Triptych Chapter 2

 Chapter 2

 

Candor

Sometimes when she closes her eyes, she can see the world. See its simplicity in shapes and colors instead of reading hard-coded facts about it. It only works when she is alone in the dark, and she closes her eyes tight until the 1’s and 0s that make up her monochrome world disappear into a cacophony of colors. Reds, blues, and greens appear into the darkness behind her eyelids, and for a moment, the world is quiet, her mind relaxed.

“Are you quite alright Lana?” Her father asks from his seat beside her. She opens her eyes and it all comes rushing back. She turns to look at her father, observing his eyes – generation two business class lens, optimal for language translation – trained on her. They’re almost unnoticeable compared to her unnatural silver eyes, and she wonders how he sees her. Would he be able to untangle the mess of aimless thoughts and pointless information inside her head, and translate it into something she can understand? Or would he be distracted by the numbers, the always there numbers hovering over everything around her like a machine’s specs. It was supposed to make her job easier, make her efficient. But all it does is take the fun away.  “You’re awfully quiet today.” Her father is saying. “Nervous about the upgrade?”

Lana looks through the car window behind him, and watches the skyline of new Tokyo pass them by faster than she can distinguish individual information passing in front of her eyes. “it just -- ” she pauses to run a metal hand through her short hair, the bio-skin still growing after her latest maintenance last week, “I have reservations about volunteering, especially since it’s a prototype and I’m already equipped with the latest FOCUS has to offer for my field.”

“Lana” her father sighs, calling on patience for an argument they have before every trip to the labs. “It’s a wonderful opportunity, and Dr. Yates has assured me that it’s safe. Besides, once you get the neural web implanted in our nervous system, there will be no more upgrades required, you can be whatever you want, with just a thought.”

“Just a thought,” Lana murmurs to herself. She pictures nimble precise fingers poised above a sketch pad, her lines clean and aesthetic. She shakes her head before the thought can form an image clear enough to leave an impression. Then wonders if she stopped the thought or if it was blocked before she could reach it. She sighs, “I guess you have a point papa.”

Her father seems taken aback at her agreement. “I mean – yes. I only want what’s best for you. You know that right?” he asks gently, raising a hand to pat her head. She avoids looking at him directly. Gen one model 3401, her brain supplies anyway, just as the hard palm touches her head. She’s grateful she can’t physically flinch, her jerk reactions taken away to ensure accuracy during mechanical work. She smiles demurely just as the car makes a turnaround, landing smoothly on the roof of FOCUS central labs.

Dr. Yates greets her at the elevator, looking up and down at his creation and nodding in approval before greeting her father. “This is a big day for us both Candor. I assume you’re ready.”

Lana allows herself a second to entertain the possibility that she can say she’s not. Then the second passes and she nods, maybe she should let the doctor have another look at her inhibitor nodes. The trio enters the elevator together, and Dr. Yates takes the time to recite bio alteration rights and FOCUS codes even though she can recite them even without the eidetic memory drive. “You’ll be signing your own affirmation and consent papers this time. The terms and conditions are mostly the same but you’re almost eighteen and since this is a voluntary process, it’s mandatory for you to sign yourself.”

“Of course, she’ll sign it. No problem. ” her father affirms before she can answer. Lana simply nods.

“You’re quiet today Candor, systems running slow?”Dr Yates jokes.

“I’m fine” Lana ensures him, “Just bracing for the upgrade.”

“Ah. Well hopefully all will go well and you will be the first fully independent Meta human in the twenty-second century.” He says cheerfully. “I told you she was destined for greatness Mr. Candor,” He tells her father proudly, “I told you the moment I saw her results thirteen years ago.”

Ah yes. The aptitude test that sealed her fate all those years ago. The results put her on Dr. Yates’s radar, a prodigy in the making he called her. And her parents took his words to heart, signed her up for augmentation as fast as they could, and provided her every single update so she could be the best computer engineer the world has ever seen. And she will be. After the last upgrade to her neural web and bio-skeleton, she’d have no need for extra parts. She can bend her body into whatever she wants at just a thought. Lana allows herself a smile. 

Her father puffs up with pride at her side as they ride down choking on the air clogged with pride. Destined for greatness.

 

2.

Mac

It doesn’t take long for her to find him. Candor: 1500. An entire life simplified in a name and a test score. Mac scoffs in derision, her insides unintentionally burning with awe and jealousy. She finds the corresponding records, a long list of upgrades and enhancements in a span of eighteen years. “Bloody fuck, it’s a miracle if the guy can keep his head straight after all this.”

Candor is a certified genius according to his mental aptitude test, taken at the young age of five. It put him on FOCUS’s radar at once, more than random citizens of Tokyo already are. Immediately getting scouted by the country’s elite engineering firms, Candor was offered multiple scholarships to tech schools but he opted for general education with periodic enhancements throughout the years. Mac scrunches her nose in disgust, wondering if he’s one of those freaks addicted to going under the needle and coming out with more metal than actual muscle every time. She shrugs the sentiment away, hoping the clusterfuck of code in his brain makes it a challenging hack. Her face breaks into a grin of perfect white teeth.

“What are you thinking?” Orion inquiries from where he’s spread on the couch, seemingly resting but one eye trained on her, always trained on her. At this point, he’s more friend than her security guard, and Mac is glad she chose to reset his neural inhibitor instead of disposing of him like all the candidates before him. Also helps he’s 40% transhuman, equipped with the latest security tech to provide an extra level of security to her lab.

“Nothing too incriminating. Don’t worry.” Mac smirks around the straw in her mouth, sipping her drink delicately before casting an eye on Orion. He’s staring at the roof as if lost in thought, his lips pulled in a scowl. “Running another scan of the roof?” she asks dryly.

“It can’t hurt.” he says defensively, “You hacking into FOCUS central always gives me the creeps.”

She watches him scan the surroundings and relax back on the couch before she speaks, “I’m gonna hack the volunteer’s neural web when he goes under. See what the big fuss is about.”

As expected, Orion springs up as if held to a hot flame. “You’re going to what? Have you completely lost your mind?”

“What?” She shrugs defensively, “I wanna see what’s so special about this one?  Must be some rich kid with a few good moments and he’s becoming FOCUS pet project.”

“This is risky Mac, even for you,” he says vehemently, “I get that you resent FOCOS and how they provide their tech to different classes of people, and breaking into their servers as a regular past time is one thing but this is some kid who’s already been poked and prodded enough without you meddling in his brain.”

“Please, like he hasn’t let those doctors and scientists have their fun with him. Relax, I’m not gonna harm him” She assures him. Orion glares at her some more, seeming indecisive. Mac lets out a resigned sigh, “I just, I want to see what makes him so special. And I want to find out what the last upgrade is, they’re keeping it way too hush hush don’t you think?”

Orion nods jerkily. “Fine, but the second he seems to be compromised, in any way, you pull out. Don’t do any damage Mac. This isn’t some machine component that can be replaced after you fry it.”

“I know” Mac rolls her eyes. “What do you take me for, some dumb blond with aesthetically enhanced visuals and no brains?”

Orion doesn’t return her teasing grin, turning back silently as Mac faces the monitors again. Waiting for Candor’s neural web to get plugged in. Then, it's show time. 

Prev |  Next