Configured: (Book #1 in the Configured Trilogy)

by Jenetta Penner

  The words cut at my brain. There's no way I can report to the dispatch center. The guards will question why I was here and detain me. I'll most likely be arrested since Manning restricted crossing into One.

  Meyer, still grasping my arm, now ignores me while scanning the dispersing crowds and the movement of the guards. After a moment, he lets go and gestures to Lena, who is already outside.

  "Back inside, Lena," he grunts and gestures for me to follow. "You, too." Before turning away, his eyebrows knit. The heat of his anger radiates off him.

  The second message repeats. "Attention, Level One Sector B is now under lock down."

  Head hung and cheeks burning, I enter the building. Never have I been so embarrassed and ashamed. Lena, normally sweet, doesn't even look my way and strides toward the stairwell, Meyer on her heels, also avoiding me. I take up the rear.

  We hit the ninth floor and exit. Neither Meyer nor Lena have spoken a word, but they seem to know our destination. I assume they've been here before, or are fed the information in their EPs. Information my EP is not privy to.

  A mother, father, and young son scurry past us toward their door. Muffled whispers between the parents meet my ears. The boy looks up, his stare meeting mine. Then they disappear into their doorway. The hairs on my arms are standing on end through my shirt. I work to smooth them, but it's no use.

  Eventually, we stop at a unit marked 915. Lena palms the visitor alert. Footsteps sound, and a crack in the door appears as it clicks open. This building is like Bess's and still has old-fashioned swinging doors instead of the modern sliding ones of Level Two.

  A man's voice speaks from the opposite side of the door, through the crack. "What day is it?"

  "Looks like thunderstorms," Meyer replies.

  And that means?

  The door snaps shut. Then the sound of clacking metal is followed by the door opening again. A scrawny, short man with reddish-blond hair ushers us into a modest, drab apartment. Apparently, he's aware what "thunderstorms" means. A musty scent overwhelms my nose, and I let out a cough followed by another.

  The pale man stares at me as I hack. "Three of you? I'm only equipped to handle two," he says while holding up three, then two fingers.

  "Change of plan," Lena mumbles to no one in particular.

  "Sorry, Nelson," Meyer says. "We're out of options right now. This will need to work."

  Pressure builds in my chest, silently pleading, just let us in.

  Nelson—I have no idea if it's his first or last name—drops his hand to his side and bobs to stare past us. "Fine, fine. Do what you have to do and leave." He ushers us through the living room and bedroom, then points toward the closet. "You'll find the entrance inside."

  "In the closet?" I mumble.

  Meyer turns and glares. "Yes, shh…"

  I cross my arms and close my eyes. This has to be a dream. But when I crack my lids, the view is the same: a dim, sparse room with four people in front of a closet. And this isn't a sim— it's definitely real. At least it's somewhere to hide.

  Lena pulls a handheld from a bag over her shoulder and swipes and pokes the screen. From behind, the door to the bedroom clicks shut. When I turn, Nelson's gone.

  I turn back to Meyer as Lena steps inside the closet door.

  "Come on," he says.

  Meyer and I follow behind her. A gap appears between the few items of hung clothes. He yanks the garments aside and signals me. I crouch and crawl inside. Meyer enters, sits by me, and the panel slides closed. The only illumination comes from Lena's Flexx. She still works on it while scrunched in the corner. My EP seems to be compensating since the room appears brighter than it should.

  Nelson was right. He didn't have room for more than two. There's barely room for one in here, just enough to stand without hitting my head, and if Meyer were any closer, he'd be on top of me. I press my back into the wall and slide to sit next on his left. Lena backs up against the other wall, her legs to my right.

  "Where are we?" I ask.

  "It's a safe house," Lena says. "Affinity has them set up all over Elore."

  "Thirsty?" Meyer asks as he hands me a bottle. "It's water."

  "Uh, sure." I'm actually extremely thirsty. I tip it back, and the cool water spills into my mouth.

  Lena grabs the bottle. "Not too much. There's only a liter in here… and no place to pee."

  "There's always the empty bottle," Meyer growls.

  "Easy for you to say." Lena rolls her eyes and goes back to work.

  I push my back into the corner of the space and massage my temples. After a while, I ask, "What are we doing here?"

  "What are we doing here?" Meyer spits. "What are you doing here?"

  At this point, I'm ready to disappear and push farther into the wall. "I told you. I made a mistake. It was just… well…"

  "Avlyn, you should know as well as anyone you need to follow orders," he snaps. "Your choices could jeopardize our mission."

  "Follow orders?" Lena laughs. "You're one to talk, Meyer."

  Meyer narrows his eyes at her. "Shut up. You wanted to be here, too."

  Lena raises her hands in the air in surrender.

  He returns his attention to me. "How did you find me anyway?"

  If only I could vanish. Do I lie, or admit I hacked into the Affinity system? Sweat forms on my palms, and I rub them into my thighs, but realize it's no use lying. Why make things worse?

  "I tracked you," I mumble.

  Meyer pushes his back against the wall, and Lena's eyes dart up from her device.

  "You tracked me? How? Affinity can't even track me right now, I disabled it."

  "Same as you track me. From the EP."

  He raises his eyebrow. "Right, but you don't have that capability."

  "I do now?" I say as I push my hands into the concrete floor.

  Lena drops her handheld on her lap. "What did you do?"

  Both stare and wait for words I don't want to speak. The already cramped room presses around me as if the walls are closing in.

  "I hacked it," I mutter and pull my legs up.

  "You hacked Affinity?" Lena asks.

  My mind reels with potential lies, but none of them make sense. "Yes, I hacked in to locate Meyer. After, I downloaded the file so my EP could follow him."

  "Wait, you downloaded my file?" Meyer's voice rises.

  "No, only the tracking part." Not that I'm going to tell him I could have, even wanted to.

  His jaw is tight and brow furrowed.

  "Really, I didn't," I insist.

  For a moment, we stare at each other as if it's a showdown. The hot air from the room making me feel ready to explode.

  Then Lena interrupts. "Okay… you didn't look. But how did you do it? Affinity's network is incredibly secure. Not just anyone can break the code, not even Direction's finest."

  "I'm not sure," I admit. "The design is nearly perfect, but when I downloaded Meyer's file, I… the EP made the route clear."

  "What do you mean?" Meyer's voice softens, and his curiosity seems to have taken over.

  "Um… when I entered Affinity's network wearing the EP, it was like a real world, except not at all. I can't explain it other than I could physically interact with the code." Some of the stiffness in my body dissipates. "All I had to do was touch the code and think of finding you, and the program brought me to the file."

  Both Meyer and Lena stare, mouths slack.

  "Isn't that how the EP works?" I ask.

  "No, Avlyn," Meyer answers. "No, it is not."

  "So, tell me what happened exactly," Lena prompts me.

  "Well," I say, "to be honest, I don't really remember, since I just thought that's how the EP worked and I was hurrying to get out. I activated the EP and linked it to my system at home. Then I logged into my Affinity account… and there it was. I didn't do anything specifically."

  "This is fascinating, but there's no time for this," Meyer says. "Lena and I are on a mission, which has gotten sidetracked. And you are
a complication we can't afford."

  My chest clenches again.

  Meyer pulls out his handheld. "I need time to work out what to do with you."

  "Let's take her," Lena says quickly.

  "Take Avlyn?" He shakes his head. "No way. It's too risky. She has no experience."

  "Yeah," Lena says, "but it's likely a suicide mission, and if Avlyn is the genius hacker she says, it might give us an advantage."

  "I'm still here, in case you two didn't notice." Heat burns my cheeks. "Maybe I should have a say in if I'm going on this… suicide mission."

  Lena takes a gulp of water. "You should know what's happening." She nods at Meyer. "Tell her."

  "Lena and I are pulling a rescue attempt."

  "Affinity is rescuing Jayson?" I guess.

  The two glance at each other. Then Lena lowers her eyes. "Not Affinity. We are."

  "The mission's not official." Meyer sighs. "Right after Direction's announcement in the beach sim, I received intel from a private source. Direction moved Jayson's trial in secret. The judge, probably Manning, declared him guilty, and scheduled the execution, along with a few others."

  "Execution?" I ask.

  Meyer rubs his eyes. "I requested a team to break him out, but Ruiz wouldn't budge. Too risky."

  Lena pats Meyer on the shoulder. "So it's just Meyer and me… and maybe you now."

  I suck in air. "Well, what choice is there? I'm either stuck here in Level One, or I go with you guys. Wait… how are we getting out?"

  "If you want to leave, we can make a plan for you to go on your own," Lena says. "Or you can join the mission. As of now, we're at a disadvantage and can't access full potential of the Affinity network."

  "Why not?" I ask, looking between Meyer and Lena. But Meyer is ignoring me, sulking.

  "Because Meyer here decided to go rogue," Lena answers. "And if we access Affinity's most recent intel, they'll know what we're doing. I'm just along for the ride to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

  Meyer glares at her, but then returns his attention to me. "But if you can access security at the detention center as easily as you hacked into Affinity, we might have a better chance… but it doesn't mean I’m telling you to come."

  "So what's the chance of me getting out of this alive… either way?"

  Lena lets out a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, neighbor. Would have been fun to hang out more often." Her smile fades. "Friends are hard to come by."

  I press my lips together.

  She nods and snatches up her device. "Let me transfer the information we accessed to your device. Study the plan we made, then make the best choice for you."

  "Thanks," I say.

  Lena gives me a tight smile and goes back to work.

  Meyer lifts his Flexx and swipes at the screen. "Everything should be uploaded."

  "All right." I turn away and connect to my Affinity account to download the file. The information floods into my view.

  Meyer keeps his gaze toward his own handheld. "Use your device to sort what you need."

  Maps, information on the facility's security, and Jayson's location—it's all loaded up for me to consider. The compound is 4.4 miles outside Level One. Once out of the city's perimeter, we'll need to break through the security of the detention center, but the codes they have are old, possibly outdated. This would be where I'd come in.

  "Is this why you were in One? On your way outside the city?" I ask.

  "Partially. I was supposed to be gathering intel on events for Affinity, but I ran into this guy." Lena tips her head toward Meyer. "You know the rest."

  Meyer scoffs at her. "Are you coming or not?"

  "Depends," I say. "There was nothing in the upload yet about a plan for me to get back to my apartment so I could make a choice."

  "Easy," he says. "When we leave, you go the opposite way toward home. Use your smarts and EP to guide you out of One. Oh, and avoid being detained or killed on the way."

  "I'm impressed with your tactical planning skills," I mutter. "My odds sound great."

  Meyer locks his stare with mine. "If you're going to be a part of Affinity, I can't babysit you."

  His intensity fills me with electricity and heat. Everything tells me to turn away, but I don't.

  "Why'd you come after me anyway?" he growls.

  "You two knock it off. Meyer… you're a mess right now, and not thinking clearly." Lena says. "We've only got a half hour until dark, and after that, curfew hits. Are you coming, Avlyn?"

  "We're leaving after curfew?" I break my stare with Meyer. "But security is doubled on the streets."

  Meyer smirks. "Oh, we won't take the streets. Not the whole way. The rooftops are more fun."

  I gasp.

  His eyes soften. "Avlyn, go home. I'll figure out the best way for you to get there."

  Desperate to prove myself, I push down the fear working to consume my body. Either way, my chance of survival is likely bad, but I can't just leave them if I have something to offer. I'd come into Level One to make sure Meyer was safe. I can't abandon him, and Lena, one of my only friends, for some dangerous mission on their own. If they're risking themselves, I will too. At this point, I'd rather die than run away.

  "When do we leave?"

  20

  An hour after curfew sets in, and still in the hiding place, the three of us blink from a practice sim with the EP. The exercise compiled the intel Meyer had on file with several practice runs of getting out of the city and into the compound. At least I feel a bit more prepared, but we couldn't run any with my skills since we can't access any outside systems.

  "So, I'm just the backup, right?" I ask.

  "Meyer and I have the codes from his source. She's on the inside at the detainment center, so they should be right. There's a weak spot in the defensive shield on the south side."

  "And if they don't work," Meyer says, "that's what you're here for. Backup."

  I clench my teeth at the thought.

  "Guardians are in the building," Lena says.

  The same information shows in my EP. My heart leaps. This is it.

  Meyer swipes at his handheld, and my vision expands to an overlay of our surroundings. A digitally generated ghostly outline of the space beyond the hiding place appears, like 3D blueprint. Two floors below, the EP detects Guardian drone activity. A simple cylindrical shape notes their location.

  "Will they come inside the units?"

  Lena glances up from rifling through her satchel. "They may. It wouldn't surprise me." She puts on her bag and straightens it. "Ready. Both Avlyn and my trackers are scrambled."

  The drones are one floor below.

  "Once they pass this floor, we'll go," Meyer says. "Take the stairwell to the rooftop."

  Lena and I both nod.

  "Clear?" Meyer asks, but neither of us has the chance to answer. "There are five minutes and thirty-two seconds before the Guardians finish. Once out of B, we'll need to move through A. It should be less guarded." He eyes me. "Follow the directions in your EP at all times."

  A pang bowls through me. "I understand."

  "Do you?" Lena asks.

  "Yes." If I'm going to have any chance of making it out alive, I have to.

  Meyer sets our final plan and course.

  "Wait, you're both wearing those special suits from the training sim," I say, realizing my lack of any sort of gear.

  "Meyer was planning a mission, and I'm always prepared," Lena says, pulling out a pair of gloves from her bag. Instead of putting them on, she sighs and hands them to me. "These will block them from confirming your DNA if you touch anything."

  Meyer eyes Lena.

  "I won't touch anything that can read me," she assures him. "But if you use your hacking skills, and you'll need to."

  "But Lena…" Meyer says, stretching on a pair he had hidden in his suit.

  "It will be fine."

  She turns her attention toward me as I tug the gloves over my fingers.

  Lena hands Meyer a stunner
and lifts to holster her own.

  "Last chance," Meyer says to me. "You could stay here until morning, and get home after curfew lifts."

  I steel myself to mask the terror that's coursing through me. "No, I'm coming."

  He holds my gaze for a second, then lets it loose. "Don't get us killed."

  The EP shows the drones nearly complete on this floor, giving us forty-five seconds to reach the stairs after they've moved to the next. Lena clears the panel with her Flexx, and we slip out.

  "We're leaving," Meyer whispers as we exit the bedroom.

  Nelson's nervous voice comes from the kitchen. "Yes, yes… Do be careful."

  After darting out Nelson's door, the three of us are in the hall. Above, the EP displays the ghostly Guardians searching the next floor at the opposite end. I follow Lena and Meyer toward the stairwell, and as we round the corner to the steps, a click sounds from the last door. The boy from earlier pokes his head out, and I duck into the stairwell.

  He didn't see. He didn't see, I tell myself.

  3 minutes 46 seconds. 45…44…43… counts down in my vision for us to reach the rooftop.

  Sweat builds on my temples, and the swaying of Lena's longer hair fastened into a low ponytail makes me wish mine were the same. Instead, sweaty strands of my short bob stick to my cheek.

  19…18…17…16…

  Meyer is the first to the access door and jerks the handle, but it doesn't give way.

  "It's locked," he mutters.

  "Well, use your Flexx," Lena answers.

  "The building's not upgraded." He pulls out a small gadget from a pocket. "I thought we might run into this."

  2 minutes 33 seconds. 32…31…30…

  The lock won't budge. Lena bends toward Meyer, swears, and tells him to hurry, but he waves her away and goes back to work. I try to get a better view, but my sticky hair keeps falling in my face.

  1 minute 22 seconds. 21…20…19…

  Lena taps her foot on the cement floor. "Come on, Meyer."