Cracked Open

by Susan Kaye Quinn

  I grimace but finally take her gently by the elbow and tug her away from the autocab. She stumbles, but she’s under her own power again, so she’s got that grace back. The bruise on her face from the original assault has mostly faded, and she’s getting better at controlling the flashbacks, but the last thing she needed in this world was to be jacked.

  I’m linked in, so I see the memories ricocheting around in her mind. I keep close until she’s back on the sidewalk, then I scowl at my sister, but she’s looking suitably horrified.

  “But I didn’t… I didn’t do anything,” Olivia protests, but not too strongly.

  “You jacked her.” I just leave it at that. I’m worried about Jiaying, but I’m also worried my sister will take this harder than necessary. She didn’t know. And thinking she’s the “bad guy” is already driving her away.

  Jiaying is shaking. “It’s okay,” she says to Olivia. I want Jiaying to sit down or something, but she waves me off once she’s back on the safety of the sidewalk. She closes her eyes for a moment, and because I’m still linked inside her head, monitoring her thoughts, I see her gather them up as if they’re arrows shooting at her. Like she’s a superhero, snatching them out of the air, breaking them in two, and tossing them away. I’m impressed with her mental control, so I just let her be.

  Sammi and Juliette are still hovering nearby, watching but holding back.

  The autocab, now that it’s not blocked by humans in the street, slowly eases up to the curb. Olivia looks at it, long and hard, her ill-gotten phone still clutched in her hand. To my surprise, it’s Jiaying who speaks first.

  “You shouldn’t go,” she says, her voice amazingly calm for the internal fight I know she’s still waging. Only I feel like a voyeur now—she can clearly handle this on her own. I pull back out of her mind. “You have people who care for you here. Your brother gave up his job and risked his life to save me. And he’s done that for others, too. How much more would he do for you, his only family now?”

  I’m left speechless.

  Olivia’s blinking, but she turns away from the autocab. “I’m sorry I jacked you,” she whispers to Jiaying, head bowed.

  “It’s okay.” Jiaying steps closer to my sister and opens her arms like she’s inviting Olivia in for a hug. “Come on. I’ll make us some of my grandma’s tea.”

  Olivia gives one last look at the autocab then shuffles forward. Jiaying loops one arm around my kid sister’s skinny shoulders. Jiaying is slender and short, just like Olivia, and the two together—touching, which is huge for Jiaying—blow my mind as they amble toward the front door of Aaliyah’s Home. Jiaying gives me a nod as they pass, and I’m choked up. She knows I’m a jacker now, and Olivia just jacked her ten seconds ago. Yet, she’s shepherding my sister back to the relative safety of the Home.

  Some people are simply better than others in this world.

  I wait until they’re up on the steps, opening the creaking front door before I say anything.

  Then I turn to Sammi. “Can I ask you a huge favor?”

  “Whatever you need.” She says it without hesitation, and I feel it like a dull ache in my chest. Like, this is what having friends feels like, and I haven’t ever had it before. Didn’t really know what I was missing.

  “I need someone to watch over Livvy when I’m not around,” I say. “You’re still on suspension, right?” When Juliette and Sammi got caught planting a Free Thinker vid in their school’s morning announcements, both were suspended for two weeks, most of which has passed. Tiller moved his daughter to a new school, and they get out in a few days, but Sammi hasn’t been back, as far as I know.

  “School’s out for the summer.” She smirks. “I’m freelancing these days.”

  I don’t even want to know what hacking she means by that. “Great. Olivia really needs someone around right now. She’s freaky strong, but she’s really like a changeling. I don’t think she ever learned anything but how to, you know, hurt people. She needs someone who can teach her how to jack safely. And keep her occupied. Someone who’s definitely not me.” Or Jiaying, although she handled this way better than I did. Still, there’s no way Olivia can learn to control her skills with a reader.

  Sammi slips a glance at Juliette but tries to cover it by quickly saying, “You got it.”

  Juliette frowns. “Are you sure it’s safe?” She’s asking me, but the question floats in the air like it’s for both Sammi and me.

  “You’ll be safe back at Daddy’s estate,” Sammi says with a grimace.

  Juliette gives her an incredulous look. “I’m not worried about me.”

  “Well, I am,” Sammi throws back. To me, she says, “It’s fine.”

  I grimace. “Olivia’s a good kid. She won’t hurt you intentionally.” I realize how bad that sounds.

  “When do you need me?” Sammi asks.

  “Whenever I can’t be here. Mostly during the day. I just need a little time to track down my parents. A few days at most.” Wright promised tomorrow, but I’m not saying anything to anyone until after. “But if you could hang out now, that would be great.” I hook a thumb in Juliette’s direction. “Your girlfriend has something I need to check out back at her lab at the estate.”

  “The new tech?” Sammi asks, lifting an eyebrow to Juliette.

  Good. They’ve talked about it. “Yeah,” I say. “I want to bring it to Kira tomorrow.”

  “I want a peek at it, too,” Sammi says. “And it’s not a problem to watch your sister.”

  Juliette’s scowling at me, unconvinced.

  “Hey,” Sammi says to her, but her voice is soft. “You don’t need to worry about me, okay? And you should come visit after school to keep me entertained.”

  Juliette brightens at that, gives a half smile, and an even shakier nod.

  Sammi just smiles her goodbye and heads toward the entrance to Aaliyah’s Home. I get that dull-ache feeling again. I don’t even know Sammi that well—half the time I’ve seen her, she’s been making out with Juliette—but she’s taking this risk to help me out, just because I asked. It’s the kind of thing I’ll be walking away from as soon as my parents are free.

  “Come on,” I say to Juliette, urging her toward the autolimo. “You can see her tomorrow.”

  She’s looking after Sammi with a longing I recognize all too well. Then she grudgingly follows me inside the autolimo and sets an autopath for her father’s estate.

  With most readers, it’s easiest to just link into their heads and pretend I’m one of them. Tiller isn’t “most readers,” and he’s super paranoid about hidden jackers. Plus he has the nasty habit of employing even nastier jackers to ferret out the hidden ones.

  Being a paranoid bigot is a full-time gig.

  So before Juliette and I even reach the estate, I switch to the mind-within-a-mind mode I use to deceive even the strongest jackers into thinking I’m a reader. I’m broadcasting thought waves, just like a reader, but it’s from a shell mind, which is a pretty empty thing. It’s not like I’m solving differential equations or composing sonnets with it. Then again, most people’s random thoughts are shockingly banal. My mindless patter passes muster if no one looks too closely. It’s a simulation that’s fooled everyone I’ve encountered so far, but the stakes are high for getting caught—I don’t want to become one of Tiller’s “jacker conversion” projects at the prison.

  Where’s your lab? I link to Juliette as we pull up the long driveway leading to her father’s sprawling estate. For all the time I’ve spent here, I’ve never been down to her laboratory—mostly because she’s grounded from using it. But Juliette Tiller is the daughter of a tech mogul… so she’s hacked in.

  The northeast wing, she thinks, with a vague anxiety about sneaking me in. We should wait until the normal staff goes home.

  I nod my agreement.

  Tiller’s estate is immense, and I can’t even track how many people he has serving as housekeepers, cooks, maids, gardeners… and security. The whole place—all four wings p
lus the main house—is surrounded by anti-jacker shielding, and the guards outside are all helmeted. Juliette’s room is in the south wing, along with a sim-cast theater and a dining hall. We’ve never had a reason to go anywhere else within the estate, so I’m not sure how easy sneaking to a different wing will be. There are people everywhere.

  The autolimo rolls up to the broad plaza that fronts the main house. We climb the steps, nod to the guards—who are helmeted, so no need to broadcast, but I do anyway—and stride through the front doors. We head straight for the sweeping staircase that leads up to the second level and the south wing, but we don’t get far before Juliette’s dad intercepts us.

  Juliette and Zeph. Hold up. His thoughts reach us just as he cruises into range, about twenty feet away, which is only half of the broad entranceway. He’s dressed in his typical billionaire-and-I-don’t-care outfit of jeans and a t-shirt.

  What? Juliette automatically slumps into her sullen teen girl act. I’ve got homework, Dad.

  She totally doesn’t have homework. But her skills in lying as a mindreader have become epic over the short time we’ve been partners in deception. I’m impressed at the litany of homework assignments she conjures as a tsunami of information to put off her father.

  I guess you weren’t studying while you were at Aaliyah’s. He raises an eyebrow, but it’s no secret he wants Juliette and me to be together. The secret is that we aren’t.

  We were helping Aaliyah clean out some of her closets, I broadcast from my mind-within-a-mind. Otherwise, I’ll have to conjure some make out episode with Juliette and me on Aaliyah’s couch, and that’s just awkward.

  But Juliette weaponizes the idea. She pictures the two of us in a closet, groping in the dark. I’m guessing it’s a replay of one of her makeout sessions with Sammi, with the darkness providing a convenient cover, both then and now. Do you want a play by play, she throws at her dad. Zeph’s a great kisser. I could write a report if you’d like?

  I try to appear mortified to go with the thoughts I’m broadcasting. Juliette! For the love of God. Sorry, sir. I just… um… But it’s hard to suppress the laugh that’s threatening to break out.

  All right. All right. His hands are up, and those thoughts are for his daughter, a caving to her onslaught. I just wanted to have a word with Zeph.

  Juliette crosses her arms and juts out her hip. He’s my bodyguard. And my boyfriend. If you’ve got something to say to him, you can say it to both of us. There’s a tinge of concern at the back of her mind, but she’s covering it well with a heaping dose of attitude.

  Okay, fine, Tiller thinks. Her attitude is digging into him. But it’s nothing bad, Juliette. I’m not sending the boy away. He turns to me. I like you, son. I want you to stay on as Juliette’s bodyguard over the summer.

  Thank you, sir. I was hoping you’d say that.

  He steps closer. He’s not overly tall, and we see close to eye-to-eye. He seems to go to the gym just enough to stay fit, but it’s not his physical prowess that’s intimidating—it’s the way he carries himself and the implied power behind it. He’s the kind of man who is used to being obeyed. If not by his rebellious daughter, then definitely by the people who work for him. Which is the category I’m in, even if the lines are blurred.

  He’s looking me over like I’m still interviewing for this job as bodyguard/boyfriend. I don’t know how serious you plan to take this thing with my daughter.

  I scramble to broadcast something vague because I’m unsure of the right answer. Juliette’s amazing and beautiful and brilliant, sir. Any guy would be lucky to—

  Are you sleeping with her?

  I choke. She’s standing right there. I know readers are super-frank about stuff but—

  Juliette’s losing her mind. Dad! Oh my God, what are you—

  Let’s just assume you are. His thoughts are still 100% directed at me, although obviously, Juliette can hear them. She’s struggling not to deny it and betray us. I’m tempted to jack her, but she keeps it under control—with a steady stream of cursing that’s surprisingly colorful. Meanwhile, her dad’s busy going on and on, lecturing me. …and I trust you’re using some kind of protection. But you need to know something, son. I don’t care what you two do, in the closet at Aaliyah’s or here in my own house. But if you hurt my daughter in any way, you will wish you hadn’t. And if you get my daughter pregnant, that child will be a Tiller. My daughter will always be my daughter, but you, son... you are entirely optional. No matter the circumstances. I’ll be the one who decides whether you stay or go, not her and not you. Do you understand?

  Yes, sir. I try to look intimidated because I suppose this would be the ultimate nightmare—threats from a girl’s dad that you’re sleeping with. In reality, I have to work double time to keep my vast amusement at the situation off my face.

  Dad! Could you possibly be any more of a Neanderthal? Juliette’s breathing fire, but Tiller’s ignoring her. His grey-green eyes are still boring into mine.

  I figure he’s looking for some kind of declaration. I’d never hurt Juliette, sir. And I don’t plan to be a father anytime soon. Seems like a tough job.

  Tiller breaks into a smile and claps me on the shoulder. It’s a little too hard. That’s what I wanted to hear. He steps back, all smiles now. All right, you two. Run along and play.

  Juliette’s mouth is hanging open, and her mind has gone blank with shock.

  Her dad turns and strolls away.

  As soon as he’s out of reading range, I link into Juliette’s mind. You so owe me for that.

  She groans and shakes her fist at her father’s retreating back. I’m sure he can still hear her audible anger even if he can’t hear her thoughts. There are days I wonder what the jail time is for killing your father. And whether extreme nosiness is grounds for justifiable homicide.

  I can’t help the laugh, but I keep it mostly mental. Come on. I tip my head up the stairs. This is great. Now he won’t bother us for the rest of the evening. Tiller seems to like making random checks on Juliette’s room, which could have been problematic if she were trying to sneak me down to her off-limits lab.

  She stalks toward her room, still glowering. We pass the massive Grecian-style white columns they have inside the estate as well as the Olympic-sized swimming pool. It’s like Juliette lives in a literal palace. I can’t imagine how much money she will inherit when she comes of age. Or how much she stands to lose if she doesn’t go along with her dad’s “next generation of Tillers” plan. No wonder her dad doesn’t want her dating jackers—he could never stand having one in the family. It’s a lot like Renell and his secret ability to switch from reader to jacker. My deep dive into his mind laid bare his secret—but also how much he would lose if his family found out. I guess the more you have, the more that can be taken away. I’m no billionaire’s kid, but I can understand—I never told my parents what I was, either.

  Juliette tosses her pink sparkle backpack into her room, but we don’t go far inside. She hovers next to the closed door and busts out her phone, tapping madly.

  I peer over her shoulder. Looks like some kind of map. The estate? I guess. Normally, I stay in broadcast mode the entire time I’m at her place, and since we’re being stealthy, there’s even more reason not to speak out loud.

  Motion, heat, and mindwave sensors. She glances up. I planted them when I was ten. Took me a while to figure out how to program up the array and keep it shielded from detection, but I was planning ahead.

  My eyebrows lift. I approve of this level of sneakiness.

  She grins and goes back to tapping. Looks like she’s swiping through several screens of hallways and stairwells. Then she pockets the phone. Our best bet is to just cruise to the kitchen like we’re hungry. Which I am, by the way. Grab something to eat there and kill a little time. Most of the staff is heading into the main cafeteria, which means it’s the end of the day shift. Night shift is smaller, and they won’t start until the handoff meeting is finished. Perfect time to sneak down to my la
b. Plus my dad’s already back in his office, judging by the fact that his mindwave signature isn’t on any of the maps. I’ve got coverage in the main house and the south, southeast, and northeast wings.

  What happened to the north wing? I ask with a smile, more than a little impressed.

  Dad has that locked up tight. She grimaces. Best I could do was plant a few around the shipping dock. My lab is close by—in the north corner of the northeast wing—so I have a reasonable excuse to be seen around there.

  You do this a lot, don’t you? My grin is wide.

  Do you have any idea how boring my life is? Like, terminal-level boring.

  Sammi’s not boring. It’s mostly an observation, but I need to know where the two of them stand.

  No. A dreamy look transforms her face, making it even prettier. Sammi’s not even close to boring.

  So are things back on with you two? I ask.

  She frowns. She thinks it’s too dangerous for a reader and a jacker to be together.

  Because of your dad?

  Yeah. And the assassination and everything. She bites her lip. I’ve never seen Sammi afraid before, but I think that’s what it is. Like she’s pushing me away because she’s afraid I might get hurt or something.

  I squirm a little because I know Sammi’s worried about her mom, too. If Tiller finds out she’s dating Juliette, it won’t just be the relationship that’s terminated. Her mom will lose her company. She built MINDPRINT from scratch, but then Tiller bought it out. Sammi’s mom is still the CEO, but she won’t be if Tiller finds out her daughter is dating his.

  She’s just worried because she cares about you, I link to Juliette instead of the truth, which I’ve promised not to tell.

  What about you and Tessa?

  I blink. What about us?

  Sammi looks up to both of you. If you guys think it can work—

  I’m shaking my head and backing up. Don’t we have some sneaking around we need to do? I am not getting into a discussion about my non-existent romance with Tessa. I seem to regularly screw up any chance I might have with her, anyway.