by Simon Archer
“Wait a minute. You’re telling me that, in cat girls that can update, they upload what they’ve been doing? How do they do that without violating at least EVERY privacy law known to man?” Theo asked heatedly.
“They DO violate the privacy laws and pass it off as legal data mining, but it is getting harder for them to do. Governmental hardware and software monitoring programs have gotten stricter, so Omnicorp doesn’t just freely upload the way it used to,” Kennedi answered.
“But what is the fucking point in doing that?” I asked.
“Control. It’s all about control. If a connection is set up right, Omnicorp can give commands in real-time to a CG. For example, if I was normal and they wanted information from you, they could instruct me, in real-time, what to ask you, and you’d never know you were answering them, not me.”
The room fell silent while we processed what Kennedi had told us. Omnicorp had literally created a way to glean information from anyone, anywhere without the person being aware. Something didn’t make sense, though.
“What would they do with the information if they can’t expose that they have it?” I asked.
“That is where the data-mining comes in. Every electronic device owned is allowed to data-mine, so that you can be targeted by advertisers of services and merchandise. The sale of data is one of the most lucrative industries in the world. Omnicorp can twist the legal data they get from you to make it look like any other information obtained was incidental.”
“And therefore, legal to possess,” I muttered, trying to lay out the whole scandalous scheme in my mind.
“Yes,” she responded. “How do you think the Panasonic-Sony merger happened? It wasn’t because either wanted to work together. Omnicorp bought Sony under the radar and kept the branding. Then they found out that the son of the CEO of Panasonic had some rather illegal habits that included siphoning large sums of money from the company. How? Through a cat girl. Instead of dealing with the son, the CEO fell to being blackmailed by Omnicorp and pushed the merger through. After that, Omnicorp owned both.”
Theo’s face started turning red as Kennedi’s words sunk in. “Who is supposed to be regulating these thugs?” he asked angrily.
“That’s part of it,” Kennedi said. “Omnicorp has CGs in corporation headquarters all over the world. They also have them being used by government officials. All they have to do is dig up one family secret, one tawdry office romance, one incriminating picture, and they can do with them what they wish. To date, I do not know of a single report against them. If there has been, the paperwork has been buried.”
“You poor dears are company slaves, aren’t you?” Bev asked quietly. She looked as though she was going to cry as she stared at Kennedi.
“I am not, Bev,” Kennedi reassured her. “Unfortunately, any CG without my particular defect is, though.”
Theo stood up and picked up his coffee cup. “No wonder Alan was talking to that guy about Kennedi. I bet you anything they are going to offer to ‘fix’ her.”
“I can’t be fixed, Theo. I can only stay the way I am or be recycled,” Kennedi informed him.
“Alright, everyone,” I said, standing up as well. “Let’s put this to bed for now. I’ll find out why Alan has any interest in Kennedi when I see him at the next match.”
Theo and I went to pour more coffee. In the kitchen, we just looked at each other. It was an unspoken communication that we both knew shit was coming down the pipeline fast.
Later that evening, after a day of helping Bev with some household repairs while Theo and Kennedi finished the firepit, I laid in bed, thinking over what Kennedi had told us. I knew she viewed herself as defective, but it was her defect that made her free in the end.
I drifted off to sleep, knowing I had to make it my job to let her know that.
15
I woke up the next morning, and once again, Kennedi was gone. I got dressed and took note that my ribs felt completely normal. I checked, and the stitches were gone. Either I was magic, or Kennedi had taken them out while I slept. I went with the latter scenario.
I was just walking up the steps to the house when I saw a navy blue town car on its way up the drive. I waited for it to stop in front of the porch and walked down to it just as a young man got out from behind the driver’s seat. He couldn’t have been more than seventeen but was dressed in a dark brown suit and had expertly manicured hair.
“Excuse me, sir,” he addressed me, “are you Clark Watkins?” he asked.
“It’s possible. What do you want with him?” I asked. It had always been a habit for me to know what I may be headed into before volunteering information.
“I have an invitation for him,” the boy stated and pulled an envelope out of the inside pocket of his suit.
“Alright then, that’s me.”
“You and one Miss Kennedi are invited to a formal mixer this evening. The event starts at seven sharp and a car will arrive to take you at six-thirty. Will you be accepting?” he asked professionally.
I took the envelope and opened it. The invitation inside confirmed what the boy had said. Alan Graves’ signature was on the bottom. My first instinct was to throw it in the kid’s car and tell him to be moving along, but I thought better of it. This could be the perfect opportunity to learn a few things. Up until then, I thought I wouldn’t see Alan until the next match. This would give me the opportunity to check some things out and not be bleeding at the same time.
“Yes, we’ll accept,” I told the boy.
“It’s very appreciated, sir. Thank you,” he said politely. Then he got back in his car and drove away.
I walked into the house, still holding the invitation. Bev, Theo, and Kennedi were all standing in the kitchen next to the sink. There was a large window above it that looked out to the front of the house.
“Who was that?” Kennedi asked.
“I didn’t get the kid’s name, but he brought us an invitation. Do you like dresses?” I asked her, purposefully adding a bit of excitement to my voice.
“I prefer them. They are so much less restrictive than pants,” she answered seriously.
“Well, good! Get in the car. We are going shopping!” I told her.
I held the envelope up to get Theo’s attention to make sure he’d see me leave it on the counter so he and Bev would know what was going on. Then I grabbed Kennedi by the hand and whisked her out of the house. Might as well take advantage of showing her a good time, I thought.
A forty-minute drive, and two u-turns later, we made it to a dress shop. As we walked into the Candle Light Bridal and Prom store, I watched Kennedi’s face. The entranceway opened up to a giant showroom. Racks of dresses were carefully tucked next to the walls to allow for the displays throughout the room. Kennedi’s eyes just kept opening wider and wider, and her smile was brilliant. She kept looking around at the dresses and then back to me.
“Which one?” she asked excitedly.
“Aside from the wedding dresses, any one you want. Go try a few on that you like,” I told her.
She walked slowly as if in a daze. It was only a moment before a nicely dressed saleswoman came over and introduced herself.
“Hi, I’m Amanda. What occasion brings you in today?” she asked politely.
“I’m Clark, and this is Kennedi. We’re shopping for a formal cocktail party,” I told the attendant. “She’ll need a dressing room attendant, please, and I’ll need to know where your tuxedo selection is.”
“Of course, we will get you set up immediately.” Amanda snapped her fingers in the air, and a second saleswoman appeared almost instantly. “Joan, this is Clark. Please take him to be fitted for a tuxedo. I’ll be seeing to Miss Kennedi,” she instructed.
As Joan walked me away towards the tuxedos I still had yet to see, Amanda started asking Kennedi questions to assist with her search for the perfect dress.
Twenty minutes later, I had my tuxedo picked out. As it was being altered, I went to the dressing area to check on Kenned
i. The rooms were set up on each side of a seating area, furnished with suede leather chairs and couches. There were three-way, full-length mirrors between each room. I picked a chair and waited for Kennedi to come out of the room that Amanda had told me she was in.
“I don’t know if this one is quite right,” I heard Kennedi say as she opened the door and stepped out.
She had on a bright orange number that was form-fitted to the knee and then flared out at the bottom. It reminded me of the kind of dress Morticia Adams wore, only brighter. I stifled a laugh and looked at Amanda.
“No, honey, that is definitely not quite right,” Amanda said gently. “Here, try the lavender.” She handed Kennedi another dress.
Kennedi smiled at me and skipped back into the dressing room. “I’m having so much fun!” she called out to me.
“I thought you might!” I answered. “Which is your favorite so far?”
“I really like the blue one I haven’t tried on yet,” she called out of the dressing room.
Her comment made me roll my eyes. How much sense does it make to try on who knows how many dresses before trying the one you really like? I considered asking but thought better of it. She was having a good time, and that made me happy. My chair was comfortable, and before I could ask, Joan brought a tray that had a selection of microbrews and wines on it. I picked a brew and sat back. I took a long drink of the refreshing, silky liquid and tasted the lime mixed with hops. Just as I swallowed, I heard the door to a dressing room open.
“What do you think of this one?” Kennedi popped out of her dressing room with a bounce. She was wearing the lavender dress that had more bows on it than any dress I’d ever seen.
“Tell me what you like about it,” Amanda stepped in before I could answer. I could tell by the look on her face that she knew it wasn’t right.
Kennedi twirled around in front of the mirror a few times and said, “nothing,” and flitted back into the dressing room. “Which one now?” she asked Amanda.
I watched as two more dresses went in the dressing room, came out, and went back in. Finally, I saw Amanda hand her the blue one.
I had just finished my beer when Kennedi opened her room door again. When she stepped out, my breath caught in my throat. She walked over in front of the mirror and looked at herself. I hope she saw what I did.
The dress was made of a deep navy blue silk. The top sat just off the shoulders, and there were black crystals beaded around the waist and trimming the neckline. The front came down to just above her knees and swooped down in the back clear to the floor. The back had a wide-cut, black silk ribbon tied up to look like a corset. It would have been pretty on a lot of girls, but with her raven-black hair, perfectly shaped legs, and tiny waist, Kennedi looked like royalty in it.
“I love it!” she squealed. “It is perfect! Don’t you think so, Clark?”
I got up and stood behind her as she looked in the mirror. I wrapped my arms around her midsection and whispered in her ear, “I do like it, but it’s only perfect because it’s on you.”
She turned around and threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. It was the first time she’d done anything like that in public, so it caught me by surprise. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her back. Then she bounced back into the dressing room with the biggest smile I’d ever seen on her face.
“It can be altered, correct?” Kennedi called out to Amanda.
“Absolutely, Miss Kennedi. I already have your measurements. I’ll have it ready for you in two hours.”
Amanda waited around just long enough to retrieve the dress from Kennedi and then carried it away. Kennedi and I started towards the door but had to walk past a large glass display case first. It was filled with all things shiny. I didn’t even know how half of what was in that case would be worn, but I saw Kennedi’s eyes pause on something. Looking closer, it was a broach fashioned in the shape of a sword. It was two inches long and covered with black and white crystals, or diamonds, I wasn’t sure which.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. Before I had a chance to do anything else, she stepped away from the case and pulled me towards the door. “Where are we going next?”
Elko had a formal dress shop but no stand-alone shoe store, so our only option was to head to the mall where the nearest JC Penny’s was. The shoe selection was larger than I thought it would be. Kennedi immediately became entranced with the rows and rows of high-heeled shoes. Before long, a gentleman walked up to offer his assistance.
“Are you looking for a heel, Miss?” he asked Kennedi.
“No,” Kennedi answered without looking at him, then she looked over at me. “What’s a heel?”
The look of confusion on the salesman’s face was so apparent that I had to hold back my laughter.
“Yes, she is looking for a heel,” I said to the gentleman. “Give us just a minute, and she’ll bring you the ones she wants to try.”
Turning to Kennedi, I explained to her, “the shoes you are looking at are referred to as high-heels because the back of the shoe is raised, the part where the heel of your foot sits.” I waited for her to flash the smile that she does when she realizes she’s taken something out of context, but the smile didn’t come.
“The heel of my foot doesn’t sit, though. It stands. How do heels sit in shoes?”
It took me a good five seconds to wrap my mind around where she’d gotten so turned around, but when I did, I laughed for a full minute before I could calm down enough to set her straight. She just stared at me the entire time, no expression on her face.
“You are right, Kennedi. Heels don’t sit. That is just a way to say where your heel is when you have the shoe on. The ‘heel’ that the man asked you about is another way of asking if you wanted to find a pair of high-heeled shoes to buy, as opposed to flat ones.” I watched her face again. This time I got the smile I was looking for.
Kennedi jumped up and skipped over to the shelf, picked up six different pairs of shoes, and darted off to take them to the salesman. From across the room, I heard her say, “Yes, actually, I am looking for a heel! I’d like to try these!”
The salesman brought her the shoes she requested, and Kennedi instantly tossed aside three of the pairs, stating that she didn’t like them for the dress she was going to wear. She strapped on the first of the remaining pairs and took them off before even standing up. The second pair she tried on at least made it to the standing phase. They were the same color blue as the dress she’d gotten and had at least six straps that went in all different directions.
“What do you think of these?” She turned one foot sideways to make sure I could see the entire shoe. “Would it be too much blue with my dress?”
“I think they are too complicated for as elegant a dress as you will be wearing,” I said.
“That’s a really good observation, Clark!” she said and hopped back over to where her last pair of requested shoes were. She sat down and removed the strappy heels. She put on the next pair and stood up, checking them out in the nearby mirror. She looked over at me and smiled. “What about these? They are so much more comfortable.” She stepped closer, and I saw the shoes were simple and elegant. They had a strap across the toes and a strap at the ankle and were a shiny black color.
“Those would go great with your dress, and they make your legs look fucking amazing.” I nodded my approval.
“Fantastic! Thank you!” Kennedi clapped her hands together and went to take the shoes off so we could buy them.
After our shoes were found and purchased, I noticed I was getting hungry. There was a food court in the mall where we were shopping, so I went to see what the selection was. Ten minutes later, we were relaxing at a table while I ate a Philly cheesesteak sandwich from a vendor with a huge sign that read ‘Charley’s.’
Kennedi was beaming. She kept looking all around her, and every so often, she’d pause to catalog something in her programming and then go straight back to w
hat could only be described as ‘exploring’ her surroundings.
“What about this place interests you the most?” I asked her.
“The multitude of smells,” she replied without hesitation.
“Why is that the most interesting?”
“Because I have to separate them all to figure out what they are putting in each of the items they are serving.”
“Why would you want to do that?” I asked, chuckling.
“So I can make sure that anything you choose to eat here is safe for you,” she said without pause.
The feelings of gratitude and appreciation swelled up in my chest again, and I reached across the table and picked up her hand. I looked directly in her eyes, and I realized that a part of me was falling for her. I held her hand and looked into her eyes but had no words. She just looked back at me, winked, blew me a kiss, and went back to her exploring.
Soon we needed to get back to the dress shop to pick up our clothes before we headed back to Theo’s place. I threw my sandwich wrapper and napkin away, and we headed for the car.
When I pulled up to the dress shop, I instructed Kennedi to wait in the car while I retrieved her dress and my tuxedo. When I was inside, Amanda immediately went to fetch our garment bags while Joan stood behind the register. I waved Joan over.
“Can I help you with something?” she offered.
“Yes. Can you wrap up the black and white sword pin you have in that case over there and add it to the bill, please?” I asked quietly, even though there was no one else there to overhear me.
“Right away, Mister Clark.” Joan went to the case, took the broach out, and set to wrapping it up. She was just finishing when Amanda returned.
After I’d paid, I slid the pin in my pocket and headed to the car. By the time we got back to Theo and Bev’s house, we’d have just enough time to get ready.
16