Reaping

by Makansi, K.

  Demeter: It was as long as a second and as short as a million years for me. Time is just a human construct, Vale. It doesn’t apply to me.

  “What’s going on?” Soren asks.

  I look up and address my teammates. “My C-Link already created an entirely new and invisible network through which we can communicate. That was going to be the first thing I asked her to do, so that if something goes wrong and my parents decide to disable her, which they will inevitably do once they realize that I’m truly not on their side anymore, there will be a copy of her that they don’t know about and therefore cannot tamper with.”

  Soren raises an eyebrow. But I can’t be bothered with his distrust anymore; I have a job to do.

  “Tell me about those million years,” I say.

  Demeter: I’ll tell you everything.

  She starts pulling up images, videos, news reports—many of them with Linnea’s face—medical exams, military reports, research notes, spreadsheets, and more. Hundreds of files array themselves, categorized according to title, date, and subject, growing smaller and larger depending on their importance. A wealth of information at my fingertips. I am no less amazed by the vast span of knowledge amassed here than I was the first time Demeter led me through the C-Link database.

  “What is all this?”

  Demeter: Everything that’s happened since you left.

  “Everything?”

  Demeter: Yes, Vale. I know why you’ve come. The only reason you could have come back to me, risking your life, was for this. Information. Tell me what you need, and we’ll begin.

  30 - REMY

  Spring 29, Sector Annum 106, 02h45

  Gregorian Calendar: April 17

  It’s well past two in the morning by the time my body finally winds down and begins demanding, quite heartily, that I sleep. The excitement of the day was enough to keep me running until now, but it was a false energy, like the first thrum of caffeine through tired veins. Now that we’re in our safe house and the computers are set up, Vale, Miah, and Soren are the only ones who really have a job to do. Chan-Yu’s real work was finished almost as soon as we set foot in the flat and Linnea never really had a purpose. I still don’t get why Vale wanted to bring her along. The idea of leaving her behind to face the consequences of Eli’s infection was fine by me. She deserves everything the Resistance can dole out. Vale says she’s truly sorry, but the damage is done. I’ll never be able to forgive her for what she’s done to Eli and me. Never.

  I’m just the security guard. For six hours, I’ve been keeping watch. Miah set up a miniature security feed on my plasma that taps into the drone cameras and the Watchmen’s alert system. If anything abnormal pops up on their radar, we’ll know about it. And if the drones for some reason decide to pop by to investigate Flat 2L in the La Citron neighborhood, we might just have enough time to get out. I’ve been absentmindedly watching the cameras for hours, waiting until it’s time to wake Chan-Yu for his shift. Make no mistake, it is boring.

  So, to keep my intellect somewhat engaged, I’ve been watching Vale. He’s more absorbed by his work at the computer than I’ve ever seen him. Now, feeling particularly bored, and also particularly intrigued by his mussed up hair which looks quite appealing, I approach him, trying to get a glimpse of what he’s working on.

  “Is that Eli’s DNA?” I ask, leaning over his shoulder to look at the title of the file. I inhale, breathing in the woodsy soap he uses.

  “Yes,” Vale responds. “I’ve already transferred most of the information the Director requested back to the Resistance. Blueprints, genetic material for programmed seeds, distribution charts, a lot of the Dieticians’ information, etc. It took the better part of the evening, but that’s done. Demeter had already stored much of it for me.”

  “Demeter?” I repeat curiously.

  “My C-Link,” he turns his head to face me. “Her name is Demeter.”

  “I didn’t know she had a name,” I whisper.

  “More than just a name. She’s an AI with a personality of her own. She can be pretty funny sometimes. She’s very sarcastic and …” he pauses, and the smile that had begun to appear in the creases of his mouth fades.

  “Anyway. Now I’m trying to find out what my mother ... what Corine did to create that nanotech virus. It’s difficult. She tends to keep her research notes locked up very securely.” The bitterness in his voice tells me not to inquire further in that direction.

  “What have you found?”

  “Not much. Eli’s Personhood files have been marked top secret and all his medical information downloaded from the server. I wouldn’t even be able to access it if there weren’t a cached version of his profile in the C-Link database. And I certainly haven’t found any research notes about how that virus may have been created.”

  I sigh. I see a few words pop up on the screen.

  Demeter: There’s a series of files you may want to access that are encrypted in your mother’s name. I can break the encryption easily, but it will leave a footprint.

  Vale hesitates a moment over the glass panel, and then types in a response.

  Vale: Will they be able to trace it to me?

  Demeter: Not to you directly, but if they look hard enough, they’ll be able to trace it to your current location.

  Vale: Soren coded multiple firewalls in and disabled any location tracking from this access point.

  Demeter: Even Soren’s code can be broken if those following you have the right tools.

  Vale sits back in his chair and sighs. He’s more relaxed than he usually is around me, I notice, though I’m not sure if he’s simply exhausted. He reaches up and grabs my hand. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says.

  “Me, too.” And I am so glad, and I don’t even know how I came to this point, and it feels almost impossible that we are here, together, that he entwines my fingers into his, that we are close enough to breathe in sync, that he brings our twined fingers to his mouth and presses his lips against my skin, that such a simple action sends my heart singing. I didn’t think I’d feel this way about Valerian Orleán ever again, but here I am, here we are.

  “What do we do? I need to get those files,” he says.

  “Don’t do anything just yet. Wait till everyone wakes up and let’s get a consensus.”

  “Okay. You’re right. We’re both exhausted, and I don’t want to make that decision on my own.”

  I leave him be and return to the security feed, flopping down on my empty and now cold chair. I begin scrolling absentmindedly through the various camera displays again. I stare around at my friends and teammates, sprawled in various places on the floor, bodies heaped at different angles, legs and arms splayed out or curled up.

  But something’s wrong. There’s only three sleeping figures scattered around the apartment. In the bedroom, Linnea is sprawled out on the bed, Chan-Yu is asleep in a chair next to her, his feet propped up on the end of the bed, and Soren’s on the floor, using a heat-cloaking jacket as a pillow. Where’s Miah?

  I stand up and go to check the washroom. It’s empty, the lights off. Vale’s watching me from his seat at the computer station.

  “Where’s Miah?” I mouth, no sound coming out of my mouth. His eyes pop open and he whirls around to look at the three sleeping bodies behind him. He turns back to me a second later, as he mouths at me: fuck.

  I grab my tablet, scanning the camera feeds for any trace of him. I rewind and forward through all the cameras on the ground level—by law, there are no cameras on the residential floors. But there’s no trace of him. Then it hits me. Miah set up the feed in the first place.

  “He could have programmed in a loop for the precise moment when he was planning on leaving,” I say to Vale, bringing my plasma over to his chair.

  “I know where he went,” Vale says, his mouth thin and angry, and I know he’s as angry at himself as he is at Miah. “I knew this was going to be a problem. I should never have agreed to let him come. He’s going to get us all killed.”
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  “I’ll go after him.” I’m already grabbing my Bolt and knife, tucking them into my belt. “Chan-Yu should come too. He knows these streets.”

  “Remy, I—” Vale stops and stares at me. I know what words are on the tip of his tongue. I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want you to put yourself in danger.

  “You don’t have to protect me,” I say, but he shakes his head.

  “I know. But I know what they’ll do if they find you.”

  “So do I, Vale. Better than anyone. But they can’t hurt me anymore.” I can’t quite bring myself to smile. “None of their weapons can hurt me more than they already have.” My voice is barely audible.

  I reach one hand behind his head, drawing myself up onto my toes. I lean forward, into him, and press my lips gently against his. He tastes like salt, clean water, Vale. I can feel every molecule in my body, vibrating, ready for this moment. Large hands find their way to my hips, drawing me closer, pulling me against him. His mouth encloses mine and his teeth press gently against my lips. I tense and relax at the same time, falling into him, welcoming the fit of his body against mine. He runs his hands up my sides and to my shoulders, finding their home at the nape of my neck and under my chin. I press into him one last time and then pull away.

  Not enough, not enough. But I can’t stay in his arms forever. Not now.

  “I have to go,” I murmur. My voice sounds like down feathers tumbling from the sky.

  “I know,” he says. “Go find him.”

  I nod and turn, dropping my hands from his waist as quickly as possible. I was never good at goodbyes.

  I bend over Chan-Yu and press my hand into his shoulder. His eyes open suddenly and he peers up at me, sensing something is wrong.

  “Miah’s gone. He’s going to find Moriana.”

  Chan-Yu’s up faster than I can blink. In a minute and a half he’s out of the bathroom, dressed in his heat-cloaking gear and has his Bolt, a tiny crossbow, a knife, and a water bottle tucked into various places on his person.

  “Let’s go.”

  We leave Vale to wake Linnea and Soren, opening the door as quietly as possible so as not to disturb any of our neighbors. The walls are mostly soundproof, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful. Not when all of your friends and teammates top the Sector’s most wanted list.

  As we’re walking out, our heads down and away from the security drones, it occurs to me that I lied to Vale. There is one more weapon they can use to hurt me.

  Him.

  Before we left, Vale used his C-Link to quickly confirm Moriana’s address for us. It’s much closer to the center of town, in an upscale neighborhood very close to the Sector Research Institute. It’s at least six kilometers away, which is good. The more distance, the easier it will be for Chan-Yu and I to catch up to Miah. Despite our training regimens, he’s still not in great shape, and Chan-Yu and I are hoping we’ll be able to outrun him. Of course, we have no idea how long he’s been gone. How he managed to sneak past both me and Vale is beyond me. It’s my fault. I should have noticed earlier. But Miah knew what he was doing.

  He’ll be taking back roads to stay out of the way of drones, especially since we’re long past curfew now. Past midnight, it’s illegal to be out on the streets unless you’ve requested permission from the Watchmen earlier that day. And none of us want to get stopped anyway. At least Chan-Yu and I don’t have to worry about drones tonight—Vale’s using his C-Link to keep them out of our way.

  I try to ignore the memories dogging me at every turn, more persistently haunting than the threat of drones or soldiers. There, a girl I was friends with once threw a birthday party. There, the street that leads to the art museum I spent endless days at, studying holographs of artifacts, sculptures, and paintings long lost from the Old World. There, a tea room Tai and I used to hang out in when we were at the Academy together, just for that one year. There, the park Jahnu and I spent endless days wandering through after classes, talking about our futures, dreaming dreams that were too good to be true.

  But I follow Chan-Yu as we jog in parallel alleys, checking every now and then to make sure we’re together. Our new night-vision contacts help us keep track of each other, and we’re connected via a mic system and to Vale in case things go south. If a drone finds one of us, we can easily split up for safety.

  I keep my eyes peeled for any signs of Miah, but all I see are empty streets, dark with the faint blue-green tinge of soft biolamps, the rocky hue of storm clouds on a summer’s day. All Okaria sleeps as we are on the hunt.

  At an intersection, Chan-Yu beckons me to him. I’m panting lightly, sweating in the summer night. Other than a single drop of sweat beading at his forehead, Chan-Yu shows no sign of exertion.

  “There,” he says, pointing at the building. “That’s the girl’s flat.”

  “I’ll circle around,” I say. “Wait at the north corner.”

  Chan-Yu nods without question and watches me depart. I set off at a crouch, peering around corners, squinting into the darkness for any sign of Miah. But he’ll have heat-cloaking gear on, too, so my contacts won’t help. I look for signs of movement instead, and listen for footsteps on the pavement.

  In sight of the back entrance, I kneel at the trunk of an apple tree, fully leafed, perfect for shadow and cover. I watch, waiting to see if anyone approaches.

  No one does.

  “Shit,” I whisper, more to myself than anything. But Vale’s voice comes back to me, urgently.

  “What’s wrong?” he demands.

  “I think he’s already in.”

  “We wait for him, then,” Chan-Yu’s calm voice interjects. I nod. Of course we can’t go into the building and bust him out. We’d draw far too much attention to ourselves, and he’s already done a good enough job of that himself.

  “Okay,” I respond. “We wait.”

  And so I sit under the apple tree in silence, waiting, wondering how long it will be before he comes out. Was he able to get in at all? Will he be stupid enough to try to spend the night with her? To wait until dawn before he ventures out again? God, I hope not. And then there’s the other question—Moriana’s been working for Corine Orleán for the last six months. Even though she’s no longer on Corine’s priority research team, she’s still at the OAC. How much has Corine poisoned her? If Miah is able to see Moriana, will she believe anything he says? Will she betray us?

  And what will she think about Jahnu?

  Tears spring to my eyes unbidden and unwanted at the thought of Jahnu. Thank heavens he’s alive. I squeeze my eyes so tight myriad colors spring up in the blackness. I force myself to open my eyes, to stop thinking about him and the disaster at the Farm so I can focus on the task at hand. Stay alert, I tell myself.

  As I have so many times during the past months, I focus on my anger instead of my grief. It’s a distraction. Anger at Miah for doing something completely idiotic. Anger at myself for not paying closer attention. Anger at the Sector for hurting Jahnu, for taking my mother and Tai from me and from the world. It’s like a cleansing fire, and so long as I let it pass through me, with my breath just like Soren taught me, the fire burns right through, leaving me clean and pure.

  Or so I think.

  The back door slides open from the inside. I tense and push myself to my feet, ready to make a mad dash for him if I need to.

  “Someone’s coming out the door,” I whisper into the mic. I watch, waiting to identify the target, but I can’t think who else would be coming out of the back entrance of a residential complex at this time. Sure enough, it’s Miah—his size and stature give him away almost immediately.

  “It’s him,” I confirm. “I’m waiting to see what he does.”

  It’s strange treat a member of my team like an enemy. But when Miah turns up to the sky and immediately steps back into the building and shuts the door, I realize there might be trouble. A second later when a Bolt thuds into the door, sending sparks flying, I know there most definitely is trouble.

 
“Bolt fire!” I hiss to Chan-Yu and Vale. “He’s back in the building.”

  “I’m coming,” Chan-Yu’s voice echoes impassively in my ear.

  “Demeter can’t control that drone,” Vale says, anxiety in his voice. “She says that one is being controlled manually, remotely.”

  I nod. Of course. Of course they’d be watching Moriana every hour of every day. Whether to see if she fled like Miah, or to see if he came back for her, she’s a high stakes piece in this game of chess, and the Sector, or, more accurately, Corine, would never let her out of her sight.

  A second later, Miah bursts out through the door, sprinting in my direction. I pull my Bolt out, ready to shoot if necessary. I flip my charge setting to DISPERSE and aim, watching him hurtle this way. Blue crackling fire erupts behind him and if it weren’t for the fact that he’s running in zigzags—at least he learned one thing from our tactical drills—he’d surely have been hit by now. But the drone has no idea I’m hiding, lying in wait, and so it’s an easy target for me. I fire, and the drone immediately stops moving forward, all its systems scrambled to hell. Of course, now whoever’s operating the thing remotely will know there’s at least two of us. It’s time to get the hell out of here.

  “Drone’s out,” I breathe into the mic.

  Miah’s stopped running, looking around for the source of the Bolt that saved him. I jump to my feet, but his eyes are behind me, and I whirl, gun up and at the ready. It’s only Chan-Yu, though. He beckons both of us with him, and Miah and I follow him without question.

  “Miah’s with us,” I say, the volatile anger threatening to spill out as we run. What the fuck were you thinking? I want to scream at him. Now is not the time.

  Now is definitely not the time, I realize, when we turn out of our alleyway and onto a main street lined with trees, beautiful flowers, and a half-dozen Watchmen with their Bolts pointed at us.

  “Watchmen,” I whisper, as everything comes to a slow, gradual halt.

  “What?” Vale shouts on the other end.

  I see something fly out of Chan-Yu’s hand, and a second later there’s a pop of white light so bright it stabs viciously at my eyes. I throw my arm up for protection, but I can hear the explosion a second later and smell the smoke from the blast.