Opheliac

by J. F. Jenkins

  “Don’t see me as hero material?”

  “Just didn’t see you as the type to want to get involved in anything.”

  Orlando laughed. “I could say the same about you.”

  “Touché.”

  Angela watched the two interact, now doubly curious. What kind of a persona did this Gideon kid give off while in school? What about Orlando for that matter? Was he his usual sarcastic self, or did he tone things down more? Actually, knowing him, he probably plays up the loner act more at school. He likes to be confusing and unpredictable.

  “So…” JD relaxed in his chair. “What is it that you can do exactly?”

  After taking a glance around the table, Gideon slid his chair closer to everyone else. “I do a lot of computer stuff. Hack into systems, that sort of thing. Only it’s not an intelligence thing, meaning I didn’t just learn it or have a natural talent for understanding things. It’s like…does anyone have a cell phone? Preferably something with an SD chip, er, memory chip, applications, and an operating system.”

  All eyes went to Orlando.

  He groaned and dug into the pockets of his black leather coat. “Fine, but try not to break it.”

  “I won’t.”

  Orlando handed over his sleek, high-tech phone. His blue eyes were narrowed as he did so. “Don’t snoop too much either.”

  “I won’t!” Gideon took it and set it down on the table so everyone could see. He held his hands up in the air, proving he was keeping them away from the phone.

  At first, Angela didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary happen. Then a menu popped open on the screen displaying wallpaper options for the phone’s background. Without anyone having to do anything, the phone changed from the simple atomic clock Orlando currently had for a backdrop, and changed it to an underwater theme instead.

  “Wow…” JD gasped. “That’s so cool!”

  Gideon laughed. “It comes in handy, that’s for sure. You could be doing a lot more with this phone than you are.”

  “I like to keep my life simple,” Orlando said.

  The language on the phone changed to Spanish momentarily, before the whole thing reset back to Orlando’s preferences.

  “I didn’t want to do anything too crazy because I figured you wouldn’t like it if I voided out your warranty,” Gideon said, sliding the phone back toward Orlando. “You can equate what I do to having a psychic connection to machines. It’s more than just hacking and controlling. I can…feel what they feel.”

  “Machines have feelings?” Orlando asked, raising both of his eyebrows. A face that was fast becoming recognizable as his skeptical expression.

  Looking down at his hands, Gideon shifted away from the table. “That’s the only word I can use to describe the sensation. It’s a lot more than data. I know they’re not alive and are unable to feel real emotions. At the same time, they seem to have personalities inside of their hardware. Or maybe it’s the personality of the creator of the machine that’s coming out. Sometimes, the personality of the inventor and the user mesh together. I could feel Orlando’s imprint on the phone, for example.”

  “So cool,” JD repeated.

  “It can be.”

  Alan scratched his chin. “It’s good to have a more detailed description. I’d been told what you do involves computers, but seeing a demonstration helps a lot. Is your intrusion into the system detected by any security?”

  “Not usually, because I’m not an actual user or program,” Gideon said.

  “I see. Then this could be excellent for our next task.” A small smile crept onto Alan’s face. “Our next meeting will outline those details of course. The purpose of this gathering was to get acquainted with you, as well as test our new meeting grounds.”

  Gideon looked around the shop. “So this isn’t where you usually discuss business?”

  “No,” Alan said.

  “Got it. Just keep me in the loop with what’s going on so I know, I guess.” Gideon slouched. The kid didn’t seem to have a whole lot of confidence.

  JD offered his hand for a shake. “Welcome to the team.”

  “Thanks.” Gideon took it with some hesitation. “I know because I was involved with the bad guys that you aren’t going to warm up to me right away with information. At least, that’s what I would do if I was in your shoes. I chose to be here rather than just go back to normal.”

  “Why’s that?” Cadence asked.

  Gideon released JD’s hand and returned it to his lap. “Because I’m mad. The whole thing started at a party. What they told me I’d be doing and what actually happened were two different things. Rather than be treated like a person, I was more or less a superpowered slave who doubled as a lab rat. Any time the Doctor rolled out anything new, I was the first one picked to try it out. There wasn’t any respect, and the more I learned about what they wanted to do, the less I wanted to be a part of it. Nothing Bean, Sprout, or anyone else a part of that tribe is doing is anything good.”

  “And…what are they trying to do, exactly?” Alan asked, his gaze settling on Gideon once more.

  “I’m pretty sure they’re planning for genocide,” Gideon said in a hushed voice.

  A fire filled Alan’s eyes that Angela had never seen before. “You’re sure about this?”

  “Part of the reason I was pawned off to be tested on so much was because Sprout kept wanting me to spy on the Doctor’s computers for information. That was about the only thing useful they had me do.”

  “I see, so Alona probably knows of these plans as well.”

  “I don’t know who that is,” Gideon said.

  Alan tilted his head to the side. “She is the Alturan leader Sprout reports to, and a member of the Basatlavan, or the blue tribe.”

  “Yeah, none of that rings a bell.”

  “And you weren’t rehabilitated?”

  “If I was, I probably wouldn’t know about it. You tell me, because you would know better than I would about all of that,” Gideon snapped.

  Lifting his hands in front of him, Alan shook his head. “I was told that you were not rehabilitated because you decided to aid my tribe. I will discuss it with one of my comrades to be certain, however, just to ease both of our minds. My superiors have a tendency to leave out important information.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yes, but to bring you up to speed I will give you a shortened version of what is going on.” And then Alan proceeded to explain in brief detail about the Alturan tribes. When he was finished, he let the room resonate in silence so Gideon could absorb the information.

  After a long minute passed, Alan continued. “What you say about the other tribes trying to commit genocide is frightening but not surprising. The green tribe in particular has always had a strong disliking for our allies. How much of what you know have you reported?”

  “Only bits and pieces,” Gideon said. “Like, I didn’t tell anyone about the genocide bit. All Bean and Sprout wanted to know was if the Doctor was planning on pulling a fast one on them. Which he wasn’t. I didn’t get the impression he enjoyed working with them much, but he was always a guy of his word. Betrayal wasn’t something he expressed interest in, in any of his notes.”

  “I don’t suppose you have copies of these notes?” Alan asked, his eyes wide with hope.

  Gideon shook his head. “No, I can’t make copies of anything I see. Well, I could send off emails or print things if the computer I’m working on is connected to a network that would allow me to do so. Problem is, then whoever it belonged to would have idea of my being in there. They could trace the records of the email, that sort of thing. Hypothetically, I mean, if they knew to look for that kind of information.”

  “Which means they would have to suspect something was wrong in the first place.”

  “Right.”

  “But you can get into computers undetected,” Orlando pointed out.

  Nodding, Gideon relaxed in his chair. “Usually. I can’t promise never ever. In the future there might be s
ome sophisticated technology that will be more difficult for me to bond with.”

  “Fascinating,” Alan said.

  Gideon only gazed at him before shifting his attention to Orlando. “I know who you are. What about the rest of you? Do you all have names? Or am I not privileged enough to know them?”

  “They call me Alan,” their alien leader said.

  JD puffed his chest out. “I’m Chihuahua Man.”

  Every time Angela heard him say his alter ego, she had to stop herself from laughing. She somehow managed to keep herself composed, not even cracking a smile. “I’m Lucky Twelve.”

  “Slick,” Cadence said. “And that’s our group. We’re not as big as some of the others running around, I’ve noticed.”

  “Yeah, I saw that too when we were on our mission for the drug parts,” JD said.

  Gideon smirked. “I heard about how chaotic that mission went. That was the night I was taken by your tribe. I got filled in on the ship by some guy named Jaes.”

  “He’s cool,” Orlando said. “Outside of Alan here, he’s one of the few aliens I trust in this whole thing.”

  Alan bristled a little. “While I’m aware that I’m not native to your planet…”

  “Sorry,” Orlando mumbled. “A-Alturans, I mean.” His shoulders tensed up and he drew his body closer to him in a protective sort of manner. Very not Orlando-like. Angela made a note to bug him about it later.

  “Anyway, the reason our groups aren’t so large is because they are easier to manage,” Alan said. “I would rather have a few of you I can rely on for good work than a lot of you I can’t control. Perhaps we should meet again before our mission so we can feel more comfortable with our new member.”

  JD gave him a thumbs up. “Totally up to you, boss man, but I’m fine with anything.”

  “I appreciate your flexibility.”

  No one said anything again for a few seconds. Gideon glanced around the room with a slight frown. “So…is that it then?”

  Alan nodded. “For now. I will be in contact with you soon with further details.”

  “All right.” Gideon continued to watch everyone at the table before deciding to stand up. “I’m assuming it’s cool if I go then?”

  “Yes, of course. You are all excused to do as you wish.”

  Orlando stretched. “Awesome, because as much as I love chatting business, I also have other things I’d rather be doing on a Saturday afternoon. Speaking of, anyone wanna chill? Giddy?”

  Gideon was already halfway across the room. He stopped in his tracks and spun to face Orlando. “Thanks, but I should pass. I have another group meeting for a stupid home economics project. We have to invent and manage a pretend restaurant. It’s the pits. Don’t ever take it. Worst idea ever.”

  “Anything with group work is the pits,” Orlando said. “Sans present company, I mean.”

  “Right, so…next time.” He waved and walked out the door in the hurry.

  With a deep frown, Angela watched him go. “Weird.”

  Standing, Orlando started to clean up the miniatures from the game he’d purchased and stuffed them into his backpack. “He’s always like that. Since he’s a grade under me, I don’t exactly get a lot of everyday contact with him, but we share a study hall. Super skittish. Pretty sure he has fewer friends than I do.”

  “Wow, that’s an accomplishment,” JD teased. “So you don’t think we should be worried.”

  Orlando zipped up his bag. “I’m not sure. Personally, I don’t believe he’s doing some kind of double agent thing. He’s not working for them anymore. If he was, he wouldn’t be so scared of us.”

  “But we’re the good guys!”

  Cadence sighed. “And retaliation against him for joining us would be harsh. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s worried we’re just going to hurt him more.”

  Snapping his fingers at her, Orlando hoisted his bag onto his right shoulder. “That’s what I’m wondering too. And did you notice how he referred to Bean and Sprout as Bean and Sprout? No one told him about Alona. I bet he doesn’t know the identities of anyone he worked with over there.”

  “Which means they didn’t value him as an asset to the team,” Angela said quietly. Guilt filled her as she realized she probably only fed the poor guy’s insecurities by wearing her mask. Next time, I’ll let him see me next time.

  JD scowled. “That sucks. What’s wrong with people? Teamwork is about acting like a team, yo!”

  “Please don’t talk like that.” Orlando pinched the bridge of his nose. “No one uses the word ‘yo’ anymore.”

  “‘Yo’ never goes out of style,” JD protested. “Ever. Besides, at least I sound like a normal teenager instead of a college professor.” He shot Orlando a glare.

  With a roll of his eyes, Orlando shoved his hands into his pockets. “Fo’ shizzle. Now is anyone open for doing something or should I just go home?”

  “How long do we have until Mom needs us home?” JD asked, nudging Angela from under the table.

  Was her brother actually helping her out? He must have known she wanted to stay out for a little while longer. There wasn’t a whole lot to hurry back home to. Just hyperactive preschoolers and a lot of chores. Still, it through her off guard since he knew how she felt about Orlando. He’d been pretty against her crush up until then.

  “Dinner at the latest,” Angela said.

  “So we have a couple of hours. Trying to decide if I should keep procrastinating on my homework or be responsible.” JD scratched his chin. “Should probably be responsible.”

  Ugh, really? “What happened to my brother? Are you a robot?” She felt his forehead. “You’re not sick.”

  “I may have forgotten to turn in a few things, and now I’m getting a D in my Algebra II class. Oops?” He gave a sheepish shrug. “So I need to ace what I got for the weekend, or Mom and Dad are going to ground me and that’s not exactly productive for what we’re doing here.”

  “If not having a car is an issue, you know I have five of them,” Orlando deadpanned.

  JD’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

  “No, I only have two. Why would I need five cars?” He gazed over at Angela, and her heart beat a little bit faster. “So he wants to be boring. What about the rest of you?”

  “I’ve got a lot to think about,” Cadence said. “Add me to the boring list.”

  Briefly, a frown formed on Alan’s face, but he soon resumed his normal expressionless demeanor. “Obviously, I have a lot to do. Soon, I hope to have the luxury of free time where I can experience more of your culture with you. At this point in time, I should focus on work. I already waste enough time in between meetings goofing off at the city library.”

  “Angela?” Orlando asked. He still hadn’t once looked away from her.

  I should go home with JD. I need to not be so obvious. Plus, I know he’s just offering because he wants to be away from home right now. But how can I waste such a perfect opportunity? “I’m open to ideas,” she said.

  “Okay, but you need to take off your mask. It’s kind of weird.”

  JD took the miniatures he’d been gifted with and clutched them to his chest. “Dinnertime, remember. Otherwise you’re going to be in some serious trouble. Especially since Mom said she might call for us to pick something up, which means she’s going to be calling you.”

  “I know, I know! Cool it!” Angela waved a hand in front of her.

  “Hey, your time management skills kind of suck.”

  Pulling out his phone, Orlando mumbled to himself. Louder, he said, “I’ll set an alarm if you’re so worried.”

  That seemed to satisfy JD, a little. “Okay, bye.”

  Orlando started for the door. “I don’t know how you live with him.”

  Pulling off her mask, Angela hurried after him. “One day at a time.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You know, we’d be able to get there a whole lot faster if you didn’t text so much while we were walking,” Payton said, nudging his
twin sister in the side as they walked to the entrance of the tunnels.

  Tait rolled her eyes and sent one more text to Orlando. “Sounds like you’re having an exciting day.”

  “Very. I was social. That’s always an adventure” was his reply.

  Briefly, jealousy filled Tait at the idea of him spending time with other people who weren’t her. At school, he tended to fly solo sans when he hung around Nia. He could have been with her, but what if someone else was finally able to break through his tough shell and get him out of the house? That was supposed to be a talent only she had. The fact that he wouldn’t text her until after he was done with his social obligations meant he cared about them. Otherwise he would have complained to her the whole time.

  She paused, licking her lips. “Good adventure, or bad?”

  “All of my adventures are good.”

  There was little room for arguing with him. He certainly had a way of making boring things at least mildly entertaining. “Are you busy tonight?”

  “When am I busy?”

  “This afternoon, obviously.”

  “Beyond that.”

  Tait rolled her eyes. “Do you want to hang out?”

  “I’m always looking for an excuse to get out of the house.”

  She read the text a few times, and then checked to make sure she was in fact still talking to Orlando. Talking him into doing anything seemed like a chore, usually. He must have been desperate to get away.

  Payton stopped at the entrance to the tunnel and tapped his fingers on his arms, glaring down at her. “Focus. We’re here, and I need your help to lift the manhole cover.”

  “Okay, okay,” she said and sent Orlando one more text, promising to call, before stuffing the phone into her coat.

  She checked around her to make sure no one was around before calling upon her vines to do all of the heavy lifting for them. Small brown-and-green vines slithered across the snowy ground. They wrapped themselves into the holes of the cover and hoisted it a few inches into the air before carrying it off to the side.

  The sun had set, no one was outside because of the cold, and so their entrance into the tunnels via the park near her high school was still an ideal location. Of course, the enemy knew of the entrance as well. What made the tunnels so handy, however, was they led to so many buildings as well as had a number of small rooms built into them. Even if they used the same entrance, where they actually met was completely different.