? What part do you play?” she asked him.
Canson looked at Stella and Stephen. They were so innocent and on the ARC they had lived much more sheltered lives than the others. He wondered if they would understand.
“I was chosen as well to serve as a guide and help things line up. I’m called a Keeper. There are things happening beyond what we can see with our eyes or hear with our ears or feel on our skin. I am a part of that, walking sometimes on a fine line between there and here.”
“Are you a Connected?” Marco asked.
Canson hesitated for a moment before answering. “Yes, Marco. I am.”
“This is unreal. I’ve heard about Connecteds but I’ve never met one,” Alexis said with a sound of wonder in her voice.
“Wait…how do we know you aren’t just saying crap and messing with us or that this isn’t some kind of class experiment to see how a group of kids react in a strange social situation?” Marco’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t very trusting after what happened to his father.
