by Taya DeVere
“Let me know when you run out of pills. I’ll have Marco send you more.”
“Sure will,” Bill says, his voice colder than he would prefer.
The CS-key’s light turns dull gray. The call has ended.
Bill nudges the computer hastily, sending it sliding down the ledge beside the plans and papers. It stops near one of the lava rocks, only a few feet away from the blue lagoon. He considers going after it, not to save it, but to make sure it drops into the water. But he sits still, staring at its gray light while frustration and anger surge through his body.
He has a job here. An important one, too. He has a new family; Kaarina, the kids, the dogs. Considering the situation the whole world is in, Hawk’s right; he’s in a good place. He lacks nothing. Even the food is good here. The water pure and safe to drink. He gets to draw again. Make plans that will help people create a place they can call home. Why does he feel so ungrounded? Why can’t he live in this moment and enjoy it—just as Hawk suggested?
Sighing deeply, Bill tosses the pencil from his hand. It lands next to the CS-key and rolls down the cracked lava rock that covers the ground. At the edge of the lagoon, it slows on a short tuft of grass. Then it tips and falls into the blue water.
Bill looks down at the paper in front of him. A building rises on it, tall and majestic, with light tones and clear outlines. Balconies. A pool. Out-of-use horse stables. Metal gates, next to a raggedy guard shed.
Bill was supposed to re-imagine this Icelandic resort, an Unchipped village they’ll all get to spend the rest of their days in. Design it, order supplies, isolate them from the rest of the world for good.
But instead of a new beginning—he’s recreated the mansion.
***
“How’s it coming along, Beau?”
Bill walks into the room, ignoring the question Micky asks every day. Micky—and everyone else living at the resort—wants to see the plans, and to know when they’ll be ordering the goods. The supply order is all they need before their lives can begin. A gateway to self-sufficiency.
An image of the mansion—recreated in Bill’s notebook—flashes through his mind. Should he tell Micky? About the picture? About his longing for California? His hopes of finding Maria alive, stuffed away in a stasis capsule in a hidden basement? It’s all he’s been able to think about, ever since Luna and Kaarina found the four poor bastards, capsulated and forgotten downstairs.
“Grumpy much?” Micky stands in front of Bill, shirtless, his hands tucked into his white cotton pockets. He looks like a model from the AR-catalogue Bill used to draw products for. He forces a smile and says, “It’s coming along fine. Just ran out of pencils is all.” He thinks of himself, tossing a dozen pencils into the blue lagoon, screaming in frustration. “Just a few more details, and we’re good to go.”
Micky pinches Bill’s cheek. “That a boy. Proud of you, Beau. So, you’ll never guess what Ava and I cooked today while Markus…” While Micky goes on about his day at the resort, Bill throws himself on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, he thinks of the CC’s Luna has gathered on his CS-key and the account Hawk has created for this purpose specifically. The amount grows every day. Would he have enough? Enough for him to travel home?
“Micky, do you have a list of the black market goods? The prices?”
Micky stops waving his hands in the air. He stares at Bill, vividly upset at him for interrupting the story. “You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said. This one’s funny, Bill. We got the dogs to play-attack Yeti while he used the outside shower. Wacko stole his towel—”
“Micky. Please.”
A deep sigh. Micky’s shoulders fall in defeat. Pouting, Micky looks away from Bill. “Sure, I have a list. You do too. It’s in the folder on your CS—”
“Does it include travel expenses?” Bill curses silently. He doesn’t mean to be this rude to Micky. He adores the man. Micky might be the single reason why he hasn’t completely lost his mind over Maria, while escaping the war and settling in Iceland of all places. Micky and his medication. He could manage losing one of them, but not both.
“Travel? Of course it doesn’t include travel.” Micky’s upset tone has turned into a surprised one. “All flights are auctioned these days. I mean, most of the Chipped can’t afford to travel anymore. And after the plague in City of England, most places are restricted. Closed borders all around.”
“Is City of California one of those places?”
“You want to go back home, Bill? Is that what this is all about?”
Yes.
Bill can’t help but blink rapidly, as he tends to do when he’s lying. “No. Of course not. I’m just asking.”
“Is this about Maria?” A deep frown shades Micky’s gorgeous face. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation again.” He gives Bill a sad smile. “You know how much I adored her. Losing her was like losing a limb. Two limbs. But your irrational hope for her surviving the shooting… Beau, are you—”
“Taking my meds?” Bill curses himself for raising his voice. With a softer tone, he continues, “Yes, Micky, I am taking the pills. And this… feeling is more than just an illusion or wishful thinking. I mean, you know they don’t just kill people. Why would they? The city needs them. It’s not that fucking far-fetched that Maria’s still out there.”
“But still—”
“Okay, could you just please tell me what the hell does a plane ticket cost these days? An arm and a leg? A piece of my cursed brain? What?”
Micky sighs and spreads his hands. His bare feet don’t make a sound as he strolls across the floor and sits on the bed next to Bill. “For you to purchase a one-way ticket home—it would cost as much as the final supply order we’re about to send in.”
Bill extends his hand and runs his fingertips on Micky’s silky back. It’s not the man’s good looks that he has fallen in love with. It’s his wit and good heart. The way he cares for everyone—even those who can’t see the kindness and love behind Micky’s sometimes outrageous and frustrating ways.
“Are the flights really that expensive? Even for just one person?”
Micky nods and turns to take Bill’s hand in his. “Now that’s just silly talk,” he says. He lifts Bill’s hand and presses his lips against the back of his palm. “Because let’s face it, Beau. You’d need two tickets.” Micky pushes his chest out and points at his naked upper body. “You’re a smart man, you would never leave something this fabulous behind. Would you, now?”
***
The next morning, the seven of them meet in the hotel conference room: Bill, Yeti, Luna, Markus, Kaarina, Micky, and Ava. They gather at the round table with steaming mugs of instant coffee. Luna’s the only one who has a CS-key in front of her. It’s Bill’s and not the one they had stolen from City of Serbia. It’s the one with the untraceable CC account—now full of money.
Ava being the one who Margaret is most likely to tap—if she’s still coming back—has made the girl part of their leadership crew. Yeti has objected vehemently to the girl being so closely involved on numerous occasions, but Markus and Kaarina have stood their ground. Margaret trusted Ava with the memory stick and her code for a reason. Even if they’re not sure what that reason is, it doesn’t lessen the fact that the girl is an important part of the rebellion.
Luna checks the screen and turns the computer around, so the purple light blinks against the table and not her face. “We now have more than we need. Almost twice as much as we initially agreed upon.”
Micky drums his fists against the table. “This is great news! I say it’s time to celebrate, don’t you think?”
Ava smiles next to Micky, nodding. “Micky’s right. We could definitely use some cheering up around here. I think a pool party is in order.”
Micky smirks at her. “No way we’ll let you get wasted, kid. Pool party or not.”
“Why not? After all I’ve been through, I should definitely be considered a grown-ass woman around here.”
Bill takes a pee
k at Luna, wondering how she’s taking the suggestion of them throwing a party—when the soil on Sloboda’s grave is still freshly turned. But the Serbian woman doesn’t look upset. She leans back in her chair, waiting for the whooping to pass. Then she exchanges a look with Kaarina.
“Before you run to the poolside and destroy what’s left of your liver,” Kaarina says, “Luna and I have something we need to tell you.” The whooping ends. All eyes flicker between Luna and Kaarina. “It’s about the four occupied capsules downstairs. Luna was able to hack into some of the Happiness-Program files. She found personal information about Doctor Solomon, as well as the rest of the founders who created the technology behind the Chip-System.”
“And?” Ava asks. “Why do we care about those old farts?”
Kaarina nods at her. “We care because four of the founders are stored right here in Iceland.”
Yeti sits taller in his chair. “Those four downstairs are big chiefs? Not missing people, but the very assholes who are responsible for the capsules in the first place?”
“Yup. Those assholes,” Luna says.
Yeti grunts, then pauses to think. “Well, that changes things. In a way, they’re responsible for all of this, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?” Luna asks. “You think they shoved themselves in there? Walked in and closed the door?”
“I don’t give a shit who put them in there. I don’t even care why.”
“Do you care about the fact that one of them is Laura Solomon’s mother?”
Gasps and murmurs fill the meeting room. Yeti gets up from his chair and begins to pace in front of the wide windows. The pool area outside is filled with playing children.
“Laura’s mother, Mrs. Salonen, is the person behind the stasis capsules. I’ve read through most of her file, but there’s a lot more to go. This woman is more powerful and more intelligent than Doctor Solomon ever was.”
Bill clears his throat, just as stunned as the rest of the people around the meeting table. “So she’s the queen bee, then. Well, fuck! So why would Margaret send us here? Maybe she wasn’t trying to help us after all.”
Ava jumps to her feet and bangs her fist against the table. “Take that back, Bill,” she says. “Take it back immediately.”
Yeti stops next to Ava’s chair. “I’m sorry to say, kid, but the Yankee’s right.” He looks over at Bill and crosses his arms on his broad chest. The man is a mountain. Just as big and intimidating as the ones that rise at the resort’s horizon. “We can’t trust anybody outside this room.” He lifts his hand to stop Ava’s objection. “It doesn’t mean that Margaret is the enemy. It just means that we don’t have time to wait for her anymore. We need to throw Solomon off course before she tracks us.” Yeti looks at Kaarina, then at Bill. “If she doesn’t already know we’re here, that is.”
“There’s more,” Luna says, pulling something out of her pocket. She sets an inhaler, an empty chocolate bar wrapper, and a memory stick on the table. “The memory stick Margaret gave Ava,” she says and lifts the small device up for all to see, “It fits the stasis capsules.”
“Fits?” Bill says. “You mean it can be inserted into the pod?”
Luna nods. “We think the stick is the key to open the capsules safely…” Luna’s voice breaks, and she needs to stop to clear her throat. “Without injuring the person inside. So that whatever happened to Sloboda wouldn’t happen to her.”
“And what exactly happened to her?” Yeti asks. “Do we even know?”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure. But I’ve done some research. It seems the capsules may have some sort of, umm…”
“What?” Yeti asks. “Spit it out.”
“Healing capacity,” Luna says, hesitating.
“Like, curing sicknesses and stuff?” Ava asks.
Micky scratches his head. “That can’t be right. All those people, in all those cities… Can they all really be sick?”
Luna opens her mouth but can’t find the words.
“What, so Sloboda was cured of cancer in the capsule?” Yeti continues with the questions. “And we basically killed her when we pulled her out?”
Kaarina looks at Luna. When she remains tongue-tied, she speaks for her. “We don’t really know. Right now, we have more questions than answers. We’ll need to keep reading the files and dig deeper to solve all this. But if the capsules do cure people, it may explain why Doctor Solomon has stored those four downstairs. Maybe they were sick and she’s trying to save them. But that’s just one theory—"
“Maybe we can wake them up and ask?” Micky says, spreading his hands.
Ava jumps up and takes a sidestep. “Why would we ever wake them up? They’re the reason for all of this! The reason we had to run away, the reason Margaret is missing.”
“Not just Margaret,” Markus adds. “Millions of people.”
Kaarina leans back in her chair. She runs her hand through her blonde hair. “I know. Trust me, I know.” She looks out the window, then cups her face in her hands. “But there must be a reason why Solomon would leave them here. Either she’s trying to protect them, heal them, or…”
“By turning them into veggies?” Ava says, huffing. Yeti walks over to her and places his hand on her shoulder. Ava crosses her arms on her chest, won’t sit down, but calms down enough to listen what Kaarina has to say.
“Like I said, Laura is either protecting the founders, or something happened between them.”
“Such as what?” Markus asks.
“A disagreement,” Bill says. “What if they fought against Solomon’s plan? Maybe they were against storing people in the capsules and getting everyone chipped.”
They all consider Bill’s words in silence, Kaarina and Luna nodding at him. They’ve thought the same thing. Ava’s gaze travels between the three of them. She then huffs again, flustered and furious. “You can’t be serious. We finally find a safe place. A home. We get enough money to order what we need to become self-sufficient, to isolate ourselves from the Happiness-Program for good… and now you want to wake up the people who invented the whole fucking thing?”
“So let’s say they’re the good guys,” Micky says. “I mean, your Margaret is a founder of the program. All she’s ever done is help us, right? So releasing the good guys would be the right thing to do? Right?”
Ava opens her mouth, then shuts it again.
“I say we put it to a vote,” Bill says. “And then we learn more about the code and how the stasis capsules work. I mean, it’s great if we can open any of them safely and avoid another death like Sloboda’s, but there’s so much we don’t know about the Chipped technology.”
Markus nods at his words. “Bill’s right. We need to think about this. I mean, who’s to know if the Chipped could track us when we open a capsule? What if they can track Sloboda’s chip? None of us knows how this technology works.”
“No, she was Unchipped,” Luna says. “Her chip was never able to integrate with any aspect of the system. They can’t track her.”
“Yes, but we don’t know if these four people are Chipped or not, we don’t know why they’re in the capsules, and don’t know if the capsules themselves are part of the Chip-System,” Markus says.
Ava nods. “This is crazy. We don’t know shit. I mean, what if turning the capsules off will send some sort of an alarm to Solomon? We’d be as good as dead in a few hours.”
“What-if games sound like a poor plan to me,” Yeti says. “And guessing is just as useless. I agree with Bill. We should vote.”
Kaarina looks up from her hands and investigates the faces around the table. Bill shrugs and starts tapping her. You’re the man, Kay. Do your thing.
“Shut up, Bill.”
Then Kaarina clears her throat and sits taller in her chair. “All in favor of leaving the capsules alone, raise your hands.”
Ava and Markus raise their hands.
“All in favor of waking up the founders?”
Yeti and Luna raise their hands
without hesitation. Micky looks at Bill, tapping him from across the table. “We going home or staying, Beau? Now’s the time to decide.” Bill shakes his head and dodges Micky’s questioning stare. Maria’s dark face, her teasing eyes and half-smile flicker through his mind. Even if he did go back to California, even if he somehow found Maria stored away in an underground capsule, he’d need to know how to get her out safely.
Bill raises his hand. Micky and Kaarina follow his lead.
Ava scoffs. “You’re all fucking insane.” When Yeti reaches out to pat her shoulder, Ava tries to push him away. Bumping into him makes Ava stumble backward. “Get the fuck out of my way, caveman.” Yeti raises his hands and steps aside. Ava storms out of the room.
Markus gets up, gesturing for everyone to sit back down. “No, no. It’s better if I go after her. We voted the same way. If she agrees to talk to anyone, it’ll be me.” He walks to the door, stops, and turns to look at the round table.
“I just really, really hope you guys know what you’re doing.”
***
The pool area is empty; the children are gone. Micky’s collecting plastic mugs abandoned here and there around the deck chairs. He’s humming something, adding a few Spanish words now and then. Bill recognizes the song but doesn’t know its name. They used to listen to it back at the mansion, when devices like computers and pads were still everyday necessities rather than forbidden things to be feared and avoided.
Bill sits by the bar, sipping his fifth margarita. The alcohol has gone to his legs, making them wobbly and tingly. His mind keeps veering from a pink taco stand across the globe to the humming stasis capsules downstairs. The CS-key is upside down in front of him. He has filled in the final supply order, but he hasn’t pressed the send button. Two tabs remain open on the computer; the order page and the black market travel auction page. He has enough money to leave. To bring Micky with him. They could leave tonight while everyone is asleep. Nobody would know—not until Micky and Bill are sipping cocktails on a private jet, somewhere high above the Atlantic.