Stimulus (Arc Gap Trilogy Book 1)

by Ryan Burnett

  You don't understand....I know...I know you're trying to help but...I can't have you messing around in my brain playing Dr. Feelgood and pretending like you know what’s best for me ok?

  What do I not understand Angela?

  I abandoned Tyra.

  You did not. I made the decision to leave.

  I allowed you to. I gave you control.

  To do what you couldn't do. It was our only choice.

  ....Just ...let’s just not talk about it for now.

  As I ended my internal commune I became aware that the men were talking to me.

  "Listen miss. You handled yourself pretty well out there but you can't stay with us, we'll get you near the city, near the monorail or something and then you’re on your...."

  "I know where he is." Rhodora's word from my mouth. They were shocking, even more so because I could feel their truth...in an instant there was an alternative to going back to a shattered life without any answers. Perhaps even a way to separate Rhodora from my mind.

  "What? I have no idea what you're...." The darker skinned man began to say before Rhodora interrupted him once more.

  "I know where he is. I can help you find Rex." Any other time I might have laughed at the look on his face. His absurdly expressive eyes widening before he caught himself and tried to regain his cool. Somehow the simple fact that I wasn't the only one surprised by the situation was comforting.

  "And tell me how you could possibly know that?" Spoke the blonde haired man, not looking away from the road. There was a slight hint of levity in his voice and something else that wasn't quite disbelief.

  "I don't know. Those like Rex and I are special. They interact with networks in a way that's different than others. I can feel their signature like a beacon. Any more than that I cannot say." I would have fumbled through such an unclear explanation but Rhodora never wavered, her voice… my voice, remained level and perfectly clear.

  "Fuck, Marcus she's one of them." The driver blurted. I put a hand over my lips. Rhodora and her big mouth. She didn't understand that her words could get us abandoned by the side of the highway or worse. My mind began to race again as I began to think of some way to possibly get out of this.

  "She's not 'one of them’, Rob, she didn't leave with Alex and Shange and whoever else. She was alone with her friend when we found her and they were both a handful of minutes away from a lead shower. More importantly she bought us some time to get out alive. What's your name? Can you really tell us where they are right now?"

  "They are moving west into the heart of the city, near the warehouse district. My name is… Angela" I said reestablishing control, I refused to let my body be introduced with a name other than my own.

  Very well. Came Rhodora's reply as I felt her persona fade to the recesses of my mind.

  "Do you believe her Rob?" Marcus asked.

  "Isn't the craziest thing I've heard today, and as far as I can tell that wasn't the voice of a liar" He responded. Marcus nodded his head in agreement.

  "Well Angela. I am Marcus and this is Rob and it is veeerrry important that we find Alex as soon as possible. We're trying to get him to safety and as you've seen firsthand a lot of men are looking for him. To be perfectly honest I am not sure if the boy is going to be worth anything in a body bag so the sooner we find him the better. Now the real question is, what do you want?" Marcus said his voice taking on a willowy tone.

  "What do I want?" I echoed back, actually unsure of my own answer.

  "Don't get me wrong I appreciate the info Angela. I'll thank you twice for that right now and once more when get our pay day, but what are you after? I would have thought that you would want nothing more than to go home and wash your hands of this mess." He replied

  I was silent for a few breaths but finally I gave him my answer. "I can't go back without knowing why this happened to me. I've lost too much. I deserve a fucking answer and right now Alex seems to be the only one who has them."

  "Hmm then I guess we have something in common then" He replied with a smile.

  "Rob, step on it a little will you, somehow over the last few days I've managed to work up a thirst."

  It wasn't a long drive before we arrived at a smallish apartment just outside of the downtown district of Arc city, we paused only once to pick up tacos from a small dingy looking diner right around the corner. The apartment itself was interesting enough if a bit dirty. The sheer amount of empty bottles reminded me of the carefree time spent amongst the dorms of my less studious peers at the University; however there were some things of genuine interests among the clutter. A carved wooden chess set with strange creatures for pieces sat on a shelf, a curved Arabian scimitar hanging along the wall its polished blade catching the light as we entered, and a Japanese lantern hung near the window giving the room a bit of an ambient glow as Marcus entered and switched on the light. To be honest though I could only spare the decor so much attention. The first thing we did when we entered was take a seat at the small round table and unanimously tear into the surprisingly revitalizing tortilla wrapped morsels. Between mouthfuls Marcus opened his fridge (which I noted contained no food other than one jar of pickled vegislabs) and brought out beers he passed first to Rob and then myself. Then label on the amber suds showed a bright red bird with flaming letters that read "Quetzalcoatl".

  "I'm sorry about your friend. What was her name?" he asked me. As he twisted the top off of his bottle.

  "Her name was Tyra" I replied around the food I was still indulging in. Either these were the best in the city or I had forgotten just how long it was since I last a real meal.

  "To Tyra then" Marcus said as he raised his bottle, Rob and I followed suit before chorusing "To Tyra" and taking a long pull from the bottle. The cool sudsy numbing effect of the alcohol was a blessing.

  "So tell me Angela, are you like Shange? Some kind of living AI? How did you end up over there in the first place?" Rob asked, swiftly approaching the point of emptying his bottle.

  "I don't know. The past few days have been such a blur. It seemed like one moment it was just another day at the university and the next everyone had gone insane. Men took me from there and brought me to ...I guess brought me to where you found me and they did something to me, I couldn't even tell you what it was...at first it felt like ecstasy but then it turned into a nightmare...all I can remember are pieces and fragments but when I had awoke....I was different." I didn't want to say more. I didn't know if there was anything more to say.

  Rob merely nodded as he took all the words in, "Hey so can you check your digital signature/ beacon/ run away kid lo-jack or whatever you wanna call it. Can you tell me if they've stopped moving yet?"

  At first I wanted to shake my head until I realized I did know. Like a bright point amidst a sky of dimly swirling constellations I knew without a doubt where he was.

  You're welcome.

  "He has stopped. He is in the warehouse district, right where the old Photographist building used to be...." my voice grew quiet as I trailed off and rubbed the back of my neck out of reflexive habit. The building we had just left was a Photographist building too. What could that possibly mean?

  "Fucking A!" Rob replied. The sincerity of his outburst startling me a little. I took a sip from my beer and tried to suppress a small smile. Holy crap...was I actually smiling?

  "Alright so here's the plan, we'll crash here tonight and be ready to roll in the morning. Rob be a gentleman and give the lady the sofa, you're welcome to the recliner or i got a sleeping bag for you in the back. Once we have Alex we make the drop, GET PAID, and then Angela we can drop you off anywhere you want and I mean anywhere. What do you say to a vacation in Spain when this is all over Rob?" Marcus reeled off in a light tone.

  "Hell, I'd prefer Vegas." he replied, while placing a hand rolled cigarette to his lips, the pungent smell filling the room in almost no time whatsoever. He passed the cigarette to Marcus who took a drag from it as well.

  "Hah I bet you would." Marcus said after e
xhaling the smoke. He disappeared into the backroom and reemerged bearing blankets and pillows for Rob and I. Rob passed me the cigarette and I surprised myself by taking a drag from it myself. The acrid smoke burned and left me coughing but I felt light and calm.

  Your limbic system really needed that. Rhodora's voice chimed in my head ever so mockingly.

  "Sweet dreams." He said as he retreated to his own room and shut out the lights.

  I made myself comfortable on the sofa, curling up with blankets and feeling oddly at ease in this stranger’s house. Tomorrow would come and with it knowledge of what had happened, and for better or for worse I would finally be able to get some understanding. Beneath my eyelids sleep was waiting for me and I ran to embrace it with open arms.

  ******************************************

  I snuggled against the cushion, delighting lazily against its reassuring warmth. It's soft firmness and rhythmic motion lulling me back to sleep......wait....my dozing mind struggled against the wrongness until I sat bolt upright. I was in a bed, Marcus's bed...and until recently his chest had been my pillow. I wanted to scream. I was completely naked just as he was and I could feel it in my body, I could smell it in the room, somehow I had slept with Marcus. As quietly as I could I rolled out of bed and retrieved my dirty clothes from their rumpled pile on the floor and dressing as quickly as I could. I snuck out of the apartment and into the streets. The hour was ungodly, the sun barely starting its course across the sky. I wasn't thinking clearly but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I couldn't stay there anymore.

  Angela! What are you doing! I thought you'd be happy.

  Rhodora! You did this!!!!!! I couldn't even comprehend the messages that were being sent by her my rage was too great. How dare she do this with MY BODY? I wanted to strangle the meddlesome creature but all I could do was stand on the sidewalk quaking with anger.

  Angela you experienced a strong pheromone response when you met Marcus. Sex has many benefits and pleasure. I didn't think that you would mind...

  Didn't think i would mind! You kill Tyra, you dope me up on neurochemicals, and then you fuck some stranger in my body while I sleep! I hate you Rhodora! I fucking hate you!

  I also saved you Angela. Your mind was on the brink of collapse and I was your salvation.

  I had no words to say. I was so angry but I had to find some way of dealing with this and until I could I was stuck with her. I sat on a bench for nearly an hour before I could finally take some deep breaths and slowly release my clenched fists.

  Why did you do it?

  It was an act I had seen many times but I had never felt. I wanted to experience it at least once before whatever comes next. This body is a miracle Angela but it is fragile and mortal. We could die at any moment. I do not know what Rex and the people he associates himself with are capable of.

  Rhodora's reasoning was almost infantile but the sincerity of the statement stirred me. I wondered how this intelligence saw the world. In some ways... when it came to understanding people was Rhodora more lost than I was? I shut out Rhodora's voice completely from my mind and began a walk headed for the monorail line that I had noticed on the way to the apartment. Once I had boarded I rode in silence for several minutes neither speaking to Rhodera nor the myriad of people around me. Finally though I let her voice through. Although there was no volume in our mental communication I could feel a suppressed resigned emotion behind Rhodora's words. Something I had never felt in them before.

  Where are we going Angela?

  We're going to find Alex before anyone else can get to him. If anyone knows how to separate us two it will be him.

  I do not wish you to hate me Angela.

  It's...it's not about hate Rhodora. I AM beyond angry, but this is about getting my life back. I need answers as much as you do.

  We rode the rest of the way in silence. I could feel the beacon point of Rex's digital signature growing brighter as we drew near, I could also feel the strong presence of the other man with him. We disembarked quickly and proceeded to make our way into the warehouse district. I was surprised at how run down the building had become and almost had second thoughts but I resolutely gripped the door handle and opened the door to see four men in a richly appointed room of deep blue. Two large plain clothes men in the back near a doorway, Alex leaning against a wall like he had not a care in the world, and standing next to him was the legendary man himself. The Harrold Ostan. I was awestruck; the actual man behind the movement was here in person. The two guards in the room made a move towards me as I entered but he stopped them by merely lifting up his hand.

  Harrold Ostan smiled as he spoke, "Rhodora I presume? We got your message. You don't know how happy I am to see that you've made it here safely."

  Chapter 25

  01:04:29

  Marcus

  I stepped out of the car, extending my body in a long stretch. It was a futile attempt to shake off the adrenaline fueled tension that was firmly rooted in my neck and shoulders. The sane familiarity of Orion's was a welcome change. Walking through the neon entrance way I found my mind looking forward, anticipating a bellyful of Elton’s hot tacos, a cold beer chilling my palm, and the answers to the questions that brawled about in my mind. At the same time I was looking backwards as well.... to the girl in the car, to Shange's words, to all we had learned since Rob had texted me ...what seemed like a lifetime ago… and told me about the job. Most of the thoughts began to lose clarity and drift further away as I approached the counter and was greeting by the shamelessly savory aroma of the grill.

  The implications of Angela's words still spun around in my head, engines fully revved, tires ceaselessly burning donuts into the pavement. I believed what I had said about her, she wasn't like Shange or Alex...from the little I had seen of them anyways, but the hysterical girl dragging along her zapped out friend was only half the story. Honestly I didn't think she would leave the other girl behind, and what made it all the stranger was that she hadn't said a word about it. She hadn't even shed a single tear since we made it back to the car. She seemed lucid enough, but I couldn't help but wonder if this was some kind of post-traumatic stress reaction, shell shock, or something like that. Then there was the matter of her claiming to be able to track Alex's VRN... but she couldn't really explain how. She didn't seem to really know how she had got to the Photographist center or what had been done to her.....and there was something else. Something... it was no use. My thoughts were constantly being derailed by the siren song of spices hitting the grill top.

  "Elton." I said, distinctly aware of the saliva rapidly beginning to fill my mouth.

  "Marcus" he replied without looking up from his work.

  "Is the boss in?" I asked as he turned over the sizzling succulent slabs one after another and added another layer of amber seasoning. The grill spat again with renewed vigor. He was silent. A silence I knew to mean that whether Xavier was in or out, I wouldn't be meeting with him tonight.

  "Tell el hefe I have a special request for tomorrow’s menu." Elton nodded slightly, his eyes still focused on his culinary alchemy.

  "That all Marcus?" he asked. I realized I had just been standing there staring at him cook.

  "No... I need as many tacos as I can carry."

  As I walked out a few minutes later with overladen arms desperately trying to resist the urge to bite through the paper bags and begin my meal en route. Back at the car Robs face broke into a 3 mile wide smile as soon as he caught a whiff at what I was carrying. Even Angela’s pensive mood was dispelled by the scent. Tactfully keeping the bag closed we proceeded to round the corner to my apartment.

  Hardly seconds had passed before we began to plunder the bag of tacos. it was difficult to tell which I loved more, the satisfaction of digging my way to the dangerous unknown and returning home more or less unscathed; the knowledge that we were ever closer to penetrating deeper into the heart of this enigma; or the simple pleasure of those slightly greasy wonders being washed down with a cold beer. R
ob's presence was always a welcome addition but in between talking and toasting I found the majority of my interest both consumed and intrigued by our strange guest. Part of her was a young college girl who somehow had gotten in way over her head....there was another side to her though...a logical and analytical tiger that could rear its head at any moment. Was that who she really was? Was that a dormant side of her personality brought about by trauma? I wanted to believe that whatever had been done to her had changed her...had made her adapt to survive...but my instinct was telling me something different. Conjecturing on wild theories and leaping from one improbability to the next.

  It wasn't long before Rob began to roll a joint and I began to dig through the extra bedding in order to cobble together some accommodations for him and Angela. On returning to the room I took a drag from the burning hand rolled cylinder and let the additional layer of comforting intoxication build upon the alcohol and my overstuffed belly. The familiar haze distanced me from the specter of danger and placed my mind at ease heedless of the fact that this individual who was being held for god knows what reason was sleeping under my roof. But as she wasted no time laying on the couch and snuggling under my old blankets it was hard to imagine what anyone would want with her, what kind of threat she could have posed, or what separated her from any other college student. She likened herself to Rex just like Shange did, but it seemed clear at that moment of time that she was a different breed altogether. Odd moments aside my intuition wasn't riled by this young woman. I didn't feel danger when I was around her. This was a real life person unlike the virtual construct I had confronted earlier....but even then that virtual construct had seemed real at the time, with a personality all of its own, exhibiting curiosity and enjoyment, traits that were purely human...as far as I knew. What was a programs idea of enjoyment? A state of perfect order?

  I guided myself to my bed, the tantalizing promise of a goodnight sleep dragging my shuffling feet forward. As much as I felt the fatigue though there were certain things that nagged at me. What did the Photographists want with her? And Alex? That was another mystery entirely...one that I knew absolutely nothing about besides their belief in a collective human unconscious that needed to be preserved in a digital format.