“I'm called Boy 1124999.”
CHAPTER 34
62 LEAPED OFF OF THE bed. His arms wrapped around 99's neck and his head rested on his brother's shoulder. Tears of joy spread across his cheeks. “You're here. Alive. I never thought I'd see you again.”
99's arms remained folded in his lap. His shoulders went rigid, a startled grunt the only response to 62's emotions. When he did move, 99 shifted backwards and loosened 62's grip. “Yes, I'm here. When Major asked me to assist in recruiting you, he didn't tell me I should expect such an extraordinary welcome.”
“Major?” 62's head turned and he gazed on the now closed door. “That's his title? He never told me who he was.” 62 took a step back from 99. His hand still rested on his brother's shoulders as he appraised him at arm's length. His voice dropped to a whisper. “You came to recruit me. You work for Defense?”
99 gave a nod. “I had an anomaly when I was younger. Some referred to it as a gift. But it made me feel different. It made me disobedient and wild. I was on a path that would have ruined my life. Much like the path you're on now.”
62 pulled his hand back. He sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked with sorrowful eyes at the emotionless face of the Boy who had once been his closest companion. “We were friends, but you didn't tell me about the dreams. I didn't find out until after they took you. I wish I'd known.”
99 raised a hand in the air and shook his head. “I only told one person. I only told him enough to get approval for cognitive repair. It’s been said that he encouraged me to explore the anomaly, but I don’t remember the particulars. Sometimes I wish I’d learned more about my curse. Maybe the Man who encouraged me would have had some answers. I can't remember him now.” 99 rubbed an invisible pain on his temple. “The doctors did their best to fix me. They were successful in clearing my memory, but the dreams remain. The Major saw my file before I was removed from C.A.T. and found a way for me to use my dreams to serve a greater purpose. A way to use my curse to help the Community.”
99 rose from the chair, standing at his full height. His square shoulders and jutting chin made him look older than 62, even though the Boys were the same age. 99 cast an emotionless glance down at 62 as he shrunk into his bed. “I was given a second chance, then. Now I've come to pass that chance on to you. Boy 1124562, if we were truly friends, come with me. Help me to set Adaline right. Together, we can make this world better for our brothers. And ourselves.”
In the first motion of friendship that 99 had made, he extended his right hand down toward 62. His fingers hovered in the air, waiting for 62 to make the next move. The two Boys looked into each other's eyes for a long while.
Blue was a good friend and would be hurt if 62 abandoned him. But 99 was more than that. Even if 99 didn't remember, 62 did. They were closer than friends. 99 was his brother, and he loved him above all else. 62 reached his hand up to meet 99's. Their palms met and fingers grasped in a firm handshake. While their skin melded in the warm clasp of agreement, 99's eyes brightened. For an instant, he looked like the same brother that had worried over 62 in the passageways of C.A.T.
CHAPTER 35
THE RAILWAY PLATFORM felt crowded despite there being only one Man and two Boys queued for the next transport. Transportation Aides stood in tight formation around them, forming metal walls that 62 was too short to see past. The Machines' lights flashed yellow and green, processing data even though there was no movement on the platform aside from the inhale and exhale of their human companions.
“Where are we going?” 62's voice came too loud in the tight group.
Major looked away, gazing over a Transportation Aide. His eyes searched the empty tunnel to his left. 99 smiled slightly. “Home.”
The three didn’t exchange any more words. The air filled with the screeching sounds of wheels on rails. Metal clanged and the engine hissed as their transportation unit fought its way to a stop. The passengers boarded, the doors clamped shut, and the engine surged forward again.
62 lost his bearings as soon as they pulled away from the platform. He could feel the seat beneath him surge to the left. Moments later he braced himself as the vehicle stopped at another, much smaller, platform. The doors opened and 62 fell into line behind 99 as the group exited. This platform would have felt small had he been standing on it alone. With everyone else, they had to stand shoulder to shoulder, chest to back, and arm to metal in order to fit without having anyone topple over the edge. The group waited in uncomfortable silence for a long while until 62 heard the familiar sigh of metal doors sliding open somewhere out of view.
“We'll be right behind you. Stay in formation until we arrive.” Major's voice was unmistakable. As soon as his command was issued, the Transportation Aides each moved forward on their hydraulic limbs, filling what 62 recognized as an elevator box.
The elevator doors slid shut. A quiet ding marked the elevator's movement, and the Man and two Boys breathed in a sigh of relief.
“It gets a bit crowded, moving prisoners.” Major remarked. 99 nodded in response.
62 flushed red. “Is that what I am? A prisoner?”
Major shrugged. “As far as the Community is concerned, yes. You've broken the law by aiding criminals. You've kept contraband in your cubicle and ignored the commands of your trainer. Any one of those things would be a mark against you. But combined, it makes you look like a growing threat.”
“What’s going to happen to me?” 62 glanced around, nervous. The drop from the edge of the platform was only a few feet, but if he tried to run there’d be nowhere to go. Following the rails would either lead back to T.A.S.K., or get him lost.
99 placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You'll go to trial. But when you tell them that you are going to join Defense, and swear to use your knowledge to help Adaline, they'll allow you to be rehabilitated. The Community needs Boys like us.”
“I don't understand.”
Major squatted down on one knee, making himself level with his two companions. “There's an old saying. 'It takes a thief to catch a thief'.' It means that in order for us to understand our enemy, we need to become our enemy. Right now, the biggest threats to Adaline are Boys and Men who seem normal on the outside, but who have anomalies in the way they think. We need Boys like you, who think differently from the rest of us, to help us to identify those threats.”
62 took a step backwards, feeling unsteady under the weight of the camaraderie around him. “And what happens when you find them?”
A small ding sounded and the doors at the mouth of the platform slid open, revealing an empty elevator box. Major stood up and gave a smile that made 62's stomach churn. “We give them the opportunity to rehabilitate, or be removed from Adaline permanently. The same option we've given you.”
CHAPTER 36
DEFENSE LOOKED ALMOST the same as the other areas of Adaline. The only difference was, everything was spotless and orderly in a way that made it look like no one worked there at all. This wasn't the case, as evidenced by Men walking with purpose through the open spaces. But it was clean in a way that made 62's skin crawl.
“This way.” Major swept an arm toward a set of chrome doors, polished so thoroughly that it looked like the trio would walk into their reflections. The doors slid open when the approaching group was just out of reach and 62 decided that must be how they avoided the smudge of fingerprints. Major led the way into the brightly lit room. Inside the open double doors stood a row of beds. Just beyond, Nurses plugged into charging stations lined a wall. 62 stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed the straps and wires dangling from the edges of the beds.
99 pushed past, giving a rough bump to 62's shoulder as he went by. The Boy and Major walked together toward the far bed. 99 climbed onto the mattress and reached for a cap with a series of connectors that lay on a table beside him. Major pressed buttons on a box nearby and one of the Nurses sprung to life. While 62 remained rooted to his spot just inside the closing doors, the Nurse began attaching cables to 9
9's cap while he adjusted the strap below his chin.
“What is this place?” 62's voice cracked when he was finally able to push out the words.
The Nurse's eyes blinked yellow as it processed the question while its arms kept moving. It helped Major tie 99 down to the bed after connecting the final cables to the Boy's head. “Hello, Boy 1124562,” the Machine chirped merrily. “Welcome to the Dream Ward. My data load states that you will be assisting us today. Please, choose a bed and make yourself comfortable.”
62 took a step back toward the now-closed doors. They didn't sense his approach as he moved closer and remained tightly sealed. This side of the door was missing its chrome polish. Instead, 62 reached behind him and touched the smooth, white finish of the right door. If the door had sensors, it wasn't picking up his signature. He lifted his palm, leaving a foggy smear on the otherwise pristine finish. As he stared over his shoulder at the unmoving pair of doors, his hand print shrank. The change was almost imperceptible at first. The fingers began to thin and the edges of the palm print started to fade. A moment later, there was still a small circle where the heel of his hand had rested against the cold surface but the lines that marked his fingers had dissolved to lines no wider than a strand of hair.
“They're self-healing.” Major's voice sounded just behind 62's ear, making him jump. “You can't see them, but there are billions of microscopic Machines cleaning away the smudge. These doors could be shredded into a thousand pieces, and those little bots would simply piece them back together.”
62 stared at the newly cleaned door. Although the finish didn't hold the shine of the reflective chrome outside, it was clean enough that he could see the outline of his silhouette in the door's panel. Major put his hand down heavy on 62's shoulder. “The Machines are perfect, you know. Each one knows its place and performs its function without question.”
The pressure on his shoulder told 62 that Major wanted him to turn around, but he didn't move. “We do that, too.”
“Most of us,” Major’s fingers tightened on 62's shoulder and he pulled the Boy to face him. “But not all. Pick out a bed. It's time to get started.”
62 nodded. He chose the bed next to 99, who already lay down with his eyes closed. A second Nurse approached, wordlessly attaching 62 to a contraption matching the one affixed to 99's head.
“You said this is a dream room?” 62 directed the question at Major, but it was the Nurse who answered.
“Dream Ward.”
“What's a dream?” 62 let the question hang in the air. Major looked up from the panel he was studying and raised an eyebrow.
The Nurse's eyes fluttered from green to yellow. 62 thought he saw a spark of red, but the color was gone before he was sure. “A dream is a function of the human brain, wherein thoughts and feelings are cataloged, reviewed and altered creatively.”
“It's an anomaly.” Major cut off any further reply the Nurse might have given. “It was a lower brain process used by primitive Man. When it was discovered by the Head Machine, it was removed from our mental synapses.”
“You think I have this anomaly?” 62 looked over at 99, who continued to lay unmoving. “Does he still have it?”
Major nodded. “Affirmative on both counts. We've picked up unusual brain activity from you before. The records show that in the past you've had many of the same idle brain patterns that 99 had when he began suffering from the dreams.”
62 pushed a bit further, unsure of how much of himself to give away. “But my brain scans now- are they okay? Or is there still something wrong with me?”
Major looked back at the panel and turned a few dials. The cap on 62's head seemed to shrink, sucking itself down over his hair. “Your data has been fairly average, overall.”
62's shoulders slumped in relief. The chip that 42 implanted must really be working. “So why bring me here then? If I'm normal?”
Major's eyebrows furrowed. “We've found that once the anomaly is present, even if it's corrected itself somehow, it can be activated again.”
“But why would you want to force an anomaly?” 62 lay down on the bed at the Nurse's guidance. “I thought the whole thing about anomalies is that they're bad. Shouldn't you let me stay normal?”
Major stood at the head of the bed and leaned over. His face was upside-down from where 62 lay, his features distorted by the white lights overhead. “I understand if you're nervous. Especially given your past experience up on Level 2.” Major's teeth shone bright despite his shadowed face. “Honestly, if you wanted to stay in the general population so badly, you would have learned to behave when you were given the chance.”
62 struggled as the Nurse strapped his left foot to the bed. “I want to talk to Trainer. I'm a good Boy. Let me go back.”
Major's shadow lifted as he moved away from the bed. When he returned, he held a tablet above 62's head and angled it so that he could see a grainy image of Blue running down a maintenance hall. A string of Men and Machines raced soundlessly after him. Blue rounded a corner at the end of the hall. The pursuing crowd on his heels disappeared in the same direction. “If you were a good Boy, you would have told us about this little dirt muncher the first time he approached you.”
“Ready,” the Nurse's voice chimed.
Major stood up and tossed the tablet on a nearby table. “Light him up.”
CHAPTER 37
“I DON'T SEE HIM.” 99's voice crept in from somewhere far away.
“Vitals are normal.” A Nurse's voice chirped quietly. “Rapid eye movement has engaged and the brain stem is active.”
“Dustbuckets.” Major's voice was louder than the others. Something poked at the side of 62's head.
A metallic smell drew nearer, followed by the pulsing sound of hydraulics. “1124562, please confirm if you are awake.”
“I – I don't know.” 62's voice seemed to be coming from somewhere outside of himself. Beyond the darkness. He tried to open his eyes and look toward the trickle of voices, but no matter how hard he tried, they wouldn't open.
“What was that?” Major sounded frantic. “Nurse, can you confirm a response?”
62 was cold. Much colder than he remembered being just a moment ago. He tried to move his hand. Pain screamed up his arm, but the fingers wiggled. Looking down, he could almost make out his limb in the dark. He strained against the pain again, and his hand came closer. But it wasn't attached to his body. It just floated in front of him on its own, sending shocks of electricity through him every time it shifted in the air. Hands couldn't just glide out into open space. This wasn't real. He was dreaming.
62's voice trembled. “Where am I?”
“I don't know.” 99's quiet response was definitely coming from somewhere outside of the space 62 could see. “I'm on the starting platform, but I can't see you.”
62 understood. His teacher taught him to block his dreams from the prying eyes of others and the privacy had become second nature. He pressed his mind forward, concentrating in the direction his brother's voice had come. “Can you keep talking? I might be able to find you if I can hear you.”
Major's huff threw 62 off course. “I can't believe they sent another dud. Nurse, begin detachment procedures.”
“No!” 99's shout seemed to come from two places at once. “He's in the dream with me. He says he can hear me. Don't unplug him.”
“Confirm instruction,” the Nurse peeped.
“Maintain dream sequence. Keep platform loaded until 99 confirms contact.”
“Can you tell them to shut up?” 62 shouted. He stopped trying to unravel his dream. The outside voices were too distracting.
“62 requests radio silence until he gets his bearings.” 99's words entered in stereo once more. One voice coming from somewhere in 62's head, the other coming from the lab beyond the dream. Then 99’s voice shifted, becoming singular. “If I stop talking aloud, can you still hear me?”
He nodded before he remembered that 99 couldn't see him. An arc of electricity shot through 62�
�s neck. “I can hear you in the dream. Does it always hurt this bad?”
“Yes.” 99's voice was as sad as it was distant. “They're activating our anomaly using a computer interface. The electrodes stimulate our dream processes.”
62 pushed forward. The darkness surrounding him swirled to gray. As it lightened, he could just make out the form of a Boy standing alone in the distance. “I think I see you.”
The figure shifted. Its head turned. “I see you, too. It looks like you're coming in through a wall. I don't know how we got separated. That's never happened.”
“You've done this with someone else?” 62's vision cleared. He stepped through the air until his feet touched the sturdy billet steel platform.
99 nodded, expressionless. “I'm not allowed to go alone.”
“Who do you normally dream with?”
“You know those beds in the Dream Ward?” 99 took in a deep breath, letting it out with a whoosh before he spoke again. “They all used to be full.”
Major's voice boomed overhead. “99, have you made contact?”
“Yes.” Both Boys spoke in unison.
“Good. Let’s see what he can do. Nurse, load up the dream sequence.” 62 felt a pat on his head, Major's action of approval pushed pins and needles through his skull.
As 62 flinched, 99 shrugged and offered a weak smile. “You get used to it.”
When the shooting pain cleared, so did 62's vision. The landscape had transformed. No longer were the Boys standing on a lone steel plate hung in the air of their consciousness. Now their feet were firmly planted at the platform of a transport unit. The sound of its whistle screamed toward the Boys seconds before the white light of its headlight crept out of the tunnel.
The Adaline Series Bundle 1 Page 32