Unchipped: The Resort: (Book Five in the Unchipped Dystopian Sci-Fi Series)

by Taya DeVere

  “You stop with the idiotic Finnish sayings.”

  Markus spreads his hands, helpless before her stubbornness. He reaches for the chair, leaning his hands on its back again, but he doesn’t sit down. Blue eyes drill into Kaarina’s, filled with worry. “So you want to finish the Happiness-Program for good.”

  Kaarina nods.

  “What is it exactly you’re planning to do?”

  “I want to free the people in the capsules.”

  “The four downstairs?”

  “No. Everyone.”

  “Kaarina, that’s—”

  “We need to stop Solomon from turning people into mindless machines.”

  Markus’s lips press into a line. He doesn’t look at Kaarina, but she knows she has his full attention.

  “If we can figure out how to get these people out here, we can get anyone out. Even those who are stuck in the Chip-Centers around the world. It’s up to us now, Markus. And I know it’s just the few of us here, but maybe we can find more people to join—"

  “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but what about Sloboda? We took her out. And now she’s fighting for her life.”

  “I know she is, Markus. But she was sick when she first went in. Luna thought she was dead. And how were we to know she would just go and open the capsule like that and drag Sloboda out of there?”

  “But we don’t know what makes her so ill. It may have been us unplugging her, just as well as it may have been her sickness.”

  “That’s exactly why we need to figure it out. All of it. How to open the capsules. The rest of the Chipped technology. Details of Doctor Solomon’s operation. Everything.”

  “And what if touching the capsules will alert Doctor Solomon? And then she’ll know that we’re here?”

  “Well…” Kaarina clears her throat. She hasn’t thought this through. But she needs this goal. A plan. Action is the only thing that makes her feel strong and confident. She’s done feeling weak and helpless. “We’ll need to do some research before we do anything else.”

  “I just…” Markus sucks in his lower lip. It’s hard for him to argue with Kaarina. With anyone really, but especially her. And she hates how she’s now using it against him. But she needs an ally.

  “I’m not saying we should go unplug everyone from the capsules and see what happens. I think it’s essential we keep them safe until we find out how the computer system works.”

  Markus exhales and nods. “Good. Okay.”

  Kaarina gets up from the chair and folds her arms. “To do that, we need more information. We need to hack Solomon. Think about it. We have Margaret’s computer. Two CS-keys. We’ve got Luna, who’s the next best hacker we could wish for, after losing Margaret.”

  Markus nods. “She’s been teaching some of the kids computer skills, and some of the people are quite tech savvy. It’s not much right now, but maybe in a year or two—”

  “We can’t wait that long. Luna will be fine, we’ll help her as much as we can. With just the right information, we can attack Solomon without her ever finding out what hit her. If we had access to her computer, we could do so much more than just ruin her capsules.”

  Markus winces. “More? You mean—”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. All I’m saying is that we shouldn’t duck our heads like a bunch of cowards. Why is it that we’re always yielding? Always being the bigger person?”

  Markus watches Kaarina’s eyes. He waits a long time, hesitating. His Adam’s apple moves up and down as he swallows. “And what does Yeti say about this?”

  Kaarina blinks rapidly. “Yeti?”

  “Yeah. Does he approve of this plan?”

  Kaarina lifts her chin. “I wouldn’t know,” she says. “Because Yeti doesn’t know anything about this. I came to you first.”

  Markus stares at her, holding his breath. For a moment of silence, he exhales and lowers his gaze. “You know I’ll help you, Kaarina. I always will. But could we take a step back and think about this? Really, think about the consequences. It’s not just you and me. It’s hundreds of lives. Is revenge really more important than the safety that this place brings? The second chance we all have here?”

  “Prisons can be safe, sure.”

  “I don’t understand. What are you trying to say?”

  “What about freedom?”

  Markus sits down on his chair. He leans his head against his hands, keeping his eyes on Kaarina. “You really want to go after that lunatic?”

  Kaarina moves her chair closer to Markus’s and sits down. She takes his hands between hers and looks deep into his eyes. “If I don’t go after her… who the hell will?”

  ***

  Green mountains rise behind the graveyard. Long grass, weeds, and debris swirl in the wind. Sunlight finds brief openings as the clouds pass by, throwing long shadows across the gravestones. Kaarina stands behind the crowd, staring at Luna, kneeling by the hole in the ground where Sloboda now lies. A yellow dog sits next to her, pressing against Luna’s slightly shaking body.

  Owena and Sanna stand with Niina—a Chipped woman from City of Finland. Ever since they disembarked from the boat, Niina’s spent all her time looking after the two girls. Her protectiveness seems odd to Kaarina, bordering on obsession. Especially because these days, Niina doesn’t seem that interested in her own daughter Ava’s well-being. “Whatever,” the Unchipped girl just says, whenever Kaarina tries to ask her about her mother’s odd behavior.

  Bill stands right behind Luna, holding her coat. A chilly breeze sends goosebumps over Kaarina’s arms. Cold sweat trails down her ribcage under her oversized T-shirt. Did she do this? Is she responsible? She could have guessed it wasn’t safe to unplug Sloboda from her capsule. Luna would have listened, back in City of Serbia. Yeti too.

  “Hey, if anyone’s responsible, it’s me.” Yeti’s low voice echoes through her scattered mind. “I’m the one who carried Sloboda out of there.”

  Kaarina looks up at the sky, blinking rapidly. The clouds are getting thicker, darker. She fights the tears but lets her anger flush through her body. I thought we agreed not to tap each other here.

  “Yeah, well.” There’s a short pause before Yeti continues their silent conversation. “That’s not the only agreement that we’ve broken.”

  Blond hair on his broad chest, trailing down toward his navel. His lips on hers, his arms wrapped around her slightly shaking hips, his fingers digging into the back of her neck… the images flash through Kaarina’s mind before she can stop them. Yeti’s seen them too. Last night and now again, in her memories. But he doesn’t mock Kaarina, doesn’t tease. They stand and stare at Luna’s back, not talking but still connected.

  People around them start gathering the kids, turning back toward the previously abandoned village they now call home. Markus picks up Owena, who wraps her arms around his neck. The little girl waves at Kaarina as they pass. Kaarina waves back, giving Markus an uncertain smile. He nods at her in return.

  Bill sets Luna’s coat on her shoulders and sits by her, silently. The yellow dog gets up to wag his tail, but then sits back down and leans against his grief-stricken master. They aren’t talking, Luna and Bill, not silently or out loud. Luna’s lost in her sorrow, staring into the dark pit where her friend now rests. Would she agree with Kaarina’s plan? She doesn’t know the Serbian girl well enough to say.

  “Plan? What’s the plan, Kid?”

  Don’t call me that.

  “What the fuck is the plan, Kaarina?”

  Yeti’s tone has changed. He’s once again the fearless Unchipped leader. The protector and problem-solving warrior, who would walk through fire and lava for his people. Kaarina envies the way people look at him. Envies his steady, calm way of taking over the room whenever he talks. It annoys her more than Bill’s dramatic outbursts or how Markus never loses his temper. Not even when provoked—when it would be the sensible thing to do.

  Yeti turns and makes his way over. It’s just the four of them now, plus the dogs. Ev
eryone else heads back to the village and the small cottages they’ve made their homes. Markus will head back to the hotel, feed the kids, and comfort the adults. They’ll gather around the kitchen table, and later on around a bonfire. They’ll chitchat, tell stories, and laugh at each other’s jokes until they feel better again. Markus has even managed to get Ava to open up a little. Kaarina’s noticed the two spend more and more time together.

  Yeti stops and stands an inch too close to Kaarina. His breath tickles her forehead. She wants to fold and take a step back, but she forces herself to look up and face him.

  “Spit it out.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “I’ll pick your ass up and shake it out of you.”

  Kaarina looks past Yeti to see if Bill’s picking up the tension. But he’s still sitting there, wordlessly comforting Luna by the grave.

  “You’re not touching the capsules,” Yeti says, lowering his voice.

  “I’m not.”

  “Don’t lie to me.”

  “I wouldn’t,” Kaarina lies.

  “Bullshit. Do I need to remind you that I practically live inside your head? Just spit it out. Why are we suddenly opening the pods? What’s going on?”

  She can’t help herself. Laura Solomon’s face flashes through her mind. Images of the place where she and Yeti once lived, side by side but not together. The woods, the suburbs, even the city. Yeti takes a step back, staring at Kaarina with his narrowed eyes.

  “I see. You want revenge.”

  Kaarina folds her arms, peeks at the grave. Bill is now partly turned on his seat in the grass, staring at them. Dodging his questioning look, Kaarina leans in so only Yeti can hear her. Their faces are close enough for their lips to meet. Her heart beats faster, and she’s not sure if it’s rage, fear, or lust she feels. “I can take Laura Solomon.”

  “I know you can.” His breath feels hot against her cheek. Kaarina breathes faster.

  “And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

  When his lips press against hers, she doesn’t back away. Bill’s voice—his squeal-like screams—fill her head, but she blocks the connection in the middle of his hasty sentence. “Oh no girl, you didn’t! I knew it! I—”

  When their lips part, the kiss leaves both of them breathless. Kaarina doesn’t care about Bill’s whooping, or the fact that Luna now gapes at them open-mouthed. At least one of them is surprised.

  Yeti’s not startled by them. Or by Kaarina’s plan. Nothing can shake his calm, not even the fact that Kaarina wants to go back to war with the Chipped—just as they’ve successfully escaped it. A small, crooked smile twists his lips.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You.”

  “You’re laughing at me? I thought you said I could take her.”

  “I did. And you can,” he says. “I just didn’t think it would take you this long to get started.”

  ***

  The hotel corridor is lit by a dim yellow light. The solar electric charger keeps the yellow glow going and provides the hotel and the villagers with more power than they need.

  Happy squeals echo through the open windows from the empty pool outside. Markus is in the middle of a story. On the other side of the crackling bonfire the kids sit on lounge chairs or by the side of the pool. A woman’s soft voice alternates with Markus’s. They tell the story together, first in English and then in Spanish. The kids clap their hands, chuckling happily whenever the Abominable Snowman trips on a treasure or ends up eating too much pea soup, his guts rumbling wildly.

  Sanna holds something fluffy against her chest. Mr. Bun-Bun, the bunny she’s carried with her ever since she escaped the Chip-Center in City of Finland. Owena is glued to her side, petting the critter’s long ears. Niina sits next to them, her eyes never leaving the girls.

  Kaarina leaves the window. Her soft footsteps take her further into the hotel. She can’t remember which hotel room Luna has picked for herself. They’ve decided to spread out evenly around the hotel; Kaarina, Luna, Yeti, Markus, Ava, Bill, and Micky. It’s clear this resort—once owned and run by the Chipped—is abandoned. When they arrived, everything was covered by white sheets and a thick layer of dust and dirt. The pool stood empty. The hotel doors shut but unlocked. Power off. Tiles off as well.

  In the basement, only the four stasis capsules—out of several hundred—were still humming, their tenants trapped inside, seemingly nestled in dreamy, peaceful, perpetual sleep. The other capsules stood dark, doors eerily open. Those who live in the village don’t know about the basement. Only the seven who live in the hotel do. Waiting. Watching. Trusting Margaret; she would never have sent them to this place if it wasn’t safe.

  Would she?

  Yellow light shines into the hallway from below the door. It’s Luna’s room. When Bill handed her a bottle of gin from the pool bar, Luna had excused herself from the nightly storytelling and withdrawn into her room.

  Kaarina knocks on the door. “Lu? It’s me. Kaarina.” No answer.”Can I come in?”

  She waits, doubting that Luna will agree to her company. Smiling and pleasant, Luna’s one of Kaarina’s favorite people. Still, she also knows the woman is a force to be reckoned with. Luna’s temper has flared up multiple times. Living alone for so long, and then losing everyone she ever cared for has done a number on her nerves. Then again—everyone’s on edge. And with good reason.

  The last time Luna had snapped was when Micky used Luna’s CS-key as a coaster. His cocktail glass shattered against the conference room wall before Micky had a chance to finish his joke about the Chipped swimming in the pool with no water in it.

  Kaarina’s about to turn around and leave Luna to grieve for Sloboda in peace when the door opens. Luna’s swollen eyes meet Kaarina’s. She nods for her to come inside. Kaarina walks into a room identical to hers. Luna tosses a pillow on top of something and sits on the bed. The room is dimly lit, and Kaarina doesn’t get a good look at the object. A book? A photo frame?

  She sits down on the stool by the small writing desk. “How are you holding up?” Kaarina winces at her own words. “Scratch that. What an idiotic question.”

  Sitting on the bed, Luna hugs her legs against her chest, staring into space. A small smile lingers on her delicate face. “You know what Sloboda means?” she asks, her voice calm and at ease. Has she really understood that her friend is gone now?

  “I don’t. What does it mean?”

  “Freedom.”

  Kaarina swallows, dodging Luna’s red eyes. Even in the dim light, her pain is evident, and it rips Kaarina apart. She has to grieve Sloboda’s death all over again. And Kaarina can’t help but feel at least partly responsible for this. If Luna hadn’t been forced by Iris to work for the Chipped and locate Kaarina, she would have been spared the whole mess. “I’m so fucking sorry, Lu.”

  Luna shrugs and huffs. “What for? You didn’t do this. She did.”

  Kaarina holds her breath. Maybe it isn’t the wrong time to ask for Luna’s help. Maybe the timing could not be better. “So you don’t blame me for this?” Kaarina asks. “You blame Solomon?”

  Luna tilts her head. She reaches for something under the pillow, then stops to think. Then she gets up and walks to the gaming chair at the end of the room. She takes out the CS-key that blinks a purple light. “Sure, Solomon’s part of it. But she’s not the one who put Sloboda in that death-capsule. Iris did.”

  Kaarina thinks of the young woman with blue and white hair.

  “I forgot about Iris,” Kaarina says.

  “I didn’t.”

  “You know, maybe we could find a way for you to reach Jovan. Something tells me you could use an old friend right now.” Luna glances at the pillow and whatever lies hidden underneath. She doesn’t answer. “Or would you rather forget everything that happened in City of Serbia?”

  “Belgrade.”

  “What?”

  “City of Serbia is a term for the Chipped. It’s Belgrade.”

  Kaarina investig
ates Luna’s face, trying to figure out if she is losing her mind or just now finding it. “Would you rather forget Belgrade? Or reconnect?”

  Luna walks over and hands the CS-key to Kaarina along with two white pills. Pain killers. To help her tolerate the purple light and the pain it creates in her skull. She stares at the pills on her open palm, not wanting to take them but knowing she won’t make it if she doesn’t.

  “Oh, I haven’t forgotten anything,” Luna says. “But it’s not Jovan I want to reconnect with.”

  ***

  The yellow lights in the basement come to life under their footsteps. It’s midnight when Luna and Kaarina make their way downstairs with the CS-keys, Margaret’s and Kaarina’s computers, and a memory stick with a snippet of code and a map of Iceland. They make their way to an area with shelves, drawers, and mountains of supplies.

  Kaarina flips the lights on while Luna opens the computers and fires up the CS-keys. The screen on Bill’s CS-key flickers numbers and letters. Kaarina nods at the screen. “Can we still collect the CC’s while doing this?”

  Luna shrugs, reaching for the old-fashioned computer. She inserts the memory stick into it. “We have more than we need anyway. Bill’s going to send in the order next week.”

  The black market order for food, clothing, building supplies, medicine, and water has been made together with everyone at the resort. After Luna’s hack of the Chip-Charity accounts, they could be considered as wealthy as the upper class of Chipped in the cities.

  “What if the Chipped audit the CC accounts?” Kaarina asks.

  “I’m not sure I follow.”

  “They must have noticed the leak by now.” Kaarina waits for Luna to nod. “What if they find a way to follow the missing CC’s? They would find us in a heartbeat.”

  Luna plops down on the sheet-covered tile floor. Green numbers run across the screen. “I guess it’s possible,” Luna says. “But unlikely. Think about it. The Chip System is only a few years old. So are the accounts. Hawk’s accounts operate on the dark web and she uses multiple untraceable black market servers around the world. If the Chipped can’t figure out how the black market handles thousands of off-radar accounts, I’m sure our one or two accounts are pretty damn safe.”