Configured: (Book #1 in the Configured Trilogy)

by Jenetta Penner

  I don't answer. It doesn't concern her, and it means nothing. I'm not sure what I'd hoped to find. Answers, I guess, but now there are only more questions.

  "I don't know why Affinity cares so much about you," she mutters. "You can't even follow orders."

  "Well, what about you?" I scoff. "You've always been miss 'follow all the rules' and here you are working for Affinity. It makes no sense."

  There's a sorrowful look in her eyes that instantly fills me with guilt. "You wouldn't understand."

  "Try me," I say. With everything I've been through lately, I don't think much would surprise me.

  Instead, Corra averts her eyes. "Let's go."

  This time I allow Corra to lead the way to Sector A under the night sky. I'm sure it's in my head, because my EP doesn't warn me of any specific danger, but people seem to stare as we pass. I keep ten or more paces behind her to try to ward off attention.

  After close to twenty minutes, we make it to A, and my EP instructs us to enter a brown brick building, taller than most in Level One. Corra goes in first and I follow, but not before turning for one final check of the street. All clear, hopefully.

  Inside, we enter the elevator and place our hands on the pad inside. The cab jolts, and my heart leaps as we drop down, like the day Meyer took me to meet Jayson. I shut my eyes and try to squelch the feeling that today could likely turn out the same for me as it did for him.

  The elevator clunks to a halt and the doors open. Corra motions for me to exit. We're led through a corridor to a secured door, and I run my hand over the pad. The door slides open to reveal a room of people working. Most busy themselves quietly on viewing screens, tapping and swiping away. At a table in the corner, nine people sit in what appears to be a heated discussion.

  Meyer's among them, and my heart flutters into my throat. If he hadn't deactivated his tracker, I would have known he was here.

  I leave Corra in the doorway and rush to the table.

  Meyer raises his eyes from the conversation. When he sees me, they brighten, and the corners of his mouth turn up into a smile.

  My stomach leaps, and the urge to barrel into his arms races through me. But as quickly as the smile came to his face, it disappears, replaced with a serious expression.

  My pace slows to a walk while my arms curl around my torso. I tighten my jaw. From my right comes Adriana Ruiz, as if to stop me.

  "Corra, thank you for the safe delivery of Ms. Lark," Ruiz says. "Your instructions are uploaded. Please return home and review them."

  "Yes, ma'am," Corra's voice replies from my left. For a second, I forgot she was there. "Good-bye, Avlyn."

  I somehow manage a nod. "Thank you."

  And she's gone.

  "Ms. Lark," says Ruiz, "first, I'm relieved you're safe. But the little stop you made along the way… From here on out, we require you to obey orders. Keeping you safe is our highest priority."

  I cast my eyes down and stare at a spot on the floor.

  "Meyer will accompany you on your next assignment," she continues.

  Upon hearing his name, I glance at Meyer, who's come up behind Ruiz, but his attention stays toward her.

  "Are we clear?"

  My eyes whip to her. "Yes, ma'am," I say.

  Ruiz's voice softens. "Now, there's business to attend to."

  Some of my tension drains away, and I glance toward Meyer again. This time he gives me a slight smile.

  "We need an hour before we're ready," she says.

  "Ready for what?" I ask.

  "I will inform you in an hour." Ruiz's eyes flick to Meyer. "Please give Avlyn the tour."

  Meyer glances my way, then back to her. "Yes, ma'am."

  He motions for me to follow. Nervous, I exhale and leave without making eye contact with anyone. The door opens as he approaches it, and I trail behind him into the corridor.

  At the end of the dimly lit hallway, we pause in front of another door, and Meyer opens it.

  "Let's just eat for now," he suggests. "I have to get my mind off things, too."

  The idea of dinner is a welcome relief. "Fine by me."

  Scattered throughout the plain room are a few tables. A couple sits eating odd, square-shaped food.

  Meyer guides me to a long table with benches. "Have a seat. I'll be right back."

  He turns and walks toward a break in the wall. While waiting, I activate my handheld. No messages from Kyra or Aron.

  Aron… ugh. I guess I won't be meeting him tonight.

  I stuff the device away. Meyer's returned with something which most definitely does not appear to be dinner.

  As if he read my mind, he says, "They're meal bars. Ruiz doesn't trust the instafood from the printers… or at least she doesn't trust the stuff Direction uses to make it."

  He holds out a clear package containing a brown bar. Cautiously, I extend my hand to accept. "What's it made from?"

  "Oh, partially chemical nutrients, like printed food. But in the Outerbounds, we grow crops, some areas more than others, so real food is mixed in too."

  I stare at the package resting in my palm. Real food has always fascinated me since I've never had anything but printed meals, but this bumpy bar isn't what I envisioned.

  "It's not terrible. It's not great either," he says, tearing off a hunk of the bar with his teeth. "But it lasts. You won't be hungry for twenty-four hours or so."

  I unwrap the clear packaging and break off a tiny piece. The morsel rips away, appearing to be chewy. First, I sniff it. A type of pastry? I place the portion into my mouth and chew.

  "Yeah, it's passable," I agree after a moment. "Sweet. Somewhat of a disappointment, though." I split the bar in half, trying and failing to identify a chunk of something inside.

  Meyer cocks his head and pulls his lips together in a tight smile. "Because you always wanted to try a meal bar?"

  I chuckle. "No, real food. I've always wanted to try real food."

  "Oh. Well, if we happen to make it out of this mess, real food… real food, tastes way better than this. Sanda's a great cook, given the right spices." Meyer leans back in his seat and continues eating, lost in his own thoughts.

  "What are… spices?"

  Meyer snaps his attention to me. "Herbs and stuff. I'll show you someday."

  I still don't know what he means.

  The pair across the room stands and disappears out the door.

  "Ruiz has decided to discuss a rescue attempt," Meyer says. "But it can't happen until Friday morning. She told me so I wouldn't do anything stupid again.

  My heart leaps. Lena and Jayson might actually have a chance.

  "But that's the day the execution is scheduled," I say.

  "It's cutting it close, but it gives me hope."

  "Me, too." I smile.

  I swallow the last bit of the bar, surprised to find it feels as if I've eaten a substantial meal. Maybe it will last twenty-four hours—if I even live that long.

  Meyer's eyes meet mine. Under the light, I notice his ebony irises are actually brown, and their depths swallow me until I wrench free and cast my attention to the table.

  Meyer crumples the bar's clear packaging between his fingers. He reaches and takes my wrapper, gets up, and throws them into a receptacle. "We should do sim training. It will still be a while."

  "Sounds like a good diversion."

  We find an empty room. It's a perfect place for us to stay out of the way. Meyer programs the new sim while I have a seat on the floor.

  "I'm unsure what they're planning, but target practice is always helpful," he says. "We also have a new suit for you for later."

  My ears perk up. "The special one you have?"

  "Yes."

  This means I'm in. I'm a really member of Affinity. For once, I belong somewhere.

  I push up on the concrete to stand and skip toward Meyer. "Thanks for at least a little more positive news." Without even thinking, I stretch up and kiss his cheek. His warm skin and the roughness of his unshaved face sends a brie
f shock into my stomach.

  Meyer almost drops his Flexx, but catches the device as it flips through the air. His face flushes red, and it must be contagious because mine does too. "Why'd you do that?"

  I jump back and inhale. "I… I'm not sure. It seemed… nice?"

  He laughs uncomfortably. "It seemed nice?"

  I inch away from him, and the heat continues to creep over my face.

  His shoulders relax. "It was just… unexpected. Let's do the sim."

  He swipes his handheld, and the next time I blink, we're outdoors. A holstered stunner sits at the waist of my suit. I sweep my hand over the metal, and reality presses in. In a few hours, I'll use this for real. Any embarrassment from the kiss flutters away.

  "Remember, the weapon is set to immobilize unless changed manually," Meyer says. "Don't take this lightly. We don't want to kill people."

  "I remember." Since the weapon and the EP are interlinked, I confirm it's on the lowest setting.

  Ten tiny black targets are set up on the grass. Could be difficult to hit, but not with the EP's help. I unholster my weapon and take aim. The EP locks on the mark, and as I'm ready to squeeze the trigger, the EP guide blinks out.

  "What…?" I lower the stunner and turn toward Meyer, who's messing with his Flexx. "The guiding system's not working."

  He glances from the screen with a sly smile. "I don't think you need it."

  "But…" I protest.

  "No. You're a quick learner, and I have a hunch."

  "A hunch?" I echo. "Tell me."

  "No." He studies the ground and kicks a foot into the dirt. "Not until I see if it's right."

  I turn back toward the targets and set up again. As I do, Meyer steps from behind and gently places his hands under my arms. The sensation of his touch blanks my mind, and I can only manage one thought.

  "Well, this is unexpected," I whisper.

  His face grazes mine, and I can feel his upturned lips. "Arms a bit higher… don't overanalyze it. Just fire."

  He backs away, and I inhale, then squeeze the trigger, moving from target to target. The pulses shoot and display on the ten marks.

  "Let's go check," Meyer says, motioning for me to follow.

  Bullseye. All ten.

  My gaze moves from the targets to Meyer.

  "The hunch was right." He turns and looks me straight in the eye. "You were right too."

  "About what?"

  Without breaking eye contact, he says, "It was nice."

  27

  A hot jolt runs through my center. I kissed Meyer. He ignored it, but now he's telling me he liked it. Or, at the very least, that it was nice.

  "But it's not smart to start the mission distracted," Meyer says. "Full focus is imperative if we have any hope of living."

  He's right, but if I'm honest, I'm feeling sidetracked.

  "If you don't want me distracted… don't tell me the kiss was nice."

  Meyer gives me a grin, then turns toward the marks. "Ready for my hunch?"

  I tap my foot impatiently. "Yes."

  "Without further study, it's still only an idea. But I think your brain might be more complementary to your internal nanos than the average person. It's like your body and brain have made an organic connection with the bots. It's allowed you to communicate with systems, even control them. What I don't know yet is why it's happening, so Ruiz is planning to run some tests on you soon."

  My mind moves to the experiments on Ben and me.

  Could that be why?

  "But why did the ability surface now?" I ask.

  "Not sure yet. Could be the EP allowed your brain to put it together."

  Or that last MedVac update… Strange things started happening after that.

  "What if I didn't have the EP, though? There's no way I'd shoot that accurately."

  "For now, you'll probably still need the EP for guidance outside the sims. Until we can test it further, we won't know."

  "It seems crazy that I could do some of this on my own."

  "Says the girl who sent Direction into a frenzy with the detention center escape," Meyer says.

  "I sent them into a frenzy?"

  "You did."

  If only it had been more successful.

  "We should continue the training," I say, but the EP flashes green.

  Return to the council meeting.

  "Time to go," Meyer says.

  I blink twice and return to the crisp, empty room. Back to reality.

  Meyer leads us to a new location at the opposite end of the corridor to a concrete room. To the left are a few people working on viewers. They appear to be scanning the city, as different locations are on each screen. The table has only enough room for the eight council members and us. Ruiz stands in the doorway waiting for us.

  "Please, have a seat," she says. As she says it, a man comes up from behind her.

  "I need to speak with you ma'am," he says.

  Ruiz gestures to us to sit. We walk toward the last of the empty seats, not at the head of the table. I slowly round the table, struggling to listen to what the man has to say. He lowers his voice, but I still pick up a few of the words.

  Michael and Darline Lark… Representative's office… Detained.

  My parents have been arrested because of me. My hands begin to shake, and I look up to eighteen eyes.

  Ruiz locks her attention on me and gestures for me to find my seat. I shuffle around the table, keeping my gaze low. I drop myself into the spot and chew at my upper lip. The man across the table stares at me, a concerned look on his face. He's older than me, maybe in his thirties.

  "Ruiz?" I ask.

  "Yes," she says.

  "What was that about?"

  "Nothing you need to concern yourself with at this time."

  "My parents‒‒"

  She crosses her arms, frustrated. "Yes. Please understand we are working on it, but need you to focus on greater problems."

  How am I supposed to focus knowing this? My parents never did anything wrong, ever, and now they may have to suffer for me. I push away from the table with a jolt, the legs of the chair screeching over the concrete.

  Everyone's attention snaps to me again. Meyer tips his head and eyes me, indicating we should talk later.

  "Sorry…" I mutter, but anger and concern still race through me.

  From the other side of the room, the Direction News chime plays. The viewers display the spinning Direction logo. The symbol disappears, replaced with Manning in front of the Direction Center in Level Three. Now, instead of on me, everyone has their attention fixed on the screens.

  "Citizens of Elore," Manning says. "First, we are proud to announce the hard work and dedication of Direction-appointed security. This includes the man-hours of our new Direction Preservation Force, as well as the work involved with drone advances from SynCorp. The combination of technology and manpower allows us to continue our focus on a thriving, highly intelligent human race with superior health and almost nonexistent crime.

  "But, as you know, in weeks past, a terrorist organization has attempted to spread among us, to deceive our citizens with lies. They are just as dangerous as the virus which nearly destroyed humanity. This distortion works to destroy everything we have achieved, and will result in death for ourselves and our children.

  "Just as our VacTech has protected us from deadly viruses, Direction will keep you safe from this threat. We have detained multiple Affinity members who have attempted and succeeded in not only damaging our way of life, but also murdered many of our top Level Three citizens.

  "These individuals have been tried and convicted of involvement in the movement. Despite our best efforts in re-educating and retraining these individuals, they have resisted. We are left with no other choice to keep Elore safe."

  The scene switches to one I don't recognize. It could be anywhere, since it's just a blank room.

  I stand to get a better view, and the drones march them out. Jayson and Lena, plus a group of unknown others. I feel
dizzy, but catch myself on the lip of the table and fall back into my seat.

  This isn't supposed to happen until Friday. Meyer said Jayson and Lena would be rescued. They had a chance.

  Everyone around the room sits frozen, eyes wide, watching the broadcast. They're unprepared too.

  Jayson and Lena actually look better than I'd expected. Gone are Jayson's bruises and his overall haggardness from when I last saw him at the detention center. All I can guess is that Manning turned his healing nanos back on to erase the signs of torture—Direction's attempt to appear as if it is above that sort of thing.

  Sickness rolls around in my stomach. First Bess is gone without a trace, then my parents are in custody… now this. Everything is falling apart.

  The screen scrolls information concerning their "guilt" as the prisoners stand, noiseless, awaiting their sentencing.

  I gently rise from my seat again and drift around the council table to where Meyer is. The air in the room feels thick, viscous, as if I have to wade through the space to reach him. When I finally reach the back of his chair, Manning speaks again.

  "Jayson Brant, you have been sentenced to death."

  Manning moves on to outline his crimes, then does the same for Lena, but by now I'm only picking up bits and piece while my mind grasps for ideas to do something.

  "What… what if I can hack...immerse into the network and do something? Maybe if I disrupt the coverage it can buy time?" I reach for one of the viewers, but Ruiz grabs my upper arm.

  "Avlyn, we have not done any testing yet. We have no idea if your hack will reveal our location. We can't risk it."

  She releases me. I open my mouth to speak when the scene on the screen changes and pans back.

  An unseen voice continues to list off their "crimes", starting with a woman at the end trying her best to appear brave, but the terror in her eyes is obvious. At the end of her judgment, a green scan rakes over her. She instantly goes limp and crumbles to the ground. Dead.

  One by one, the unseen voice names the next person's crimes. The scan murders them all until they finally get to Lena. My friend. Tears cascade over her smooth skin, her long raven hair pulled back into a ponytail, just like the last time I saw her.