Lucid Design

by Kate Tailor

  “You’re looking at me differently.” He wrapped his arms around his legs, his hands clasped together at his knees.

  “But not meanly. All right, so you’re created to be beautiful, smart, and witty. That’s to your advantage.”

  Rho forced a grin. “To be fair, most of my brothers aren’t witty.”

  A laugh escaped her. “See, they can’t design everything. I’m surprised they didn’t tell anyone or have it published in journals.”

  “It’s illegal. And like I said, not worth the trouble. The real reason we were created was to make Lucidin. The rest of the stuff was secondary. They couldn’t figure out how to synthesize it in a lab. They had to get it from people. Usually it happens randomly, but they had a tribe they discovered where it was passed down genetically. It’s kinda like cancer in that way. Some people are predisposed. Others simply get it.”

  “I just got it.”

  “There you go.”

  “I’ve read about that tribe. Dr. Moore, who found Sabine, he told me about it. He said the scientists weren’t generally believed. It’s easy to guess why.”

  Rho finally took a bite of his food, the somberness shifting. Raleigh observed the other people in the park. A couple made out on a bench, and there was a trio of friends gesturing erratically and laughing. A week ago, she was sinking into the routine of Belgium. Now it was bizarre, going on the lam with an odd group of guys only to find one of them was created in a lab.

  “Why make you perfect? Why not—I don’t know—alter a baby to make Lucidin?”

  “No one wanted to do that to a baby. To them, we aren’t human, which is probably why they had no qualms about keeping us on the island. That’s why Collin thinks you might be saved. But I wouldn’t count on it.”

  “Henry and Sabine certainly don’t treat you that way.”

  “They begged Grant and Able for us to go back home after meeting our brothers. They were denied and, shortly thereafter, Grant and Able began contacting them less.”

  Taking a long drink of the wine, she repositioned, the grass poking her bare legs through the thin blanket. She couldn’t imagine not knowing her siblings all her life. They’d robbed Rho of his family. “Why didn’t you meet your brothers sooner?”

  “They tried to give us normal upbringings. They knew about sensing but not influencing, and if it were only that, it might have been possible. They used our Lucid with their healers and advanced medicine. Then we stumbled on influencing and they caught wind. It changed everything. Chi almost killed a kid who threatened him. They called us evil and rounded us up.”

  “I can’t see anyone thinking you’re evil.”

  “If you met my triplet—Sigma—you’d have a hard time believing all of us aren’t.”

  “But they’ve met you.”

  Rho poured more wine into her cup. “Even if we were good, they really didn’t care. Our Lucid is all that’s ever mattered.”

  “Will your kids make Lucid? I mean, theoretically, that’s going to be a lot easier than whipping up another batch of you.”

  Rho laughed and stretched his legs back out. “Glad that you’re okay enough with the idea of us that you’re already planning more.”

  “I’m following their logic. If you want more people who make Lucid, then it makes sense they’d program you to pass it on. They should probably have designed a girl, so your genes aren’t diluted by the general population.”

  “We’re infertile.”

  Raleigh spit out some of her wine. “You’ve tested that? I mean, I’m sure that you wouldn’t have trouble finding volunteers.” She backed herself into a corner. “I mean, we’ve already discussed how you look.”

  “They told us, and, yes, some of us have taken it upon themselves to make sure and saw a fertility doctor.” He paused. “I’ve had sex. Everything works as it should. It just affects fertility. I don’t think you should feel embarrassed. I’m the one revealing all the personal stuff.”

  Raleigh remembered that he could sense her. It was intrusive—not that she was in a position to complain. As a rule, she responded to people’s emotions but rarely brought it up.

  She ignored the heat that crawled up the back of her neck. “Why did they make you infertile?”

  “Like all good nerds, they read the cautionary tales. Robots and clones take over the world when given a chance, right? But we can’t multiply. That was their reason for making no females. They didn’t want any possibility of us reproducing.”

  Raleigh didn’t know much about infertility. Pregnancy she could sense in other people, but infertility wasn’t something she could tie down. Was Rho upset that he couldn’t have kids? For her it was a “someday” sort of thing, nothing so pressing that she had to think about it anytime soon. Would she be upset if she couldn’t have them?

  “It’s probably for the better, right? They’d be hunted, like you.”

  Rho nodded. “Yeah, and imagine the alternative. They expect us to have a ton of kids to get more Lucid. This is definitely better.”

  Raleigh’s second cup of wine rested empty on the edge of the blanket, and her tongue slowed with each word. Rho’d picked at his sandwich, but she’d finished hers. He ate a few more bites.

  “I told you why we wanted to leave the island. We were trapped there. When we escaped, some of my brothers killed a few people. I tried to incapacitate them. It’s easy enough to make someone go unconscious. Others though, Sigma, in particular, really fought back. Many of the scientists died. I’m sure that Grant and Able will capture and use some of us. But the others, I think they’d just as soon kill.”

  “Oh.” This was the most uncomfortable conversation she’d ever had. Not only did she have to keep a straight face, but her body couldn’t betray her by showing her discomfort. Taking even breaths, she tried to steady her heart. First, the odd twist of Rho being created to make a drug, then the infertility, and now murder confessions, if it could be called murder. There was always the argument for self-defense. “What did you do after you escaped?”

  “Collin stuck with me. I told him to save himself, but he kept by my side. Like most of the Receps, he’s addicted to Lucid. He went off it for a year to prove he could. I think that may be why he’s grumpy now. He’s denying himself something that his body needs.”

  This news didn’t endear Collin to her. Grumpy wasn’t the word she’d use. Asshole was. “It was nice that he stayed with you.” It was the one nice thing she could think to say.

  “You’re going to find out how hard it is to stay hidden. I didn’t have connections back then. It was really hard going for a while. Trevor was in his freshman year of college, and he helped me find people to buy Lucid online. He also covered my tracks. Still does. A year in, I met Brent. I was at a rich kid’s party, trying to sell them Lucid. I’ve never been great at it, and Brent said he could move it much better than me. And he did. That’s when we really started making money—when athletes and other people wanted an edge. I’ve needed everyone on my team at one point or another.”

  Raleigh hadn’t made up her mind about his team. Collin she could do without. Brent seemed friendly, but trusting him was entirely different than liking him. Trevor showed some real emotion when Rho was sick. A true friend. Of the three, he was the one she liked the most.

  Night settled in while they spoke. The lampposts flickered on. People picked up their blankets and moved on. Other couples snuggled together, the dark romantic in a way daytime never is. The shadow of Rho’s jaw made him mysterious, a beauty that had brought him such sadness for what it represented.

  “You should put on your sweater,” Rho told her.

  “Are we leaving?”

  An empty plate sat on the blanket beside her, but Rho’s sandwich wasn’t finished, and neither was his second glass of wine.

  “The wine is making you feel warm, but you’re getting cold.” Her reached over and ran his fingers along the goosebumps on her arm. Warmth and electricity were left in their wake. Despite the cold, her skin
flushed as she recalled what Collin said. This wasn’t a date. If Paris knew that, it might not be so charming.

  “I don’t want to talk about my past anymore. Tell me about the blackouts.”

  Raleigh did, which was strange. Coming from a small community, people just knew about them. Her peers at school shared the details through gossip or concern, so she never had to. It was cathartic to tell her story to someone who would believe all of it, including the sensing. Designed or not, Rho had things in common with her that no one else did. She savored that bond as they wrapped up dinner.

  12

  A BLARING CAR horn, followed by some yelling in French, woke Raleigh. Rubbing her eyes, she peered at the clock only to find that it was already noon. Last night she’d arrived home late with Rho, extracted, and fallen into bed around one a.m. She never slept that long. It must’ve been the wine and extraction. In the future, she’d stop at one drink.

  The discussion last night took on a different starkness in the light of day. Grant and Able had gone to extraordinary lengths to create Lucidin, and the Designed brothers had done awful things to avoid giving it up. Solving the riddle of her illness had been freeing. Like a bird with a mended wing, she’d taken off into flight. Except now, she found the air was filled with predators. She, like the bird, couldn’t go back home.

  She slid out of bed and stretched. Today she was going to learn influencing, a defense, which was rapidly becoming necessary. Opening her door, she wandered down the hall to the bathroom. Voices drifted up the stairs, Rho, Collin, and Brent in conversation. She guessed Trevor was on the computer. She was the last one up. Late or not, she was going to shower before heading down. In her slightly inebriated state, she’d neglected to brush her teeth and her hair was knotted on one side of her head. Twenty minutes later she emerged in fresh clothes with her hair clean. She padded down to the living room.

  Collin stood by the table. “You slept in. We’ve been waiting on you.”

  “I’m sorry about your headache.” Rho rose from the table, a smile filling his face. His beautiful face, because they’d made him that way.

  Brent handed her a cup of coffee and a croissant. “Eat up. You’ve got a long day ahead of you.”

  Trevor looked up from his laptop for a moment and gave a nod. His head bobs were already becoming predictable to Raleigh.

  “That’s right. Influencing.” She sat down at the high table with her food. Trevor adjusted his computer to avoid her crumbs.

  Rho chose the seat beside her at the round table. The seed of something grew between them, something fresh, new, and weak, but undeniable. Was it more than a friendship? She didn’t know, but her stomach fluttered. Maybe she should request barricading first. Rho, hearty enough now, did. “We should probably have you extract again. I’d like Collin to help us train this morning, so you’ll be ready to meet Marcel.”

  “So I can get fake papers?” Could she really discuss violating international law so simply, let alone actually use the papers? “My stuff is fine. If you dislike him so much let’s skip it.”

  Brent said, “We need Marcel to help us find the other Designed. None of your papers can be used.”

  “They’re fine.”

  “No, they aren’t.” Trevor pulled his headphones down. “They can be traced. We aren’t going to take any chances.”

  “Is it worse being caught with forged papers? Or is your idea to keep me safe by keeping me in prison?” Raleigh didn’t break house rules, let alone international ones.

  “Marcel is good at what he does, or, at least, the people he pays are.” Brent lifted the portable machine onto the table. His warm fingers turned over Raleigh’s arm, exposing her port. “Do you mind doing this while you eat?”

  “It’s fine.” Raleigh watched him remove the small piece of cloth and hook her up. Technology was getting smaller in all areas. It wasn’t only cell phones and laptops that became sleeker. This extraction machine was the size of a loaf a bread and a far cry from the person-sized one at Sabine’s. After this, she wouldn’t be able to train for at least half an hour.

  Trevor shut his laptop. “And don’t use your phone.”

  “My phone doesn’t make international calls.” She hadn’t turned it on since leaving the US. Living without a phone was unimaginable the first week but a bit of a relief thereafter. “Can you help me call my parents tomorrow? I usually call them every few days.”

  Trevor said, “I can have it set up by then. Let’s hope Marcel agrees to provide you with a driver’s license and passport. Otherwise, I’m not sure how we’ll travel.”

  Rho sat down and rolled an empty vial between his fingers. “If Marcel agrees, we’ll want the papers sooner rather than later. I’d gladly pay the price in full with my Lucid, but as weak as I am, I can only extract once a day.”

  “If that,” snorted Collin.

  Since his rescue, Rho had rapidly improved. Raleigh couldn’t stand the thought of him reverting, especially if it was her fault. “Maybe you should just give him mine.”

  Brent pointed at them. “We’ll need Lucid from both of you to meet the price. This is going to cost a lot, and Rho’s Lucid alone won’t cut it. We’ll give Marcel a vial of yours, and if he likes it—which he will—we’ll ask him to keep it for his personal use.”

  “That way, it won’t go on the black market.” Rho rubbed his fingers across his port.

  “Oh! Later today, I’m giving you a chip.” Trevor pulled out a small tube with a fingertip-sized microchip in it.

  Raleigh raised her eyebrows. “A chip?”

  “A tracking chip, like the one I put in Rho. It lets us locate you within a ten-mile radius. I’ll insert it under the skin on your shoulder. It doesn’t hurt... and it could really help.”

  Raleigh let the croissant sit in her mouth.

  Rho patted her shoulder. “Seems paranoid, but it saved me.”

  Dogs had microchips, not people. Everything was rushing toward her too quickly. Not being allowed to use her credit cards meant that she couldn’t purchase a plane ticket home. She swallowed down her reservations, hiding would be hard, and they had a better idea of what that entailed. For now, she would listen.

  —

  FORTY MINUTES AFTER breakfast, the taste of coffee lingered in Raleigh’s mouth, and fresh Lucid hummed in her veins. They held the influencing lesson in the living room next to the dining room. She and Rho were ready to start, but Collin, like most people, would have to dose first.

  “You’re certain you aren’t ready to extract?” Collin asked Rho as he picked up a vial of Raleigh’s Lucid. Tilting it in the light, he inspected it for contaminants. He fell short of implying that she might have cooties.

  “No, I’m going to hold off until tonight. You don’t have to teach her. I can manage that fine myself.”

  Collin scrunched his lips to one side of his face.

  “If mine is that offensive to you, don’t take it.” Raleigh reached to take the vial from his hand.

  Collin moved away from her quickly, took a deep breath, and injected it. Similar to Brent yesterday, Raleigh could feel his system take it up. Unlike Brent, there was a moment of jubilation followed by a wave of calm. It was akin to putting balm on a burn.

  Instantly his demeanor changed, the fidgeting stopped. He sat with his feet planted in front of him on the white carpet. Rho stood, arms crossed, waiting for Collin to ready himself. Raleigh wasn’t sure what she expected.

  “The meditation helps him use the Lucid.” Rho kept his eyes on his friend.

  Collin opened his eyes. “It’s wilder. I don’t like it as much.”

  Liar. This was the most relaxed he’d been since they met. His voice was softer than normal. The change made her wonder what he was like before he took Lucid and was molded into a soldier. With his slight Midwest accent, she could picture him playing sports and being a normal guy. Lucid had negatively impacted her for years, and perhaps him as well, in a different way. Sabine did say it wasn’t the miracle drug that th
ey’d hoped it would be.

  With Collin ready, Rho commenced the lesson. “Influencing uses the same pathways that your mind is already utilizing with sensing. There are two parts to it. The first is sending a signal or telling the body to create a new sensation. Me making your nose itch would be an example of that. The other is preventing something that was already happening, like freezing someone’s legs when they’re trying to move them by overriding the person’s body with your own wants. Look at Trevor over there. Can you feel his fingers on the keys?”

  Trevor sat unsuspectingly at the computer, his gigantic headphones on his ears.

  “Yes.” Normally she didn’t pay much attention to muscle movement. It was so mundane and frequent that she rarely noticed unless someone had a bad ache or tear. Honing in, she could easily follow the finger movements.

  “Try the first step. See if you can make one of his fingers press down longer than it was going too. Focus in on his fingers as if they’re an extension of you. Move his finger as you would yours, will it to behave as you want.”

  “Shouldn’t you teach her how to meditate and ground herself first?” asked Collin. “Clearing her mind will be essential if she’s going to get it. She won’t have the right frame of mind.”

  Raleigh discounted Collin. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the muscles in Trevor’s right hand, specifically, his right index finger. She made the muscles press down. If her eyes were open, she would’ve seen his finger holding down the H. She opened them in time to catch a scowl from him.

  “Good.” Rho leaned over, his mouth hovering closer to her ear. “Now override the control he has over his movement.”

  Trevor tried to stand, and she stopped him by interrupting the message to his legs. It wasn’t the stiffening trick that she’d used with his fingers. Instead, she simply made it as though his brain never sent the message.

  She hadn’t frozen his mouth. “Find someone else! Isn’t this what you have Collin for?”