Synthetica

by Rachel Pattinson

  Xander blinked, and gave her a small smile.

  “Well, let's just say after being almost killed today, I've made up my mind about a lot of things. One of them being, we need to find the man who's doing all this and stop him. Fast.”

  “Didn't you want to stop him before?” Anais couldn't help pointing out, and Xander gave her another smile, one that made him look more like his normal self.

  “Well yeah, but now...” he trailed off, gazing at the crowd around them. “Look at what he's done. This isn't going to get any better, not for a long time.”

  Anais was still being buffered by people, but instead of fleeing for the train station, a lot of them were now chanting and jeering outside the Civitas building. The mob was beginning to build up, and they were becoming dangerously close to being swallowed into it.

  “We should get out of here,” Xander said. “I'll take you home.”

  Anais was about to agree, when she remembered her dad's message.

  “My dad wants to me to go to the picochip factory, so we can all go home together,” Anais told him, and Xander nodded.

  “I'll come with you,” he said. “Let's go.”

  He took hold of her hand. She held it gratefully as together, they began to battle their way out of the streets and towards the picochip factory.

  He had been so close.

  He could see the vibrant multi-tones in her pink hair; he could smell her sweet perfume. It would've been so easy just to reach out and snap her pretty little neck.

  But something had stopped him. Not pity. He had watched as she had fought with herself over whether to kill the woman or not. But in the end, all she had done was remove the woman's ID chip instead.

  Why had she done that? Why hadn't she simply killed her? He'd have to find another way to get rid of the woman now anyway, though hopefully the shock of having her ID chip cut out would be enough to finish her off.

  His hands were outstretched, ready to do the deed. This girl needed to be eliminated; whenever he went, she seemed to be sniffing around like a lost puppy. But then he came to his senses. He could not kill someone here, in broad daylight. It wasn't his style. He was more subtle than that. Although the whole city now knew his face, he wasn't stupid. If he revealed himself here, they'd tear him to pieces. He wasn't completely in control of the city, not yet.

  He dropped his hands. He threw one last glance at the girl as began to stand up, helped by the boy with the ridiculous purple hair. He had more pressing matters to attend to. He fingered the transmitter in his pocket as he glanced at his watch - he would give them all another fifteen minutes to think they were safe; that they had outwitted him, the fools. Then, the real fireworks would begin.

  He melted into the crowd and was gone in a heartbeat.

  Twenty-two

  They only had to go a short distance from the Civitas building before the crowds began to thin out. It seemed that everyone who wanted to cause destruction, and those who simply wanted to get out of the line of fire, were only separated by a couple of metres.

  Now that they weren't surrounded by a mob, Anais felt as though she could breathe more easily. But now that they'd slowed down, she was gradually becoming more aware of the aches and pains in her body; particularly in her stomach where the man had punched her. There was a throbbing sensation in her arm. She glanced down as they walked and she winced. There were fingernail marks and scratches all down her arm, encrusted in rapidly drying blood. She shrugged her sleeve down to cover it, resolving to get a bandage from the medicine cabinet as soon as she got home so it wouldn't alarm her parents.

  The screens high up on the buildings around them, and across the river, had come back to life. News broadcasts were now being played, showing live footage from the riot at Civitas, as well as replaying the Hacker's ominous message. Certain 'experts' were already talking to the newsreaders, analysing the Hacker's footage, wondering who he was and how they could track him down. Anais couldn't hear what they were saying over the noise around them. People were still talking loudly about what had happened, shouting for their families or partners to hurry up as they made for the station. There were no auto-cabs in sight.

  The large crowd at the train station made it immediately obvious that they weren't going to be able to get a train for a very long time, despite the automated announcement that extra services were running because of the parade. The crowds were beginning to hem them in again where they stood and Anais' skin crawled. She couldn't stand to be in a crush again. She felt as though she couldn't breathe.

  “Let's just walk,” she said, standing on tiptoe to speak into Xander's ear so he could hear her. “It's only two stops, anyway.”

  Xander nodded his agreement. They turned their back on the crush and began to walk. They had barely rounded the corner before the crowds dropped away completely, leaving the streets eerily quiet, though Anais could still hear the faint sounds of shouting behind them. There was the faint noise of tinkling, as though glass had broken, followed by a roar from the mob. Anais glanced over her shoulder, as though expecting the riot to spill onto the street behind them. Without saying a word, they both quickened their pace.

  It was strange to see the streets so empty, especially after being in a crowd for what seemed like forever. There were a few people hurrying past them, who were rushing home to make sure their loved ones were okay and to listen out for more news. Anais felt a slight pang at the thought of at least one man not making it home today. She wondered what he could've possibly have done to have made himself a target for the Hacker, other than working for Civitas. But then, with an awful sick feeling, she realised Xander could've been that man. He almost was. But she couldn't think of a single thing that could've made Xander a target - he was just a security intern. He wasn't like he had an important job at the company. She squeezed Xander's hand tighter, taking in a few deep breaths through her nose. Xander was fine. He was here, he wasn't dead. He wouldn't end up like Dalla. He couldn't.

  Anais was almost glad of the interruption to the way her thoughts were going. They only had a few more streets to go until they were at the factory, when the screens above them went dark once more. Anais glanced up as the sound of the endless chattering of the newsreaders cut off. Slowly they both stopped walking and stared up at the nearest screen.

  It crackled back into life, and the Hacker's face appeared once more. This video seemed different from the first – there was a slight sheen of sweat across the Hacker's forehead, and his eyes seemed more alive. It took a second for Anais to put her finger on it – wherever this man was, he was filming this live.

  Fear and dread contracted in Anais' stomach as she waited with bated breath. What more could he do to them? At least one more man was dead; the citizens of the city were in a frenzy, and the Civitas building was on course to be destroyed, if the riot kept going the way it was. What more could he want?

  The Hacker's cold eyes seemed to pierce straight through Anais. Her mouth was dry and her heart hammered in her chest. She felt Xander squeeze her hand for reassurance and she squeezed back.

  “My friends,” the Hacker's strange voice seemed to echo all around them, grating on Anais' ears. She wanted to turn away, to block her ears from whatever awful thing he was about to say, but her feet seemed glued to the ground.

  “I wanted to thank. You for listening. To my advice. I told you to run. And you ran. Now it's time. For me to give you. Another piece of advice. Don't do a. Goddamn thing. Anyone tells you to do.”

  His grey eyes gleamed.

  “Fools. You stupid. Utter fools. Do You. Really think you're safe? Do you think. Civitas will protect you? Or the police? No one is safe. Not from me. I have one last. Present for you. I hope you. Like it. It is. Non-refundable. After all.”

  The Hacker's face was replaced by the l
ive aerial shot of a wide, squat building. Anais stared at it not comprehending...not fully understanding what significance the building had. Then the realisation crashed over her like a tsunami. It was the picochip factory.

  The Hacker's voice came over the shot once more, to say three insignificant words.

  “Happy. Birthday. Civitas.”

  As he spoke, the left hand side of the factory exploded in a fireball. Anais wouldn't have believed it, if there hadn't been a deep boom at the same time and the very ground quaked where she stood. Blood was pounding in her ears as she looked up, still disbelieving, at the sky. A plume of smoke was rising behind the building in front of her.

  “No,” she became aware of the moan, not realising at first it was her voice.

  Without stopping to think, she tore away from Xander. She raced towards the column of smoke and fire, keeping her eyes on the sky. She could hear Xander's voice shouting behind her, but she didn't stop to listen. She had to reach the factory. She had to reach her parents. Terrified, primal fear was clawing at her gut as she ran. Please be okay, she found herself praying as her trainers pounded on the streets, you have to be okay. Mum, dad, I'm coming, please please please be alright...

  The other few people on the street were running the same way as her, but they were all blurs as she bolted past them, her fear and adrenaline forcing her onwards.

  She skidded round the last corner, and stopped dead. The left hand side of the factory had almost been completely destroyed; fire and smoke was billowing out of the gaping hole where the walls used to be. People were screaming; workers from the factory were clambering over the rubble, trying to get away as fast as they could, mindless of their injuries. From the streets all around, more and more people were appearing, gazing at the scene in shock and horror. A wail cut through the air as a bright red fire service hovercraft whirled overhead.

  Anais began to run again, crossing the roads without looking. She was running the opposite way to the hysterical crowds flooding out of the factory, but there was only one thing on her mind. She shoved her way through, not caring if she hurt anyone, not caring about anything except getting to her parents.

  There was a deafening noise and Anais was thrown to the ground, along with everyone else. Anais looked up. The right hand side of the building was now on fire; rubble and shards of glass fell from the sky like a perverse form of rain. Panic and hysteria began to spread like wildfire, as the workers around her began to fight to get away. Anais got back to her feet, but she was being buffered from all directions by the crowd. A strong arm grabbed her, pulling her backwards.

  “What are you doing?!” Xander's shout rose above the pandemonium around them.

  “Let me go!” Anais screamed at him, trying to pull away from him, but he held her fast.

  “It's too dangerous! Anais, no!” Xander kept his grip firm, even as Anais fought against him. She turned and kicked him, panic and fear overriding everything else.

  “My parents are in there!” she screamed at him, but Xander simply held onto her, no matter how hard she hit him.

  “No! I've already lost one person I cared about, I'm not going to lose you too!” he roared above the noise of people screaming, the crackle of the fire and falling masonry.

  “Let me -”

  “ANAIS!”

  The shout made her stop. Pure, powerful relief flooded through her as she saw her dad running towards her through the crowd.

  “Dad,” she whispered. This time when she pulled away from Xander, he let her go though he followed close behind her.

  Anais pushed through the crowd until she got to her father. She ran and flung her arms around him, breathing in the familiar minty, oily smell that always lingered on his clothes. For a long moment, they clung tightly to each other, an oasis in the sea of turmoil around them. Eventually, Mr Finch gently pulled away to look into Anais' face. He reached out and brushed a tear away from her cheek. She hadn't even realised she'd been crying.

  “You're okay,” she managed to choke out.

  “I'm fine, we were all starting to go home anyway. Your mother -” Mr Finch stopped talking, his anxiety clouding his face as he looked back at the factory. Anais clutched his hand tightly, never feeling so lost and little as she did now.

  “She'll be okay,” she said to him, as much to reassure herself as him.

  “I have to go back and find her -” he said, beginning to turn away.

  “What? No! Dad, don't go back there – please!” Anais said frantically, grabbing his arm.

  Mr Finch turned, confused.

  “I have to find her, Anais,” he said, his voice still gentle, despite the horror around them.

  “No -”

  “Anais, listen to me – I want you to wait over there, as far back from the factory as you can get,” her dad said, leaning down to look her in the eye. He pointed back across the road, where large crowds of workers and onlookers alike were gathering, as more scarlet hovercraft began to descend. White medi-cabs were beginning to arrive, their green lights flashing, though Anais couldn't hear their sirens over the noise of roar of the fire. “I'll be back as soon as I've found your mother.”

  As he turned to go again, another wave of workers came out of the ruins of the main entrance. Among them, Anais could see Ola's dark blue hair. There was a dark slash across her forehead, and she was supporting a heavily bleeding Peg.

  She spotted a familiar head of short pale green hair just behind Ola and Peg. Her mum's face was pale and scared as she made her way down the steps.

  “Dad!” she shouted, pointing. “Over there!”

  “Freya! FREYA!” her dad set off towards the doors, against the tide of people coming out of the factory. Anais saw her mum look up and see her dad, relief washing over her face.

  Anais took a step forward, eager to be reunited with her mother too, but something stopped her. She looked down – Xander had a tight grip on her arm.

  “Wha – Xander, what the hell? Let me go -” she began to struggle again, but Xander wasn't even looking at her. His eyes were fixed on the sky above the main section of the building. Anais raised her eyes to see what he was looking at. A dark column of smoke was billowing into the sky, just behind the main entrance. Her eyes dropped to the throng of people that were still vacating the building, which included her parents.

  “NO! MUM! DAD!” She began to scream at the top of her lungs, throwing herself forwards, not caring about the danger, her only thought being that she had to reach them. If she could just reach them, they would be safe -

  Xander pulled her sharply backwards, screaming in her ear. He began dragging her backwards, but she fought him every step of the way. She was still screaming for her parents, still fighting against Xander. For one split second, her parents looked up and spotted her. Her mum smiled and took a step towards her, going with the flow of people around them. They hadn't even seen the pillar of smoke towering above them, though the crowds on the other side of the road had, and were beginning to scream and shout.

  There was a roar of thunder. The ground shook violently, and a blast of fire and heat burst forth, as the final part of the building exploded. Anais flew backwards through the air, her limbs flailing. Something hard broke her fall with a crack.

  For a brief second, Anais couldn't hear anything except a loud ringing in her ears. She couldn't feel anything but agonising, excruciating, blinding pain.

  And then everything went black.

  Twenty-three

  Green and blue baubles winked lazily above her.

  She blinked, and gradually everything came into sharper focus. The baubles turned out to be mood soothing lights on a white ceiling. They were rotating gently through the colour spectrum, making her feel oddly peaceful. She was lying on something wonderfully soft. She could hear the bee
p and whir of some kind of machine; but she was so drowsy, she couldn't be bothered to try and figure out what it was. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and drift back off into a dreamless sleep.

  But now that she was awake, she was becoming more aware of the pounding in her head. In fact, now what she thought about it, every part of her body was aching. She wondered in a detached way, why that was. The mellow lights above her continued their soft colour display. The sight was so mesmerising, she felt herself begin to drift back into the realm of sleep, her brain pleasantly foggy.

  “Anais?”

  She heard someone quietly speaking her name, and she reluctantly opened her eyes again.

  Someone with dark hair was leaning over her. She blinked and Xander's face came into focus.

  Anais began to sit up, her muscles screaming in protest. She winced, unsure of what could've caused her so much pain. Xander placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

  “Take it easy,” he said, his voice still quiet.

  Anais sank gratefully back onto the soft pillows. Although it was wonderfully comfortable, now that she was coming to her senses, she had a faint tingling sense of unease. Her bed at home didn't have such soft sheets, nor did she have colour changing lights on her ceiling. She turned her head slightly to the side to see where the beeping noise was coming from. A small white box was recording her biometrics, green and blue wiggly lines flashing across the screen as it read the information on her ID chip.

  She was in the hospital.

  Immediately she sat up, and threw off the covers. The machine bleeped and the lines spiked sharply as it registered her panic. She would not – she could not – stay in the same place where Dalla had died.

  “Hey, it's okay. You're alright,” Xander said, placing a hand on her arm. It felt odd, as though she couldn't quite feel his touch, and Anais glanced down. A neat white bandage covered up her forearm. The old bandage on her left hand been replaced too. Slowly she looked down her body. She was wearing a green gown exactly like the one Dalla had worn when they had admitted her here. White and green medi-patches covered spots on her legs and her other arm. She placed a hand to her ribs and winced as she felt another bandage. Every breath she took seemed to set her lungs on fire. Gingerly, she touched her head where the worst pounding was. Another medi-patch had been taped over her left temple.