‘The academy training can give an officer the impression things are black and white – however, in the field things are more often shades of grey.’
She had to be referring to the incident at the gate. Shuqba wished she could speak openly to her mentor. It wasn’t as simple as discussing battle strategies or appropriate weapon choice. This went to the core of her role as an SFO and would mean revealing a possible transgression – not only hers, but also that of a fellow officer.
‘I hear you’ve made some shrewd decisions lately.’
Shuqba wasn’t sure what to say. If she brought up her concerns and uncertainties she could seem unsophisticated, poorly trained or not bright enough to be worthy of her position as Commander Rayne’s star Neo recruit.
‘Thank you, ma’am.’
‘Excellent. Now, I’ve brought you here to discuss the reopening of the hubs.’
Shuqba nodded. They were back on firmer ground.
‘LeaderCorp has struck a deal with a representative of the Demi-Citizens and they’ll be rolling out brain implants with basic functions and medi-surveillance ASAP. In the meantime, we have assurances the hubs and SFOs will no longer be a target. You’ll resume your shifts out there tomorrow.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ It would be a relief to be back in the Demi-Settlements. Even though Shuqba was more physically vulnerable out there, she wouldn’t have the bewildering LeaderCorp politics to deal with. Her two shifts in the city had turned out to be more disturbing than having faeces thrown at her and seeing bombs explode.
‘Once the implant rollout begins you’ll be allocated a med team. The dates are tentative right now – I’ll keep you informed. For now, though, take a break for the rest of the day.’ The commander smiled. ‘Perhaps you’d like to join me for a walk in Undercity Park this afternoon.’
‘Thank you, ma’am. It would be my pleasure.’
The commander’s expression sobered and she uncrossed her legs. ‘There’s one other thing I’d like to discuss.’ She swallowed and clasped her hands together.
‘Yes, ma’am?’
‘I’m sure you’ve seen the state of the children in the Demi-Settlements.’
Shuqba nodded.
‘Their lives are pitiful, poor lambs.’
Shuqba pictured them playing in the dirt, malnourished bellies under prominent ribs and skin marred with blemishes and abrasions. Alida’s little sister, Graycie, was a prime example.
‘Their parents, if they actually have any, are often incapable of caring for them and find the children a burden.’ The commander broke eye contact with Shuqba and looked towards the window. ‘It’s ironic. Demis breed like rabbits and then can’t provide for their children. Meanwhile, quality Sapiens in the city are plagued by infertility. Their homes are well equipped for raising and nurturing a child. And they can offer these children all the many benefits of citizenship.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
The commander made eye contact with Shuqba once again. ‘In your capacity as SFO at the hub, I’d like you to identify children who could benefit from a new life in the city. If parents are involved there’ll be ample compensation for them, of course.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
The commander was asking her to source children for illegal adoptions, most likely for LeaderCorp officials. All the useless facts she’d memorised during her training couldn’t help her understand LeaderCorp’s motivations and requirements of her. All her training had been pointless.
‘You seem confused, Shuqba.’
‘No, ma’am, I …’ Shuqba peered down at her feet, not sure of the right thing to say. Conversations at the academy had been so straightforward. She’d never had to fear she might say or do something that would lead to Commander Rayne’s disapproval, let alone disciplinary action.
Her position was precarious after the hiccup during her very first shift. She would keep quiet and observe, and ask no questions. Questions were for people who were sure of themselves, like Karain had been. Unless she was following a rule book, Shuqba wasn’t sure of anything.
‘I understand this goes against what you’ve been taught at the academy, however, the Security Force exists to serve LeaderCorp and there are powerful people in the city who want children of their own. Helping them can only be a boon to your career. There will be bonuses available for each child identified.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ She had to admit, unwanted Demi children would have a better life in the city, although she suspected being with a family who loved you was more important than all the luxuries a life in the city could offer.
‘You’re doing great, Shuqba. Keep making shrewd decisions.’ The commander stood. ‘You’re dismissed. Enjoy the rest of your free day.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ Shuqba stood. ‘Commander?’
‘Yes?’ The commander stepped onto the treadmill.
‘May I ask something before I go?’ Shuqba put a steadying hand on the arm of the couch.
‘You may.’
‘The Neo apprehended coming into the city last night – what will happen to her?’
The commander’s eyes glazed as she connected to IntelliEnhance. ‘Yes, Neo clone 52311, the cricket factory labourer.’ She disconnected. ‘I’ve viewed your report. I’m afraid, despite the evidence she was tricked into leaving the city, she’ll be waitlisted for transfer to medical research.’
Shuqba bit the inside of her cheek. She had expected this; still, she’d hoped Ferrassie would qualify for a reprieve, as she herself had. Recent experience had taught her LeaderCorp’s firm rules could be moulded to suit, if someone with enough power required it.
‘Can I be the one to tell her?’
‘The Neo Control Department handles these cases.’ The commander walked slowly on her treadmill.
‘I understand. I’m a little worried about her. She seemed so shaken by the turn of events.’
‘You’ve always had a kind heart. Let me check on her current status for you.’ The commander consulted her IntelliEnhance again. ‘Hmm. It seems she’s currently being interrogated by Neo Control.’
‘Interrogated? Why?’
‘I’m not sure. The report isn’t yet available.’ The commander paused the treadmill. ‘I think I’ll send you over as a Security Force representative. One of the interrogators, an officer named … let’s see … Noon – yes, Yaphet Noon, has been flagged as a potential Neo abuser. We must stamp out this kind of heavy-handed behaviour towards valuable LeaderCorp property. I’d been intending to implement an SFO interrogation chaperone program. May as well start the ball rolling now. If you encounter any resistance, refer them to me.’
‘I’ll head there on the double.’
Shuqba had been unaware Neo Control Officers were capable of abusing the clones they were charged with protecting. She had to get over there. Straight away. Ferrassie had been traumatised enough.
CHAPTER 19
Hatched light came in through the fibres of the bag smothering Ferrassie. She had no idea how long she’d been standing naked with her hands SmartCuffed behind her back. It must have been hours. She could just make out bare walls in a windowless room, and to her right a square table with a chair on either side. The bag stank of stale body odour and mildew. She was suffocating in her own breath, sour with fear and hunger. She took deeper and deeper breaths; her lungs couldn’t pull in enough oxygen. Fear of Officer Noon kept her from tilting forward and shaking the bag off. She leaned forward slightly, creating a small gap where the fabric of the bag lifted from her chest, and sucked in a stream of fresher air.
The room was cold. Goosebumps had broken out all over her skin. She shuddered and shook. She had an idea she was being watched. She wasn’t ashamed of her naked body. She was hairier and more muscular than the little-brain ideal. She’d never cared if little-brains found her attractive or even screwable, but nudity made her skin and organs seem more vulnerable. On the other hand, it wasn’t like a layer of cloth could protect her from anything.
Useless tea
rs fell, stoking her panic. She wanted to sink to the floor and relieve her spasming muscles. She moved her knees and lifted her feet slightly, despite being ordered to not move.
The room was dead quiet except for her breaths and the drumming of her heart. She mouthed the lyrics of her favourite songs to help get her mind straight. Wherever she was must be deep inside the building, away from the noise of the streets. The scab on her neck itched. She needed a slash. Officer Noon had dragged her from the Neo Control holding cell as she was about to sit on the loo.
She had no idea what they were going to do to her or why they were keeping her. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She’d already told them what had happened. It wasn’t her fault. She’d been daft and gullible. She’d screwed up.
The door opened; a slight rattle and then warmer air and sound rushing in like water: voices, beeps, rings, shuffles and bangs. From somewhere outside the room, cutting through all the ordinary noises, was a high tinkling laugh. The door closed, shutting Ferrassie off from the world again.
‘Hey, it’s freezing in here. Aircon up to twenty-four, please, BIS.’
‘Yes, Officer Lorae,’ BIS said.
At least it wasn’t Noon. Anyone would be better than Noon. Violence had seemed coiled in every muscle of his wiry little-brain body. The fuzzy shape of the copper came towards her. Ferrassie braced for a blow as the bag was lifted from her head.
Cold air hit Ferrassie’s mug and chilled the damp sweat that had collected in her hair and around her neck. After hours of straining for every grain of bag-filtered light, her eyes watered at the brightness of the room.
Officer Lorae had black hair in neat corkscrew curls around her head. Dimples framed her smile. She would understand.
‘Sorry about your treatment. Officer Noon can get carried away. We only want to ask you some questions.’ The copper went behind Ferrassie and sliced away her SmartCuffs. ‘These are completely unnecessary.’
Ferrassie brought her arms forward, her shoulders creaking with pain. She massaged each wrist in turn and then wiped away her tears.
‘I’ve brought some clothes for you.’ Lorae handed her a grey jumpsuit. ‘I’ll fetch you some breakfast. Get yourself dressed and take a seat at the table when you’re done. I won’t be long.’
Lorae left the room. Ferrassie’s body shook with sobs. She took deep breaths and pulled on the jumpsuit. The room already felt warmer. This, whatever this had been, was over. She had no idea what came next. Officer Lorae had a kind smile and a kind voice. She only wanted to ask some questions. Ferrassie could answer questions. Ferrassie would tell Lorae whatever she wanted to know and then she could go back to her bed at the barracks and curl up there, safe beneath her covers.
Ferrassie lowered her stiff body onto a chair. Officer Lorae came in with a glass of water and a sandwich. Ferrassie drank the water first; her throat ached from holding back her blubbing for so long. She took a bite of the sandwich. The copper watched her with a tight smile. Ferrassie’s mouth dried around the wad of bread and labmeat in her mouth. Ferrassie put her sandwich down.
‘Sandwich no good?’
‘I’d rather we get this over with.’
Lorae nodded. ‘I understand. You’ve had a rough night and then a scare this morning.’
Ferrassie took a shaky breath.
‘Why don’t you tell me what happened last night?’
‘I already made a statement.’
‘Yes, but I need to hear it from you. It’s procedure. We need to do this so I can sign off on your case. Understand?’
Ferrassie nodded. She understood procedure. LC was all about following procedure. ‘Fine.’ Ferrassie began her story with the messages from Ferdinand.
The copper’s brow furrowed. Ferrassie finished her story with coming into City 1 in Lars’s truck. She took a sip of water, avoiding the copper’s sharp focus. She’d done what was asked of her. It had to be enough. Lorae was the kind of person who’d believe her. They could send her back to work at the cricket factory and she could forget any of this had happened.
Officer Lorae stared at her for a long time. Ferrassie fidgeted. What was she thinking? She pushed down the urge to tell the story over again, to fill the silence.
Finally the copper sighed and shifted in her seat. ‘Ferrassie, we know about your contact with a group of free-Neos.’
Ferrassie’s heart bashed at her ribs. ‘Come again? Free-Neos? I have no idea what you’re on about.’
‘I understand you want to protect your people, your species. I’m an advocate for Neo rights myself. You Neos have had a rough deal and you need to stick together. Right?’
Ferrassie shook her head. ‘I don’t –’
‘Look, I get it. You don’t want to live your whole lives as slaves to LeaderCorp. Sometimes I feel like I’m a slave to LeaderCorp.’ Lorae chuckled. ‘But we all need to do our part.’ She leaned forward and smiled at Ferrassie. ‘I bet you’re quite intelligent for a Neo. I bet you have some talents. Don’t you?’
Ferrassie shrugged.
‘Tell me about yourself.’
‘I … I hauled cricket crap every day of my life. Not much else to say.’
‘I bet there’s more to you than what’s coded into your clone tattoo. Isn’t there?’
‘I suppose.’
Lorae leaned back in her chair. ‘I like you, Ferrassie. I want to help you, but you have to give me something. Wouldn’t you like for this medical research thing to go away and to go back to your work at the cricket factory? We simply need your cooperation.’
‘I want to cooperate. I just don’t understand. I can tell you anything you wanna know about Ferdinand and Peony. No one has even asked for descriptions of them. I’ll give you as much as I can about those dodgy bastards.’
The copper didn’t seem happy with her. If Ferrassie didn’t tell her what she wanted to hear she would leave and Officer Noon would come back. Pleasing Officer Lorae was the key. She was the only one who could help her now.
‘Ferrassie, Ferrassie.’ Lorae tutted. ‘Those individuals aren’t my particular concern. I need to hear about the free-Neos. What do you know about them?’
Ferrassie needed to be careful. A lie to please Lorae could get her into more trouble. She racked her brains for anything she had on the free-Neos. The first she’d heard about them was from the Rewilders at the refuelling station.
She told Officer Lorae what the Rewilders had said.
‘Right, about the refuelling station. I find it hard to believe it’s a coincidence that you met up with an individual suspected of anti-LeaderCorp activities and came into the city with him.’
‘Lars?’ She’d been cold before; now the room was too hot. Ferrassie fanned herself with the collar of her jumpsuit.
‘Yes, Lars.’
Ferrassie clenched her jaw. They didn’t care about what she’d been through. They didn’t care about folk harvesting organs from Neos. They were asking her questions about crap she had no idea about. They’d made her stand naked for hours in a cold room with a bag over her head. She held onto her anger. It was better than fear and despair.
‘This is so daft. Can’t you see this makes no sense? Lars brought me into the city. If I knew where the free-Neos were, wouldn’t he have taken me to them? You little-brains are supposed to be the smart ones. You have no fucking clue.’
‘Little-brains?’ Officer Lorae crossed her arms and shook her head. ‘That kind of hostility won’t help you, Ferrassie.’
They sat in silence for a while. Long enough for Ferrassie to regret her outburst. She needed to butter up Lorae if she wanted to avoid medical research. She’d probably already stuffed up her chances. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. She had no info. All she had was the reality. And the reality didn’t seem to have the power to get her out of this.
‘What about your friend –’ Lorae made blank IntelliEnhance mug – ‘Amud. Does he know anything about the free-Neos? Should we bring him in for questioning?’
; ‘Amud? You’re going to bring Amud into this?’ Ferrassie massaged her temples. Now the copper was trying to intimidate her. ‘Amud doesn’t know anything, and if I knew anything I would tell you. You have to believe me. I’m not a criminal. Ferdinand and Peony are the criminals. Why don’t you go after them?’
‘Why did you try to remove your clone tattoo if you weren’t intending to escape from LeaderCorp?
‘I told you, Ferdinand and Peony did that.’ Ferrassie tipped forward and rested her brow ridge against the table.
The door opened. It was him. Noon. He charged straight at Ferrassie and lifted her out of the chair by her collar. She pissed a warm flood into her jumpsuit and her chair tilted and clattered to the floor. She brought her hands up to protect herself and scrabbled with her feet to regain her balance. She was momentarily weightless, like she wasn’t even there, before the wall slammed into her back. Every bone in her body shook. She felt no pain. Pain would come later. Air rushed from her lungs and she struggled to take another breath. Her stomach heaved.
‘Enough fucking about, you cave ranga turd. You’ll tell us what you know or you’ll be in so many pieces the medical researchers won’t even be able to do anything with you.’
Ferrassie couldn’t even make sense of his words. All she knew was that he was going to hurt her. This was going to be bad and there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn’t defend herself, even though every instinct told her to fight back, to break his nose like she’d broken Ferdinand’s. If she did she wouldn’t make it out of the room alive. Lorae was unmoved and unsmiling.
Ferrassie keened softly, snot bubbled from her nostrils and tears clouded her eyes.
Someone knocked at the door and Noon let go of her. She slid down the wall and cowered on the floor. She didn’t care if they sent her to medical research, if it meant she could get out of this right now. All she wanted was a moment of peace, lying in her own bed at the barracks.
‘What have you done to this woman?’ said the high-pitched nasal voice of a Neo.
The Neo copper who’d been on the gate the night before, Officer Shuqba, stood speaking to Lorae and Noon.
The Shining Wall Page 10