by Joseph Evans
Cutson entered carrying a tray and placed it very carefully on her desk.
“These, ladies and gentlemen, are the electronic chips that will be protecting you from the harmful toxins of the south partition power plant leak.”
There were a few murmurs in the class.
“Power plant leak?” Seckry whispered to Tenk, but Tenk just shrugged his shoulders.
“Quiet!” said Cutson, furiously. “Don’t tell me that none of you watched the news last night.”
“I did,” said one girl feebly. “So did I,” said another, but that seemed to be it.
“You’re supposed to be the brightest prospects in the world here in Skyfall,” Cutson said disgustedly, “and none of you can even be bothered to keep up with current affairs. Even when your own lives are in danger.”
There was another wave of murmuring in the class, this time full of worry and confusion.
“Yes, that’s right,” Cutson said. “All of your lives could be in danger as there was a leak at one of the city’s largest power plants yesterday evening. The chemicals that have been released into the air are extremely toxic, which is why I’m carrying this tray of wonderful cutting edge white chips, which have been designed to protect us from these very toxins. Thank Gedin for Endrin.”
“Endrin?” Seckry whispered to Tenk. “They’re the ones that set up that extraction site in my village.”
“We are now going to watch a video message from the president of Endrin, Mr Kan Darklight,” said Cutson. She seemed to go red saying his name.
“He’s such a sleaze,” blurted one of the girls.
“Mr Darklight is nothing of the sort!” said Cutson, abruptly. “He has taken Endrin to a completely new level. He is a beacon in the name of science. If you interrupt me like that again, Isabelya, there will be serious consequences.”
Cutson regained her composure and flicked the lights off. A projector at the back of the room stuttered into life.
The man on screen was wearing a suit and tie with gelled back black hair and a confident, if somewhat sinister, smile.
“Hello, pupils of Estergate. I’m sure you will all have heard about the unfortunate recent spillage in the south partition power plant, and I’m sure you will all have your concerns about this. However, here at Endrin we have been working on technology to protect ourselves from such an event for a long time, and we are here to protect you too. It is estimated that the leaked substances will not begin to have an effect on the human body until around five days after exposure, however, it is imperative that we administer this protection as quickly and as efficiently as we can.”
He raised his hand up to his chest, holding a small white cube between his forefinger and thumb.
“This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Endrin white chip. It works by sending out a signal in a kind of invisible, circular bubble around your body which repels these toxins. The easiest way to ensure that you are always protected by the white chip is to wear it around your arm with these simple arm straps we are supplying.”
He slotted the cube into a holder on a thin, rubber arm strap and fastened it around his wrist.
“We don’t know how long it will take for these chemicals to neutralise completely so you will all have to wear your white chips until further notice. As students of the XL-Ent curriculum, we, at Endrin, are giving you the first opportunity to have access to the white chips and we are also providing you with complete diagrams of the inner workings of the chip for you to study.
“Your teacher will now provide each and every one of you with a chip. Thank you for listening.”
The screen faded to white and some text appeared on screen:
Endrin: Proud to be ethical.
As soon as the lights clicked back on, the class erupted into nervous whispers once more.
“Quiet!” Cutson said viciously. “If there are any questions then you will put your hands up and wait to be asked. Yes, Miss Turntop?”
“Miss,” said one of the girls, anxiously. “What about Peanut? Will he be safe from the toxins?”
“Peanut will be fine,” Cutson said impatiently. “Endrin have informed me that the chemicals pose no threat to animals. Only humans. Now, I’m going to hand a white chip to each and every one of you, and you will attach it around your arm immediately. Understood?”
There was a murmur of, “Yes, miss,’ and a few nods.
When Seckry received his chip he strapped it around his left wrist.
“Now what we are all going to do is unclip the face of our chips so that we can see the circuitry inside. Then we’re going to draw a diagram of the inner workings into our workbooks.
“Not copying again,” Tenk complained under his breath. “This’ll take us hours. Look at the thing. It’s like something from outer space.”
As they all lethargically reproduced the diagram which Cutson had projected onto the whiteboard, Cutson explained the nature of each connection. As Seckry was listening, he found himself seeing patterns and shapes in the circuitry on the tiny chip on his wrist. Over in the top left hand corner was a kind of bear figure, right in the centre there was a sort of star, and when he tilted it, there was a tiny distorted face just at the bottom. He looked up at the projection to see the shapes on a larger screen. But something wasn’t right. The face had only one eye. Its left eye was missing.
He did a few double takes to check he wasn’t mistaken. But sure enough, a circular dot of some sort was missing from the diagram.
At that moment another teacher came into the classroom, a man holding a white chip of his own. He gestured an ‘excuse me,’ to Cutson, and he pointed to a stack of files at the back of the room before heading down there and flicking through them.
Cutson didn’t look at all pleased to have her lesson interrupted.
Seckry wondered if he should point out the mistake on the diagram. He knew it would probably infuriate Cutson but he was itching to say something. He shocked himself when he realised he was raising his hand slowly.
Cutson’s gaze fell upon his and she froze, glaring at him.
“I think the diagram is missing something,” Seckry said.
When she continued to stare at him like a stone statue, Seckry thought it was best to elaborate.
“In the corner on the bottom left, there’s a little dot missing. Just down there where it looks like a . . . face.”
Mrs Cutson sighed impatiently. “Would you like to stand up here and give your own lecture, Seckraman? I assure you that Endrin would never allow–”
“Mrs Cutson,” said the teacher at the back of the room, and his deep voice stamped out Cutson’s whine immediately. “Forgive my interrupting,” he said, “but this young man has a very sharp eye. He is absolutely correct. The diagram that Endrin have provided us with is inaccurate, and is the reason I am locating their contact details right now.” He turned to the class. “I will be in touch with Endrin tonight to get us all replacement copies. Well done for spotting that.” He glanced at Seckry and gave a nod before leaving.
Cutson looked like she’d just received a slap. Her face was bright red, her thick veins pulsating under her loose fitting skin.
For the rest of the lesson she remained silent, leaving the pupils to copy into their workbooks. Seckry couldn’t help but gleam inside. That teacher had put Cutson right in her place.
When the class ended, Seckry and Tenk began packing up their bags, but there was one thing that Seckry couldn’t get out of his mind.
“What was all that about a rabbit man earlier?” Seckry asked. “Primmy seemed really upset about it. Is the Rabbit Man some kind of–”
“Seckry, man, it’s not cool to laugh about it. Have you really never heard of the Rabbit Man?”
Seckry shook his head.
“Well, he’s not a man in a giant bunny suit if that’s what you’re thinking. He’s the most feared man in all of Skyfall. He’s a killer. A murderer.”
“Oh,” Seckry said, taken aback.
“It’s
been all over the news for the past three years. The mysterious Rabbit Man kills again. He’s murdered sixteen people.”
“But why do they call him the Rabbit Man?”
“They’ve got footage of him on security cameras and he’s been sighted a few times. He’s got some kind of strange marking, like a tattoo on his forehead that’s in the shape of a rabbit.”
“A tattoo on his forehead?”
“Don’t ask me,” Tenk said, shrugging his shoulders. “Maybe it’s some kind of secret cult marking or something. Who knows? All we know is that he’s out there and he’s never been caught.”
“I guess Primmy just thought it was out of order, Snibble saying he was going to set him on Conker.”
“Totally out of order. You don’t joke about the Rabbit Man. It’s just not something you do.”
“Why do you think he murders people?” Seckry said curiously.
“Nobody knows. That’s the big question. His victims have been both male and female. From as young as twenty five to eighty five, from all four partitions. There are no links. No correlations. Just the most random, most brutal of murders. That’s the scariest thing. Who knows when or where he’s gonna strike next? It could be anyone.”
As they were leaving, the chewing gum girl from the art lesson earlier called Seckry to one side.
Tenk gave Seckry a surprised wink and said, “Gotta rush off, man, I’ll meet you at the station.”
Seckry gulped. What did she want to say to him? And what was her name? Tania, if he remembered rightly.
“Hey, new boy,” she said slowly. “Was good seeing someone brave enough to stand up to Snibble earlier. Most people just take his fippin nonsense.”
“Yeah, um . . . I don’t usually act like that,” Seckry replied. His words felt like they were falling out of his mouth uncontrollably. He couldn’t believe how fast his heart was beating, he had never had a girl compliment him before, especially not on his bravery.
“What’s your name?” she asked, still chewing that gum. Seckry wondered if it was the same piece that she’d been chewing this morning. He could smell the artificial sweetness of it, mixing with her warm breath.
“It’s Seckry.”
“Cool. My name’s Natania. You up to much tonight?”
Seckry was about to tell her it was his birthday and his mum would most probably have something planned, but he stopped himself just in time.
“Umm . . . not much. Just watching some TV or something, I imagine.”
She looked him up and down, smiling.
“Wicked. Well, do you fancy meeting up? We could meet on Ferry Road about seven and I’ll take you somewhere nice.”
Seckry felt like he was going to swallow his own tongue. “That’d be . . . uh . . . good,” he said croakily.
Natania smiled and walked away, saying nothing more.
Seckry rode the monorail home in a daze, his insides doing back flips as he flittered between fear and excitement. Amidst Tenk’s congratulations, he wondered how his mum would react when he told her he was actually going on a date. He was dreading the embarrassment.
All the boys in his school back in Marne had been seeing girls for years, it shouldn’t have been a big deal, but for some reason, he was terrified.
When he pushed open the door to the flat, the lights were off and the curtains had been drawn. For a brief moment he wondered if his mum and sister had had enough of the city and packed up and left. Then the familiar scent of burning candles hit him and his mum stepped out of the kitchen with his cake, singing happy birthday. She was followed by Leena who was miming along and looking slightly uncomfortable.
Seckry felt sick. This morning he couldn’t wait to have a slice of cake, but his stomach had been churning so much on the way back that it was the last thing he wanted to see now.
“How was your day, birthday boy?” his mum asked, after Seckry had blown out the candles. She placed the cake on the living area table and began cutting it into huge chunks.
“It was . . . interesting,” Seckry said.
He explained about the white chips and his mum and Leena both lifted their sleeves to reveal that they, too, had been given one each at work.
“Can you believe they’re made by that Endrin company?” Leena said. “I feel sick wearing something that’s been made by them. They ruined our lives for the sake of greed. I bet they’re raking in the money from extracting the energy underneath Marne.”
“Well, they haven’t started extracting yet, my love,” Coralle said. “It’s going to take them a year to set it up.”
“Well . . . that’s beside the point,” said Leena.
“Anyway, let’s talk about what we’re doing tonight,” Coralle said merrily.
Before his mum could say any more, Seckry decided it was just best to come out with it straight away.
“I’ve . . . kind of got a . . . date tonight.”
Seckry squeezed his face up into a cringe and closed one eye as he watched his mum’s expression transform into one of pure pride and glee. She put both her hands on her heart and took a deep breath. It looked as though she was about to cry.
“My son,” she said softly, and nothing else.
“So where are you going?” Leena asked, her down to earth tone making Seckry feel a little more relaxed.
“She wants me to meet her on Ferry Road and she’s gonna take me somewhere. That’s all I know.”
“Ooo!” his mum cried. “You might be going to one of those posh restaurants over in Falberry Quarter. Now you know you have to eat with your fork in your left hand and your knife in your right hand when you’re in a restaurant, don’t you? I should have trained both of you properly when you were little.”
“I get a feeling we’re not going to a restaurant,” Seckry said.
“Yeah they don’t go to restaurants, mum,” said Leena. “It’ll probably be a coffee shop. Have some evening lattes. Maybe a hot chocolate.”
“Oh it’s so romantic,” his mum squealed, delighted again. “And on your birthday as well. I was gonna get some party games going for the three of us but that will just have to wait. Now, I’m gonna cut you both a slice of cake, you can take a piece for her.”
“Mum, are you serious?” Leena exclaimed. “Do not take her a piece of cake, Seckry.”
“Why not?” their mum said defensively. “I’m sure the girl would love a slice.”
Leena shook her head.
“Right. I’m gonna give you some solid advice,” she stated, slapping her hand on the table. “Besides from not bringing cake to a date, there are a few things you should know about the way a girl should be treated.”
Their mum rolled her eyes but Leena didn’t notice.
“Firstly, don’t be overly forward. That’ll just put her off straight away. Secondly, do not tell her she looks good, smells good, tastes good, or any of that other cheesy crap. We know you don’t mean it.”
Seckry raised an eyebrow.
“And thirdly, do not pour her a drink, pull out her chair, or open a door for her. If you do that, it’s over. You may as well have ‘male chauvinist’ inked across your face.”
“Oh, don’t be silly, Leena,” said their mum. “Your dad always used to open doors for me. I felt special. Looked after.”
“Well times have changed, mum. That was a long time ago.”
“Not that long ago, thank you very much!” said Coralle.
Seckry’s palms had been sweating like mad before he even left the flat and tiny glowflies were now landing on his damp skin as he headed for the monorail station. The warm air was making him dizzy. His mouth was dry too and he kept swallowing which seemed to make it even worse.
It was definitely warmer in the summer here than in Marne. At least in Marne you could sometimes feel the cool breeze which came across the fields from the Phary Ocean in the west. Here in the city you were surrounded by hot metal and fizzing, fluorescent light. Seckry could see the heat distorting the road ahead.
He was we
aring a blue shirt; the only smart shirt he really had. He felt uncomfortable in it and it was too big, but his mum had assured him he had to make an effort to look good. Seckry wasn’t sure that Natania was the kind of girl to be dressed up smart, but his mum probably wouldn’t have let him out of the door wearing anything else.
Ferry Road was not far from Estergate. Seckry had spotted it from the view of the monorail the day before. When he departed the carriage, he took a few turnings and stopped to take a deep breath as he saw the street sign that he was looking for.
And there she was, leaning against a telephone exchange box wearing a yellow hoodie.
He knew he shouldn’t have dressed up.
He swallowed for the last time and walked towards her. His footsteps caught her attention.
“Hey, big boy,” she said lazily. She was chewing more gum again, bright blue this time.
“Hey,” Seckry said, his voice cracking from the dryness of his throat.
She eyed him up and down and chuckled to herself.
Seckry looked away in embarrassment.
Natania began walking.
“So where are we going?” Seckry asked boldly, following her and trying to mask his shaky voice. Natania said nothing.
As they headed down a near side street, Seckry realised that they were down an alley at the rear of some restaurants. He found himself stepping over sludge on the ground, rotting mixtures of wet and dried out food waste, wriggling with cockroaches and maggots. What kind of place was this for a date? It looked like a dead end.
And then he spotted something: a cloud of unnatural looking, bright green smoke, hovering sluggishly in the unmoving air of the alley.
“Here he is,” Natania said, and it took Seckry a moment to realise she wasn’t talking to him. Someone else was here.
A pair of eyes flashed open within the smoke.
“You better give me twenty notes worth,” Natania said forcefully.
Then someone stepped forward.
It was Snibble Knotting.
Seckry looked at Natania for an explanation, but she had no interest in him now, she was staring intently at Snibble, her eyes wide.
“I’m not waiting until you’ve finished with him before I get my crazydust. You better hand it over now, I’m gagging. I’ve brought you the kid.”
“Calm down, impatient cow.” Snibble lifted a small cellophane bag full of glowing green stuff from his pocket and threw it to her.
Seckry’s body felt like lead. He had been tricked. Snibble had used her as bait to get him alone at night, out of sight of any teachers or anyone. When they had been talking in the canteen, they must have been plotting it. How could he have been so stupid?
But he didn’t have time to let the disappointment sink in. He had to get out of here before it was too late. He turned to run but Snibble’s hand gripped him firmly and held him, squirming to get away.
To make it worse, two large figures stepped out of the shadows and blocked him in. They looked a few years older than Seckry, and seemed to be identical twins. Seckry was trapped.
“You ain’t going anywhere, newbie,” Snibble asserted.
Seckry stopped moving. He would have to wait until Snibble had let go before he could make another escape.
Snibble pulled Seckry’s face close to his own. Seckry could feel the boy’s warm, stinking breath wafting into his nostrils. It was the strangest smell he had ever come across. It was like rancid vegetables mixed with detergent. Snibble’s eyes were bloodshot and his pupils were dilated.
“So you think you can cheek me in school, do you? Think you can get me hyped up and kicked out, eh? Well it ain’t gonna happen, I’m telling you now.”
Snibble head butted Seckry and barred his teeth like a rabid dog, then he kicked him with a furious force in the shin, and Seckry crumpled in agony. It felt like the bone had split in half.
“Try running now, eh?” Snibble shouted.
The searing pain made Seckry’s mind pulse in and out of consciousness. He’d never be able to get away.
To make sure Seckry was going to stay put, Snibble stamped on both of his hands. Then he started coughing, retching up phlegm and green mucus.
Seckry’s eyes were filled with water from the pain, but he could just about see Snibble lean over and dribble the foul stuff onto him. The wetness of it began to seep through to his chest immediately.
Then Snibble pulled something out of his pocket and bent down but Seckry’s eyes were too unfocused to see what it was until it was right up close to his face. A lighter.
Seckry squirmed. He imagined the pain of being set on fire. He had to get out of here. His life depended on it. He wriggled violently, trying to get up. As he did so, his Friction avatar gift card slid out of his pocket.
“What’s this?” Snibble said mockingly, picking it up. His face formed a cruel smile. “Friction. You fippin geek.” He held it between his thumb and finger, hovering it close to Seckry’s face, then he sparked his lighter underneath it and let the plastic slowly liquidise. Seckry felt the heat from the small flame but all he could think about was his mum. All the money she had spent on him, melting into nothing.
After the card was a small pile of scorched and shrivelled plastic, Snibble sighed and leaned in closer to Seckry’s face, the lighter still lit. The heat was like a solid object, burning his skin like a molten rod.
“Snibble!” Natania said angrily. “Don’t you dare set him alight. You promised me you’d only slap him around. I ain’t having any of that murder stuff on my conscience.”
Then, as Seckry felt his skin begin to blister, there was a bang, and the heat was ousted immediately. There were heavy footsteps.
“Who the fippin hell’s that?” Snibble hissed, looking around frantically. The twins seemed to disappear immediately. Natania scrambled to her feet, throwing her roll up crazydust to the floor, and started running away. Snibble let out a roar of rage and swung his dirty trainer full force into Seckry’s nose.
Everything after that was a scrambled mess in Seckry’s mind. He lost track of where he was, who he was with, what time it was, what day it was. It was like his brain had been knocked out his skull.
The only thing Seckry was aware of was that he was being ripped from the ground by some powerful force, and he was moving. Fast.
Chapter Six
Welcome to Atoria