"Sorry Meyer couldn't do this, but he asked me for help last minute." She smiles, throwing the towel to me and dropping the other items on the couch. "I'm starving."
She disappears around the corner into the kitchen, where the whirring and zipping of her dinner preparations sounds. The fact she mentioned Meyer's name calms my nerves a bit, and I quickly check my messages to see if he sent one informing me of Lena.
Sure enough, there is. Must have missed it when the downpour started.
"Your name is Lena?" I ask while drying my hair. "When did you finish university?"
From the kitchen, she answers, "Yeah, Lena Tran, and I was configured six months ago."
"You're not paired?" I ask, looking around.
"Affinity has arranged a few potentials, but right now it's been easier on my own. I probably won't make a choice until right before my deadline, so I still have almost six months." She steps around the corner with her food and sits alongside me. "I'll be expected to have a child if I make a contract, so I'm holding off as long as I can."
"Even though you're working with Affinity, you'll carry on as usual with spouse pairing and birth schedule?" I ask.
"Of course. Doesn't mean I can't wait until the last possible second though." Lena digs into her meatloaf as if she hadn't eaten in days.
"So what are we doing today, other than eating?"
"Mmm…" she says, mouth full and waving her finger. "Operative training… Haven't you been informed at all yet?"
"No. I don't know much." I stab the last bite of meatloaf, frost the chunk with the mashed potatoes, and then pop it into my mouth.
"Generally, in between testing for your specific skill set, they have us learn the ropes in other areas."
"How are we going to do that here?"
"Have you seen Affinity's VR yet?" Lena asks between bites.
"No, but I've used it at GenTech."
She shakes her head. "This is different. The stuff Direction uses for work is to keep you isolated and on task. The version we're going to use is way better."
"Why wouldn't Direction have it then?"
"They do… where do you think we got it? But the technology allows people to meet too easily while not under Manning's watchful eye, so he buried it."
I wonder what else Manning has buried.
"Let's get going. There's only so much time." Lena grabs our plates and takes them to the kitchen, then retrieves the bag and Flexx. "We're diving right in."
She pulls out a clear box and hands it to me.
"Um, what do you mean?" My voice comes out as kind of a squeak.
"We're training tonight. Put on the EP."
"The what?" I crack the box and find a thin, clear object. I squish the small disk between my fingers. "This is really different than what I use at work."
"Yeah, it is." She chuckles. "It's an eyepiece. Stick it in your eye."
"In my eye?" I echo, sure I heard her wrong.
Lena nods.
"Which one?"
"It doesn't matter. You'll figure out what's comfortable for you."
I place it over my right eye and gasp as the piece suctions to my eyeball. Both my lids snap shut.
Lena laughs. "You're all right. Open up."
Hesitating, I do as she says. When my lids open, other than the strange sensation of having the eyepiece suctioned to my eyeball, the room looks as it was.
"Everything's the same."
"You need to activate it," she explains. "First, let me grab the rest of the equipment. There's a comm that integrates with your nanos so we can communicate."
She affixes her own EP, then works at something on her handheld. I squint, but I can't even see it in her eye.
"Today's exercises are standard, to let you adjust to the equipment. Basically, it's a VR game, but playing will get you used to it."
"What do you mean?"
"Similar to your VR training drills at work. Not real, so no risk. The weapons aren't real either. And we can do it all right here." She gestures toward the couch. "Can't have you running around breaking my furniture and making a huge racket. The whole exercise will take place in your mind."
A nervous laugh escapes my lips. "Why don't you show me?"
"No time to waste, right? Go sit on the couch or wherever you're comfortable."
I do as she says. She follows behind and swipes at her screen.
"Okay, blink twice. Hard. It will activate the tech."
I blink twice. The living room fades and is replaced with a dim, outdoor street scene. It's deserted. In awe, I walk over to the side of a building and graze my fingertips over the bumpy texture. It's all so real, except for an occasional flicker.
Lena's hair is fixed differently in the sim, pulled into a tight, high ponytail. She wears the same tight gray-black uniform I do, complete with gloves and a weapon affixed to our sides. I run my hands over the bodice. There seems to be some kind of harness built into the fabric.
Why would I need a harness?
"How does this work?" I ask.
She motions toward the side of an apartment building, and we move out to the middle of the street. "The EP connects its own network to your nanos and nervous system. If, for some reason, you need to turn off your comm, tap right beside your right ear. And you leave the sim the same as you activated it. Blink twice, hard, or just say 'End sim'.
"The suits are made of the same material the human officers wear, and are designed to work as a light body armor." Lena holds out her hands. "The gloves keep you from being scanned if you touch a sensor. If you run a real mission, you might be given one of these suits, but Affinity doesn't have many."
On the right side of my vision displays the distance to the next building, and if I focus in a new spot, it changes and shows the distance to that one. The left side lists Guardian activity, and all the while, the EP tells me where Lena is, even if I can't see her. There's more, but I don't know what it means yet.
"Today you're training the EP. By your reactions in the sim, the piece will learn. Information overload causes disorientation, so the device will start out slowly and add more as your brain and nanos adjust."
I give her a tentative look, and Lena chuckles, then grabs me.
"Come on. We don't have much time. Make sure to stay out of the Guardian's sight. The EP will help you determine where they are."
Blood rushes to my head and the room spins, but it's only a… What did Lena call it? A game?
"Let's give it a try. I can talk all night about what this will be like, but it can't replace actual training," she says. "If you're injured, your device will alert you. If you die, the sim ends. There's a Flexx on your wrist. You'll need it. We're starting… now."
Still clutching my arm, Lena pulls me and breaks into a sprint. She loosens her grip and lets go of me.
"Are you a runner?" she asks.
"Yeah, almost every day."
"Good. Okay, you should be able to view some of the info in your EP now.
Final Destination: 5 blocks
Approximate time of arrival: 15 minutes
"Sounds easy," she says, "but obstacles can slow you down."
"Guardian drone… sixty-eight degrees to the right, six hundred feet ahead," I reply.
"Yup, I see it. Cover ahead, thirty feet."
The spot illuminates and words flash in my view.
Wait 30 seconds for Guardian to pass.
The two of us jog toward the hiding spot. Lena motions me to wait, and the drone, tentacle arms pulled into its body, continues without stopping. We resume running and take the assigned path directed by the EP. Nearing the last block and standing by for two more passing drones, I recognize the street we're on.
"We're on GenTech's block."
Destination 656 ft. on the right. Genesis Technologies.
"The mission's at GenTech?"
She turns, showing a sly smile. "Yep. We're breaking in."
"Breaking in?"
"Well, we're not taking a stroll. Let's
learn something useful."
I seize her arm and pull us to the side of a building. "You said this was just basic training."
"Why do you think we're doing this?" She scratches her neck. "The training is to avoid errors when it's real."
Pressure sits on my chest. In the game, it's easy. Nobody dies. But in real life…
I blink hard, twice, and I'm back on Lena's couch. Lena touches my shoulder and I flinch.
"I don't know if I can do this, Lena. I mean… breaking into GenTech? That's like suicide. I get that today it's just a sim, but what if they want me to do that for real? I'm a programmer not a spy."
She smiles. "Relax. Just do your best. You're capable. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been chosen."
The words are comforting to hear, but it doesn't mean I believe them.
"Anyway, tonight's not real," she adds. "Just have fun with it. Seriously? When do we ever get to have fun?"
Pretty much never.
I reluctantly nod and blink twice.
Ahead of me, Lena's already sprinting toward GenTech. She takes out her weapon. I try to hold mine the same way she does, but I'm clumsy and ridiculous. The viewer instructs us to swing around the back of the building, and words flash in my vision.
Entry Point: Service door. 352 ft. on the left.
"We'll enter through an underground tunnel in the apartment building beside it," Lena instructs.
Around the side, the service door comes into sight.
"Go ahead and disarm the security system with your handheld. Shouldn't be any more surveillance until we pop out."
"Shouldn't be?"
Lena shrugs. "Sometimes the simulation presents unexpected challenges."
I stow my weapon and follow the instruction on the Flexx.
Success. You may now proceed.
The door opens, revealing a darkened hall. The EP brightens, and the hall illuminates.
"What are you waiting for?" Lena pushes me in. The door slides closed behind us and she resets the security. "Don't be sloppy. Make sure if you change something, you set it back in place. A system left disarmed could tip off our presence."
Lena catches my arm and I ready my weapon again. Our new destination is a service elevator on the right, sixteen feet ahead. Once into the cab, she asks for a boost and slides over a panel on the ceiling. Lena pulls herself up and through.
She pops her head through the opening and reaches toward me. "Grab on."
The EP flashes instructions for grabbing and climbing the sides. Instructions are one thing; actually doing it is another. Even so, I leap for her hand and climb into the opening. I guess the EP and nanos are doing their job.
No words come out, but I must wear a silly grin. Lena doesn't call me out on it. I replace the panel, and she motions to a ladder leading up the length of the elevator shaft.
15 ft. to destination
The supposed entrance looks like solid concrete, but the EP says it's there. Lena punches on her handheld to activate a panel, sliding open. The tunnel is only about three square feet wide and tall, with a narrow metal ledge below. The opening is less than an arm's length from the ladder. With the ledge, we should be able to swing into it. At least, that's what the EP's telling me.
Lena goes first and launches herself inside, followed by myself. The panel shuts behind us, but the EP provides an even brighter night vision, giving us a luminous effect.
We crawl through the shaft and come to a dead end.
"GenTech's on the other side," Lena whispers.
Complete flashes and the panel skates open. We wriggle out behind some storage, and the outline of another person appears in the EP. I grapple for my weapon just as a hand slides over my mouth.
"Ladies, you're late."
I dart my eyes to his face. A glowing, night-vision smile appears.
Meyer Quinn shows in my view.
14
Lena chuckles. "Late?" Then she throws a glance at me. "Eh… she was slowing me down."
"Where did you come from?" I gasp.
He tips his head. "It's VR, remember? We can do almost anything in here."
I shake my head and drop my shoulders. I'd forgotten.
"I didn't know you were coming," Lena says.
"Me either." Meyer walks to the door. "But I finished up early and knew you were in. Had the option to sleep or hang out with you two. Who needs sleep anyway?"
Lena secures the panel, and each of us poise our weapons. The EP has adjusted to show a kind of X-ray outline of the building. I can basically see through walls. A Guardian drone patrols two rooms over, and past the drone stands a human guard.
Meyer turns. "Stay out of their view. The EP will help."
"The stunners are set to immobilize," Lena adds. "We don't want to kill anyone, so never change the setting if you don't have to, even in a sim." She points to the control on the side where the intensity is located. "Only modify if the EP recommends it." She looks at Meyer. "Anything I forgot?"
"No, you covered the basics." He flashes me a smile. "The mission's loading."
Familiarize yourself with as much of GenTech's lab layout as possible while avoiding Guardians and other security.
Begin with floor 10, Labs scrolls across the bottom of my vision.
"It's an easy one tonight." Lena chuckles. "They must not want to push the new girl too much.
I give her a scowl.
"Come on. Let's go," Meyer says. "The drone's gone."
We take the hall and crawl through a tight overhead venting system at the end of the corridor, which pops us out into a service stairwell.
Warning: Guardian Drone Patrol
It passes, then Meyer pulls the vent panel and we slide out. The stairwell is to the right. Three minutes to reach floor ten.
Lena gestures, and Meyer slips through the opening to the stairs. I follow Lena. My heart pounds as I take multiple steps at a time, whipping around the corner of each new floor.
Only fifteen seconds remain for us to catch our breath.
6...5…4…
A shiver nips my spine when I sense Meyer's hand nudge against my lower back. I dart my gaze to his face, but he only looks straight ahead toward our next destination.
2…1…
"Go," he whispers.
Lena sprints down the corridor, lit by dim auto lights, with me close on her heels, Meyer behind. The EP directs us to a narrow alcove approximately thirty-two feet ahead, while the lab is twenty feet after. The three of us squat and wait for the EP to recalculate.
Sixteen minutes to get in and out of floor 10, if nothing in security changes. My heart gathers speed as the instructions load with the countdown. I shouldn't be so nervous but it feels so real. If I were ever truly caught inside GenTech... everything would be lost. I'd be sent to the detainment center, and now knowing Direction is willing to kill their own, I can't imagine they would treat traitors well there.
I follow as Lena and Meyer bolt onto floor 10.
"Ten-o-eight is up ahead." Lena says. "You take it, Avlyn."
As we reach the door, Lena swipes her handheld to disarm the security, and the door drifts open. The lab is vast and open, dotted with workstations illuminated in my viewer.
Meyer cuts ahead. "I'll take ten-o-nine. Lena, take ten-ten."
I grab Meyer's upper arm. He flexes, then his muscle relaxes.
"It only gets easier, Avlyn," he says. "Until it's the real thing."
Meyer pulls away, and my thoughts snap back to the task at hand as Meyer and Lena leave me and head to different labs. The fact I can still hear them in my comm gives me a little comfort.
I slip into the room, illuminated only by the night vision of my EP. The counters and cabinets have a ghostly look to them, making me more nervous than I already am. The fact that the room is empty and I shouldn't be here only enhances that feeling.
At the back right-hand corner of the lab is an oversized, locked, glass cabinet. Inside, vials of various-colored liquids are labeled with project numbe
rs. I initiate the Affinity program on my Flexx to see if it can break the security and unlock the cabinet. It fails, so I move on.
"You okay in there?" comes Meyer's voice over the comm.
"Yeah, fine."
12 minutes flashes in my vision.
Directly beside the cabinet is a magnifying station and viewing screen. Underneath is storage of glass slides, labeled with more project numbers in a clear, locked case. I crouch and reach out, touching the glass. From my fingers spreads a series of thin, white, electrical currents. I snap my hand back, surprised, and the current disappears. Hesitating, I gently touch the glass again. Numbers and symbols fly past on the bottom of my vision, recognizing it as system code.
I remove my hand again and the scrolling information stops. Is the EP making this happen? Why didn't Meyer or Lena mention it?
As I reach to touch it a third time, I get a strange feeling that someone is behind me and whip around.
A closed doorway, marked 1008b and situated against the back of the lab, glows hot white. I rise and walk toward the door, extending my hand to touch it. As my fingertips press on the cold metal, queasiness seeps through my stomach. The room goes white in an instant.
Not again, my brain screams. It's the same thing that happened at my configuration meeting. The word Ectopistes flashes in my vision. As it does, someone touches my shoulder. I spin and find myself looking directly into the eyes of the same boy I saw in my vision last time.
Ben?
Dark hair, like mine. Pale skin, like mine. That same scattering of freckles across his nose…
I open my mouth to speak and the boy and the scene disappear, leaving nothing but the lab as it was before.
"I... I saw something," I gasp.
"You can put it in your report," Meyer says calmly in my comm.
Configured: (Book #1 in the Configured Trilogy) Page 11