Deadwire

by A K Blake

  “Alright, well that pretty much wraps it up for tonight. If you’re looking for somewhere to eat, the food court in the basement is decent. I’ve got a few lunch credits for you, but after tonight you’ll be expected to pay for your own meals.

  “Don’t forget to stop by for your medical check before the event tomorrow evening. You must be cleared by a palace physician prior to your first night on the job. It should go without saying that the dress code is black tie, and you are expected to be on time, not fashionably late. Fashionable is for clients, not professionals. Alright, enjoy your night off! I’ll be seeing you, and feel free to stop by my rooms anytime if you need to chat.”

  As Obrax headed out the door, everyone stood up to leave. Iona was a bit taken back, having come in after the other two were seated, to see that both of them were taller than her. She was used to towering over all the women in the room and most of the men. Looking down at their feet, she realized that Lux’s height at least was not entirely natural. It was significantly augmented by six inch heels.

  Even so, the other girl was like a stretched out porcelain doll, all long, alabaster limbs. Her makeup was flawless, her curls like black silk. A cloud of perfume trailed her everywhere she went. Iona thought she might be the most polished person she had ever seen. It was like encountering a holovid star. This is what givers were meant to look like? Iona felt suddenly ugly, struck by the impression her flat boots and bare face must make. She was certainly not the kind of professional to which Obrax had referred. The girl spoke, her tone droll.

  “Shall we brave the cafeteria food?”

  Iona nodded. The boy seemed unenthused, frowning down at his smooth nails.

  “I supposed we’d better see what we’re dealing with. This place certainly is dingier than I’d expected. So much for the royal treatment.”

  ***

  After placing their orders at the automated kiosk (Iona was disappointed to see the cc’s on the card dwindle to almost zero), they chose a seat in an out of the way corner. No one had spoken much on the way down, but now Lux and the boy burst into conversation almost simultaneously.

  “So, Hann, what do you think about the prospects for privates around here? I’ve heard optimes can charge as much as 2,000 cc’s per.”

  “Yeah, I heard that too. But I think I can bump it up from that.”

  The manuals they’d been given stated clearly that private giver sessions were a violation of their contracts. However, Obrax had given everyone a strange look when he read that part, a sort of sly smile that Iona thought she was just now understanding.

  Lux leaned in toward the boy, lowering her voice.

  “Bump it up, you mean supplements? What are you taking? I’ve heard vis tinting is getting big, gives you the flavor and a little boost. I’ve been thinking of trying it.”

  “Not vis tinting, that’s pointless. Just offer them a cup during your session, same effect.”

  “Alright, then what?”

  “Look, no offense, but I’m not looking to increase my competition. Let’s just say I’ve got some pretty potent shit running through these veins. I’m sure you’ll be hearing about it from my clients.”

  “Oh sweetie, trust me, I don’t think your clients and mine are interested in quite the same thing.”

  A smirk spread across the girl’s face like syrup. Conversation stalled after that. Iona and Lux’s cards flashed that their food was ready (Hann had determined not to order anything after assessing the menu), and they went to collect it. Lux treated her to a polite, close-mouthed smile.

  “So, where are you from?”

  “The Rasuk Woods.”

  This was the first thing that seemed to shock her from her carefully crafted nonchalance, her dark rimmed eyes going wide.

  “You’re what? You’re from the woods?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do they even have giver houses there?”

  “No, this is my first job.”

  “You’ve at least given before, though? Done privates?”

  Iona shook her head.

  “So, you have...no experience.”

  “Not in giving, no.”

  “Well! This is going to be quite the crash course for you then.”

  Lux looked prim, eyebrows raised to thin, delicate peaks. She stared straight ahead as they collected their food, a chilly silence between them. After a moment, she breathed in sharply before speaking.

  “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but how exactly did you get a job like this without qualifications? You must be a premium blood type at least.”

  “Yes, I’m...prae something? I was hired by the Progressive Party.”

  Her expression changed swiftly. “Ah, I see. You’re some kind of novelty gift for the Queen I’d guess. Quite the lucky break, she doesn’t keep many companions. Her last one retired a few years ago, so I think you may be the only one on staff at the moment. I’ve heard King Eshar used to keep almost twenty at a time, but Basilla likes to show how she’s more frugal.”

  From the look on Lux’s face, Iona could tell that, while she stopped short of criticizing the Queen, frugality was not something she considered a virtue. She supposed in the giver line of work, generous customers could make a difference. As they continued walking back to the table, Lux stopped suddenly, angling her body toward Iona and tilting her head down in a guarded way. When she spoke, her voice was low and fast.

  “Look, I know you didn’t ask for this, but you may want to be careful around the other givers. There are people here who have put in a lot of time, done their dues, spent their blood, and they’re still waiting for the chance to companion a royal, even on a provisional basis. They are not going to be happy when they find out a no-name from the sticks swooped in and took it out from under them.”

  Iona’s anger flashed briefly, but she said nothing. If she was going to survive in this vast unknown, she could use someone blunt in their assessments. She nodded. Lux nodded in return, and they resumed walking.

  ***

  The three of them went together to complete their medical checks, though Lux and Hann breezed right through, while Iona’s appointment took significantly longer. She was the only one, never having given blood before, who required an operation. With the help of the AMA machine, the doctor sliced into her left forearm, fitting her with a white plastic band like a cuff around her arm.

  “The veinguard is excellent for easy blood dispensal. Just press this button here for ‘drip,’ and this one for ‘stream.’ This screen will display the number of milliliters dispensed in the past several hours, and it will flash red when you’re near the recommended nightly limit of 450 mL. You can use your spore interface to update the mL readout manually if there’s been an error, but no tampering with the display in order to bypass the limit.”

  The doctor gave her that look again, the sort of knowing expression that she’d come to realize meant everyone does it. She marked this for future reference.

  The veinguard was quite ugly, a big white plastic thing on her arm that she realized with distaste would be there for the foreseeable future. It made her feel like some sort of cyborg, and not in a good way. She’d noticed prominent decorative cuffs the others wore, which realized now she now must be covers to hide their veinguards. She would have to get one herself.

  She was surprised, upon exiting the doctor’s office, to see that Lux had waited for her. Hann was nowhere to be seen.

  “I hope we didn’t get off on the wrong foot. I understand you’re in an awkward position, I didn’t mean to offend. If you like, I’d be happy to stop by before the event, help you get ready, give you a few tips…”

  Iona was taken aback. Perhaps, despite the appearance of having everything together, Lux was not quite as unapproachable as she seemed. Perhaps she too was in need of a friend.

  “I would like that, yes.”

  Lux smiled, the first true smile Iona had seen her show, revealing a youthful gap in her front teeth. It was a single comforting imperfection. Ion
a smiled back.

  Chapter 8

  Not yet adapted to her new nocturnal schedule, Iona wasted the better part of another day on the FreeNet, working on her “Eris project.” There was plenty of information to be had, and she marveled at how easy it was to find ready-made hacking scripts and detailed how-to’s on the best way to break through a firewall or taking control of someone’s spore. Eris was quite the high profile target, and it didn’t take her long to realize hacking his government messaging account or public social media would be nearly impossible. But that didn’t mean she was out of options. All it took was some creativity.

  After some quality time in what many would consider the less savory parts of the FreeNet, Iona felt she’d compiled and modified all the scripts she needed. Embedding them in several otherwise innocuous messages that offered coupons and discounts she thought might appeal to Progressives, she sent them to several lower level employees of Eris’ office. The links were legitimate, but clicking on them would also trigger the script she’d come up with, which would secretly download another program to the person’s spore. The program would run in the background as they went about their nightly routines, quietly logging their activities and keystrokes and sending her their passwords.

  She felt alive, high on her own ingenuity. Eris was going to regret the night he made an enemy of Iona Meranto.

  ***

  Lux arrived at her door right on time, looking, of course, no less than ravishing. Her hair hung in inky curls down the back of an expertly tailored red dress, showing off the moonlit glow of her creamy skin. Standing just outside the door, she pursed her lips.

  “Did you just wake up? You look terrible.”

  “What? No, I’m fine, I’ve just been...browsing the FreeNet.”

  She snorted. “Sure, that’s a good way to get those kinds of bags under your eyes. Looks like we’ll have our work cut out for us.”

  Lux swept into the room on a mist of fragrance, swaying on on heels so spindly they didn’t look as if they should be able to bear her weight. Looking around Iona’s sparse room, she declined a seat on the bed, as Iona hastily flung open her armoire and began dragging out clothes.

  “I can tell you’re not worried about doing privates. It’s probably for the best in your position, honestly, but if you’d like I can still help you with your, erm, lack of decor.”

  “Oh, right, I haven’t had time to put anything up. Also...I don’t have any stuff.”

  “I see that.”

  Lux pulled open the drawer of her bedside table, as if sure there were a throw pillow somewhere if she only looked hard enough, but pulled back sharply.

  “Beneficent Dieda, you have a pulsor knife?”

  “What?”

  She turned to see Lux examining something inside the drawer but from a distance, as if it were poisonous. Walking over, Iona peered inside. It was a mechanical device she didn’t recognize, apparently left there by the previous owner. She picked it up, turning it from side to side. It had a sharp protruding end, like a blade, and what looked like a battery pack attached to its handle. Finding a button near the hilt, Iona pressed it, but there was no reaction. She shrugged.

  “It doesn’t seem like it works.”

  “Well if you’re not going to use it, you should get rid of it. Those things are illegal.”

  “Ilegal?”

  “They’re basically only good for killing vampires, so yes. I knew some givers who kept them in case a customer ever got rowdy, but I say they’re more trouble than they’re worth.”

  Iona turned it over in her hands, feeling the cool roughness of the metal tip against her finger, the weight of it in her palms. The rubber casing around the hilt stuck to her hand like a second skin.

  “Well, it’s broken anyway.”

  Lux had a look on her face like she expected Iona to dispose of it right then and there, but she said nothing. Something about the fear on her face made Iona not want to let go of the knife. Reluctantly, she put it back in and closed the drawer. She decided to change the subject.

  “I’ve got everything laid out over there. Should we get started then?”

  ***

  Later, assessing the finished product of all their efforts in the mirror, Iona had to fight to keep a straight face. She wasn’t sure if she was in danger of laughing or crying.

  The dress Lux had picked for her was fine, a blush pink, ruffled affair that, while uncomfortable and impractical for literally any activity, likely had its charms. Yet it was impossible to know, because the makeup that had come with Iona’s luggage, the only makeup she had, was obviously meant for someone with much lighter skin. It looked caked on and flaky, comically unnatural against the rest of her body. At least it matched the dress.

  Her hair, meanwhile, was its own disaster. Lux had struggled doggedly to comb through the riotous kinks, nearly breaking the brush. She’d even taken a straightening machine to it but had stopped when the flat pieces began to frizz, turning Iona’s head into a slightly crispy, puffy cloud. In the end, Lux had corralled Iona’s hair into a side braid that looked like the afterthought that it was, lumpy and too casual for the rest of the ensemble.

  In fact, the only thing Iona liked about her outfit was her veinguard cover. She’d found it buried in the package with her spore when she tried to move everything off the bed. It was a metal cuff with a three pointed symbol that it took her a moment to realize was a crown. Real gold leaf gleamed, and underneath it was a large, very elegantly wrought “P.” There was a note attached.

  Just a little something to get you started. This belonged to a previous royal companion, a particular favorite of King Eshar. May it bring you luck. - Head Giver Obrax

  She unconsciously moved her fingers over the cuff, feeling the indentations. It was a strange sensation to see something so expensive on her own body. The gold shone against her skin, bringing out a glow in her reflection she’d never noticed before. It was like it was made for her. In spite of herself, Iona felt a chill. She, a girl with no history and no family, no standing and no connections, was now a personal companion to the Queen. The thought of it made her almost dizzy.

  Lux sighed. “Well I know technically this is my doing, but you can’t be going out like that. I suppose you might as well wash all that off. Looks you’re going for the natural look tonight!” She checked her spore. “Dieda take it, it’s almost time! Hurry up, we’ve got to get going.”

  ***

  Lux stressed all the way to the party, but in the end even she was struck dumb by the majesty of the banquet hall. Slender columns of cream-colored stone wound between massive buffet spreads, and and the bar overflowed with alcohol and blood. Great orbs of light floated beneath a canopied ceiling, guests flitting across the dance floor below like little birds. In the air hung the soft sound of muted laughter and the clinking of glasses. Everything gleamed, everyone sparkled. It was the most magical scene imaginable.

  But it wasn’t just a party, it was a job.

  They’d been there all of five minutes, barely having had time to order drinks, when a male vampire materialized from behind them, catching Lux’s outstretched fingers and bringing them to his lips. He looked young, in his twenties if he’d been human, with broad shoulders and a head of soft blond waves. An entourage of of vampires and humans trailed behind him, conveying to all that he was someone of note.

  Yet, for all his grace, he had the same bonelessness to him as the others, same inescapable feeling of wrongness that triggered warning signals down Iona’s spine. Her impulses had dulled slightly since her first encounter with the vampire at the compound, but she doubted the instinct to fight or flee would ever truly go away.

  “Madam.”

  As he nodded to Lux his words were toneless and his face carefully composed, but he flipped her wrist over a little too quickly, agitated, like trapping a spider under a cup. He took a deep breath in, his nose over the nape at the inside of her wrist, savoring the scent.

  “What a lovely optime. And a l
ovely package as well. May I?”

  Her body drawn upward into a regal stance, Lux suddenly became every inch the coy goddess, exactly the kind of impossible woman Iona had expected her to be. She gave the vampire an indulging, close-mouthed smile.

  “But of course.”

  He had brought a glass of wine with him, and she positioned her arm over it, pressing the drip button on her veinguard.

  “What lovely hands you have. Quite delicate for such long fingers.”

  Lux laughed. “Is that your way of saying that my man hands are surprisingly attractive?”

  He grinned in a swift break in character. “Not at all. I would never impugn a giver so lovely as yourself.”

  Iona watched as the brilliant drops of Lux’s blood rained into the already red sea of wine. She couldn’t help thinking of the man from the compound, his throat open and seizing, a great mist of red descending from his neck.

  The vampire pressed the button again to stop the flow of blood, then stood swiftly and whispered in Lux’s ear. She demurred, her eyes cast down as she clasped his hand briefly. When he pulled away, Iona thought she saw something in his palm, but he was gone to quickly to make it out.

  “What was that about?”

  Lux waited until he and his retinue were several yards away before responding or, rather, not responding at all.

  “Well he was certainly handsome! I think that might be Representative Vrai’s son. We’ll have to see if he comes back.”

  “Did he say something to you?”

  “The usual sort of thing.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Lux gave her a strange, hard look, that made Iona feel she should stop asking questions. Obrax appeared unexpectedly, startling Iona as he spoke over her shoulder.