by Simon Archer
While she unpacked the game, I walked over to the main table and grabbed my own meal and drink. There were homemade macaroni and cheese, sausage, and steamed vegetables. I also grabbed a beer.
“This is excellent,” I made sure to tell Cindra’s parents after I had some.
“Thank you,” Paola smiled. “I did the cooking, Henri, the grilling. We’ve never had access to this quality of food before, but there’s a wonderful new grocery store in the business district now. We only had packaged food before, if that.”
“Wow, I didn’t know that,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m sorry.” It always surprised me just how poorly the foxgirls and the south side, in general, were treated when Elias ran things.
“Don’t be,” Paola said. “At least if you’re to be believed, it wasn’t your fault.”
“Well, I’m glad you have one down here now,” I said, awkwardly.
“Several, actually,” Clem said, walking over to us. “That was our first project phase down here, remember?”
“Oh yeah,” I said. “It’s hard to keep track of all the changes.” I took another bite of my macaroni and cheese, and the multi-cheese blend practically melted in my mouth.
“That means we’re doing a good job,” Clem smiled. “And much more to come, I hope, though I imagine we’ll have to stall developments for now.”
“That’s right,” I said, setting my fork down on my plate. “I hadn’t even thought of that. We should halt all projects for the time being.”
“This is why we need a board meeting,” Clem said, shooting me a pointed look.
“Well, we’ll have one tomorrow,” I said, avoiding his gaze and walking back over to Hil, who was setting up the game in the yard. “How’s it going?”
“I think we’re ready,” she said, smiling up at me.
“Awesome,” I said. I heard a whirring sound up above and looked up to see a virtual army of drones hovering above us. Several of them broke off from the group and descended to surround the house at a safe distance.
“What is that?” Avil asked, pointing at them viciously and glaring at me. “What are they doing here?”
“Don’t worry, they’re here to protect you,” I assured her and the others in her family, who also looked stricken at the sight of the machines. “Right?” I turned to Malthe to ask this question. He hurriedly examined his watch.
“Yep,” he said. Then, touching Avil’s forearm gently, “Don’t worry, I called them myself.” She relaxed her shoulders but continued to watch the drones apprehensively. They didn’t do anything or point themselves at us. Instead, they turned to face the opposite direction in anticipation of any invaders.
“Okay,” she muttered, still cautious.
“I know it must be difficult to trust us, and especially to trust the machines,” I said carefully. “But without them, you’re vulnerable. When you think about it, this should make you feel safer. You’re surrounded by protection on all sides, protection that doesn’t sleep. You’ll be fine with them watching out for you.” Henri nodded weakly.
“I suppose so,” he said. “But it is rather odd to have deadly weapons surrounding my home, even if they’re there to protect me.”
“I can understand that,” I said, nodding.
“Don’t we have a security system already?” Paola asked, turning to Malthe. “Didn’t you come over and install one right before we moved in?”
“I did,” he said, nodding. “This is just an extra layer of protection. The security system should work no problem, but this is just in case.”
“We take your safety very seriously,” Clem said, standing up a bit straighter for emphasis.
“That’s… appreciated,” Henri managed, looking rather deflated.
“So, what about a game?” I asked, pointing to the game pieces Hil had spread across the ground.
“Will anything… set them off?” Paola asked, still watching the drones with great suspicion.
“No, no, no,” Malthe said hastily, waving his hands in the air to show this wasn’t at all possible. “Absolutely not. The drones have been programmed not to hurt anyone in this community, only outsiders. They won’t turn on you in any situation.”
“Even if we go near them?” Avil asked.
“Even if you go near them,” I repeated. “Though we wouldn’t recommend doing that in the first place since leaving your property would make you more vulnerable, to begin, with since you’d be away from Malthe’s top-notch security system in that situation.”
“Okay…” Avil said though she and the rest of the family continued to look very uncomfortable.
“Come on, let’s play,” Hil whined from her seat on the grass, her legs sprawled out at her sides, completely oblivious to all of the concerns going on around her. She had glanced at the drones with passing interest when they first arrived but didn’t seem at all concerned about their presence after our first assurances that the family was safe.
At least someone trusted us. One would think that Avil would, too, since she was with Malthe, but oh well. At least I had hope that the younger generation of foxgirls and their brothers might just take us at our word that we were there to help.
7
“Okay, let’s play,” Cindra said, giving her much younger sister a forced smile, one that didn’t reach her fierce eyes. “Uh… how do we play again?”
“I’ll start,” Hil said, jumping up and tossing one of the balls across the grass. “Now, everyone has to get their balls as close to mine as you can.” She then counted us off and split us up into teams. I was with Clem, Lin, and Kira, and Kinley while Malthe, Cindra, and her family were all together.
“Do you really think they’ll be safe here?” Lin asked in hushed tones as we waited our turn in the game.
“I think so,” I said. “I mean, I don’t see why not? There are two layers of security. I don’t see how anyone could get in.”
“I don’t know, what if there’s some bigger entity behind all this?” Lin asked. “I mean, we all agreed that this wasn’t spontaneous, right? Maybe whoever’s behind this could find a way to break through our security system.”
“We have Malthe,” I said, intentionally avoiding the question. “No one’s better than him at tech stuff. Even if there is some entity behind it all, they wouldn’t be able to get through our defenses.”
“I hope you’re right,” Lin said, pursing her lips in worry.
“He is,” Kinley said gruffly. “There’s no way anyone’s getting in here.”
“Have you talked to your family?” Kira asked her, staring down at her watch.
“Yeah, I’ve messaged them,” Kinley answered. “They’re pretty freaked out, but they’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, mine are losing it too, especially with the new baby and all,” Kira said. I remembered that her sister and brother-in-law had been expecting when I’d last seen them.
“They had the baby?” I asked. “How’s it going for them?”
“Fine until today, other than the exhaustion,” Kira said, smiling weakly. “It’s a girl.”
“Maybe they should stay with my folks if they’re really freaked out,” Kinley suggested. “Power in numbers, you know. Plus, they live right next to each other, so it wouldn’t be too dangerous to move over.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea, thank you, Kinley,” Kira said, squeezing her friend tightly. Kira and Kinley had known each other their whole lives, and they’d been taken together by the two clients who worked for whatever this secret organization was. They’d grown even closer since then.
“I think that’s a great idea, too,” I said, nodding. “I’ll have Malthe send over some drones, so they’re protected between houses.”
“The houses are right next to each other,” Clem reminded me.
“I know,” I said. “Just another precaution.
“Will they agree to that?” Kira asked. “My family staying with your family, I mean.”
“I’m sure they will,” Kinley said, smil
ing warmly.
By then, it was our turn to toss our balls. We did pretty well, though it was close. Other than Malthe, that is, who had somehow managed to throw his ball in the complete opposite direction from where it was supposed to go, to the point that it nearly rolled into the pool. Classic Malthe.
Still, Cindra’s team ended up winning by a small margin, despite Malthe’s worst efforts to hold them back.
“Yay!” Hil said when her team one, jumping up and down in excitement.
“Nice,” I said, finishing off the last of my beer. I crossed over to the pool and set it down on one of the tables.
“Anyone want seconds?” Paola asked, gesturing to the ample amounts of food left on the main table.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Malthe said, licking his chops and making a beeline for the table. He piled more of the mac and cheese on his plate along with three of the sausages.
I grabbed an ample portion for myself, as well, and then sat around one of the smaller tables with the others. Half of us were at that one and the other half the one right next to it so that we could all talk to each other.
The sun was beginning to set by then, and it was peaceful outside. I could hear the water lapping against the shore off in the distance. But I could also hear the whirring of the drones around us, an ever-present reminder of the situation we were in.
“Did your family get over to the other house, okay?” I asked Kira, and she nodded.
“Yes, they’re much more comfortable at Kinley’s,” she said, casting an appreciative glance in the other foxgirl’s direction. “My mom can take care of herself and all, but ever since my dad died… well, she just feels safer in numbers, and so do the rest of them.”
I couldn’t quite fathom Kira’s mother being afraid. She was a plump little middle-aged lady who always seemed to have flour on her hands and something baking in the oven. But the first time we’d met before she knew I was on her daughter’s side, I thought she might actually attack me. Appearances could be deceiving.
“Well, I’m glad they’re together,” I said, giving both foxgirls a small smile. They both nodded in agreement.
“So, other than all this, how have you all been settling into the new place?” Cindra asked, looking around at her family members and Malthe.
“It’s been… strange,” Avil admitted. “I’m not quite sure how to describe it…”
“Like we’re visitors in someone else’s home,” Paola finished for her, and Avil and Henri both murmured their agreement.
“Yes, that’s it, I believe,” Henri explained, his voice characteristically soft. “It feels as if we’re simply on some kind of strange month-long vacation, which is strange in and of itself, I suppose because we’ve never been on a vacation before.”
“I keep expecting someone to come and tell us it’s time to leave,” Paola sighed, staring out across the pool with a contented expression on her face, as if she would rather be nowhere else in the world, and never wanted to leave.
“Well, we don’t have to leave,” Malthe said firmly. “We can stay here for the rest of our lives if we want to.”
“You’ve moved in okay, too?” I asked him.
“I mean, it’s only been two days, but yeah, I’m fine,” he said, smiling and reaching out to take Avil’s hand. To my surprise, she let him.
“We’re glad to have you here with us,” Henri said. “Especially now.” Malthe raised his eyebrows and exchanged a surprised look with Avil.
“Can someone document this moment?” he asked. “Seriously, I want a record of this.” We all laughed, including Henri.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Avil said, shaking her head and sipping on her own beer.
“I never thought I’d see the day you’d take him back,” Cindra laughed, nudging her sister playfully with her elbow.
“Neither did I,” Malthe said, a goofy grin on his face.
“How’d that happen, anyway?” I asked him. “What d'you say to work that out? Sell your soul?”
“Just about,” he grinned, waggling his eyebrows, and Cindra rolled her eyes and groaned. We all laughed again.
“What can I say, I’m a sucker for a genuine guy,” Avil said. “Even if he’s an idiot.” It was her turn to nudge Malthe playfully now. He just grinned wider.
“Will you all feel safe here tonight?” I asked the family. “Should we stay, or should we go back to the north side?” Of course, my friends and I had other plans to investigate the tunnels below the city, but I couldn’t reveal that now.
“Oh, I think we’ll be alright,” Paola said, still wistfully examining the picture-perfect scene in the back yard. “We have all this protection, after all.” She gestured almost dismissively in the direction of the drones, which were just specks at the edge of the vast yard by now, especially considering the lower lighting outside.
“Of course,” I said, smiling warmly at her. “Let us know if we can do anything else to make you feel safer in your home.”
“You can catch these bastards and put things back the way they were,” Avil said, grimacing as she finished off the last bit of her beer.
“That’s the plan,” I assured her, finishing off my own plate.
“Well, I should probably get some work done,” Malthe said, giving me a knowing look. “I’ll catch up with you guys in about an hour or so?” He had to do some final investigating before we went into the tunnels.
“Sure,” I said, nodding.
“I think I’ll just wait out by the pool,” Cindra said. Then, looking at me, “Do you want to join?”
“Absolutely,” I said, not wanting to sound too enthusiastic.
“Well, I want to check on the news,” Kinley said darkly.
“I’ll join you,” Kira said, scooching out her chair.
“What the hell, why not take a look at the world ending just down the street,” Avil said, moving to follow them.
“I think I’ll turn in early,” Henri sighed.
“Dad, it’s like eight-o'clock,” Avil said, shooting him a concerned look.
“Oh, I know,” he said, giving her a weak smile. “I’m just tired is all.”
“Aren’t we all,” Paola agreed. “I think I’ll go to bed early, too, dear.” She kissed Avil on the cheek and squeezed Malthe’s shoulder before following her husband back inside.
“Should we stick around?” Clem asked me, referring to himself and Lin. I shook my head.
“You don’t have to,” I said. “I just want to talk with Malthe when he’s done. Go on home, get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.” Clem narrowed his eyes at me, and Lin shifted uncomfortably on her feet.
“What if we want to see what Malthe finds, too?” Clem asked.
“We’ll all talk in the morning,” I repeated.
“So, why do you need to stick around?” Clem asked, pressing the issue. I’d expect nothing less from him, I supposed.
“I just want to,” I said, shrugging.
“So you won’t mind if we want to, too, then?” Lin asked. Well, I couldn’t see a way out of this one.
“If you really want to,” I shrugged. “But just a warning, it might be awhile, and there’s gonna be traffic home. You might not get back until pretty late.”
“Not a problem,” Clem said, giving me a forced smile.
“I’ll just go watch the holonews with the others,” Lin said, gesturing toward the patio door. “I want to see what’s going on out there.”
“Yeah, me too,” Clem said, following her inside. His eyes lingered on me before he disappeared behind the curtains strewn across the inside of the window-like doors.
“Well, that was uncomfortable,” Cindra sighed.
“No kidding,” I said, chucking a bit under my breath. It was just us at one of the tables now.
“What’re we gonna do when they want to hear Malthe’s report?” she asked.
“I dunno,” I shrugged. “Give them the same canned lines about finding nothing and then ditch them on the way
back.”
“You don’t think they’ll notice that?” Cindra asked.
“Well, we can’t all fit in Gunnar’s air car,” I said. “We’ll just say we’re taking a separate car.”
“I guess so,” she said, shaking her head. “I still feel like we can trust them.”
“So do I, but I don’t want to be wrong,” I said. “The consequences would just be so awful if we were.”
“I guess you’re right,” Cindra said, inspecting the side of her beer bottle. “I just feel like we need as many allies as we can get right now.”
“And they are allies, they’re just not on the innermost circle right now,” I said. “I mean Clem’s close with Semra, for fuck’s sake. Can we really be sure we can trust her?” I thought of the hardened TelCorp binder who just didn’t get how hard things were for the foxgirls at the last board meeting.
“You put her on the board, didn’t you?” she asked. “That must count for something, right? You must’ve trusted her before. And I don’t think what she said last night means anything about her allegiance, just that she’s still learning and getting used to how things are now like most people are.”
“Again, I hope you’re right, but we can’t be too careful,” I said again. “And of all the people on the board, there are some I know and trust better than others. Semra’s not one of those, and she’s close with Clem.”
“But Clem is one of those, right? And Lin too?” Cindra pressed. “I’m sure if we asked them both not to tell, they wouldn’t.”
“I would hope so,” I said. “We just can’t be so sure.”
“Then why are we so sure about each other and Malthe, and the other girls?” Cindra asked.
“Because we’re bound to each other,” I said, almost laughing. “I think I’d know if one of you was betraying us, and vice versa.”
“Malthe isn’t bound to you,” she pointed out. “Or anyone. How can we trust him then?” I bit my lower lip, considering this, trying to figure out why I trusted Malthe but
“Because he risked so much for us the first time when we were scheming to take over TelCorp,” I said finally. “He’s already been tested. Clem and Lin just came on board after the takeover. They haven’t risked so much yet.”