by Taya DeVere
They stand and watch the men argue. Ava still clings to Markus, nodding at everything he says. Kaarina reaches into her pocket and fishes out two white pills. She stares at them resting on her open palm. Luna investigates her face, trying to figure out what she’s thinking. Something tells her the moment’s private, too important for her to tap and ask.
Kaarina throws the pills into her mouth, swallows them down. She nods at the CS-key in Luna’s hands. “Is that the button?”
Luna hands the computer to her and nods. “The green one. Yes.”
They stand and listen to the men shouting at each other, Kaarina’s finger hovering above the button. When Yeti leans against a stasis capsule and starts banging his head against it, Kaarina shoves the CS-key at Luna.
“You do it. I can’t.”
Luna takes the computer. Before she can stop and think about it, she presses the green button.
Markus’s whole body freezes. Then he grasps at his head, screaming in agony. His body folds in half, and he kneels on the floor. Then all goes quiet. Ava stares in horror. They all do.
Then Markus lifts his gaze—his eyes glowing with a strange blue light.
“Markus?” Kaarina’s voice is just a whisper. “Markus what’s going on?”
With robotic, inhuman steps, he walks to the sandwich tray and picks up the kitchen knife. Luna tries to scream, but it’s like her whole body is paralyzed. She hugs the CS-key against her stomach and stares, uncomprehending.
“Ava, move!” Yeti has time to turn around but doesn’t reach them quickly enough. Markus lifts the kitchen knife, stabs Ava in the throat. Blood erupts as Ava clutches her throat, trying to stop the bleeding, then falls to her knees gurgling. Her head hits the floor as the life slowly fades from her shocked eyes.
Luna’s scream fills the room. Kaarina gasps next to her, while Bill and Micky dart away from Markus and bolt across the room, slipping on the bloody floor.
Yeti charges at Markus, catching him by surprise. The kitchen knife falls to the floor, and Markus falls too. Yeti pins the possessed man against the yellow tiles. He fumbles for the knife and lifts it up in the air.
“No!” Kaarina runs over and grabs Yeti’s hand.
“Let go, Kaarina! He’s not Markus anymore!” Yeti yells.
“No, you can’t kill him!”
When the knife falls to the floor, Yeti lifts Markus up, pinning his hands behind his back. Markus doesn’t scramble or try to get away. His dead neon-blue eyes just stare off into space. Yeti shoves him in the closest stasis capsule and locks the door. “Quick! Luna! Bring me some rope!”
Luna turns and runs to the storage space that has been her office for the last few days. She pulls open drawers, letting them drop to the floor and pour out their contents onto the yellow tiles. Finally, she finds the bundles of rope, packed away in one of the storage chests. She picks out as many bundles as she can, grabs a toolbox, and runs back to Yeti.
Yeti wraps a rope around the capsule where Markus’s static body stands.
“What the hell happened?” Yeti asks Luna. “Is the city shut down?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know.”
“Well have a fucking guess, would you?”
“They… maybe… Could it be a failsafe? In case someone tries to switch off the city?”
“You’re seriously asking me? Come on!”
“They… they must have figured it out. Used the switch against us.” She taps the CS-key in her hands. “The code didn’t trigger City of Finland, but something else.”
“Not something else,” Kaarina says, tears streaming down her face. “But someone. Look.”
Luna looks in the direction where Kaarina’s finger points: Mrs. Salonen and the three other Chipped leaders in the capsules. All their eyes shine with neon colors.
“This is what Margaret meant,” Kaarina says.”The memory stick. She said, ‘Use it when those who you trust the most turn against you.’ Maybe the stick overrides whatever’s taken them over? We must try it. We must wake up Mrs. Salonen. She’s the only one who can fix this.”
Then the sound reaches their ears. Screams. From upstairs, where the kids are having breakfast burritos with their guardians. Chipped and Unchipped alike.
Yeti takes two long strides toward the basement staircase. “Fuck! It’s happening upstairs too!” He waves at them, gesturing for them to hurry. “The kids, we need to help them! All the Chipped must be controlled by Doctor Solomon.”
Bill and Micky come back from their hiding place. Micky joins Yeti, but Bill steps to Luna’s side. “I’ll stay with her. In case… Like mother like daughter.”
“Don’t let her out of the capsule until her eyes are a normal color,” Kaarina says. Then they all race toward the staircase. Running footsteps thump against the basement ceiling. At least the children are now running away to hide from their possessed guardians.
When it’s just the two of them, Bill digs out his CS-key. He’s hidden it under his sweater. Luna looks at the screen; it’s a list of hundreds of items. Food, medicine, construction supply. It’s the order Bill said he sent out to the black market days ago.
He presses the send button and sets the computer on the floor. Then he reaches for the toolbox by the rope bundles and takes out a hammer. Bill smashes the CS-key into a shapeless lump.
“What’s that all about?” Luna asks.
Bill looks at her, slightly out of breath. “The supply order. I said I sent it in, but I never did.”
Luna stares at him, speechless again.
“That’s right. How shitty is that? And that’s not all. I’ve used it to call the home base in California. Thought about going back, actually.”
Luna frowns. Her hand wraps around the AR-glasses in her pocket.
Bill raises his palms. “I know, I know. But you can judge me later. Let’s wake this granny up first.”
Luna hands the AR-glasses to Bill, the ones Jovan gave her to stay in touch. Her ticket home to City of Serbia. “While you’re at it… could you get rid of these too?”
He stares at the device for a moment. Then, without a word, Bill smashes the AR-glasses into small pieces. Then he grabs a rope and wraps it around Mrs. Salonen’s capsule. Luna follows his example, and soon all four stasis capsules are secured with something other than Chipped technology.
Bill turns around. “Do it now. But wait to see if her eyes change color.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Then we’re screwed.”
Luna looks over to Markus, staring at her friend in his prison. No, not her friend—something else. A machine. Controlled by some secret command given by the Chip System only a brief moment ago. Solomon has turned Markus into a mindless killer. Why would Mrs. Salonen turn out any different?
Luna keeps staring at Mrs. Salonen. What if she’s just as cruel as her daughter? If they bring the old woman back, will she agree to help them? This founder was the mastermind behind the Happiness-Program, even more so than Solomon. But if she agrees with everything Solomon is doing, why would her daughter have locked her away like this?
Luna enters the memory stick into the capsule base. She steps back and stands next to Bill. Without thinking about it, she grabs Bill’s hand and squeezes it. He squeezes back.
At first, nothing happens. Then, the blue glow in Mrs. Salonen’s eyes slowly fades. Soon, her eyes are soft and friendly, moving ever so faintly. She blinks but then closes her eyes like she’s falling asleep again.
“Is the stick doing that?” Bill asks.
“Must be… I have no idea what the hell that code does.”
“Luna, Bill,” Kaarina’s voice echoes in their heads. “The Chipped have all gone crazy. We’ve gathered most of the kids, but I can’t get to Sanna and Owena. It’s Niina, she… she’s locked up in their cabin. Eyes glowing, but she’s not hurting them. It’s like she’s possessed, but protecting the girls, instead of killing them. We’re in the kitchen, secure for now, but you must hurry. Yeti can’t hold th
em—"
The purple CS-key in her hand blazes to life, vibrating and buzzing madly. Startled, Luna drops it on the floor and loses the connection with Kaarina. The computer lands screen up, but doesn’t break. A purple light appears above it. The hologram starts to form, pixel by pixel, showing off first the sensible lab shoes, then the matching white lab coat. Soon, a smiling woman with a white doctor’s coat stands in front of them. The color of her eyes matches Mrs. Salonen’s; her white ponytail resembles the old woman’s hair. She stares right at Luna. Can she see her?
“So,” Doctor Solomon says. “Here we are.”
“You sick fuck,” Bill hisses at the hologram. “Is this your vision of a better world? Turning people into mindless murderers?”
The doctor’s smile deepens. Her eyes blinking softly, she shakes her head. “Oh, William. Always so black and white. Let’s face it; you did this to yourselves. I never told you to come after me. If you hadn't hacked into our system, poked around in files that were none of your business… well, do you think any of this would have happened?”
Bill swallows loudly and looks at Ava’s body on the floor, only a few feet away. Just like Luna, he can’t seem to bear to look at their dead friend. “No. You did this. You’re the murderer. You are killing innocent children as we speak. How does that fit into your Happiness-Program?”
“It doesn’t, that’s how. You know the program is for those who live in the cities, William dear. And you left. Dennis Jenkins had a spot in the sun for you. A glorious apartment with a view. A self-driving limo, a dream job, everything you ever wanted out of life. And you threw it all away, and for what? To join a silly rebel girl who thought it would be fun to play war?”
“Fun?” Luna leans in and stares into the hologram’s eyes. “You think this is fun for us? People are dying!”
“Tell me this, sweetheart. Were people dying yesterday?”
Luna and Bill both stay quiet, reluctant to answer any question Solomon throws at them.
“Exactly,” she says. “No one was dying until you stuck your nose into files and programs that were absolutely none of your business.”
“Is that what Mrs. Salonen did?” Luna asks, desperate to think anything but the fact that the doctor might be right. That they themselves are to blame. “Is that why you locked her away and left her to rot? Your own mother?”
For a moment, Luna sees a trace of surprise on Laura Solomon’s face. “So that’s where you are, then. Iceland.” Her calm and soft expression returns. She starts tapping and swiping her invisible keyboard, a satisfied smile deepening on her face. “How is the resort these days? It’s been years since I’ve visited.”
“It’s better for some of us. Those who are not locked up in a hell-tube,” Bill says. “What did Mama Bear do to you anyway? I always figured crazy-ass dictators like you would have daddy issues, but clearly, you’re more fucked up than we thought. Killing someone who gave you life.”
“Killing?” Solomon leans over to a screen behind her, taps on what seems like a different keyboard than the one she’s been working with. After a pause, she says, “No, says right here. Her stasis capsule hasn’t been opened since 2085. My mother’s exactly where she’s supposed to be. And she’s very much alive.”
“She’s as good as dead and you know it,” Luna says. “You evil fuck-face.”
“Well, there you go again. Sticking your nose in our family business. A matter that has nothing to do with any of you. Don’t worry about my dear old mother. I can assure you she’ll stay under my control. Just like your other Chipped friends. Speaking of which, how is Mister Nyman doing these days?”
Bill and Luna can’t help but look at Markus, stored inside a stasis capsule with a rope around it. The tinted glass shows his silhouette and a pair of glowing neon-blue eyes.
“He always had the kindest eyes, that boy. Gorgeously striking blue, especially at the moment, don’t you think? See, at first I didn’t like it. When I noticed how the gene expression that followed this particular chip update caused their eyes to glow. And then… well it started to grow on me.”
“Luna, look!” Bill says silently, tapping Luna so Doctor Solomon can’t hear. Luna looks in the direction Bill’s pointing; at Mrs. Salonen. The old woman’s eyes are open again. They don’t emit an unnatural light. Her eyes move from side to side, slowly, as if she’s trying to figure out where she is. What year it is. Why she’s locked in a machine she once created. Luna feels bad for her, and at the same time, she wishes the woman would snap out of it faster. Be more efficient. Help them destroy her own flesh and blood.
“Well, my loves,” Doctor Solomon’s hologram says. “It’s been a pleasure chatting with you. But I need to let you go now. Much to do, you see.”
“And who are your Chipped minions killing in the city?” Bill asks. “If you need suggestions, I’d recommend a certain nurse who can’t keep her mouth shut.”
Solomon laughs, reaching for something they can’t see in the hologram. Soon the AR-glasses appear on her face. “Nurse Saarinen is only doing her job. If I’m not wrong, it was your precious Kaarina who spilled the beans. You got pretty close, I’ll give you that. Too bad your leader is a half-witted barn worker who shouldn’t be in charge of anything more complicated than shoveling manure.”
“Don’t talk about her like that!” Bill and Luna say in sync. This makes Solomon laugh even more.
“Such innocence. Such inanity. One thing I’ll give Kaarina, she’s really got you all brainwashed.” Solomon shakes her head and sighs. “It’s a shame, really. With your skillsets, many of you would have excelled in the city. And yet, here we are. You, floundering in what you call war and what I call an after-thought.”
“If we’re such a nullity, why slaughter us?” Bill says. “Whatever you did to the Chipped, make them stop. People don’t have to die.”
Solomon shrugs at Bill’s words. “As I said, dear. You brought this on. Not me. Now, excuse me. I’m running late for a board meeting.”
“Wait.”
Bill looks at Luna, tapping her, but she blocks the connection. There’s no time. They need Solomon to turn off the nanobots. If she doesn’t, they’re all as good as dead.
“What if I were to tell you your mother is awake?”
Solomon’s head tilts, but she doesn’t take off the AR-glasses. “That’s cute, my dear. But it’s a bit too late for bluffing, don’t you think?” She turns to shut down the connection.
“Margaret Lewis,” Luna says quickly. At her words, Solomon freezes again. She turns and takes off her glasses. “Okay,” she says, forcing a small smile. “You have my attention.”
Luna swallows and dodges Bill’s gaze. He wouldn’t approve of her plan, if he knew what she was about to do. If what she’s thinking can be called a plan. She’s winging it. But if they lose Solomon now, they’ll lose Markus and possibly everyone else in Iceland for good. Yeti is strong and knows how to fight, but there’s only one of him, against dozens of murderous Chipped.
“She gave me a code. Margaret. A code and a memory stick.”
All trace of amusement and calm disappears from Solomon’s face. Her eyes turn cold, her lips press into a thin line. “Did she, now?”
“Yeah, she did. And I know it can open her stasis capsule and free her from whatever sickness you’ve laid upon the Chipped. I know because we’ve already done it. We’ve already woken up Mrs. Salonen.”
Doctor Solomon’s face relaxes. She doesn’t smile but rolls her eyes quickly. “See, now I know you’re bluffing. Didn’t I just tell you I checked her capsule door? It hasn’t been opened for years.”
“That’s only because we tied a rope around it,” Bill says and steps closer to Mrs. Salonen. The old woman’s blurred eyes lock on Bill. When he raises his hand and waves it in front of her eyes, Mrs. Salonen blinks twice.
“A rope? What good would that do?”
“We weren’t sure if pulling the switch would open them,” Luna says and then shakes her head. “Doesn’
t matter. She’s here now. Wide awake.”
Solomon stands up, the hologram now only showing the back of her white doctor’s coat. Wordlessly, she puts on the AR-glasses, tapping and swiping the air again.
“You can’t reverse this,” Bill says. “We know how to take off the chipping helmet too. We’ve done that before.”
Solomon doesn’t reply.
Luna walks over to Bill and reaches for the rope. Are we sure she’ll be on our side?
“She fucking better be. And if she’s not… how much worse can this get?”
Luna nods at Bill. They loosen the rope. Solomon taps and swipes, her fingers working unnaturally fast on her invisible keyboard.
The rope falls to the floor. When Luna looks up, Mrs. Salonen stares straight at her. Her lip twitches half an inch, her eyes blink slowly. She’s coming to her senses.
“You really thought you could beat me, didn’t you?”
Luna turns around and sees Solomon sitting again. Her face is calm and expressionless once more.
“We’ll beat your ass any day,” Bill says, smiling. “You sick fuck.”
Solomon smiles, then turns to reach for a screen next to her. She taps on a button, then turns to face them again. “Then tell me this, sweethearts.”
The speakers at the ceiling crackle to life. Outside, the sirens do the same.
A sharp pain travels across Luna’s body, from the back of her head all the way to her toes. A high-pitch sound rings in her ears, filling her head with agony. Bill grunts and holds his head next to her. He can feel it too. Agony, surging through his brain. His veins. His whole being.
“Did you think that just because I can’t fully access your brain implant… I wouldn’t be able to have a little fun with it?” Doctor Solomon’s voice booms in the room.
The room spins. Luna supports herself against Mrs. Salonen’s capsule. The old woman observes her through the glass, confusion in her eyes.
“Not that you’d think to consider something like this. I mean, that’s something a smart person would do. To think about what it means. To have a piece of technology inside your head… technology that I created.”