Synthetica Read online

  “You said that you never wanted to become Civitas' slave, but aren't you one already?” she asked. “Civitas got what it wanted. You're out of the way now, while it gets to do whatever it wants; too afraid and ashamed to show your face again.”

  Clay's jaw tightened but Anais carried on, the anger and frustration building up inside her as she spoke.

  “Well, I hope you enjoy your illusion of freedom while it lasts, Clay, because you're right, that's all it is, an illusion. You think you're safe out here? Civitas knows exactly where you are and knows exactly how to push your buttons. If you don't want to help us, then fine, don't. But if you're just going to sit back and let Civitas do whatever it wants, manipulating people into doing it's bidding, then you deserve everything you've got coming to you. One day they're going to come back for you with a new chip, and a new idea, and then we'll see how well you get on. You can't shut them out forever, Clay.”

  She threw him one last derisive look and slammed the door behind her. Her hands were shaking as she stepped down off the veranda and into the burning sun. She felt utterly bewildered. There was a man in there who had the means to help them and instead, he had simply chosen not to.

  “Are you ok?” Xander looked at her in concern. “That was quite a speech.”

  “Yeah, well, it's true,” Anais said, her anger still running hot through her veins. “He could help us if he wanted to but he's too much of a coward. Bastard,” she added as she stomped away.

  They began to walk away, Anais still seething over the way Clay had dismissed them.

  “Anais, listen, I know you're upset, but I just want you to think about something. There's no actual evidence that Civitas did what Clay claims they did.”

  Anais stopped short.

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “Nothing,” Xander said. “Just that you shouldn't be too disappointed that Clay didn't turn out to be the answer you were looking for.”

  Although his voice was gentle enough, the words stung. And they hurt all the more because Anais knew he was speaking the truth. She spun to face him, taking Xander by surprise.

  “Why are you always defending that stupid company? Didn't you hear what Clay said? Don't you ever wonder if what we're being told is the truth? It's ok for you, but what about those of us who didn't get the job, or the life, we wanted? Why? Why should someone else decide what job I get? Why can't I decide what job I do, or how late I stay out, or what food I can eat? To hell with extra protein! If I want to eat extra bacon, I bloody well will.”

  “I didn't -”

  “You heard what he said about his wife. You saw the scar. Why would Clay make something like that up? Civitas has you wrapped around their little finger, just like Dalla was -”

  “Stop,” Xander's voice was forceful. His eyes glinted. “Stop it, Anais. Do I ever wonder if we're being told the truth? The truth about what, exactly? About the way the whole city is run? About the way we live our lives? About how we've eradicated most major diseases entirely and how we've found a cure for cancer? How we can look however we want and we can do whatever we want? Hundreds of years ago, there were people who died for this kind of freedom, Anais. And now Clay's got you wondering about our ID chips, just because of some bullshit story he told you?”

  He took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair.

  “In case you hadn't noticed, Anais, I'm trying to help you. I want to find out about these SLPs as much as you do, but all I'm asking you to do is not believe everything one man tells you. He might be right, he might be wrong. But we won't know until we find out exactly who's behind all these attacks.”

  Xander gently took her hand and squeezed it.

  “I just don't want you to get hurt.”

  “I'm sorry,” Anais said finally. “I didn't mean it. I just – I just want to know who killed Dalla. And why.”

  “I know,” Xander said softly, drawing her close to him. Anais slowly felt the tension leave her body as she clung onto Xander, his arms wrapped around her. Eventually she pulled back and Xander glanced at the house.

  “Do you want to go back and try again? He might listen to us once he's calmed down,” Xander suggested but Anais shook her head.

  “There's no point. He's made his choice. Let's just go home.” But her voice stuck on the last word. Going home would mean going back to an empty flat, with nothing to do but think about the many mistakes she'd made over the past few days. Their last hope was gone, and now the endless weight that had hovered over her for the past few days was beginning to crush down on her once again. The thought of going back and thinking about Dalla's death was enough to make her feel sick with fear and guilt. But if Clay wasn't willing to help them, there was nothing else they could do.

  As though he could sense her inner turmoil, Xander leant forward and kissed her gently on her cheek. She clasped his hand in hers as they turned their backs on the house and began to walk across the yard. Xander's gesture made her feel the tiniest bit better, as though a single ray of sunlight was piercing through the clouds that hovered over her.

  They had barely reached the dirt track, when there was a shout from behind them. They both stopped and Anais lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun. Clay was coming down the porch steps towards them. They remained silent as he approached. When he was just a few feet away, he stopped short and stared at them with as much dignity as he could muster.

  “Alright,” he said abruptly. “I'll help you. But -” here, he pointed at Anais. “if I want to come back home, I will. No questions asked, no obligations, you hear me?”

  Anais' heart lightened in spite of herself. She nodded and saw Xander doing the same out of the corner of her eye. Clay looked down, taking in their dusty shoes and the rip in Anais' leggings.

  “How were you planning on getting back to the city?” he asked.

  “We were going to walk,” Anais said. “That's how we got here.”

  Clay looked almost impressed.

  “You walked all the way out here?”

  They nodded again, and Clay guffawed.

  “Well, you ain't gonna make it that far back in this heat. Not without water. But seeing as I'm old anyway, I don't really fancy walking,” he glanced up at the sky. “When were you planning on launching this daring attack on Civitas, anyway?”

  That threw them. Anais and Xander exchanged looks as Clay watched them closely.

  “I gotta say, Annie, you ain't exactly filling me with confidence right now,” he said with a smirk.

  Anais folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.

  “Tonight,” she said decisively.

  “Is that right?” Xander said, throwing her an odd look. She shrugged.

  “Well, why not?” she said defensively. “The sooner we can get those files, the sooner we can see what Civitas is really up to.”

  “It's Civitas' big party tomorrow,” Xander warned. “They'll have staff in the building all night tonight, making sure everything goes smoothly.”

  “Well, that's a risk we're just going to have to take.”

  Clay's voice came as a surprise. Anais wasn't expecting him to stick up for her. She glanced at him and he nodded at her.

  “Well, you might as well come in and make yourselves comfortable,” Clay said, his voice returning to its usual unfriendly tones. “We ain't going nowhere til dusk. We wouldn't the police getting a look at my pretty face before we got into the building, would we?”

  He stalked back to the house, not waiting for them to catch up. Not wanting to intrude again, Anais followed Clay slowly and sat down on the veranda step. Xander followed suit. They heard Clay moving around inside, occasionally swearing as he tripped over something.

  “So what's our plan for tonight? I was kind of expecting us to have a little m
ore time to come up with something to be honest,” Xander said in a low voice.

  “Well, you know Civitas better than me. What about the R&D Department?” Anais yawned, stretching out her legs. The warmth of the day was beginning to make her head fuzzy.

  Xander thought about this.

  “I can get us through the back entrance to the building,” he said. “And my pass will get us up to the R&D Department, but only Civitas' top programmers and engineers are allowed into the actual labs. If we went slightly earlier, we could try and steal one I guess -”

  “No need.” They both turned to see Clay standing in the doorway. He was holding a bottle a liquor. He took a swig and smacked his lips. “You get us to that lab door, son, and I can do the rest.”

  “You sure about that?” Anais questioned. “I'd hate for us to get all the way there and then you can't get us in.”

  Clay fixed her with a steely eye and smiled.

  “Don't worry your pretty little head about that, Annie, we'll be just fine.”

  He disappeared back indoors, leaving Anais scowling.

  “It's Anais,” she called after him, but there was no answer.

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Have you ever met such an infuriating man?” she grumbled and Xander smiled.

  “This was your idea, remember?” he teased, and Anais nudged him with her shoulder. He chuckled as he put his arm around her. She lowered her head onto his shoulder, secretly glad to be close to him again. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest; a mixture of nerves, guilt and everything in-between.

  They sat together in companionable silence. Anais stared out over the fields, watching the long golden stems swaying in the breeze. The wind was making a faint rustling noise as it whispered through the wheat. The sun beat down from the afternoon sky, but they were protected from the worst of the heat by the creaking veranda roof. The tiny silver hovers buzzed and hummed through the crops in the distance. Anais could feel a slight tickle where Xander's fingers traced light circles over her arm.

  She felt her eyelids growing heavy in the afternoon heat. She tried to fight against it, but it was no use. A combination of worry, grief, guilt and lack of sleep were all beginning to make their mark. Her head swam as she shut her eyes. She could feel the light of the sun on her eyelids, turning everything red. Far away it seemed, she heard someone calling her name. At first she thought it was Xander, but the voice was too high, too feminine. She felt as though she should know who it belonged too, but her brain wasn't working properly and she couldn't summon the energy to think hard enough to place it. She knew it was someone important though, someone she badly wanted to talk to. She heard her name being called again, and her heart leapt as she finally recognised Dalla's voice. But there was something else....something that made her feel as though she shouldn't be hearing this, something was dreadfully wrong...and then it hit her like a train. Dalla was dead.

  With a jolt, she opened her eyes and sat up. All around her, the wheat was still sighing in the breeze, but the wind now had a cool edge to it. The sky was streaked with orange and purple as the sun made it's way towards the horizon. Yawning, Anais checked the time and was startled to see she'd been asleep for at least four hours. It felt as though she'd only just shut her eyes. There were several message icons flashing her vision, but she swiped them away with a blink, too tired to answer the questions her parents would no doubt be asking.

  She glanced around at Xander. He'd slumped back against the veranda post, his head lolling backwards and his lips slightly parted. A small smile spread across Anais' face.

  There was a creak and Clay stepped outside, now dressed in a clean, albeit crumpled, shirt and a dark green wax jacket.

  “It's time,” he grumbled.

  Anais stretched and prodded Xander with her finger. He woke with a snort and sat up, glancing round blearily. He clocked Anais next to him and Clay shutting the front door.

  “Oh right,” he yawned. “It wasn't all a mad dream, then.”

  Clay grunted and walked past them, down the stairs and rounding the corner of the house out of sight.

  Anais stood up and followed, her bruised leg feeling stiff. As they rounded the corner, they saw Clay rolling open the door to one of the barns, the rusty hinges screeching in protest. He disappeared into the gloom. Curiously, Anais and Xander poked their heads around the corner.

  Inside was an ancient looking vehicle – even in the half light, Anais could see that it didn't have magnetic strips, or hover capabilities. It had four wheels, a large cab, and a flat metal sheet with four short sides was sticking out of the back of the cab. Clay had opened the driver side door and was hunting around inside.

  Anais walked around the pick-up truck in wonder. She'd never seen a vehicle this old in real life before, although she'd often seen pictures of them in History class. She ran a hand along it's bonnet, marvelling at it's design, even though her fingers came away with an orange coating. What wasn't rusting away was painted a light blue colour. Now she realised what must've made the tracks on the path they had followed.

  “Wow,” Xander said as he inspected the large black wheels. “How did you get this?”

  Clay stuck his head back out of the cab.

  “It was my great great grandaddy's. He bought it brand new right before they stopped the production of fossil fuel cars,” Clay said, a hint of pride in his voice.

  “Does it work?” Anais looked it doubtfully. Although she was intrigued by the truck, she had no desire to ride it if it was going to explode, or break down halfway there.

  “Runs like a dream,” Clay said, slapping the bonnet. There was an ominous thunk from the engine. Anais raised an eyebrow. “She gets me into the city every couple of months when it's time to stock up on supplies.”

  From the back of the truck, Xander made a gesture of drinking from a bottle. Anais smirked.

  “Where do you park it?” Xander asked, walking back round the vehicle. “There aren't any suitable roads for cars like this anymore.”

  Clay gave him a withering look.

  “I know that, peacock - we'll leave it at the city limits. Right, come on then, we don't have all night,” he said, clapping his hands and shooing them towards the cab.

  Anais climbed in first, the smell of mildew hitting her nose as soon as she opened the door. Foam was sticking out of the seats, and there was a large hole in the passenger side floor where the metal had rusted away. Xander followed her in, wrinkling his nose up at the smell. Clay climbed in Anais' other side, so she was uncomfortably sandwiched between the two men.

  “Everyone in? You, peacock, make sure that door's shut properly. Alright then, off we go,” Clay said cheerfully, turning the key in the ignition.

  There was a loud bang and the truck rumbled into life. Anais gasped at the noise and at the vibrations that were reverberating up through the seats. Having spent all her life surrounded by vehicles that didn't make a noise and moved smoothly, this promised to be quite an experience.

  Clay crunched a long stick into position and the truck rattled off in a cloud of fumes that left Anais and Xander coughing. They trundled down the path, bouncing in their seats as the truck rocked down the uneven road.

  Anais squinted through the windscreen as they turned onto the main road towards the city. The sky was deepening to a dark blue and the first stars were beginning to shine. In front of them, the truck's headlights cut through the gathering dusk, illuminating the tiny bugs and dust that swirled in their path. The shuddering of the truck was making her feel slightly sick, but that was nothing compared to the exhilaration she felt as they zoomed towards towards the city. Or at least, it felt like they were moving fast.

  “You alright there, Annie?” Clay asked, raising his voice above the roar of the engine and the rush of the wind th
rough the broken back window.

  “Fine,” she called back. “And it's Anais, not Annie.”

  “What about the peacock?” Clay asked and Anais turned to Xander. His face was pale, and he was gripping onto the dashboard as though his life depended on it. He shook his head mutely as Anais looked at him questioningly, pressing his lips tight together. Clay guffawed.

  “Ah well, peacocks aren't used to the old ways of travelling,” he said with a smirk.

  “His name is Xander,” Anais told him, and she thought she heard Clay mutter something about ridiculous names these days.

  Xander forced his mouth to open.

  “Shouldn't you be concentrating on the road instead of talking?” he shouted above all the noise.

  “Ahh, she's alright, practically drives herself the ol' girl,” Clay shouted cheerily back.

  And in spite everything, Anais couldn't help smiling. She never in a million years thought she'd end up like this; squashed up in an old-fashioned car, with Xander and a man a large majority of the city believed to be a dangerous criminal, on their way to break into the most powerful company in the city - perhaps even the whole country. She could've laughed with the sheer absurdity of it.

  Beyond the windscreen, fields of wheat streamed past them, disappearing into the rapidly approaching night, as the white lights of the Imperial City began to glow on the horizon.

  He drummed his fingers impatiently on the desk.

  Lines of code streamed past on the computer screen, almost too fast to follow. With a flick of the wrist, he opened yet another program and began to type furiously. Blood dripped down over his clothes. The bandage he'd wrapped carelessly around his arm hours ago was soaked through, but he barely noticed.

  He opened up his modified SLP program and entered the two ID numbers that he'd plucked randomly from the Central ID Database he'd hacked into earlier - goodbye Mrs Adeline May and Mr Percival Hetherington, employees of MediTech and WireX Industries, respectively. Civitas' rivals really were having an extraordinary bad week. It was time to let Civitas in on the action.