The rejection balled in her chest, but she deserved it. “Can the Eye be here tonight? I want him and Sal to come out in the city with me. I want them both to see what’s happened to Nick and his neighbour. None of this would have worked without his help. The Eye needs closure like the rest of us.”
“As long as Frank’s okay with that?”
Frankie nodded. “We won’t tell Pierre where he is.”
“Now,” Wrench said, “you clearly haven’t had enough sleep.” The floor shook as he moved closer to Marcie and bent down to remove the tag on her leg. “Go home and rest. You need to be sharp enough to run later.”
Chapter 70
Marcie arrived at Nick’s gate, the city aglow with white light, the full moon ineffective against the artificial glare. There were lights on in Doug’s house next door. She used her eyes to zoom in through one of the front windows. A person inside, but she needed to see who.
When Doug stood up, the Eye said, “Thank god, he’s okay.”
Sal in her ear too, he asked, “Who is it?”
“We set up Nick’s neighbour as a terrorist and then messed with the police records so he couldn’t get turned into an obsolete. We needed to use him as a distraction, but we wanted to make sure we got him out again.”
Cloaked from the second she’d left the Blind Spot, Marcie used the power in her cybernetic legs and cleared Nick’s gate in one bound. The gravel crunched beneath her steps. The lights were on in the kitchen, but the room was empty.
“Where is he?” the Eye said.
“He’s upstairs.”
As Marcie closed in on the door, the Eye said, “We could do with you not setting off another alarm.”
She tested the kitchen door and it swung open. While holding her breath, she clicked it shut behind her. His heat signature remained on the floor above.
Paint had rubbed off where Nick tied the rope around the banister. It snapped a cold chill through Marcie, and she flinched as the image of him hanging came back to her. On the first floor, she heard what she assumed to be Nick walking around. He then appeared, naked save for a towel around his waist and a wide grin.
“Oh, we’ve got a big one here,” Sal said.
The Eye sniggered.
Because she stood directly in his path, it took a second for Marcie to remember Nick couldn’t see her. If only she hadn’t blurted an awkward, “Oh …” at that moment.
Nick froze. “Who’s there?”
She could run, but she’d only have to come back if she did. And what would it do to his already frayed mind to have invisible people running around his house? A calming breath, she said, “You promise you won’t freak out?”
Sal chipped in. “What are you doing, Marce?”
She ignored him and continued to address Nick. “I’m wearing a cloaking device. I’m—”
“My friend from the Blind Spot?” Nick asked. “I’ve already been there tonight.”
“Um, Marce,” the Eye said, “while we were waiting at Frankie’s for you to turn the glasses on, I spoke to one of the other hackers. He saw Nick earlier. Nick had the Pandora hack removed. I would have done it for free, but I was locked up, and no one else knew about what Nick had done. They treated him like any other punter. Unfortunately, he had to pay the same price.”
Marcie clicked the cloaking device and Nick jumped backwards.
“You’re just a child,” he said.
“So you’ve had the Pandora hack removed? At what cost?”
“You don’t know?” Nick said.
The Eye came through again. “We have to trade with the other cities. People reversing the Pandora hack is one of the major ways we get anything of value and keep the Blind Spot on the map.”
Nick turned around to show Marcie the bandages over his right kidney.
“What the …?”
“It seems extreme, right? But I have two kidneys. Well … had.” When she didn’t respond, Nick said, “Have you ever listened to the Pandora hack?”
“No. Nor the Wellbeing app.”
“Then don’t judge me. I just want things back to the way they were. I just want to forget all of this happened.”
“You want to continue living a lie? An existence based on empty words from people who only say them so you say them back? The reciprocation of bullshit is so rife in the city, the air stinks of it.”
“Have you finished?”
Marcie shrugged.
“The lie’s much prettier than the truth, sweetheart. We have to have something in this city that makes us feel good about ourselves. If enough people buy into it, it becomes as real as we need it to. I’m just doing what I can to survive in this world. Now, I’ve been lenient because of who you are and how you helped me out, but if you don’t get out of my house now, and if I ever see you again, I’m calling the police. You know they don’t like your type here.”
It took Marcie a few seconds of staring at the fat and semi-naked man before she pressed her cloaking device with a click. She made a point of walking away with heavy steps so he knew she’d left.
As Marcie descended the stairs, Sal said, “It’s crazy what people will do to themselves to fit into a bullshit society. The city doesn’t even look that fun.”
Chapter 71
When Marcie walked into the Eye’s workshop, she found her dad, Shank, the Monk, Frankie, and the Eye there. Her stomach tensed to see the Eye shackled. A metal cuff around his neck, a bar that ran from it to the manacles around his wrists and ankles, she said, “I’m so sorry.”
The Eye shook his head. “It’s okay. Your dad said you made sure I’m protected. If I’m protected, there’s a chance of me getting out. That’s the best you can do at the moment.”
When Shank scoffed, Marcie glared at her. Never one to back down, Shank returned the look with interest, her top lip lifting in a snarl.
Marcie hadn’t seen Sal on the screen until he spoke. “I can’t believe that man gave up a kidney to have the Pandora hack reversed.”
An attempt to turn to the screen with Sal on, the Eye’s restraints only allowed him to move so far. “You’d be surprised how many people do.”
“Why not just reject the Wellbeing App?”
Frankie replied this time, a tenderness in his voice that he only showed to his son and wife. “If the people in the city do that, they’re rejecting a large part of the society they live in. Nick has built a life on the layers of bullshit they have to exist within. The cubicle existence, the crappy scheduled television, the same social gatherings in bars and clubs, propaganda news reports telling them what to think and say. The Wellbeing app and the lifts help keep the people stupid enough to keep them compliant. It sells them an illusion of humanity when they’re no more than battery hens. The good thing is, we profit because of it. In such a repressed society, people need a release valve. I think the city recognises that too.”
Just one wrinkled petal clung to the rose’s withered stalk. It seemed like such a long time ago when Marcie had been watching Karla and Bruce.
The Eye had enough movement to work a computer close by. He tapped against the keyboard and brought up footage from the city. “This is happening live.”
Mayor Trench looked as devoid of humanity as ever. The cold glare of a psychopath, she stared into the screen, her face wincing as if empathy caused her pain. “We’ve investigated Wellbeing Incorporated and have determined that Karla Jacobs and Adrian Swint were acting alone.”
“Well, that’s bullshit,” Marcie said.
“The two criminals will be made obsolete and cast out into the agricultural wastelands today. We have zero tolerance for their kind of behaviour, and we feel the punishment is in line with the crime.”
Marcie shook her head. “What about Wellbeing’s punishment? What are they saying to the people of the city by letting them get away scot-free?”
When the Monk spoke, Marcie jumped. “They’re telling them that corporations like Wellbeing Incorporated are bigger than the government. That th
ey can do what the hell they like because they run the city.”
“It’s bullshit,” Marcie said.
Wrench turned to the Eye. “Turn it off.”
A moment of silence, Wrench looked at Marcie. “Have you made a choice about where you want to live?”
“It’s not really a choice,” Marcie said.
“How so?” Wrench leaned closer.
She pointed at the screen. “As pretty as it is, I can’t live in a place like that. I’ve seen so many things wrong with the city over these past few days. The Blind Spot may be ramshackle and garish, but at least it’s real. I’d rather live an ugly truth than a beautiful lie.”
A smile like she’d not seen in the longest time, Wrench moved over to Marcie and pulled her into a tight hug. When he pulled away, tears ran from his one organic eye. “Thank you, darling.”
She had a plan he wouldn’t want to hear. Something she needed to do. But now wasn’t the time to discuss it. Marcie looked around the room and then at Sal on the screen. “I have an idea about how we can punish Wellbeing. If the city aren’t brave enough to do it, I think we should.” She looked at the Eye. “Who can you put the Pandora hack on?”
“Whoever I want.”
“An entire city? An entire city minus Nick? He’s heard enough already. If we show the city the truth, then they can make a choice if they still want the app in their lives. We’re not attacking Wellbeing directly, just pulling back the curtain to expose them.”
It took a few seconds of everyone watching Wrench for a reaction. His call. He held his chin in a pinch before finally dipping a stoic nod. “I think that’s a good idea. We’ve become much better at harvesting the organs of those who die in the Blind Spot, so it won’t affect trade too badly. And if it gets rid of Wellbeing, it’s worth it. It’s a bold move, but I don’t think the city will start a war because of Wellbeing Incorporated for a second time.” He looked at the Eye. “Do it.”
The Eye lingered for a second as if to give Wrench a chance to change his mind. When he didn’t, he said, “You’re the boss,” and turned to his computer.
The Eye’s fingers danced over his keyboard, and Marcie moved close to him. She spoke so no one else heard. “I promise I’ll get you out of this mess. I have a plan. Everything will work out.”
As Marcie backed away—everyone watching the Eye while he typed—she turned to look at the rose in the jar.
“It’s done,” the Eye said, hitting a hard tap against his keyboard.
At that moment, the rose’s last petal fell from the brown stalk. An ominous silence filled the place. What did they expect, instant screams of madness spreading through the city like a plague? That wouldn’t happen yet. But it would come, and in the end, they would all realise the only way to end the suffering would be to reject Wellbeing Incorporated and their stupid app.
End of book one.
Thank you for reading The Blind Spot - Neon Horizon Book One.
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If you enjoyed The Blind Spot you might also like my fast-paced space opera saga called The Shadow Order.
The Shadow Order Book One - is available now.
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The Shadow Order - Chapter One
If you enjoyed The Blind Spot you might also like my fast-paced space opera saga called The Shadow Order.
Here’s the first chapter of book one.
A white flash of light exploded across Seb’s vision. The Mandulu hit him so hard it felt like the entire planet shifted beneath his feet. With the copper taste of his own blood in his mouth, Seb shook his head and blinked several times before he could focus on the large creature. At a good couple of feet taller than Seb, the average Mandulu towered over him. As wide as they were tall, they had arms and legs like tree trunks and skin like leather. The one in front of Seb—pumped up and breathing heavily—had a larger frame than average for his species. Broken off stumps that used to be horns protruded from his bottom jaw up over his top lip, and scars criss-crossed all over his face; he looked like he’d been in a fight with a glass factory.
With his hand against his cheek like it could offer some comfort, Seb opened and closed his throbbing jaw. “What was that for?”
The big dumb creature rolled his shoulders as he rocked from side to side. When he spoke, his voice came out like thunder and vibrated through Seb’s chest. “They say you’re tough, human.” To watch the creature’s lips move completely out of sync with the sounds that Seb heard always threw him off. Seb dropped his attention to the floor and listened to how the language chip—a standard that every being that travelled had implanted beneath its skin—manipulated the creature’s voice so it came to Seb in words he understood.
A quick glance around the dirty and dark bar, and Seb saw the collection of faces that stared back at him. He was at a spaceport, so he saw many species he didn’t recognise, but from the way they looked back, it seemed that most of them recognised him. A notorious reputation for having such a short fuse would do that. He shrugged, his voice loud in what had become the near silence of the bar. “They?”
The Mandulu didn’t respond. Instead, he deepened his frown and grunted.
“Come on, Seb,” Mia Lagos said as she pulled on his arm.
Seb looked at her. The last time he’d seen Mia they were fifteen and at school together. In the near decade since that time, the girl had transformed into a swan, and she smelled better than anything Seb had encountered in a long time. No way could he let the dumb creature disrupt the chance encounter with this floral-scented beauty. A sharp nod and he turned his back on the Mandulu. “You’re right; this piece of crap doesn’t need my attention.” After he’d lifted his glass from the brushed metal bar, he nodded at the pretty girl. “To high school reunions.”
Just as Seb went to take a sip of his drink, the Mandulu pulled on his left shoulder and spun him around. The metal tankard flew from Seb’s hand and landed in the sawdust on the floor. The beast stared at Seb, huffing and puffing in his fury and waiting for Seb to accept the fight with raised fists. Instead, Seb yawned and looked around him. Although this place was the best bar in the spaceport, it remained a bar in the spaceport nonetheless. No matter where you went, the mixture of alcohol and many different species had to end in violence. Bala, the bar owner, had constructed the entire place from metal and had bolted every piece of furniture to the floor. Although the only things able to get damaged in a bar brawl were the bodies of the ones brawling, Bala still hated the violence; he cited it as bad for business. Not that you could go anywhere in any spaceport without aggro.
Instead of looking at the Mandulu, who clearly wanted nothing more than to be noticed by him, Seb watched his drink soak into the sawdust floor and shook his head. “Look, pal, just buy me a new drink and move on, yeah?”
The Mandulu’s chest rattled with his respiration as if he had a loose flap in his large lungs. He fixed on Seb with his red eyes, his shoulders lifting and falling with each inhale and exhale.
Mia pulled on Seb’s arm again, but he didn’t look at her this time. “Come on,” she said, “let’s move away.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Seb said, more to the Mandulu than Mia. “The punch I can forgive; Mandulus are stupid and act without thought. But my drink …”
The Mandulu’s red eyes shifte
d from Seb to Mia and back to Seb again. “Maybe you should listen to the little tart and move on. A pretty thing like that gives you a good reason to walk away. Who wouldn’t go with her rather than have a fight?” He focused on Mia for a second. “I’ll tell you what, sweetheart, if you want to wait until this is all wrapped up, I’ll go with you.”
“Look, Seb,” Mia said, blushing and with a warble in her voice, “this piece of garbage really doesn’t matter. Walk away.”
The girl made sense, but at nearly twenty-five, Seb had never backed down from a fight … ever. Nevertheless, he thought maybe he should; he gained nothing from fighting other than more grief.
“Your reputation spans the galaxy,” the Mandulu said. “The toughest warrior there is. It’s the sole reason I came here.” Contempt hung from the monster’s features as he looked Seb up and down. “I shouldn’t listen to rumour, should I? You’re clearly a good storyteller, but nothing more.”
The temperature of Seb’s body rose by a few degrees and his heart rate increased. A glance around the bar and he now saw faces he recognised. Each one of them looked back at him with the same resigned expression. They’d seen it all before. He’d have to teach the Mandulu piece of crap a lesson before he got the message. When Seb looked at Mia, she wore the same imploring expression. Seb hooked a thumb toward the Mandulu. “But look at this thing. He seems like he needs his sense of self-importance beaten out of him. Although from the look of his tusks—”
“Horns,” the Mandulu interrupted.
“When you look at his tusks,” Seb said, “you can see he’s already had the snot beaten out of him several times at least.” A pause as he drank in the silence around him and Seb snorted a laugh. “Although, I’d say a lot more. Did you know these brutes see it as a sign of strength to have their little tusks broken? I’d be more fearful of the ones with their tusks still intact. Surely that means they don’t get hit as much. A pretty fighter is much deadlier than an ugly one.” When Seb looked at his reflection in the shined piece of metal behind the bar, half of his face already swollen from the whack he’d received, he brushed his hair over to one side and cocked an eyebrow.
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