Synthetica Page 6

  When no one answered her, she raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

  “Shall I call the police? Or are you going to tell me how you disabled my security protocols?”

  “That was me,” Xander said. The woman turned her imperious gaze to him and he swallowed. “I work in security here. I thought – I thought this lab was open access. My friends wanted to have a quick look around.”

  The woman kept her gaze on Xander. In the soft light, Anais thought she could make out the sheen of sweat on Xander's forehead.

  “And what might your name be?” the woman asked him, tilting her head slightly.

  “Xander Silvas,” Xander said promptly.

  “I'm Dalla Goddard.”

  Anais shot a sideways glance at her friend, who was now standing up straight and smiling warmly. She didn't look anything like the pale, nervous girl she was a moment ago. The woman turned her icy eyes to Dalla.

  “I got accepted onto Civitas' internship today. I asked Xander if I could take a look around, you know, so I could get my bearings before I start. I do apologise if this wasn't allowed, but I was just so excited, I couldn't wait until Monday,” Dalla said, still smiling.

  The woman looked at her appraisingly. Something in her expression softened ever so slightly.

  “Initiative,” she murmured. She turned to Anais. “And you are?”

  “No one,” Anais said without thinking. “I don't work here.”

  The woman's eyes narrowed.

  “Where's your pass?” she asked, directing the question at Anais, who thought this was a little unfair seeing as how Dalla had a visitor's pass too.

  “It's right -” she stopped as she touched the spot on her jacket where her pass ought have been. She looked down in dismay. It wasn't there. She glanced down at the floor and surreptitiously checked her pockets, but to no avail.

  Anais' mouth was dry as she looked up into the woman's cold expression.

  “I did have one. I must have dropped it,” Anais said her heart beginning to beat harder at the hard expression on that beautiful face.

  “I can confirm it,” Xander stepped in swiftly. “I gave them both their passes earlier today. I can show you the log on the system.”

  The woman stared at them all a moment longer. Just as Anais began to feel distinctly uncomfortable, she sighed.

  “This lab normally is accessible to those who have cleared our security measures. But today -” she broke off with a sigh. Then, surprisingly, she smiled. The transformation on her face was unbelievable - she was absolutely stunning. “I won't bore you with the details. Why don't I escort you back down to reception?”

  There was something underneath her warm tone that made it clear that this wasn't question. All three of them nodded, and the woman stepped into the lift. As she turned away from them, Anais and Xander exchanged looks. Something had happened at Civitas, but what?

  The woman scanned her thumbprint and the doors began to close. Just before they shut, Anais caught a glimpse of two police officers stepping out of one of the metal doors, conferring with a man in a white jumpsuit. The metal doors closed fully, and the lift began to descend.

  “I don't believe I introduced myself,” the woman said. But Anais noticed that she was looking at Dalla as she said it, turning her back on Anais. “I'm Skye Belaforte. I'm the PR manager here at Civitas, and I also have the good fortune to sit on the board of directors. May I just congratulate you on getting onto the internship – you must be very bright.”

  Dalla visibly puffed up at these words as she beamed at Skye. As Dalla launched into her spiel about how excited she was to start working for the company, Anais felt a slight jolt as Xander's hand found hers. He squeezed it reassuringly. Anais smiled at him, although a cold feeling had washed over her at Skye's snub.

  “ - it's such an exciting time to be working here right now, especially with the SLPs about to released,” Skye was saying. “They've been in development for the last five years, so to see them being released now is a huge achievement for us.”

  “Oh, absolutely. I heard about the programming behind the SLPs and it's simply extraordinary,” Dalla gazed at Skye as she spoke, her eyes were bright and she kept flicking back her long hair.

  Skye preened as she heard this.

  “Of course, being such a complicated program means we only perfected the SLPs a few months ago. Doing such a big launch in such a short space of time has put a tiny bit of a strain on our production schedule, but no matter – our employees at the factory have been grateful for the extra work.”

  Anais stiffened as she heard this. Grateful for the extra work?

  “Oh yes,” Anais said before she could stop herself. “I'm just so grateful for the fact that I barely see my parents. But thank goodness they have enough work to do. It would be a real shame if they were working twelve hours a day and weren't doing anything productive.”

  Skye slowly turned to face her. She felt Xander's hand squeeze hers harder in warning, but she took no notice. She glared at Skye, ignoring Dalla's reproachful look; but Skye simply gave her an icy smile.

  “Still,” Anais added. 'It's good to know that I won't be short of work when I start at the factory. Thanks for clarifying that.”

  Skye didn't reply. She gave Anais one last look up and down, before turning slowly away as the doors opened. The lobby was now suffused with early evening sunlight. The area was still busy, but now most of the crowds were heading out of the building, chatting and laughing as another day at work ended.

  They all stepped out of the lift and a sharp intake of breath from Dalla made Anais look up. A flash of bright yellow was bobbing towards them.

  “Dalla! Dalla, over here!” Marcus shouted, waving his arms so violently that he was in danger of knocking someone out.

  Anais heard Dalla groan. Skye raised her eyebrows and Anais didn't like the tiny smile that playing around her lips as her eyes took in Marcus' somewhat eccentric appearance.

  “Another friend of yours?” Skye asked Xander, but Xander shook his head.

  Marcus drew level with them, his attention completely focused on Dalla.

  “I thought you were going to wait for me, Dals?”

  Dalla shrugged and made a non-committal noise.

  “Someone told me you won the internship here, you should have said! We could've come here together! I wanted to check the place out, especially after what happened last night. I've been waiting for you for ages, they wouldn't give me a pass,” he said breathlessly. Dalla gave him a tight smile. Anais didn't think it was possible for Skye to raise her eyebrows any further, but somehow she managed it.

  “Marcus, this is Skye Belafonte. She's the PR manager here,” Dalla said. There was a warning in her tone, as though she knew what was going to happen next. Marcus' adoring expression faded, to be replaced by one of distaste. He looked Skye up and down. She towered above him, but he didn't seem to be intimidated.

  “Hello,” Marcus said. “Is it true your research labs got broken into last night? Security upgrades past their best, are they?”

  “Marcus!” Dalla hissed, but Skye only smiled at him.

  “I can assure you that Civitas' security is the best in the country. No one can get into or out of our building without us knowing about it.”

  “So it's not true then, that Clay Winterbourne broke into your labs? Just like he did a few years ago, and corrupted all your research files?”

  Skye's smile became rather fixed.

  “Such rumours are unfounded,” she said in her smooth voice. “No one has been able to hack into our security systems in twenty five years.”

  “But is it true?” Marcus persisted.

  “No,” Skye's melodious voice became distinctly harsher. “It is not true. Like I said, no one can get into or out of those labs witho
ut me knowing about it. Now,” Skye turned to Xander and Dalla. “I suggest you all leave now, before it gets dark.”

  Her blue eyes focused on Dalla.

  “I look forward to seeing you around, Miss Goddard. Mr Silvas, please try to keep from disabling anymore of our security systems during your employment here,” Skye added. She gave them a brisk nod and walked away, completely ignoring Anais and Marcus as she passed them, her heels clicking smartly against the granite floor. Anais watched her go, her old feelings of anger and injustice rising up in her once again.

  As soon as Skye was out of sight, Dalla rounded on Anais.

  “What was that about in the lift?” she hissed. “You didn't have to speak to her like that!”

  “She deserved it,” Anais said, annoyed. “You heard the way she spoke about the people in the factories.”

  “And you,” Dalla rounded on Marcus, who flinched back at the look on her face. “Why on earth were you giving that poor woman the third degree about the break-in? There's no evidence the damn thing even happened!”

  Marcus snorted.

  “Poor? Do you realise how much the management here make a year? Besides, she was clearly lying. No one gets that defensive if they've got nothing to hide.”

  Dalla closed her eyes as though praying from patience. When she opened them again, she seemed to have calmed down, although there was still a trace of annoyance on her features.

  “I'm going to a HelixPod for a pick-me-up. God knows I need it after that fiasco. Thanks for getting us the passes, Xander. Anais, I'll message you later about meeting up tomorrow, okay?”

  Anais nodded. Dalla's face softened slightly as she hugged her.

  “We can see about those SLPs, and maybe do a bit of shopping,” she said as they broke apart.

  “What's that?” Xander glanced at them both. Anais deliberately avoided his gaze, choosing to stare at a spot on the granite floor instead.

  Dalla nodded towards Marcus.

  “Marcus says someone's selling pirated SLPs for cheap. We thought we'd check it out.”

  Xander's face told Anais exactly what he thought of this plan. He didn't say anything but goodbye as Dalla took her leave. Marcus followed her out, after a quick nod towards Anais, jabbering away in her ear. It was obvious from Dalla's stiff posture that he wouldn't be welcome for much longer.

  There was an uncomfortable silence. As Dalla and Marcus marched out of the glass doors, Xander finally turned back to Anais, his smile frozen on his face.

  “So,” he said lightly. “Pirated SLPs?”

  Anais gulped. As she opened her mouth to reply, Xander cut across her.

  “I think we should talk about this outside,” he said, with an edgy glance around the now empty atrium. Anais nodded. Their footsteps echoed across the vast space as the pair walked towards the exit. As the doors slid open, they were greeted by a blast of warm evening air. Although it was the beginning of autumn, the days remained hot and sunny while the nights grew ever colder. The golden evening sun still gave out some heat, but a cool wind was beginning to pick up, making the temperature outside somewhat more bearable.

  Anais checked the time on her RetCom, startled to see it was almost five. She should've been home ages ago. Her parents would be swapping shifts soon, and then it would be her mum sending her messages asking where she was.

  “Anais,” Xander stopped walking and Anais turned to face him. His indigo eyes searched her face for a long moment before he spoke again. “I know what you're thinking. I know it's tempting to take what seems like the easy way out. But you don't know who's made these SLPs, or what their purpose is. How well do you know that Marcus guy? Don't you think you should at least do some more research into them yourself, first?”

  A sense of indignation rose in Anais' chest. Xander knew nothing about taking the easy way out. He'd gotten the job he wanted, he was set for life. Yet he was gazing at her with such concern, that Anais felt guilty for even thinking about the pirated SLPs. But this was important to her. No matter how much she tried to put a positive spin on it, she just couldn't bear the thought of working in the factory, not for the rest of her life. It was her future. It was her choice.

  “I wasn't expecting that reaction, I thought you'd tell me not to buy tech from the black market, ” she said, choosing to ignore his questions.

  “I'd never tell you what you can or can't do. It's your choice.”

  Anais had no reply to that. Xander sighed.

  “Look, you can do what you like. If you're worried about me telling someone at Civitas about the pirated SLPs, I won't; not if you don't want me to. They probably should know,” Xander shrugged. “But they'll find out soon enough from someone else. Just promise me you'll at least think about this first.”

  “Thanks,” Anais muttered. “I will.” Something that didn't feel right to her, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Xander's words had put her on edge.

  “So, shall I meet you at eight?” Xander's attempt to lighten the conversation wasn't lost on Anais. But she had so many different thoughts swirling around her head, not least how to take what Xander had just told her, that she shook her head.

  “Actually, do you mind if we reschedule?” she asked. Xander looked surprised and a little hurt, but he tried to hide it.

  “No, that's fine. Any particular reason?”

  Anais forced herself to look him in the eye.

  “No, I just wanted to walk home and clear my head a bit. It's been a long day,” she replied, and Xander's face softened.

  “Alright. I'll send you an invite tomorrow. Maybe we could meet up on Monday? Tell me all about your first day?”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?” Xander's eyes were full of concern in the gathering dusk, but Anais smiled and shook her head.

  “I'll be fine. I'll let you know when I get back,” Anais said, reaching up and kissing him softly on the lips. “See you later.”

  Xander pulled her into a hug and for a moment, Anais felt safe and content in his arms. But then he broke away, and the evening breeze whistled between them.

  “Message me as soon as you get home,” Xander called. Anais gave him a cheery wave as she began to walk away. Her smile remained fixed on her face, until she turned and started her long walk home alone.

  *

  The evening breeze was cool on her face, and the setting sun was cast a golden glow over the street, illuminating passersby and making them appear even more colourful than normal, but inside, Anais felt cold.

  She didn't know exactly why she felt this way. After all, she thought as she began walking home, it wasn't Dalla's fault she was brilliant at programming or that Xander was just as academically gifted as her best friend; while Anais – well, what could she say? At least she had a job at the picochip factory. At least she wouldn't be one of those students that had been deemed 'unplaceable', that would spend the rest of their lives struggling to make ends meet. She kicked angrily at a stone on the pavement. It skittered and came to rest on the smooth road that the auto-cabs hovered over.

  Her RetCom informed her that she was a minute's walk away from the nearest train station, but she ignored it and instead programmed a walking route home. Although it would be faster to take the train, Anais preferred to walk whenever she was feeling particularly angry or upset – being crowded into a carriage with a load of strangers at rush hour would do nothing to improve her mood. An orange line appeared in her vision, guiding her way down the street and round the corner. She followed it, still angry but unsure of who she was really mad at – Dalla, Xander, Mrs bloody Persimmon, the whole stupid education and work system, or herself. She knew the real answer – she just didn't want to admit it. It was far easier to remain angry at someone else than to admit that she was the
one in the wrong.

  The sun began to set, and the wind started to pick up. Anais' candy floss pink hair blew softly over her face, and she brushed it back impatiently. She followed the directions her RetCom set out in front of her, wondering idly what the FDU would try to serve her when she got home. If it had anything with egg or cottage cheese in, she was going to disconnect it.

  As she walked along, lost in her own little world, a new noise came to her, just audible above the whistle of the wind. She blinked out of her reverie and looked around. She wasn't too far from home now – she knew without looking at the tiny screen over her eyeball, that it was only another half an hour walk away. It was now nearly six and the sky had begun to turn into the dusky blues and purples that announced the coming of night. Tiny stars winked overhead, just visible over the soft glow of the street lamps. The streets were almost deserted as everyone hurried home to their pre-prepared dinner after a hard day's work. Anais stopped as she heard the noise again. It sounded like someone, or something, crying. A chill ran down her spine.

  It was coming from the small street to her left. The street lamps only illuminated the first few metres at the opening of the alley, the rest was in a pool of darkness. Anais hesitated, debating whether to carry on her journey and call the police when she was safely home, or to go and investigate. The cry came again, and Anais' curiosity won out.

  She peered into the entrance of the street, but couldn't make anything out through the gloom. It was a walkway between the blocks of hi-rise flats that made up most of the residential areas in the city. Anais walked forward cautiously, her eyes gradually adjusting the gloom after the soft pale glow of the lamps that lined the street behind her. Her RetCom bleeped, informing her that she was going the wrong way, but she dismissed the warning.

  It soon became clear to Anais as she walked slowly forward, her gaze flickering around the smooth paved walkway and the walls towering above her, that there was nothing there. She was just about to give up and turn back, when the cry came again – now that she was closer, she could hear it much more clearly. It was lower now – more like a moan than a cry for help. It was unmistakably the sound of someone in pain. The groan came again, and the hairs stood up on the back of Anais' neck. She walked a few steps forward, her heart pounding, until she came to another walkway that intersected the one she was on. She peered round the corner, and her heart stood still.