Ascendant Unrest

by Matthew S. Cox

  Maya’s eyes widened. “Do you think Vanessa was using Fade on other countries? They sell Xenodril all over the world.” She scowled. “Of course she was. Why else would anyone need Xenodril? There aren’t aliens, and the war’s over.”

  “It’s good that everyone’s sick of war, ’cause that coulda caused ’nother one.” Sarah stared into her soup.

  “Oh, no.” Maya shivered. “Vanessa’s going to kill me.”

  “I thought you said she only cares about money,” muttered Sarah.

  “If other countries know she used Fade on them to force them to buy Xenodril, they’re going to do something bad. And if Vanessa is going to lose her company, she’ll go crazy. She’d do anything to keep it.”

  Genna grumbled, shaking her head while muttering, “Oh, bitch, f’you didn’t have a hundred damn bodyguards, you an’ me gonna have words.” Her glare softened when she looked at Maya. “I ain’t gonna let nothin’ touch you, baby girl. We watchin’ them. Right now, looks like they claimin’ it’s lies, but that data you helped us get is solid ’nuff to keep the Authority interested. I already told Harlowe―shit gets real, the Brigade is gonna hide you so well, even you won’t be able to find you.”

  Maya scrunched up her face. “What? How can I not find myself?”

  “Oh, baby.” Genna laughed. “Just a figure o’ speech. That data we blasted up and down the ECS would’ve been almost impossible to fake. People are callin’ for tearin’ the company down, but Ascendant makes a whole mess of vital medicines, so….”

  Maya sighed. “Vanessa’s the problem, not the whole company.”

  “Yeah, but she got her talons in deep. And there still lotta ’Thority bastards who oughta be wearin’ Ascendant logos.” Genna dropped her spoon into her empty bowl, the sharp clang startling Sarah. “She’ll back offa spreadin’ Fade for a while. What I’m worried ’bout is if she gets cornered, would she set off more than a ‘light dusting.’”

  “Maybe that’s why they’re hesitating,” whispered Sarah. “They believe what you said about her, and they know she’d do something like that―kill everyone to keep her company.”

  “She would,” said Maya, staring into space. “She definitely would.”

  Genna grasped Maya’s hand and gave her a pointed look. “Not your mess, baby. If we ain’t fixed it by the time you hit eighteen, then maybe you make it your mess. But now, your mission is to be nine.”

  Maya fidgeted. “I’m not good at being a kid.”

  “Huh?” Sarah glanced at her. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t understand what the point of dolls is. Or those little plastic things that Pick is always waving around.”

  “Toy spaceships,” said Sarah. “Dolls…” She sighed. “Okay, I’ll teach you how to ‘girl,’ but I guess I have a lot of work to do. We can play that card game too.”

  Maya grinned.

  Genna gathered empty bowls. “All girls don’t play wit’ dolls, ya know.”

  “Mom didn’t,” said Maya, proud.

  “Damn straight I didn’t.” Genna chuckled.

  “Ooh!” Maya snapped her gaze from Sarah to Genna. “I know! The reason Vanessa is releasing Fade is so she can make everyone buy Xenodril. Only sick people buy medicine. Only vain people buy cosmetic pharmaceuticals. She wanted something to sell all the time at a ridiculous price. If we give the formula for Xenodril to another company who sells it much cheaper than Ascendant, she won’t make enough money on it and she’ll stop.”

  Sarah slapped her hand onto her forehead. “Ugh. You’re right. You do stink at being a little kid.”

  “That’s not a bad idea.” Genna nibbled on a fingernail, her face pensive. “Only, we don’t got the formula for it, and who knows if that other company would even bother makin’ it. If they did, they might be scumbags too and overcharge for it.”

  “But…” Maya looked at Sarah as if the girl would offer some help, but her friend appeared clueless. “But…” She hung her head. “Making it would be the right thing to do. We send it to everyone. Blast the formula out to the world. If Xenodril is as easy to find as GastrinX, Fade stops.”

  “What did you just say?” asked Sarah.

  “GastrinX. It’s an oral antac―I mean, if your tummy hurts, you take it and it doesn’t hurt anymore.” Maya offered a cheesy smile.

  Sarah folded her arms. “I’m not dumb. I just don’t know those big words.”

  “Well, it’s not a bad plan, but there’s missin’ pieces.” Genna patted her on the head. “I’ll run it up the food chain and see if it sticks. Now, you two go on and play a bit.”

  “No.” Maya ran around the table and grabbed onto her. “I don’t want you to go.”

  “It ain’t for a day or two yet. I ain’t goin’ nowhere tonight.” Genna ruffled her hair.

  “Maya!” shouted a small voice from the living room.

  Everyone turned at the same time to look.

  Little Emily Chang leaned in the front door, still wearing the overly fancy dress that made her look like an antique doll. “Mommy fixed the player! It’s got movies! Wanna come over and watch?”

  The girl’s mixture of parents, father Chinese, mother white, had resulted in an utterly adorable seven-year-old. Her endless energy, large eyes, and contagious habit of giggling made her the darling of the building. Maya bit her lip, thankful that awful Mr. Mason had never come anywhere near her. He’d tried to lure Maya into his apartment and had almost managed to do disgusting things to Sarah, but she’d gotten away. Thinking about how the creep had convinced everyone in the building he’d caught Sarah stealing (to explain the bruise he left on her cheek) made her livid all over again. Maya didn’t feel a scrap of guilt about planting evidence that probably resulted in his execution for being a threat to Vanessa.

  She wondered if Emily had ever felt unhappy with her looks too, being mixed. Then again, both of her parents loved her. That girl never had to wonder what had been so wrong with her that her mother wanted nothing to do with her.

  Maya glanced up at Genna, who had a complexion like Vanessa. Maya had spent so many nights jealous of her bio mother’s dark brown skin. Too late, she realized her appearance had nothing to do with Vanessa’s coldness. I was being childish. I’m exactly what Vanessa wanted. Not too light, not too dark, a little Japanese in my eyes―perfect for ads. Gotta appeal to every potential customer. She started to frown, but Emily’s catchy smile caught purchase on her lips. There’s nothing wrong with me. She leaned against Genna, overcome by gratitude.

  Genna, assuming Maya’s wide-eyed expression asked permission, nodded approval. “All right, but stay inside.”

  Sarah picked at her borrowed T-shirt.

  “S’all right, hon. Your thing’s still gonna be wet. You g’won n’ keep that shirt long as you need,” said Genna.

  Maya took a step toward the door, but hesitated. “You’re not leaving, are you?”

  “No, baby. Not today. Tomorrow late.”

  Maya hesitated until Sarah took her hand. “Okay.”

  “Come on!” Emily bounced on her toes in the doorway.

  After one last look at Genna’s smile, Maya set aside her worry and ran after her friends.

  3

  Top Secret

  Dreams of talking cars and mermaids who signed silly contracts faded to the cozy bed in which Maya clung to Genna. She yawned and snuggled deeper in the blanket, unwilling to leave her warm nest despite needing the bathroom. The kids had stayed up a little too late, but technical issues had foiled their great plan of breaking bedtime. Less than twenty minutes into the third movie, the old laptop quit. At the time, she’d been more asleep than awake and had only a vague memory of some bald guy with a huge nose ordering a pack of talking yellow pills around. Emily had begged her mother to fix the old computer. Zoe had started looking at it until she realized the time―and chased everyone off to bed.

  “Did you have fun last night?” asked Genna.

  “Yes. The second movie was silly. What kind of
stupid mermaid gives up being a mermaid for a stupid boy?”

  Genna chuckled.

  “The third one got corrupted.”

  With a yawn, her mother stretched and threaded an arm around Maya, pulling her into a hug. “Corrupt?”

  “The file. Zoe said the disk was damaged and the file couldn’t read. Then she sent us home.”

  “Oh. Hmm. You know, it’s about time I showed you something. Been thinkin’ of it since dinner last night.”

  Maya sat up. “You’re not giving me a gun, are you?”

  “No.” Genna tapped her on the nose. “And I don’t want you handling weapons. Not at your age, and hopefully not ever. Them drones will shoot you for havin’ one, even if you don’t use it.”

  Maya furrowed her eyebrows. “Then you shouldn’t have one either.” She sighed at her lap, staring at her draped arms. “Some of the gang people outside have them. Why don’t the drones attack them?”

  “They would, if they got close enough to detect it. There’s tricks to hiding a weapon. Can’t scan through a body, thick enough clothes, aluminum foil, couple other things.” Genna sat up and yawned before stretching her arms over her head; her tank top looked new: no stains.

  Maya considered Genna’s muscular arms, which had been much scarier under the circumstances of their first meeting. She flexed her bicep and frowned. Unlike her new mother, she had spaghetti noodles.

  “Hey, when I was your age, I had tiny little arms too.” Genna winked. “The military helped me out. Only some of this is natural.”

  “Graft?” asked Maya.

  “Not metal. Artificial muscle bundles. Lucky for me, it’d cost them more to reclaim than they’d be worth, so they let me keep ’em.”

  Maya pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “I thought the Army gave people metal arms when they wanted to make augments, like, uhh…” She shivered. “Moth.”

  “That bastard had reconstruction. Only way for him to get those things is if he lost his arms in action. What I got’s much cheaper but nowhere near as strong. Still, faster than years of working out. Most of my old unit had ’em. Part of the special operations package.”

  Maya slid out of bed, frowning at the shape of her body under her nightdress. “I’m always going to be small, aren’t I? It’s what they made me.”

  “Oh, I imagine you’ll, uhh, fill out in certain ways later on. Muscles, not so much.”

  A defeated sigh escaped Maya. “Yeah. Boobs sell stuff.” She trudged off to the bathroom. “I don’t even have an ass.”

  Genna snickered. “You’re nine, hon. Stop worryin’ about yo’ booty.”

  When Maya returned to the bedroom, Genna ran to the toilet. Maya traded her nightdress for her black fatigue pants and a black T-shirt before heading to the kitchen.

  Genna walked in a few minutes later, dressed as if ready to head out on a job for the Brigade: dark pants, combat boots, dark green BDU shirt over her tank top, and a utility belt. She crossed to the fridge that Zoe had resurrected and pulled some ReadyPak instant waffles from the freezer. Maya couldn’t remember where they came from―probably one of the cities up north―but even dirt cheap at three boxes per NuCoin, whoever made them had to be rich. Every Non in the Eastern Seaboard region ate them, sometimes three meals a day.

  Vanessa would’ve fainted in disgust if she had one of these things put in front of her, but Maya didn’t hesitate. She loved them, especially when lathered in syrup, and took a giant bite.

  “Slow down. Taste your food.” Genna winked as she sat with a plate for herself.

  When only two bites remained of her second waffle, Maya paused. “Are you going today?”

  “Haven’t heard yet, but it’s possible, yeah.”

  Maya looked at the bit of golden-brown pastry in her sticky hands.

  “Things are changin’, baby. Authority’s not quite so ready to shoot us on sight now, ’cause o’ your message.” Genna chuckled around a mouthful. “Can’t say I got much love for blueberries. Wasn’t easy hearin’ you talk ’em up. S’pose you had ta say all that stuff ’bout them bein’ noble and shit.”

  Maya nibbled at the edge of her waffle. “I guess it’s because I used to be a Citizen. Whenever I saw them, they were protecting people from criminals. My e-learns taught me about their history and what police were like before the war. I don’t like the drones, always watching everyone.” She remembered so many mornings sitting by the window, staring down at legions of grey-clad workers shuffling down the street while Authority drones glided overhead. “Everyone’s always sad there.”

  “Just the poor bastards wage slaving.” Genna tossed her last bit of breakfast in her mouth. “Finish on up. I gotta show you this. And get your shoes.”

  Maya looked up mid-bite. “We’re going outside?”

  “A little.” Genna winked.

  After finishing her food and washing her hands, Maya trudged to the bedroom. Her black sneakers remained under the bed where she’d left them. Maybe if she said the right thing at the right moment, Genna would change her mind and bring her along. She sat on the floor to put her shoes on, struggling to come up with a good enough excuse to talk her way into the mission. After securing the Velcro flaps, she walked back to the living room where Genna waited by the front door. Her real mother led her out into the hallway and went left toward Sarah’s corner apartment, but stopped four doors away, right in front of the dead elevator.

  “It’s broken.” Maya glanced at the crumpled steel doors. Black streaks marred the wall above the panel holding the Up/Down buttons, where dark smoke had leaked out from a long-ago electrical fire.

  “Right. The elevator ain’t worked in years, but…” Genna looked around to make sure no one watched them. “This is our secret. You’re not to tell anyone about it.”

  Maya nodded.

  “Both at once, down twice, up twice, and both again.” Genna pushed the buttons in that order and a click came from the door.

  Maya’s eyes widened.

  Rather than try to pry the elevator doors apart, Genna pushed on them. The right half swung inward, offering a view of a dark shaft. She let it close and pointed at the panel. “Try it.”

  After a momentary left-right glance to ensure the hallway remained empty, Maya approached the buttons and used both hands to push them at the same time before keying in down, down, up, up, and hitting them together again.

  Click.

  “Good. This is how our people get out of the building when the Authority locks it down.” Genna pushed the door open and stepped past it onto a ladder. “Come on. Might as well show you the rest.”

  Maya tiptoed up to the edge, worried about a seven-story fall. Then again, compared to flying on the back of an Authority drone, the elevator shaft didn’t scare her as much as her anticipation of it had. She peered into the darkness, wincing at the taste of grease and metal in the air. A hint of mildew joined it a few breaths later. Genna’s hand at her back guided her to a metal ladder bolted to the cinderblocks. Maya grabbed the rung, cringing at the cold, oily grit under her hands.

  When the door closed, everything went black except for a feeble light at the bottom of the shaft. Genna climbed onto the ladder behind her, one rung down. Maya bit back a grunt at being squeezed against the steel, but felt much safer having her mother between her and a blind fall.

  “I can’t see,” whispered Maya.

  “Gotta be that way. Any light in here would be obvious to blueberries searching the building. Same pattern works on all the elevators from the seventh floor down. Eight and higher aren’t set up since we got no people there.” Genna started to climb down, going first.

  “Okay.” Maya searched out the next rung with her right foot and lowered herself.

  “Maybe the day’ll come when the Brigade don’t need to do this shit anymore, and we can forget about this passage. But ’til that day’s here, this gotta stay a secret. It’s only for emergencies, like Authority raids. I don’t want you playin’ in here.”


  “Yes, Mom.” Maya looked around at nothingness as her voice echoed.

  They climbed downward for a little while without talking; once her eyes adjusted, the soft glow at the bottom made the walls and ladder visible. Iridescent plastic sheeting with a grid of thin metal wires in it covered most of the shaft.

  “What’s on the walls? They’re shiny.”

  Genna looked up with a grin. “Good eyes, baby. It’s stuff to block wireless signals and the Authority sniffers. They can’t see in here ’less they tear the doors off. Weber set all this up.”

  “Oh… a Faraday cage?”

  “That sounds like something one of them said before, yeah. No one in the building except for Barnes and Weber knows this is here,” said Genna. “It gotta stay that way.”

  Maya looked down at her. “I understand. Top secret. You don’t even tell new Brigade people until you’re sure they’re not spies.”

  “You scary smart,” said Genna, a hint of a chuckle in her voice.

  The repetitious squeak of boots and sneakers on steel rungs continued for a few minutes, the light increasing the deeper they climbed. Genna eventually stepped onto a concrete floor next to a wall with no door. Maya jumped off one rung from the bottom and landed next to her. While dusting grit from her hands, she gave the blank wall a quizzical stare. A pair of LED bricks on the opposite side hung above the entrance to a tunnel lined with plastiboard boxes, lumber, pipe scraps, and buckets. Distant water drips made the clammy air seem colder.

  “There’s no elevator door at the bottom?” Maya poked the shielding plastic, staring at the rainbow effect of the light on the metal threads inside.

  “We’re deeper than the basement now. The other end of that tunnel opens to the outside, near the start of the Dead Space. There’s some cots and sleeping bags down here, if we wind up stuck.”

  Maya leaned to her left and took a step to peer into a shaft with rough hand-cut walls leading away from the small room. It smelled of damp earth and connected to a larger tunnel in the distance with concrete walls. Crude braces made of scrap metal held up the narrow section, failing to instill any sense of confidence. In fact, they made it more frightening, hinting that the ceiling would collapse at any second.