Iris

by Yolanda Sfetsos

  “What will happen to her?”

  He shrugged. His eyes seemed flat and cold. Any humanity he might have previously reflected was now absent. “I cannot answer that. She’ll be placed in whatever facet this society requires the most numbers in at the moment.”

  “So, she’ll become a slave? No different to the life she faced below?” Iris glared into the room, watching the meticulously dressed woman usher the other one behind the reception counter with a tight smile.

  The anger she’d successfully controlled while the AI escorted them into a hidden elevator, now rushed to the surface. She wasn’t sure how long she could hold it in. Iris didn’t want it to get the best of her, but she wasn’t sure how strong her control was. If Spalding was right, and she was genetically enhanced and should be able to influence her surroundings, surely she could learn to control herself.

  You did at the auction.

  “Come on. We need to go.” Master Ticket grabbed a hold of her elbow and dragged her away from the doorway.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “I’ve got orders to get you to the Rave Level. We’re to meet a man named Lex on the other side.” He didn’t bother to stop, yanking her down the corridor until she pulled free of his grip.

  “I can walk on my own,” she said. “How did they know about me?”

  Master Ticket didn’t respond, instead jerked his head, motioning her to walk in front of him.

  “Who’s this Lex?”

  “He is a bounty hunter hired by Kingsley Wentworth III. I believe he has been trying to track you down for a while.”

  Lex had to be the hunter they’d encountered in the tunnel between buildings—what felt like ages ago. She needed to come up with some sort of plan and lose Master Ticket. If they were about to meet the bounty hunter in front of this Rave Level, she’d have no choice but to go along and face the music, but if they were headed inside, she could hopefully maneuver around him. He was bulky and awkward, possibly programmed in a linear fashion, which might help her get away.

  “For what it is worth, I apologize for doing this to you. You must understand I can only obey my programming,” Master Ticket called from behind her.

  The words sent a ripple of ice down her spine. How true they were. As organic as she seemed, she too had been programmed since birth—first by being designed this way inside a lab, and then by the man who’d found her. No wonder Kingsley was so eager to get her back. He just wanted to mold her into whatever weapon he needed.

  “I understand more than you know,” she whispered.

  Master Ticket didn’t say another word. Instead, he caught up to her, and the two of them walked side by side down the corridor, every step taking her a little closer to oblivion.

  By the time their elevator ride ended and the door dinged open, she was barely holding onto herself.

  The comfortable silence between them was instantly replaced by the duff-duff of a high intensity, bass beat which caused her heart to throb in time with the music.

  “Hey, welcome to the Rave!” A young woman with purple hair and colorful designs painted on her face approached them. “Would you like a complimentary glow stick?” She held up a long plastic strip glowing green on the inside.

  The lights were dimmed on this floor, almost too dark.

  The girl held it out to Iris, and she took it with a shrug.

  “Sir, would you like one, too?” She offered him a pink one.

  Master Ticket shook his head. “We have to get inside right away.”

  “Sure, all you gotta do is offer me your left wrist, and you’re in for as long as you like.” She winked her strange, violet eyes and pulled a small cylindrical contraption from the pocket of her short skirt.

  Master Ticket sighed but held out the underside of his forearm. Where there’d been a small computer screen before, he now offered smooth, olive skin. The girl pressed the contraption against it.

  “There you go,” she said with a smile. “My name’s Stray, by the way. What’s yours?”

  “M.T.”

  “Oh, that sounds so mysterious. If you stick around for a few hours, my shift will be over. We could grab a drink and dance some.” Stray had taken another step and stood very close to him, craning her neck to meet his gaze with a flirtatious look.

  “Maybe. Right now, I’ve got business to take care of. Please stamp my friend so we can get on with it.”

  “Of course.” Stray made her way over to Iris, who was already holding out her left wrist. The girl pressed the stamp against Iris’s skin. The pressure hurt for a few seconds, while the ink sizzled along her skin.

  All of a sudden, all Iris wanted to do was grab a drink and dance. The frenzied beat of the music got her hips swaying, no longer threatening to tear her brain apart.

  “I hope you both have fun in there. Don’t forget to save a dance or two for me, big boy.”

  M.T. nodded and grabbed Iris by the wrist, leading her into the wide opening.

  When they stepped inside, the flurry of the music and laser lights spinning around the crowded floor and walls got her heart pumping. She couldn’t help but sway around the many sweaty bodies they passed. Every new step made her skin sizzle a little more.

  The heated atmosphere seemed euphoric. The combination of sweat and sexual energy roused goose bumps along her skin. Everyone moved this way and that, hips swinging, bodies grinding against each other.

  Iris scanned their surroundings. A large, circular platform sat elevated on one side of the huge hall. Several guys with white motorcycle helmets stood in front of a multitude of equipment. One of them pressed a button, and a stream of white smoke spread over the dancers like morning mist.

  Everyone cheered and held their hands up in response. The helmeted man pressed another button, and large bubbles fell from the ceiling. One of them burst against her arm, and liquid stained her sleeve. A stain of glowing yellow spread along the fabric. No wonder people were so entranced by this place. The organizers had thought of so many captivating details.

  The deeper they moved into the throng of pulsating bodies, the tighter M.T.’s grip on her wrist became.

  When someone smacked up against her side, she almost lost her footing. By the time she caught herself, she could still feel the AI’s grip on her, but she could barely make out the back of his blonde head. Bodies engulfed him, stepping between them as they frantically swayed to the music. Everyone danced as if their lives depended on it, and most kept their eyes closed.

  In spite of the confusion, she kept moving and spotted a big screen, almost covering an entire wall. It stood black, and still and she wondered why it had been placed there at all. Well, until a new song began, and splashes of bright colors filled the screen. The words streaking across the digital splashes were too quick to read, but they were still hypnotizing.

  Iris wanted to stop long enough to enjoy the digital assault to every one of her senses, but M.T. dragged her forward. He’d slowed down but hadn’t bothered to stop and check if she was still with him.

  Not even when they passed by a bar displaying bottles filled with a variety of liquids, all different shades. As soon as the man standing behind it shook a bottle in front of her, she instantly wanted some.

  She swallowed her sudden thirst and looked away.

  The couple in front of her exchanged tiny pills as they kissed. She wondered what kind of mind-altering experiment was going on there but had a feeling that once you entered this room, it might be too hard to find a way out.

  Was this just another one of Kingsley’s control tactics? It seemed like a great way to keep the young and rich population numbed and busy until he decided what to do with them. At that moment, she hated the man with a passion.

  “Hey, pretty lady. You want a little pill to make you feel good?” A bald man appeared out of nowhere, holding a small, plastic bag in front of her face. Several blue pills were bundled on the bottom. He stuck out his tongue, and one sat on the tip. He tucked it back into his mouth an
d smiled. “This could be yours…if you want it.”

  She edged her way around him, but he squeezed her ass. Iris peered back, ready to insult him, but found a woman already licking the pill away from the tip of his tongue. The man held her steady, deepening the kiss when the dancer tried to pull away.

  Iris turned away, embarrassed by the display. Is that what he’d wanted from her? What sort of perversions were these people willing to endure in order to maintain this erratic high?

  After the stranger’s first intrusion, others grabbed her whenever they got the chance. Phantom hands caressed and squeezed her body at almost every step, but she never caught any of them in the act. By the time they’d cleared half the dance floor, M.T. finally stopped to drag her close.

  “Come on,” he whispered near her ear. “Do not allow any of them to tempt you.”

  She nodded and tried to shake the music out of her head when M.T. continued strolling past the dancers. Still, she couldn’t help but stare at them. Everyone seemed oblivious to anything and everything, and for a moment, she wondered what it would be like to stay here. Amongst all these happy people, she might eventually fall into a music and drug-induced stupor and possibly block out all the bad stuff in her life.

  I could forget about the purpose of my creation.

  Inside this hall, which was located deep within a building, she’d be sheltered from the call of the storm. There were no windows for her to see the dark day, and let it lay claim to her, encouraging her to step outside.

  Here, I could become nameless. Just another body lost in the sea of many.

  She would miss Fox, but he’d already been lost to her. If M.T. successfully got her across to the other side of this room, the bounty hunter would grab, and personally deliver her to Kingsley Wentworth. She would still end up locked inside the tree building, but without the man she loved.

  Her heart dropped into her stomach when her gaze cut across the room. Now that they’d crossed so far, she spotted the bounty hunter. He stood by the open door, his tall bulk an obstacle of threatening muscle, ready to complete his mission.

  Even in the dark glow of laser lights, Lex looked a mess of flesh and metal. Her skin crawled at the sight of him. She would soon be handed over by an AI who had no choice, to a modified man who’d made the wrong choice.

  A new beat started around them, one that got the bodies moving a little crazier than they’d already been. A petite woman wrapped her arms around M.T. and forced him to dance.

  This is my one and only chance.

  It took Iris several hard and painful tugs to yank her hand free of the AI’s vice-grip, but when she did, she couldn’t help but smile at him.

  M.T. tried to disentangle himself from the forceful dancer but couldn’t.

  Iris stepped back into the crowd. Free at last.

  Chapter Forty

  “Welcome to the Rave!” a bubbly girl with purple hair called as they exited the elevator. Tension and anxiety entwined into a tight ball inside Fox’s stomach. He looked behind the hostess and around the entrance, but Iris wasn’t there.

  She was already inside.

  His stomach fell at the prospect of having to find her amongst the tangle of bodies. He’d never visited this level before but had lost team members who’d been seduced by the endless drugs, sex, and music—never to be seen, again.

  “Hey Eddie,” the girl waved enthusiastically. “I thought you were supposed to meet someone here.”

  “Hey, Stray. There’s been a change of plans. Listen, have you seen a blonde AI and a petite, black-haired chick come through?”

  The girl’s eyes widened. “As a matter of fact, I did. I can’t believe he was an AI. They sure make them lifelike, now. He was hot.”

  Ed laughed. “Listen, when did you see them?”

  Stray looked thoughtful, drumming a glow stick against her chin. “Oh, only a few minutes ago. Yeah, they came through just before you guys. I asked the guy to wait around for me after he got his business done.” She laughed. “What a dope I am, huh?”

  “Did he mention where they were going?”

  Stray shook her head. “He was in a hurry, though.”

  “Being in a hurry won’t necessarily get you across quicker, not in there.” Ed hitched a thumb toward the open door. “Okay, stamp us so we can get in. Oh, and if you see either one of them come out this way, be sure to stall them. Okay? By stall, I mean use whatever force you have to.”

  “Sure, anything for you, Ed. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be brain dead by now.”

  Ed slapped the girl’s shoulder in a show of affection, and Fox wondered just how she’d done that. If this Stray hung out here to stamp others, she’d eventually step inside, but most never stepped out once they’d entered. A thought which made him hesitate when the purple haired girl stamped Ed and then asked for his wrist.

  “Hurry up. We gotta get inside before it’s too late.” Ed sounded impatient, and was already standing in front of the doorway, peering in. “The numbers grow every time I take a look in there.”

  “Yeah,” Stray said with a nod. “It looks like more and more of the young population is being recruited here. It’s not a hard thing to do. Have you seen some of the ads for this place? I would’ve been prepared to kill my own mother to get inside.”

  “Do you suppose Lex is already in there?” Fox asked.

  Ed shrugged, staring down at her stamp. “Could be. It looks like something’s going down within the next few hours.”

  Stray stamped him then gasped. “Oh yeah, haven’t you guys heard?”

  Ed shook her head.

  “Oh, we had a new screen installed the other day. It’s supposed to be for some important broadcast Kingsley Wentworth wants all of Nexus City to see. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t wait to find out. Maybe he’s finally being diagnosed with a terminal disease or something. Then, maybe his son can take over. I hear that he’s nothing like his father, and that he’s about to join our revolution.”

  Ed glanced at Fox. “I’ve heard the same, but only time will tell, right? Besides, that asshole won’t be killed by something as pesky as a terminal illness.”

  He gave her a quizzical raise of his eyebrows, but she simply shrugged.

  “Save it for another time. I think you’ll find out soon enough.” Ed turned to Stray and took her hands. “Remember, if you see either one of them, I need you to keep them here, okay? I’ll come back to check in ten minutes.”

  “Sure, no problem. Good luck!”

  Ed released the girl’s hands and stepped into the room, disappearing inside just as he headed toward the doorway. She was waiting for him, scanning the room with narrowed eyes. Being as tall as Fox, she had a vantage point a lot of the other people didn’t.

  Fox spotted the AI instantly, with the body of a skinny female draped over his shoulder. Where was Iris?

  “AI’s over there.” He pointed and shouted near Ed’s ear.

  Ed narrowed her eyes, staring in the direction he was pointing. “That’s not Iris. So, where is she?”

  “We’ll have to split up to find her.”

  “No, no way. We need to stick together. I’m not going to allow another screw up to get in the way of what we have to do. I promised my grandfather I would have the both of you locked up and safe, and that’s what I intend to do.” Ed moved a little closer, her dark eyes shiny. “I know you still don’t trust him, but he’ll help your girlfriend. Even if it kills him, he’ll find a way for her to heal this bloody city of ours. For some reason, he’s convinced she’s part of our salvation.”

  “How can you trust him so blindly?”

  “Who says it’s blindly? I’ve seen Spalding do some amazing things. Don’t you think it’s a wonder that he’s been able to clone himself over and over again for so long? How else do you think your father survives?” She turned away, but he grabbed her arm, swiveling her back.

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Look, we don’t have time for th
is right now.” Ed kept her eyes on the looming crowd ahead of them. “In case you haven’t noticed, our buddy Lex is on the other side of the room.”

  “What?” He followed her gaze, and sure enough, there stood the hunter—tall and bald, for the world to see. Too bad everyone else was oblivious.

  “Now, let me go so we can find Iris and somehow get past him. He’s blocking our path.” She pulled her arm, and he loosened his grasp. “Let’s find your girl, but stick close. We can’t afford to lose each other, okay? Am I making myself clear?”

  He nodded. While he didn’t appreciate Ed’s attitude, finding Iris and saving her from his father was all he wanted to do. He was willing to put up with this woman’s superiority for the duration. “You never did tell me how you got that special skeleton key we just used to travel up six floors.”

  “That’s my secret.” Ed winked. “You’ve got your special friend, and I’ve got mine.” She turned away and pushed her way into the crowd.

  The thump-thump-thump of the music made his teeth ache. How could people actually enjoy being cooped up in this? It made his skull vibrate and caused his chest to drum, hard. Glow sticks were waving all around him, disorienting Fox as he stayed as close as he could to Ed. Though, she wasn’t hard to keep within sight, because there weren’t many other chicks dressed in leather. The fashion sense in this rave was more focused on paint where clothing should be.

  He barely missed a couple performing some obscene dance and bumped into a beefy guy waving his muscled arms in the air. Fox held up his palms and mouthed “sorry”. He didn’t want or need any extra trouble at the moment.

  As he prepared for his next step, someone smacked right into his chest. The collision winded him. He took several steps back to regain his balance but was steadied by the person who’d bumped him in the first place.

  “Sorry,” a familiar voice said. When she looked up, he couldn’t believe it.

  “Iris?” He enveloped her in a tight embrace. Ed was temporarily forgotten as she continued on her way, unaware.