Cynetic Wolf

by Matt Ward

  “We’re fine, Mom. Raek’s shaken up, that’s all. We found Bruce. The beast got him again. Raek was right: six claw marks.” Vynce let that sink in.

  “I’m fine, Mom.” I wasn’t, but had to be a man and put on a brave face, collapsing on the grungy blue couch in the corner. “I was thinking about Grandpa.”

  Mom’s eyes narrowed. “Your Grandpa was a brave man, and a fool. He stood up for what he believed in but he never should have gotten involved.” She shook her head. “He was always trying to fix the world. But sometimes, baby, you can’t. You boys remember that. Keep your heads down, don’t cause trouble.” Her eyes bore into me. “I lost my daddy already, and your father disappeared too. We have a good life here. I worked hard to give you kids a good life. Don’t you dare throw that away.”

  “We know, Mom,” we answered in unison, rolling our eyes as she looked away. We’d heard this speech a million times. Most town kids had. The GDR was notorious for its extreme punishment. Dissent was discouraged at all costs. Rebellions were bad for business, especially for enhancers and cynetics. Emulates were less worried. When you lived forever and could change bodies, nothing mattered. They’d win either way, and profit, regardless what happened.

  But cynetics and enhancers didn’t have that luxury, hence the rivalry.

  Mom saddled me with dinner duty, and I hated cooking. It smelled like meatloaf. “Always meatloaf.”

  “Be glad we have any meat this month,” she said. “They raised land rents, again. The kids at the Center would kill for meat, even loaf.”

  That was the worst part about Mom’s job—not long hours or low pay—but always hearing about the animote kids at the Center. “You should be thankful…” Always some variation of that.

  At school the next day, Vynce and I were rock stars. Everyone stared as we passed. Even teachers talked behind our backs. They must have heard what happened. I hated the attention, but Vynce was in his glory. I heard him recounting what happened at least three times. The guys clung to his every word, groaning and wincing and high-fiving at the gory details while girls shrieked. One girl actually squealed. Pigish of course, a bit plump with light pink skin and a snout of a nose. Rumor was she had a tail, but I’d never seen it. Probably a rumor.

  My band buzzed as I got into class. It was GDR-issued, made for school and monitoring. All of ours were. We could never afford them otherwise. The teachers used them to measure engagement, tracking: heart rate, blood pressure, movement, stress levels—all our basic biomarkers to see how lessons affected us.

  Professor Fitz sat, folding his tall, athletic body into the mass-produced chair. “Did you finish your assignments?” He set the tiny black briefcase on the cheap linoleum and leaned back, an amused look on his striped face as his silver eyes surveyed us with a warm smile. “Bring them to my desk and I’ll pick two of you to present.”

  That was the one annoying thing about Professor Fitz, he liked paper copies for some reason. Printing was a pain. Who used paper?

  I walked to the front, carrying my printout and hurried back to my seat.

  Don’t be me, don’t be me.

  “Raek, will you go first?”

  Really? I shuffled back to the front of the forty-student room, stomach doing flips as I fought to stay calm. Pointing to my project, I waved my wrist toward the floating screen by the wall. My band registered, and my project appeared.

  They were all looking at me. I stared at the ground. “I decided to research the first space micro-colony, Armstrong I.” I flicked my finger and a grainy hologram appeared alongside the floating screen. “The colony was designed to test a human’s ability to live in small scale structures outside Earth’s orbit for five years. The astronauts needed to be self-sufficient, restocking every six months.” What next? I wrung my hands before remembering and flicking my wrist. Phew.

  Newspaper reports from November 5th, 2032 appeared. Scientists Create the Perfect Drug, End Aging at Last.

  “We all know what happened next.”

  Another flick. The next paper, early 2033. Mysterious Disease Decimating Europe, Asia And North America. Six months after that, New York Times Final Edition - Stay Safe, Good Luck.

  Another flick, mass graves, carts of emaciated, hollow-eyed bodies. Then war and famine… Back to the Armstrong I.

  Things went better after that until I looked up. Everyone was quiet, listening for once. Crap. Why’d I look? It was going so well... Deep breath.

  “Thanks to the stability of the GDR and economic growth the last few decades, we’re nearing a point where humanity might once again consider the stars. Well, not animotes...” I added before anyone laughed. “But for cynetics, emulates and maybe even enhancers. And I for one, hope to one day see the stars, to live in a place where we’re equal and free. Maybe space is that place. Umm, the end...”

  I turned to Professor Fitz, holding my breath. He was smiling to himself. “Let’s give Raek a hand, everyone. Good job, Raek. Thanks for sharing. And… oh, wait. We’re out of time. You’re dismissed. Remember, one of you will have to present tomorrow, so be prepared.” My band buzzed, time for Manufacturing.

  Mrs. Olup’s class never held my attention, and before I knew it, my wrist buzzed. Time for lunch. As long as she didn’t check today’s biomarkers. Didn’t need the importance of good grades and a safe factory job speech again.

  Mom didn’t have much schooling, times were even tougher and she’d needed to help put food on the table. Speaking of... Wow, was I hungry. On the way, I bumped into Toras. I hadn’t seen him since he bailed yesterday.

  He elbowed me. “Man, tell me what happened? Everyone’s talking about it. That’s Toras for you—rabbitish in general—direct and to the point. Guess that’s the rabbit in him, like the big ears.

  “They’re saying you saw the six-clawed beast,” he whispered. “They’re saying it’s a multi-species splice: a bear, a wolf and a tiger—a genetic freak.” He spoke faster and faster, brown eyes burning with a need to know.

  The rumor mill was crazier than I’d thought. I tried to downplay it but he asked again.

  I nodded.

  He smacked the table and smiled. “I knew it!”

  “Shhh! Don’t go telling everyone,” I said in a hushed voice as we sat at our usual table—the wooden clunker in the corner with our initials carved into the center. Mikey had chosen it years ago and we’d never deviated. “Mr. C and Mr. Ilt don’t want to cause a panic.”

  Where were Mikey and Pavel? I scanned the cafeteria, if you could call it that, the makeshift thermal tarp covered area, the most the school could afford. Nothing.

  “The usual?” I asked as he pulled out a small, recycled biobox, eager to change the topic.

  He nodded and popped the top, dipping a cucumber into the guac.

  Ugh. I’d go crazy with just veggies. Across from us, Elly was sitting with Vovi, as usual. Vovi’s little sister Merie walked toward them and I chuckled.

  We were talking about the weekend when Pavel and Mikey appeared, the two, a funny pair, as always—Mikey’s long blond mane and solid physique next to tiny Pavel, whose big eyes never missed a thing.

  “Is it true?” Mikey asked before he’d even sat. “Come on, Raek. Spill.”

  “Sort of.” I told them everything. At the end, they were all riled.

  “You guys hear the news?” Toras asked without warning. What news? My ears perked up. “Emulates gained the upper hand in the Lower Government. Polls are in, web’s saying they’ll outrank the cynetics sixty-to-forty next term. Dad was watching the WNN last night.”

  Pavel’s round eyes narrowed to slits. “So what? Sure, things might change in the cities, new policies and all, but out here... You think they care? We can’t vote. Think anything will change?” He shook his head. “Besides, Board’s three-to-two for the emulates. That’s where the real power is. By the way, did you guys finish the Housing project? I needed help with—”

  The alarm sounded.

  3

  A Pin
Drop

  Not another inspection. Ugh. I fought to stay straight-faced, doing my best not to look at Pavel as he winced, hand going to the scars snaking across his back.

  The Education Department liked to show up unannounced and cause trouble. It was the government’s way of keeping animotes less advanced. They didn’t want us learning anything that could cause problems, only things core to the jobs they needed us to do.

  So recent history wasn’t taught; no advanced math or science either. Sure, we studied the classics and knew the basics of the Bioplague and The Experiments, but most of that was from parents and rumors. Too controversial and radical, at least for animote students.

  The air speaker blared, a voice exploding everywhere at once. “RETURN TO YOUR CLASSROOMS! WALK SINGLE FILE. NO TALKING, NO EATING, NO DRINKING. SIT DOWN, DO NOT SPEAK. READ UNTIL YOU RECEIVE ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS. TEACHERS, REPORT TO YOUR ASSIGNED EXAMINATION ROOMS FOR QUESTIONING!”

  We rose without a word, hurrying, no one daring to be last. We’d seen what happened to Pavel a month ago.

  Back in the cramped room, we sat with our heads down, books open, all fifty of us. You could have heard a pin drop; the silence was deafening. I’d started my manufacturing homework when the door opened. Next to me, a sharp intake of breath. That was Myrtha, the teacher’s pet—always on her best behavior, best grades in class. I couldn’t stand her.

  “Attention, everyone.” Ms. Hetly stood, taut arms crossed her little body, a dull red sweater over her shoulder. She brushed a shaking hand through her auburn hair and tried to put on a smile. “We’ll be having a visitor today, so be on your best behavior.”

  She swallowed, eyes flittering around the room. I didn’t know if anyone else noticed little things like that, but I always did.

  A man stepped in. He was tall, tan and what Elly would call handsome. Slicked-back blond hair and a comic book square jaw spoke of engineered enhancer heritage and his shoulders said he could handle himself in a fight.

  We locked eyes, and I felt something emanating from him. A cold indifference, maybe? No, that wasn’t it. He looked away and it hit me. Scorn.

  He sauntered to Ms. Hetly’s desk and made himself comfortable, a smug superiority plastered across his perfect face. Jerk.

  Keep your head down, Raek.

  Ms. Hetly turned. “Open your books to page ninety-seven. I hope you all did your homework.”

  Books clattered and pages flipped. Not a peep. I snuck a glance at the enhancer but couldn’t see what he was doing. He was typing away at a shimmering, 3D holographic display and looked bored.

  Really? I felt a tinge of envy. If our school had more funding, we wouldn’t be stuck with these old-fashioned, out-of-date paper books for half our halfass classes. But who was I kidding?

  Grandpa explained it once, “If animotes had access to the same information and tech and upgrades as elites, think we’d be happy as laborers and underlings? Course not, and we’d catch up. That’s dangerous for them elites. Information’s power, boy. Never forget that.”

  I was just glad we could access the internet again. The sixties must have been horrible...

  Ms. Hetly glanced at the newcomer. “Pavel, read the first problem and choose a partner to solve it with.”

  Two rows over, Pavel stood, quivering. Poor guy. His big eyes flicked between Ms. Hetly and the newcomer before tapping Myrtha on the shoulder. Good choice. She went rigid, like she might cry or hide behind those huge ears of hers.

  The two walked to the front of the silent room. I was safe, at least for now...

  “Analyze the following,” Pavel read, enunciating each word. He didn’t look up, far from his usual cool. “You’re working in a verticalized solar cell facility following the clean energy collapse. Which of the following…”

  I got distracted and before I knew it, they’d finished a three-tiered sorting system with some notes about increased worker hours. They turned to Ms. Hetly, eyes wide.

  The man was pounding away at his keys, staring steely-eyed at the three of them.

  “Well done. You can go back to your seats,” Ms. Hetly murmured, her voice a few octaves above normal.

  The enhancer lifted a threatening finger. “One second.” He took a full two minutes to finish a note before turning his attention to Pavel. Pavel shuffled his feet and looked at the floor.

  “How do you like school?” he asked.

  “I like it well enough.” Pavel bit his lower lip, still staring at his feet.

  “Well enough? What do you want to be when you graduate? And look at me, boy, when I’m talking to you!”

  A bolt shot through Pavel, the jerk of marionette strings pulling him straight, his feet back, chest out. He looked at the man. “I’d like to be an engineer, sir.”

  “An engineer, huh?” The man smirked. “That requires university. Your kind doesn’t do higher education.”

  “I know, sir. I thought, I could learn it on my own and try to apply, convince ‘em. You know?” Pavel said in an excited voice.

  “No, I don’t know,” the inspector replied icily. The man’s hard eyes narrowed further. “Can you spell it out for me? Which part of the law did you think you could convince ‘em to break?”

  “Um, well, I didn’t—”

  “I think what Pavel is trying to say, sir,” Ms. Hetly cut in, “is that he has big dreams and wants to contribute to society. Right, Pavel?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Yes, sir. That’s—that’s what I meant.” Pavel looked away, flushing.

  “I don’t buy it. Remember your place.” The enhancer sneered. “You’re dismissed, all of you. Get out!” He turned to Ms. Hetly. “Not you, Pelly. You stay here with me.”

  His voice gave me chills as we rushed for the door.

  4

  Autumn

  AUTUMN WAS MY FAVORITE season, but it always ended too soon. This autumn was no different, except for the attack. The months flew by, but people were on edge. Even good old Mr. Trew seemed stressed. Elephantish, I’ve heard. But it’s hard to tell. A lot of folks are like that, their human DNA is dominant. But if you see someone on the street without a fancy evosuit, they’re animote. We could never afford that kind of awesome tech. I’d seen holograms of elite kids messing around: the suits absorb impact, prevent burns, even stop a knife.

  They weren’t faked either. I checked. That was a big problem for a while, before The Experiments. Scientists researched AI back in those days. The Bioplague changed all that. When the GDR formed, it clamped down on AI research. Said it was for our protection, but it was about power. AI could change everything. They didn’t want that.

  We even had to watch Terminator in school. All. Six. Of. Them.

  Mom’s voice shattered my sleep. “Wake up, Raek! It’s time for school!”

  Had I been dreaming? Crap, I fell asleep. I’d wanted to practice more warehousing examples before today’s test.

  There was a knock at the front door. By this time, I was dressed and ready.

  “It’s Pavel!” Mom yelled. “Did you study for manufacturing?”

  Crap. “Yes, Mom,” I lied, not making eye contact as I slipped out the door.

  Pavel was waiting on our dinky doorstep, anxious to leave. The weather was beautiful with a rich red sunrise and warm breeze.

  “Ready, princess?” He elbowed me in the ribs and earned a jab for his snark as we hurried to avoid being late.

  At school, something felt off. A crowd of parents milled about the entrance, talking to a group of restless teachers. Gloomy, nervous energy hung over the place.

  We heard snippets of conversation. “What’s all the commotion...”

  “Have you seen...”

  “Police?”

  Pavel and I looked at each other.

  Ah, Professor Fitz. If anyone could tell us what was going on, it would be him.

  “Professor Fitz, Professor Fitz!” I ducked through the crowd and dodged a huge bearish dad to get to him, grabbing his arm.

  Professor Fitz lo
oked terrible, heavy bags under his dark eyes that reminded me of a Neurowebber. From the looks of it, he hadn’t slept. His beard was unkempt, his hair disheveled, and even his signature microfiber shirt had wrinkles.

  “Professor Fitz, what’s going on?”

  “Raek, Pavel, I’m glad you two are okay,” he said, tone grave. “There’s been an attack. By the elites, Merie Mram. She was a year or two younger than you boys. She was found dead. It looks like elites, the cynetics.”

  I gasped. Merie? Vovi’s sister? Vovi was always at our house. Jeez, little Merie...

  “You boys should go home. We don’t need anyone else getting hurt. School is canceled today. I’ll see you tomorrow, unless the search takes longer.”

  He stepped closer, giving each of us a glare Mom would be proud of. “And don’t even think about it, Raek. You either, Pavel. This is a job for adults.”

  Actually, it was a job for the police, but they could care less.

  His eyes narrowed further. “I don’t want to see either of you in those woods. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir,” we said automatically.

  “Linus, get over here!” someone shouted.

  “I have to go, boys, and so do you. Go home, and stay home.” With that, he turned in the direction of the caller and disappeared into the crowd.

  Elly tapped me on the shoulder and I jumped. For a second, I thought she was Vynce—they had the same eyes and nose, plus her hair was back in a bun. “Jeez, sis, a little warning would be nice.”

  “Thank goodness I found you, Raek,” she said, talking fast, her voice high. “Have you heard? We need to go home. Now! Oh, Pavel,” she added, noticing him. He turned bright red. Pavel was even more embarrassed around girls than me, especially Elly—not that they’d ever be able to have kids or a future, him, owlish, and her, wolfish.