Scenes from the last days rush in. The Direction announcement, the Affinity meeting, my instructions.
Meyer.
I swipe away the message and access my Affinity account instead to check for my new mission. My heart pounds while selecting the link.
Affinity thanks you for your service. At this time, you are asked to continue on track with your original mission. You may review these instructions at this link.
Thank you.
That's it? Nothing new?
I know my original mission… training, link my Flexx to retrieve information at GenTech, and continue contact with Aron Barton as a potential pairing.
The spouse pairing message…
I grit my teeth, but still don't look. I check two more times for anything from Meyer, but nothing's new. Then I stare at the screen in hopes something will happen. It doesn't. I log off and resign myself into the account.
ONE SPOUSE PAIRING MESSAGE ADDED BY A. BARTON.
I hover my finger over the link, and it repels like the wrong side of a magnet.
This is it… either Aron accepted my invitation and I can continue my mission, or he didn't and I messed everything up.
Eventually, I tap the screen.
Avlyn,
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. Work was busy after we met, and you were right. Our first meeting was awkward.
Awkward is an understatement. I got into a fight with him. In public.
I have time today at 5:00 p.m. for a few minutes, if you are free. If not, we can reschedule.
Aron Barton
His image, adjacent to the words, partially fills the screen. Golden hair, tan skin, I'd forgotten how good-looking he was.
I squirm in my seat.
And Meyer? I activate his tracker again in the EP. His icon blinks on in my vision, still in Sector D, and he's moving now. My chest clenches at not knowing what he's doing or if he's safe.
But Meyer isn't my assignment right now. Aron is. He's probably doing what he's supposed to be doing, and it's about time I did the same.
In Direction's world, emotions still get me in trouble. Nothing has changed, and the only way it will is by following instructions, not getting sidetracked in silly fantasies. And he told me I wouldn't hear from him for a while.
I flick off the EP.
The time?
I look to see that it's 12:28 p.m.… on Sunday? What happened this morning, or for that matter… Saturday? If it weren't for the message buzzing, who knows how long I would have slept. After a couple weeks of horrific sleep, I guess my nanos decided more was necessary.
Yes, 5:00 p.m. works.
But not at the café. Meyer mentioned they're not safe.
Let's meet at the park. West side, on the benches.
I hit send.
* * *
The bench at the park cools my legs and fingers, which graze the rounded stone edges. After breakfast, I showered and ran sims for the rest of the day. When I finished, I still had close to an hour before the meeting with Aron, so, to get my mind off Meyer again, I left early.
The park is the same as the other times I've come, and a few citizens take advantage of the beauty here through exercise or simply working outdoors. It's the only area in the city to do so comfortably.
A woman runs along the path and disappears around the bend of trees. In the distance, a man sits leaning on a tree and works on a handheld. Then there's me, waiting on a bench for a spouse pairing meeting I don't want, ridiculously consumed with another boy I can't have.
How is it we can go on concerning ourselves with trite problems? At this very moment, Level One citizens are being rounded up to be made into an army under the guise of duty. I've nothing better to do than wait for a meeting with Aron while the rest of Affinity is readying for a revolution.
I grip the edge of the bench, visualizing myself yelling, "Don't you want better than this? What about the people in Level One drafted for a war they don't understand?"
I blink and I'm back on the bench. I never moved. The man under the tree sits, staring toward his Flexx device.
"Avlyn?"
I jump at the sound of my name. "What?" I say too loudly.
"Are you all right?" Aron sits by me on the bench, blond hair neatly combed, his hands clutched together on his lap so tightly it's as if he's keeping them from escaping.
"Oh, Aron. I'm sorry. I have a lot on my mind." My second impression is chalking up to be as good as my first. Crazy girl.
"Don't we all?" He gives me a sympathetic smile. "So many changes are going on right now. Syn has upped its drone production, and I've been assigned extra work from home. That's why I couldn't meet until now."
No way can I tell Aron my true source of stress.
"They haven't done that at GenTech yet. Although, I'm sure I'll have my turn on the remote InfoSec team and will pull a few all-nighters." A nervous laugh escapes me. As if I'm not used to all-nighters. "Do you think SynCorp bumped production due to the announcement?"
"Possibly. A few days ago, on lunch break, Director Manning and a few of the level representatives came through. Didn't think much about it until last night."
"I saw him in GenTech, too," I say.
"In InfoSec?"
"No. I was working on data security in the lab. He came in and then went into a secret area."
Aron leans in, giving me a curious look. "Secret?"
A lump forms in my throat. I've said too much. Then again, maybe intriguing him is a good way to keep him interested. And for some reason, I do trust him.
"I don't know if it's really secret." I try to blow it off a bit. "But they were the only people who went in the two days I was in there."
"Hmm…" He smiles softly, showing off his dimple.
"So why didn't you delete me from your spouse pairing candidates?" I ask, changing the subject.
Aron tips his head. "Why, what do you mean?"
"The meeting was horrible, and you know it." I scratch at the bumpy texture of the bench to work out some of the fidgety feelings I have inside.
"Oh, it wasn't all bad," he says, his blue eyes gleaming. "You didn't seem to mind my sense of humor."
"Why would I mind that?"
"Why do you even have to ask?" Aron chuckles lightly. "My parents always tried to make me tone down and focus. Then I met with a few other spouse pairing possibilities, and while they didn't run out on me…"
He cocks his head toward me and heat flushes my face.
"By the way they stared out the window or kept their mouth full of food so they didn't need to talk, I knew there wouldn't be a second meeting. I'm not sure, but it wasn't my humor that had you running."
I don't know what to say to that, so I keep my mouth shut. Aron seems like a trustworthy person, but I don't want to reveal too much too soon. I've already said enough.
"Well, I went ahead and kept your profile active, just in case. But then you contacted me. I thought about it for a while… and here we are."
Aron confuses me. While growing up, I never considered my pairing would be more than a contract, so I've resisted the idea of even taking one. But he has good qualities. An agreement with him would guarantee security. My life has so little of that right now. So he looks down on the Level Ones… I have too. He could change.
Lose your life and you might find it.
Meyer's words push away the thoughts.
A forced existence would never work. Even if Aron was perfect, to live under Direction's oppression with him could never be right. I'd sacrifice the freedom and rights of others to maintain a sense of false happiness for myself.
Aron is an assignment. Nothing else. I don't even know if Affinity would allow a pairing with him yet. I steel myself and decide to offer up something personal if it makes sense in our conversation. We obviously have some sort of connection here. Let's see if I can work it.
"Sorry about running out on you." I sigh. "As I said, a lot's on my mind. GenTech, then the move into my ap
artment, and the responsibilities that go along with being a citizen have been… overwhelming. I really shouldn't have started browsing my spouse pairings until I got settled."
Aron averts his blue eye from mine. "And... I insulted Level Ones and you have a twin brother there."
"Had." Blood begins to rush through my hands and I clasp my fingers together nervously. Should I tell him this? "He died, and although I'm not supposed to feel anything about it, I do. I miss him terribly."
"I'm sorry," he says, "but maybe finding someone to share those responsibilities and burdens with could make life easier."
Really? I tell Aron something that's against the Direction Initiative, and he doesn't berate me for it? I always thought it was only me who was dying inside for the want of connection, but maybe I'd found someone else with those same feelings. And if he does, maybe a lot more people do too.
Aron's a Level Two citizen with a high-ranking job, more credits than he needs, and perfect health, but that's not enough for him. Why do Elorians even allow the Direction Initiative to continue? Duty? Patriotism? The illusion that Direction understands our needs better?
"We have everything and still nothing," I mumble.
He leans in slightly. "Hmm?"
I wave my hand in his direction. "Nothing."
"Well," Aron says as he glances at his handheld on his wrist. "Sorry, but I don't have long. I have to get back to my work at home."
"I have a bunch of things to take care of today too," I say, but really, I don't want him to go. Having him near is somehow a comfort.
He stays seated and shakes his head. Stalling? "Do you mind doing me a favor?"
"Sure, what?"
"Can you fill out the rest of the information in your pairing account and give me access?" He gives a shy smile and looks away.
Direction fills in the stats and figures of why we're an acceptable pairing, the important stuff, but none of our likes and dislikes or experiences.
Hearing those words fills me with an energy I never expected. Aron is interested in me.
"Sure," I agree, "if you'll do the same."
At that, Aron stands, and then turns. His lips form into a half smile, and he gives me a wink. I can't help smiling back, but then I turn and focus on the sidewalk. No one has ever winked at me. I look up, wave good-bye, and watch until he disappears into Level Two.
When he's out of sight, I pull my feet onto the bench seat. It wouldn't be dreadful to make a contract with him. Maybe he's sympathetic to Affinity's goals. I'd gain his trust, and we'd work together. It's the perfect scenario, and it's something I can have, unlike Meyer, who's not even a citizen.
A muffled boom breaks my thoughts and makes me jump. Looking around, I see nothing but a tranquil park and scattered citizens minding their own business. A few of them are also looking toward the sound. I check for Aron, but he's gone.
The boom comes again from the direction of Level One.
An explosion? What if Bess is hurt?
The thought surprises me, as I never imagined I might even care for her. I could message her to make sure she's safe. I pull out my Flexx, but pause before entering anything.
Affinity has instructed me not to contact her, as it would be out of place and might draw attention. My fingers tremble over to the screen, and the device drops and smacks against the sidewalk. My vision illuminates with information in my EP.
Explosion Level One Sector B
Multiple casualties
Affinity not involved. Do not engage.
I spin and stare toward Level One again. What Sector is Bess in? B or C? I can't remember. On auto, I grab my handheld from the ground and enter my Affinity passcode, activating the app. The same news in my EP repeats on the screen, telling me to go home.
Find Meyer Quinn I enter on my Flexx. The view switches to an overhead map of Level One. My stomach leaps. His avatar is on the move.
Running straight into Sector B.
* * *
Creeping the streets of Level One, Sector C, I keep my eyes to the ground. The guards seemed occupied, and somehow I was able to slip in unnoticed.
"Please remain calm and continue to your assigned draft dispatch center." An impassive, disembodied voice coming from the blank media screen announces Manning's orders from last night every few minutes.
Why am I here?
I can't do anything for Meyer, but I also can't go home and wait to find out what's going on. The EP guides me through the streets toward his location. Finally, his avatar stops, and it's a good thing, since my running would only cause more attention.
On the other side of the street, Level One citizens, some in pairs or families, wait their turn for required check-ins at this block's draft center. A few young children are crying, and their mothers or fathers work to soothe them. At the front of the line, an SI checks in each individual citizen.
I try not to stare, but my eyes, as if they have a mind of their own, keep falling back toward them. A human Guardian glares toward one family with a crying child. He moves toward the couple and says something, and the mother with white-blonde, too long hair clutches her son––whose hair color matches her own––to her body and places her hand over his mouth, stifling his cries.
To distract me further, the EP continues to bring up new information of the route to take to get to Meyer and the locations of Guardian and human force. The jitters in my core have morphed into chattering teeth.
You can't do anything about the draft right now. Control yourself.
I fill my lungs with air, hold it in, and then let it out while counting. Eventually, my teeth stop clacking, but the restlessness in my stomach returns.
"No… you can't draft both of us!" a woman screeches behind me. "What will happen to my son?"
When I turn, I see the same mother with the wailing child cursing at the uncaring SI. A man, probably her spouse, steps in toward her, but she shoves him back. Several human Guardians take places around the line of citizens and raise their weapons. The line seems to shrink as the people press together.
Engagement odds of success 0% flashes in my EP.
Do not engage
Another Guardian steps forward and seizes the child from the arms of his shrieking mother while the SI lifts a scanning device. She stops yelling, or doing anything at all. The woman is frozen, mouth hanging open.
Because a woman distraught by Direction separating her from her child is the real danger to all of us.
The guard who took the child disappears into a nearby building while another SI emerges and retrieves the frozen woman, its metal tentacles clutching her body like a package. The man she was with follows them willingly into another building.
"Please remain calm and continue to your assigned dispatch center," the voice echoes throughout the sector.
Across the street, a dark-haired woman hugging herself joins the line.
Bess.
I exhale. She's safe. And not in B. Immediately, a rush of relief floods over me.
What will they do with her? Will she be forced into that building too? Be taken away to become a soldier?
I can't answer any of these questions, but I'm relieved she's still unharmed. She doesn't see me, so I hustle along the EP guided path and push away any feelings I have for her.
At the next block, the EP alerts me I've entered Sector B. Nothing is out of the ordinary, at least not today. Some citizens wait in the draft check line while others return home. Then I round the corner.
The lobby to an apartment building is blown to bits, and citizens, people, lie on the ground. Not moving.
This is the blast I heard. My legs weaken, and I grasp for a wall to steady myself.
Why is no one helping or doing anything?
The area where they lie is blocked off by drones, while down the road, a dispatch station checks in more Level Ones.
It's a reminder. Do what you're told, or this will be you.
"What happened?" I whisper as a young woman passes. I didn't intend t
o speak to her, but still, she stops and leans in.
"The Affinity rebels bombed the building over there. Then they tried to rush the DPF. Guardians surrounded them immediately, got them right in time."
"Are they dead?"
"I think so," she mutters and hurries away.
I thought Affinity wasn't involved?
I check the people on the ground again and hug myself tighter. More lies from Direction.
Meyer Quinn 1 Block North
"Please remain calm and continue to your assigned dispatch center." The announcer's voice has the opposite effect it desires, and a twinge zips through my left temple.
After one more block, I turn a corner.
Meyer Quinn 585 ft. ahead. Continue course
Walking citizens block my view, but the EP continues to feed me his location. My breath quickens as I dodge citizens, and then his dark hair comes into view through the glass of an apartment building. I slow and approach the sliding doors. Someone else is with him.
Lena? Why is she here?
She sees me, then turns to him, mouthing my name.
His head shoots up, and he looks in my direction, then sprints toward the doors, exiting through them, Lena on his tail.
Meyer stops in front of me, scowling. "Avlyn, you need to leave."
I know I shouldn't be here, but it made sense in Level Two. Shame fills me, and I drop my chin. "I… I wanted to help. I was worried."
The veins on his neck pulse and he grabs my arm. He starts to speak, but instead the disembodied voice fills the air.
"Attention, Level One Sector B is now under lock down."
19
Meyer's jaw tightens and his nostrils flare. I can tell he must be attempting to form a plan of how to get rid of me.
This was a mistake. I never should have come into Level One.
I flinch as the voice continues. "Level One Sector B citizens, please return to your housing units and await further instructions. All other approved non-Sector B Level One citizens, report to the nearest drafting center and wait to be escorted to your proper sector."
Configured: (Book #1 in the Configured Trilogy) Page 15