Perception

by Lee Strauss

  Alison carefully placed her fork and knife beside her plate. “I’m going to bed now.”

  I watched her go, her movements stilted and robotic.

  “Is she going to be all right?” I said.

  Paul looked like he’d aged ten natural years, even as a GAP. “Yeah, of course.”

  “Well, I’m going to go to bed now, too. I’m exhausted.” I didn’t look at Paul when I out and out lied to him. I had plans that didn’t involve sleeping. I had an appointment to keep with Noah.

  Now that I understood that Saundra or perhaps Noah would be coming in the morning to wait on us, I took my dishes with me to the kitchen and loaded them into the dishwasher myself. I let a yawn escape that wasn’t fake–I was actually very tired–and said good night to Paul.

  Upstairs I brushed my teeth and pulled my hair back. Dark colors would be appropriate for a break and enter. I removed my lighter clothing and replaced them with dark jeans and a black t-shirt.

  I waited for Paul to fall asleep on the sofa, then softly padded down the wooden steps in sock feet, my sneakers in hand.

  Paul snorted, and I stopped short, thinking fast about how I could explain my change of wardrobe. But it was unnecessary. Paul turned, and his breathing fell back into a steady rhythm.

  I slipped on my sneakers before entering my pod. I buckled up and instructed it to take me to the north gate. It was times like this when I was glad my MagLev barely made a sound.

  My stomach twisted and turned when I thought about what I was going to do.

  And who I was going to do it with.

  Noah was waiting outside the gates when I got there.

  “Hi,” I said, feeling strangely shy.

  “Hi.”

  He was dressed similarly to me, and I had to hold back a giggle. “We match.”

  Noah grinned, his crooked tooth peeking out in a way that made my heart speed up. “Yeah, we’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”

  We walked quickly and quietly to the transit station, climbing onto the pod that would take us back to the eastern sector.

  I sat next to the window and gazed out at what was becoming familiar landscape to me. LA didn’t frighten me like it had just last week. I felt like I’d grown up overnight. My world and mind had expanded because I’d dared to venture outside.

  And I’d had to admit, because I’d spent so much time with Noah.

  He was watching me, and I wondered what he saw. Did he notice the change as well? Noah had transformed in my eyes, too, but it wasn’t because he had changed. It was my perception of him that had changed. He’d always been the cool person I’d come to know and respect, I’d just been blinded by my prejudices.

  The pod arrived at the eastern sector and I felt Noah’s hand at the small of my back as he guided me out. I swallowed nervously. The space between us felt charged with electricity. I couldn’t deny I felt attracted to Noah Brody. Things were definitely different between us and the alteration had happened quickly. I just didn’t know how far either of us would dare to let it go.

  I followed Noah as he kept to the shadows. It appeared he’d done this kind of thing before. The small black tool bag he carried was one indication.

  Fortunately, the alley was dark when we arrived at the warehouse. Electricity consumption was monitored and less-populated areas had restricted use. Noah scoped it out, making sure it was clear before taking out a short-handled pair of wire snips.

  “You came prepared,” I whispered.

  “Did you plan on walking through walls? I don’t think GAP technology has managed that yet.”

  “Very funny.”

  It took a moment of urging the snips before Noah broke through the padlock. We stood stock still waiting for an alarm, but it was quiet.

  “Do you think there could be a silent alarm?” I said. My nerves were firing off like crazy. It was only for the love of my brother that I could do stuff like this.

  “I don’t think Liam and his friends would’ve wanted to tip off the authorities by installing a security system. The government’s a nosy bugger.”

  The door opened smoothly. Someone had greased the hinges. I fiddled for a light switch. Noah grabbed my hand, “No.”

  Of course, turning on the lights would be a dumb thing to do. Noah turned on the flashlight feature on his ComRing. I did the same.

  I scanned the room with my ring’s narrow ray of light. The warehouse had been cleaned out thoroughly and sterilized; I could smell the disinfectant in the air. A complicated computer system sat on a counter, and beside it something that looked like an old-fashioned dentist’s chair was extended flat.

  The computer had been left on, so whatever happened the night Liam died created enough chaos, that Jackson and Mitchell forgot to turn it off. I tapped the screen and a holographic image came to life. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Three-dimensional diagrams of electronic arms and legs.

  “What is it?” Noah said.

  “It looks like they were building cyber organisms.”

  The thought of Jackson being involved and all the lies he’d told me to cover this up made me tense with anger.

  Forget about him. I whipped opened the cupboard doors and found scraps of wires and electronic parts.

  Noah opened a drawer, peering in. “What are we looking for?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “This cupboard’s full of space food.” Noah pulled out a basket of silver tetra-pack packages. America didn’t have a federal space program anymore, but the private sector program was alive and well. The food preserving technique was common to non space-dwelling consumers, too. No need to use energy for preservation, and it lasted forever. Just add water.

  “Beef Stroganoff. Mashed Cheddar Cheese Potatoes. Cherry Crumble Cake,” Noah read. “These boys were serious. But I still don’t get what they were so serious about.”

  I tapped the screen again, and a holograph image popped out. A computerized rendering of Liam, fitted with what looked like artificial arms and legs. I shook my head in awe. “They were experimenting on themselves.”

  “They were what?”

  “It looks like they were trying to turn Liam into a cyborg.” I peered more closely at the images. “Not replacing healthy limbs, but graphing them with artificial intelligence material.”

  “But why?”

  We both knew it was illegal to play with cyborg technology.

  “That’s what I want to know,” I said.

  Why was Liam trying to cyborg himself? What could he have hoped to gain that he didn’t already have?

  Noah pulled opened a side door. “Bathroom over here if you need it.”

  Then he opened a closet off to the side and glanced in. I assumed it didn’t hold anything of significance since he just reclosed the door.

  “And also how?” he said. “I mean, I know your family has a lot of money, but I don’t think your parents would’ve approved of this.”

  “No, of course not,” I said. “Someone else was funding it; otherwise they wouldn’t have tried to hide it by setting up a lab out here.”

  “The guys involved with Liam...”

  I dug through another cupboard. “Jackson and Mitchell.”

  “Who’s Mitchell?”

  “Some lab geek. I just met him myself.”

  “So, we need to talk to Jackson and Mitchell.”

  “And Dexter. Don’t forget Dexter.” I closed the last cupboard, unsatisfied. Nothing noteworthy was to be found.

  Noah ran his right hand along the face of the computer monitor.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m copying the files.”

  He gathered them with his ring.“What for?”

  He shrugged. “You just never know.”

  “I don’t think...”

  We heard steps approaching the back door. I quickly turned the monitor off, and Noah pulled me down, crouching close to the floor. We turned off our ring lights. Noah led me carefully through the dark, to the closet then he
eased the door open, pushing a hoodie on a hanger aside and stepping in. He pulled me in after him. My back was pressed into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me tightly, allowing the door to swing closed.

  “Hello?” A voice shouted as the lights switched on. “Is someone here?”

  My heart thumped loudly at the thought of us being caught. I was also very aware of Noah’s body against mine, and how his arms encased me. I almost fainted when he rested his chin on my head.

  “Damn,” the voice said. We could hear someone fussing around the computer. Something dropped onto the counter. Whoever he was, was there to retrieve files and turn off the equipment. The person cursed again as he left the room, shutting off the lights. The bolt had been severed, so he had no way to lock up.

  I couldn’t move. Noah nudged me gently as he pushed the closet door open.

  “I gather that was one of your friends,” he said once we were out. I was glad the room was dark, and Noah couldn’t see my face. I couldn’t tell if our close proximity had had the same effect on him as it did on me.

  I breathed deeply, settling my nerves. “It sounded like Mitchell Redding.”

  Noah turned his ComRing light back on. “Are we done here? That Mitchell guy is probably going to come back with a new padlock.”

  “Yeah, I guess so. I can’t wait until I can question him and Jackson again.”

  I thought I saw Noah bristle at the mention of Jackson’s name.

  “I want to be there when you do it,” he said.

  “I’ll have to authorize you,” I said.

  “Do you have a problem with that?”

  I wanted to know the real reason why Noah insisted on coming. Was he just curious or was he concerned about me?

  “No,” I said. “Jackson might have a problem with it though.”

  “I don’t really care what he thinks,” he said.

  “What about Dexter?” I asked

  “I’m going to track him down. Tonight. I know where he lives. I’ll let you know what I find out.” Noah reached for my elbow. “C’mon, I’ll take you home.”

  “Stop right there,” a shaky voice commanded us in the semi-darkness. “I have a gun.”

  A flash of light zig-zagged across the room. Our captor’s ComRing momentarily blinded us in our tracks. Fear sprung from the soles of my feet, twisting through my stomach and tying a firm knot in my throat.

  Enough light reflected off the weapon, and I saw the face of its owner, Mitchell Redding. He pressed himself into the corner by the door.

  “Mitchell?” My voice was dry and breathy. My eyes had adjusted to the dark room enough to make out the hysteria on Mitchell’s face. The handgun he held shook with his taut nerves.

  Noah took a small step forward. “Put the gun down, Mitchell.”

  “Stop!” Mitchell’s voice took on a frenzied shriek. “I might not shoot her, but I wouldn’t think twice about dropping you.”

  “Noah,” I whispered. The image of Noah taking a bullet in front of me made me feel light-headed. I had to keep strong, think straight.

  “Why do you have a gun?” I said.

  “Have you seen this neighbourhood? It’s filled with crazies. If I had to keep coming out here, I needed to protect myself.”

  “Why did you come tonight?” I said. “What were you doing?”

  Mitchell stepped forward. The gun was heavy, and he had to use his left hand to prop it up.

  “I don’t have to answer your questions. I have the gun here. You need to answer mine. What are you doing here?”

  “I’m trying to find out what happened to my brother.”

  “And?”

  “I think he was experimenting on himself.”

  “Bingo. I told him not to. I said we could find out what we needed by using simulation or humanoid robots as guinea pigs, but the idiot wouldn’t listen to me. He wouldn’t listen to anyone. No one was as smart as Liam Vanderveen.”

  It was hard not to miss the spite in his voice.

  “What happened?” I asked again.

  “I’m the one asking the questions, I said!” Mitchell’s eyes scoured the room, and I could tell his mind was racing.

  What he planned on doing with us was anyone’s guess, but there were two of us and only one of him. And it was dark. If there were a way to distract him.

  “Mitchell, I don’t feel very good,” I said. “Can I sit down?”

  He seemed thrown by the question. “Sure.”

  “Not on the floor. It’s dirty. Over there.” I indicated the reclining chair. Mitchell looked over his shoulder. Noah moved quickly knocking the gun out of Mitchell’s hand. It scooted across the floor.

  There was a scramble of bodies in the dark. I searched the floor with the beam from my ring, hoping to spot the gun.

  There, under the counter. I dashed for it, having to reach blindly underneath with my fingers.

  Cool metal. I gripped it, turned and aimed at the sound behind me. “Stop it! I have the gun and I’ll shoot you, Mitchell. Don’t tempt me.”

  The noise of the scuffle stopped. Two shadows separated. One stood, hands in the air. “It’s me, Zoe.” Noah’s voice.

  I flashed my ComRing light to make sure. Noah nodded when he caught my eye, then turned to Mitchell, right hooking him in the jaw. Mitchell crumpled to the ground.

  I let my arm drop slowly to my side. I felt Noah approach, the heat of his body meeting mine.

  “Are you okay?” he said.

  “Yeah.” I was, but Mitchell definitely wasn’t. “Is he..?”

  “He’s fine. He’ll have a headache when he wakes up, but let’s go before that happens.

  “What about this?” I held out the gun.

  Noah took it and wiped it clean with his t-shirt before opening a random drawer and placing it inside. “It’ll take Mitchell a while to find it.”

  He practically dragged me through the darkness, down the back alley to the pod station. I repeatedly glanced back, fully expecting Mitchell Redding to have revived and started chasing us. I wished Noah had hid the gun a little better.

  Mitchell didn’t follow us onto the pod. When the doors closed and it took off, I let my head fall back, and closed my eyes. The hum of the transport was hypnotic. I breathed in deeply. We were all right. We were fine. For now.

  Neither of us spoke a word the entire way to the downtown destination. Noah walked me back to the gates, keeping his distance. No more elbow or lower back touching.

  “That was pretty crazy,” I finally said. I wondered what he’d been thinking, if he regretted helping me.

  “Yup.”

  “It was brave of you,” I added, trying to encourage him. “To, you know, do what you did.”

  “Brave or stupid.” He finally looked at me. “You were pretty brave yourself.”

  “Brave or stupid.” I smiled at him, coaxing him with my eyes to do the same. He consented faintly.

  “Are you okay?” I paused near the gate. “I mean, I’m sorry...”

  “Hey, it’s not your fault. I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt.”

  He worried about me. I felt something sizzling just beneath the surface, connecting us. Or maybe I was losing my mind. Was I the only one who felt the charge between us? I didn’t think so. Noah stared at me as we stopped under the street lamp, I could see the torment in his eyes.

  We were on a dangerous precipice, I could feel it. If only things were different, if only...

  “Good night, Zoe,” he said, but he didn’t move. And I couldn’t just walk away after all he’d done for me.

  Before I could think it through, I stepped forward and gave him a hug. “Thank you.”

  He embraced me back, holding me a moment longer. “I’ll see you later,” he said. The words sound choked, like it pained him to say them.

  Like he didn’t mean it.

  I watched him leave before heading through the gate, confused by the feelings that rushed at me. Whatever happened next I knew I had to see him again.

&
nbsp; A familiar form stood waiting for me on the other side. His arms were crossed against his broad chest, and he had a tight frown on his face.

  Jackson. I felt like a child caught stealing candy.

  “What are you doing here?” I said.

  “Who was that guy?” Jackson’s pale blue eyes were like lasers. I felt a shiver of fear but shook it off. Nonsense. It was just Jackson. I wasn’t afraid of him.

  “So, you’re following me now?”

  “Who was he?”

  “I don’t have to answer to you.”

  Jackson grabbed my arm. “Are you seeing someone else? An outsider?”

  I stared at his hand, my own anger brewing. I yanked my arm away. “I’ve seen the lab, Jackson. I know what you and Liam were up to.”

  I watched with some satisfaction as the color drained from his face. “W-what?” he stammered. “How?”

  “That was who I was with. A friend who helped me to find out the truth. Something you were afraid to do.”

  I stormed past him in the direction of the parking lot.

  He chased after me. “Who was that guy? How did you meet him?”

  “I said I don’t have to answer to you.”

  “Maybe not, but you do have to answer to your dad.”

  I spun on my heels. “About what?”

  A smug grin formed on Jackson’s face as he gestured toward the gate with his chin.

  “You’d tell?” I asked.

  “If that’s what it takes to get you to stop seeing that outsider.”

  I stomped toward my pod then stopped, turning back to Jackson. “Let me ask you something. Why did you do it?”

  Something flashed in Jackson’s eyes. Regret? Fear? He refolded his arms. “I’m sorry, Zoe. I’m not at liberty to tell.”

  “You risked my brother’s life and he died. And you’re not at liberty to tell? Maybe my dad will be interested in hearing about that.”

  Chapter 17

  I answered the buzz of my ComRing the second I saw Noah’s name.

  “I heard back from Anthony. He wants you to come over.”

  “What did he find?”

  “He wouldn’t tell me.”

  That sounded ominous. My pulse sped up.

  “I don’t know where Anthony lives.”