The Rogue Spark series Box Set

by Cameron Coral

  The AI says, “Vitality session concluded. Shall I prepare your dinner?”

  At the mention of food, my belly rumbles. “Yes, I'd love some steak and vegetables.” My body craves protein. It's been ages since I worked out, and I wonder if there's a gym. I'm sure there is, since Reed has thought of everything.

  “Preparing steak and vegetables.” In another corner, a high-end food printer powers on. No expense spared here. I bet Space Squad is making a killing on all these tourists.

  I chow down on the meal, savoring every bite. The steak is cooked perfectly— a tinge of pink in the middle and juicy tenderness all around. It doesn't surprise me. The hotel is expertly planned—an amusement park rather than an official, secretive space operation.

  I check my biocuff, surprised to see it's already 2100 hours. Usually, I'm a night owl, but the trip has taken it out of me. I'm exhausted. I tap on my cuff, “Message Ogre.” The device lights up and after a moment, Ogre’s face appears on screen. “Hey. What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Analyzing the weather patterns for our journey south.” The android reclines on the bed even though it doesn't require sleep. Instead, Ogre recharges by going into a standby mode. “Will we be departing in two days’ time as planned?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “Think so? Doesn’t sound reassuring.”

  “Can it, Ogre.”

  “Can what?”

  “Ugh. That means be quiet,” I mutter.

  “Can it…interesting. I’ll have to add it to my lexicon.”

  “I’ll do my best to get us out of here. It seems there may be some negotiation required.” I stifle a yawn. “I’m beat. Catch you in the morning?”

  “Affirmative.” Ogre’s screen snaps off.

  I take off my cuff, gloves, and titanium fingers, then rub my left wrist. At night, I let the skin on my hands breathe, since they’re nearly always covered by my prosthetic device and carbon fiber gloves.

  I prop myself against the headboard, then close my eyes and take a few measured breaths, inhaling deeply. Meditation is important. I use it to train my mind like Alkina, the medicine woman who brought me out of my coma, taught me before she died.

  Practicing control over my brain waves is the only way I can be sure Vance doesn't reemerge. I can’t ever let him take residence in my mind again.

  I drift into a deep, trance-like state. My thoughts scatter, and I let them roll around in my brain, observing them. I separate emotions from thoughts, trying to dampen the pain of memories like waking up in Kenmore’s genetics lab after being drugged and operated on.

  I don't censor or control my thoughts. Instead, I let them lead me where they may. Lately, Gatz has been top of mind. But the thought of him makes me sad. When he told me he loved me and tried to kiss me, I recoiled. I was afraid I would hurt him if we touched. But he didn’t understand. When I had the chance to apologize and make things right, I avoided him.

  But tonight, my thoughts travel back to the medical lab. I haven't thought about it in ages, even though Lucy says I cry out in my sleep often. Whatever I'm dreaming about, I don't remember. Perhaps that's for the best.

  Suddenly my senses take over, and I’m immersed in a vision. I'm trekking across desert brush. Dressed in black fatigues and wearing a helmet with infrared, I carry a rifle strapped to my shoulder. Two others travel by my side, Cecile and Rik—fellow captives from the lab.

  I'm reliving a vivid memory, and my muscles tense as I realize what’s to come. We cross the desert searching for our designated target. Our mission is to assassinate someone, and we’ve no idea who or why. We're told the target is a traitor. The thought of shooting a human being makes me nauseous. I hope it's a very bad person—someone who did really bad things. Someone like Kenmore.

  Cecile and Rik aren’t as nervous. I wonder if they’re stronger than me. Have they killed before? Cecile says she has a lot of hunting experience. Maybe that's why she's okay with this.

  We approach a hill and crawl to the top because our tracking device says the target is very close, just around the hill. Take out the target undetected, we are ordered.

  Obeying, we scramble up the side of the small hill. At the summit, Rik identifies the target with binoculars. It’s my turn to look. A man with his back to us.

  And then he turns to the side. Now I remember. The man we’re to execute is a guard at the lab. His name is Peterson, and he’s been kind to me.

  But he's a mutant. His DNA has been spliced with that of a wolf or a bear, I'm not sure which. He’s tall and thick and solid with long claws that can tear me apart. He once accidentally scratched me, and it stung like hell.

  I panic. "We can't shoot him," I say. I'm the one who's supposed to pull the trigger because I drew the short straw. Rik and Cecile are jealous, in fact, because the one who kills the target gets to advance to the next level and no longer be isolated in a small cell.

  “If you can’t do it, I will,” says Rik as he raises his rifle to his shoulder and peers through the scope.

  No. They can't kill Peterson. Surely, he didn't do anything bad enough to die. I grab a fist full of dirt and sand and toss it in Rik's face.

  He coughs and sputters, and I scramble to my feet. “Peterson,” I shout. I start to run down the hill.

  He hears me, then spies me but it's too late. A rifle shot rings out and pierces him through the chest.

  I race down the hill and everything that happens next is a blur. My hands travel his chest, finding his wound. I jump into his body, repair the damage. He is alive, but then I'm dragged away. Screaming. Never knowing whether he lived or died.

  Zing, zing.

  I startle, my meditative trance broken. Every muscle in my body is coiled, ready to bolt. Beside me on the bed, my biocuff buzzes. My heart races, and I take a deep breath. It's Lucy. Am I calm enough to talk? After a few more seconds, I accept, and a holographic image of Lucy hovers above my cuff device.

  “Hey,” her voice rings out. “How’s Space Squad? I want to hear all about it. Is it top secret? Have you met any astronauts? Do you get to go on any test flights?”

  “Whoa. Calm down,” I say, rubbing my eyes.

  “What's wrong?” Her eyebrows scrunch together in an arc. “You look sick or something.”

  “I just woke up.”

  “Really? What time is it there? You never go to bed this early.”

  “I know. It's just the ride was very long…and exhausting.”

  “I see. What's it like there? How's Ogre doing? I'll call him next.”

  “This place is fine. Ogre seems okay, although very moody. I think it might be emulating some of your behavior patterns.”

  “Oh, because he's moody? Ogre’s just learning who he is. He's trying to figure out a lot of stuff. He has emotions for the first time. Gatz says the droids need to go through several stages of emotional development. Gatz—” She catches herself, knowing the subject of Gatz is off-limits with me. “He knows a lot about the subject because he's working with the Android Council of Spark City.”

  I avert my gaze.

  “He asked about you, you know,” she mutters.

  My breath catches in my throat.

  “I didn't tell him where you went.” She rolls her eyes. “God, Ida. The next time you ask me to lie, forget it. Ask someone else because I don't like lying to people I care about. It sucks.”

  “I know. I'm sorry you have to lie for me. It's just I don't want him to know what I'm doing...I don't want him to worry.”

  “Your secret is safe,” she says, fiddling with her long ponytail. “He thinks you're doing a military exercise fifty miles outside the city. Paul’s in on it. FYI, he hates lying, too, just so you know.”

  “I owe you guys. Seriously. And you know how much I hate owing people.”

  She smiles. “Yeah, payback’s going to be a bitch, just you wait. You found the doctor and delivered the helmet?”

  “I did.” I attempt a smile, but it comes out a smirk.

 
“Spill the beans. Something's up. I know that expression.”

  “I know Dr. Reynolds. Rather, I knew him when I was a teenager.”

  “Ooh,” she teases. “Someone from Ida’s past…is this a good someone or a bad someone?”

  “He's a good guy. He's the head astrophysicist here. He's done extremely well for himself.”

  “How did you know him?”

  “I met him at a Juvenile Improvement Center. He was an orphan like me. We lost contact.”

  “Wow. Sounds epic. What's he like now?”

  “Different. He's developed into a very strong and obviously brilliant person.”

  “Ida, do I detect you blushing? Is this guy hot or something?”

  Dammit. She knows me too well. “He's attractive…I guess you could say.”

  She grins. “I’m going to have to tell Ogre to keep an eye on you. Turn on his chaperone mode.”

  “I'm about to turn this comm off—”

  “Wait. Stop. I'm just giving you a hard time.” She pauses and places her chin on her fist. “I miss you here. The place isn’t the same without you.”

  “Yeah, I miss seeing your face, too, I guess.”

  She chuckles. “See now. Is that so hard to admit?”

  “Yeah, well.” I cross my arms over my chest.

  “I want daily reports on how things are going, especially with this hot doctor.”

  “You’re terrible, Lucy. You know that? What happens here is none of your business.”

  “Is that so? Luckily, I have Ogre to give me accurate reports.”

  “You're going to make me pull the plug on Ogre’s comm. You know that.”

  “No! Don't do that. I'm only joking.”

  I sigh. “How is Paul, by the way, and your mom?”

  “They're both doing really well. Don't you want to know about someone else too?”

  I say nothing. She can be such a pain.

  “Gatz is doing very well. He told me to tell you that you can reach out to him anytime. He says he’ll always be there for you. When you're ready.”

  “That’s…” I don't know what to say. “I’m not ready, and you know that.”

  “It's fine. I told him—”

  “Look, I have to go,” I say, more coldly than I intended.

  Her smile fades. “Catch you later?”

  But I terminate the connection abruptly. Of course, Gatz would say something like that. He's a good person—kind, caring—all the things I'm not. The two of us would be a terrible match. I wish he’d just meet someone and get on with his life.

  My thoughts wander back to the guard, Peterson. My memory is fragmented, but the raw emotion of that night in the desert lingers.

  I brought him back to life, but what became of him?

  Five

  The next morning, Ogre and I navigate our way to Reed's office, where he’s hard at work again inside his VR helmet. This time, he notices us right away and shuts down.

  “Ready for your tour?” he asks, rising from his contoured, floating chair. His hair glistens like he just stepped out of the shower. A clean shave reveals more of the boyish face I remember, and a black tee-shirt accentuates his thick biceps.

  I nod and avert my eyes from his physique.

  He glances at Ogre. “I didn't realize we'd have a tag-along.”

  I shrug. “Ogre goes where I go.”

  Reed takes in the android’s impressive frame. “I trust you,” he says to me. “However, I didn't prep my security team, and we haven’t had such an unusual visitor before.” He scans the far side of the room and raises a finger. “Give me a minute, please. Make yourselves comfortable.” He gestures toward the floating chairs, then ventures off, all the while talking into his biocuff.

  I wonder what he's telling his security team about Ogre. Few outside of Spark City have ever seen androids as sophisticated. Vance Drem’s models were originally designed as police/security bots. Now, word of their independence has spread quickly throughout the continent and across the world. It's an experiment still underway—a milestone in human history—spearheaded by Gatz. He’s championing the cause for android civil rights.

  Will it go wrong? Everyone has an opinion. The doomsayers are hailing it as the singularity—the catastrophic rise of artificial intelligence that signals end times. On the other hand, equal rights fringe groups claim it as a hard-won victory. Whatever happens, Spark City is the first to ever grant such broad-sweeping citizenship to androids, not to mention the rights already granted to the hybrids.

  Sudden change inevitably brings backlash. In reaction, cities including New York, London, and Frankfurt have adopted anti-android and mutant legislation. Ogre and I had to be careful about where we traveled on our way to Boulder. Nebraska, for example, is dangerous territory. We could face arrest and imprisonment, so we bypassed it.

  Reed returns, a smile stretched across his face. His gaze lingers on me a moment too long, and I look away.

  “We're all set,” he says.

  Ogre scoffs. “Am I cleared to roam the complex? Have you hidden the women and children?”

  I shoot it a warning look. “Ignore that comment,” I mutter to Reed. Seriously? I’ve no patience for android attitude right now.

  “We’re ready for the tour,” I say, wearing my best attempt at a polite smile. “Everything okay with your team?”

  He nods and leads us outside onto a concrete avenue with pedestrians traveling on a movable sidewalk and drones flying overhead. “We have tight security protocols at Space Squad, as you can imagine.”

  “Really?” Ogre trails behind us. “I’ve detected twenty-seven programming flaws in the ‘fenseNet. And I’m just getting started.”

  “Is that so?” says Reed. “I worked closely with the design team myself. That surprises me.” He glances over his shoulder at Ogre. “Perhaps you'd like to spend some time briefing our security team?”

  The android perks up. “I suppose. If you must know…I could inform them.”

  “That would be great, Ogre,” I say. “When could you meet with them? Now?”

  Ogre taps me on the arm, and points at my biocuff. He’s sent a message, “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  I raise a finger to my mouth to silence Ogre while Reed’s back is turned.

  After a few minutes on the moving walkway, we encounter a huge dome that stretches three stories high.

  “What is this? Ogre asks.

  “This is the Biodome,” says Reed. “I can’t wait to show you, Ida.”

  The geodesic structure is the size of a hundred of my Spark City homes put together. On entering, we pause first in a decontamination unit where we change into clean suits to protect the dome’s fragile fauna and flora from outside toxins. Reed and I wear off-white suits, but the only suit that fits Ogre happens to be a blinding neon yellow.

  “Yellow,” mutters Ogre as it dons the suit.

  Reed grins. “Well, there’ll be no missing you in that suit. That’s for sure.”

  I snap a photo with my cuff. “Way to blend in. For later,” I say. Then I whisper, “Blackmail.”

  “Not funny,” says Ogre, stomping.

  “Chill out. Just joking.” I pat Ogre’s arm.

  As we enter the dome, the air smells different—fresh and redolent of soil.

  A giddy Reed faces us and lectures as he walks backward. “Our scientists have developed genetically-enhanced plant life,” he explains. “Ferns cleanse and revitalize the air as they produce the required oxygen to sustain life.”

  I stare up at enormous pronged leaves that stretch all the way up the stadium-sized walls and form a canopy. Impressive. “How long can humans survive inside something like this?”

  “Decades. A century perhaps. My team is working on ways to extend the life preservation system for generations,” he says.

  “And we would colonize other planets with this technology?”

  He smiles. “That's the plan. We've identified several planets with colonization capability.�
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  I'm amazed at the speed with which the Space Squad team has progressed. “What is the plan to colonize other worlds? Is there a timeline?” I ask.

  “That,” he says quietly, “is classified. I wish I could say more... You understand.” His eyes flick to Ogre for a moment.

  I nod in reaction, but I wonder. Does he fear Ogre? What’s he holding back?

  We approach a group of children. An instructor reads a story to them as they sit on soft, green grass, transfixed by animated beings in a holo-display.

  “Do they live here?” I ask Reed.

  “Yes. A few years ago, we introduced families to the Biodome. They started having children right away; that was always the plan.”

  Surrounded by lush foliage, I wonder if these children have any idea how lucky they are. To be cared for in a healthy environment with parents and access to education. Do they even realize how harsh the outside world is?

  Reed peers at me. “A lot different from our beginnings…”

  “Yeah, no shit.”

  He grabs my hand and squeezes. As quickly as it happens, he pulls away. A fleeting moment. Nevertheless, I have trouble slowing my breath.

  Ogre watches me and tilts its head. The android pings me, “Shall I inform Dr. Reynolds that physical touch is unwanted, not to mention dangerous?”

  “No,” I say sharply. Reed turns his head in question, but I smile and say, “It’s nothing.”

  As we continue through the Biodome, men and women nod in deference to Reed. Everyone tries to make their best impression on him. It amazes me that the scrawny kid I once stood up for is now in charge of humankind’s space program. How many billions of dollars are under his control? Vance Drem would be envious.

  Yet, Reed greets everyone with a smile. He knows all their names. In many ways, he's the same geeky kid. Only way more handsome. Seriously, he could be a model. His birthmark doesn't detract from his features, instead it lends him a mysterious, intriguing look. As if, somehow, he’s marked as special.

  After the tour, we find ourselves back at decontamination where we remove our suits. I try not to stare at Reed’s chest when his skin-tight undershirt is revealed. The suits are taken into a shower-type cleansing booth. Not unlike the Vitality machine in my room.