Contribute (Holo, #2)

by Kristy Acevedo

  “Why not the top floor?” Benji asks.

  “Too hard to walk up constantly. Fourth floor is convenient and safe enough.”

  “Safe from what?” I ask.

  “The first few floors are always the most vulnerable. Vulnerable to attacks, flooding, et cetera. We could probably sleep on the fifth floor.”

  “Wait, we’re moving here? I don’t have my bag. And what about the PSF? And food?” My stomach fires on all cylinders, and I wonder if the toilets work here.

  “Marcus and I will crash here most nights rather than travel back and forth from the LU,” Benji says. “You don’t have to stay here.”

  Before we reach the fourth floor, I hear voices rise in argument. At every step, the voices intensify. Benji quickens his pace, and we follow.

  The fourth floor is an open, gutted space with no interior walls. Like living inside a horizontal wooden wheel. A group of people shout at each other, Jackson and some I recognize as members of the Umbra, some I don’t recognize.

  “What’s the problem?” Benji’s voice echoes through the empty space.

  “We were here first,” a woman says. “The Geotroupes claimed the wooden territory when we found it months ago.”

  “This building wasn’t claimed,” Jackson says. “It was empty. From the intelligence we’ve gathered, you only have enough people to fill two of these buildings. There are hundreds of buildings here.”

  Another man steps forward. “We expect our numbers to flourish with more people arriving.”

  “We already have the numbers,” Katherine says.

  “Describe your group to me,” Jackson interrupts. “Maybe we can come to an agreement.”

  “I don’t have to explain anything to you,” the woman says. “This is our territory.”

  I back up to create distance between me and a growing mob. Been there, done that. As I move, I feel a breeze blowing through the area. I think nothing of it until Marcus yells, “Alex! Look out!”

  I stop and spin around, teetering on the edge of a missing window. Fourth floor and inches away from plummeting to my death. My stomach drops like I’m on a rollercoaster, goosebumps rush down my spine and limbs. Marcus grabs the back of my uniform and pulls me to safety.

  I flee back down the stairs as quickly as my feet can carry me, skipping steps along the way. I will never stay here. Never. No, thank you. I never thought I’d prefer the LU holotech world to a broken, natural world, but all I want is to hide forever in the PSF.

  Outside, I take a deep breaths, count like I’ve been trained, and let them out slowly. I repeat and repeat to try to slow the spiraling energy inside me. I look up and see the open spaces where windows should be, the distance my body would’ve fallen. I sit on the safety of the ground, as low as possible. The reddish-brown soil is damp, which doesn’t make sense to me since it never rains.

  Doctor A. finds me. He doesn’t ask questions, just sits with me and then walks me back to the LU community. As soon as we move from the skeleton forest to the wider, shorter treescape, my uniform returns from translucent to cranberry, which reminds me why I changed it in the first place. Doctor A.’s changes to a crisp white business suit. Once we get to the Hub, I stop at the platform to get my second food ration of the day to settle my stomach, and then head up to my LU. Too exhausted to argue, I allow Doctor A. to lead me into the maglift instead of searching for a hidden emergency staircase.

  All I want to do is cry and escape my life in the PSF.

  Waiting at my LU door is Dominick. I want to run and hug him and scream in his face for abandoning me.

  Doctor A. looks from me to Dominick and back again. “It seems you have company. How are you feeling, Alex?”

  “Better,” I say, lying. Seeing Dominick is making my emotions go haywire. “The food and walk helped.”

  “Glad to hear it. I don’t think we’ve met,” Doctor A. extends his hand, and Dominick shakes it. “Dr. Aiyegbeni.”

  “Dominick. Sorry, I missed your name. Doctor who?” Dominick asks, then catches himself and grins. I can’t help but crack up laughing even though I’m pissed off. There’s a reason we liked each other. Loved each other.

  Doctor A. nods in my direction when I laugh, and his eyes light up. He returns his gaze to Dominick. “Ah, no TARDIS here, I’m afraid. Dr. Aiyegbeni. Call me Doctor A.”

  Major nerd points to Doctor A.

  “Nice to meet you,” Dominick says.

  Don’t let those dimples fool you, Doctor. He’s a traitor.

  “You seem to have a positive effect on this young lady. I’ll leave you two to your business. Very nice to meet you, young man. Take care, Alex.”

  “Thanks for walking me back.”

  “Any time, my dear.”

  Once Doctor A. disappears into the maglift, I turn on Dominick.

  “Where’s Rita? Aren’t you two joined at the hip now? My two best friends have to hook up immediately as soon as they think I’m dead—”

  Dominick pushes his body toward me, wordlessly, throwing me off-guard. I was ready for a full on verbal argument.

  “Please shut up,” he whispers into my face. His voice runs over my skin like warm water. His body pins mine against the LU door. He lets his lips speak for him, softly at first, then more forcefully. His hands hold my face like it’s made of glass. We make up for lost time. I can’t stop myself. I can’t get enough.

  When we come up for air, I say, “Did you just tell me to shut up?”

  His dimples do me in. “I waited long enough for you.”

  “So you and Rita?” I whisper into his face. I miss his glasses.

  “Are friends. Your friends. Like always.”

  “It looked like you were together. In the Holospaces.”

  “Alex, I’ve been a mess without you.” He presses me against the wall again and kisses me harder. I stop asking stupid questions and let myself melt into him.

  CHAPTER 15

  DAY 24: 203 HOURS TO DECIDE

  AS OF TODAY, 52% OF EARTH REFUGEES HAVE CONTRIBUTED. THE OFFICIAL EARTH MOURNING CEREMONIES WILL END.

  DOMINICK AND I somehow make it into my LU.

  “I’ve been waiting for you here all morning,” Dominick says. “It wasn’t easy to track you down. I had to ask people. You really aren’t in the system.”

  “No, I’m not.” I move my backpack out of his way so he has room to sit on my holobed.

  “Can you believe this place? Pretty much like they said it would be. Better now that you’re here.”

  I fake a smile. “Have you noticed any problems?”

  “Only with our people not used to the system. Wanting extra rations. One guy is trying to create a monetary system using rocks. It’s not working, though. I mean, everything is free and . . . they’re rocks.”

  I smile again. It’s amazing to see him after all this time, but it’s so hard to talk to someone who hasn’t experienced the world the way you have. “Did you see anyone get punished by the BME?”

  “Yeah, one guy punched another and got surrounded. Pretty effective.”

  I lift up the pant leg of my uniform to show him one of my fading scars.

  “What the hell? What happened?”

  “I stuck my head in the water fountain.”

  He tries not to laugh, and it makes me laugh.

  As he slides closer to me and puts his arms around me, his bandwidth glows on my shoulder. A reminder of what he could become. A reminder that I found him too late.

  I cover my leg. “Did you know we were on a spaceship?”

  He looks at me like I’ve grown five heads. “No, when?”

  “Before we arrived here. We were on a spaceship during the whole time we were out of communication range.”

  “We came here through vertexes in our old Hub.”

  “That was really a spaceship. I guess your deck didn’t see the windows. Wait, you’ve been here over a week? So we weren’t on the same ship.”

  “I wasn’t on a spaceship. I was in a whole LU co
mmunity. Sun, stars, and moons . . .”

  “Dominick, it was a spaceship. My ship took down the illusion. It was all holographic. Everyone in my LU community saw it. Ask them. The meritocracy even admitted they used the illusion to avoid upsetting us during the integration process. Seamless integration.”

  He stands from the holobed and looks out my window wall. “Have you seen the future humans?”

  “You mean the vances? No.”

  “Vances?”

  “For advanced humans.”

  “Oh. I hadn’t heard that one.” He sticks his hands in the pockets of his uniform. “Alex, the stuff you said about the comet not being real . . .”

  “All true.”

  He rubs the back of his neck with one hand. “It can’t be true. There’s no way. It’s too incredible and terrible.”

  “You need to meet the Umbra.”

  “No, not another group like Rita’s. What I need . . .” He sits closer to me and kisses me again. It’s already not the same since he’s not listening. I want to let him in, but how can I when he doesn’t even believe the truth? When he doesn’t believe in me? I break away.

  “Are you afraid your parents will come back and catch us? Did the HME fix your father’s health? They healed my eye and arm, and I don’t need my glasses anymore. Although,” he reaches into his uniform back pocket and places his black-rimmed glasses on his face, “I popped out the glass and kept the frames.”

  I walk over to the PSF and lean against the cool, blackened surface. My mouth doesn’t want to form the words.

  “Alex?”

  “My parents didn’t make it through the vertex. They’re back on Earth.”

  His mouth hangs open, silent. He knows what it’s like to lose a parent since he lost his father. “God, I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. They’re the safe ones. Hopefully. We’re the ones who are screwed.” The memory of my parents stranded in the middle of a cold Boston road, Dad in a wheelchair, Mom screaming my name, returns to haunt me.

  Before Dominick can respond, a beeping sound echoes through the room. At first I think it might be the clip Benji gave me, but it’s followed by a calm, monotone voice:

  “Please access the CVBE for an important BUZ message from the meritocracy.” The third tiny, colored light on my bandwidth blinks. On Dominick’s wrist as well through the golden hue.

  “Probably about to tell us another lie,” I say.

  “It’s probably to allow us more access,” Dominick says.

  Before I get a chance to hold my bandwidth and open a holoscreen, Dominick taps his and throws an imaginary object at the wall. The entire wall turns into a holoscreen.

  The same leader who spoke on the spaceship, with graying hair, white robe, and silver necklace ending with a gemstone, emerges on screen. The rest of the meritocracy sit behind him.

  Dominick squeezes my hand, and we sit on the holobed to watch. His eyes sparkle in excitement. He doesn’t see our saviors as our conquerors yet. I click my clip over and over again. Benji needs to see this, and he’s out of range.

  “Greetings. We are the meritocracy, the ruling body of 2359. My name is Keron. I serve as the voice of the meritocracy. Welcome to the final stage of integration. We hope you will enjoy acclimating into Solbiluna-8 and explore the full benefits of our world. Feel free to travel our planet using magpods or vertexes, and use your bandwidths to access the CVBE features. The Holospaces are always available for recreation, education, and group worship, and the Skylucent will continue each night.

  “We must remind you that our world only can survive if we balance our leisure time with the greater good. Solbiluna-8 is built upon the belief that humans were made to thrive, not toil away precious time. We wish you to think, explore, create, enjoy. By providing freedom from commerce, we provide freedom from work. In order to continue this luxury for future generations, however, we need your contribution in death. As of today, 52% of Earth refugees have contributed. We believe that with everything our world has to offer, that number should be 100%.”

  I click and click my stupid clip. Where’s my brother when I need him?

  “As we explained before, our nanoholocom network only works with the vast pathways of the human brain. Rest assured only your thoughts and neural matrix will be integrated with our systems. As a biohologram, you will no longer have physical and emotional needs. In this holographic state, you will be able to work for our society, assuring that future generations will enjoy the luxury of leisure during their lifespan that you did.

  “While contribution is not mandatory, in fairness, those who do not wish to become bioholograms will be put to work and have less time to enjoy our luxuries. The choice is yours. Once you decide, please let your hologuide know. Your hologuide is also available to answer any questions. You have two hundred and three hours remaining to decide. May your contribution lead to freedom.”

  “100%? Can you believe this?” I say. “Who are they kidding? I can’t believe they got 52%.”

  “I contributed,” he says, letting go of my hand and holding up his bandwidth.

  “I noticed. I can’t believe you volunteered to upload yourself. Come on, it’s wicked creepy. The vances keep pretending they are here to give us what we want, but all they really want is to enslave us.” My mind races with worries and possibilities, including a vision of him dying and turning into an emotionless hologram. “Did Rita contribute?”

  “No. She said it was for religious reasons.” He goes quiet.

  I use that line of thinking. “What about the idea of an afterlife? The soul? What if your soul gets trapped in technology? Then you’d live for another, what’d they say—another fifty years—with an enslaved soul?”

  Where’s Rita when I need her? This is getting way too deep. I don’t know if I believe in souls and afterlife. I just can’t let him sacrifice himself to a culture based on fabricating sophisticated lies.

  Dominick stays quiet. I sit next to him and rub his arm.

  “What you said about souls doesn’t bother me,” he says. “I’m an atheist. I actually like the idea of becoming a biohologram. Giving myself to science. People donate organs all the time. So I don’t really have a problem with that part. But you made me think about my father. I’m wondering how I would feel if my father were a biohologram. Would I like seeing him again, knowing he didn’t care? It wouldn’t really be him, but he could remember me. Or would it bother me more, seeing a hollow version of what used to be . . . like a ghost?”

  I hadn’t thought of that. I don’t know what I’d want in that case, either.

  Dominick tucks one hand in his pocket and offers me the other one. I don’t know what this means.

  “It’s pointless arguing about it, anyway,” he adds. “When I contributed, my hologuide said you can never take it back. Can’t have people contribute, skip out on years of work, and then try to take it back before they die. Once you contribute, it’s permanent.”

  The information etches itself on my heart like marking his gravestone. I don’t know what to say.

  BENJI, KATHERINE, AND Beruk call an emergency Umbra meeting. I find myself dragging Dominick to the Umbra headquarters even though I just told myself in the morning that I’d never return. But someone has to talk some sense into him. I use the bandwidth COM and call “R. Bern” to invite Rita so I can apologize, but the COM fails. She must be with the Geotroupes off grid and out of range.

  As Dominick and I walk through the forest with Doctor A. and Marcus, Dominick says, “The Umbra is like Rita’s group, isn’t it? Same trail.”

  “Her group lives in a different section of the abandoned area. Katherine says they’re like hippies. The Umbra is far from that.”

  “Who’s Katherine?”

  Loaded question. It’s not the time to discuss crazy lady and time travel paradoxes. It’ll just confirm that I’m the one who’s crazy. Not that he doesn’t already think that.

  “She’s one of the leaders and a technology genius. R
eally down-to-earth.” Something in the phrase strikes me as odd and meaningless while on a foreign planet. “You’ll love her and Professor Marciani from MIT.”

  His eyes brighten, and I know he’s curious.

  The Umbra headquarters remains an open floor plan with ashen furniture added for comfort. I’m not sure where the furniture came from until Katherine asks me if I will give up one of my daily supply rations to print nails and screws for building with the pale wood from the forest. Everything around us must be hand built. Impressive. I didn’t realize how talented people are.

  Thankfully, someone boarded up the gaping window area. It reminds me of home when I helped Dad board up our windows after looters ransacked our food supply. I thought he was losing it. Maybe he was stronger than I gave him credit for. Maybe not.

  I introduce Dominick to as many people in the Umbra as possible so he can get a feel of the scope of the project, including Kendra and Nolan. At least a third of the group are new. Benji finishes talking to Jackson and comes over to us.

  “Dominick, it’s good to see you here. Maybe you’ll think about joining us. Marcus speaks highly of you.”

  “Thanks,” Dominick says and shakes Benji’s hand. I notice Dominick’s bandwidth is deactivated here, no longer a beacon of light reminding me of his possible death.

  “Why didn’t you come when I clicked the clip thing?” I ask Benji.

  “Too busy. I figured it was about the new meritocracy message. We got word.”

  “I thought something might’ve happened to you.”

  “Sometimes you remind me of Mom.”

  I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or an insult. Since it’s coming from Benji, I assume it’s the latter.

  When Jackson calls the meeting to order, everyone gathers in one area. Dominick and I end up several rows deep. Even though the Umbra joined forces with local established groups, it looks like Jackson’s still in charge. He asks Beruk to speak first.

  Beruk updates everyone on the security of the headquarters and how they’ve reached out to other Umbra groups to spread the word about the comet hoax and the state of Earth. He discusses a wide sweep of the area to investigate how the landmass functions since the nanoholocom network won’t provide complete global maps that include abandoned and natural regions. Their primary goal is to pinpoint the location of the meritocracy and the vances in order to infiltrate when the time is right. Dominick’s shoulders broaden as he listens to him speak.