27 – An Adult Conversation #2
He wonders if she’s about to tell him that he could show her what’s inside the room.
After the last ten minutes, he’s fairly certain he would be compelled to comply.
He wouldn’t be able to come up with a good enough reason not to.
Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to occur to her, or she realizes it would be a manipulation and she’s too good a person to wield her power over him like that.
“It’s okay. Only I can choose to have an abundant mindset and learn to reframe life’s road bumps as challenges—two of the many lessons from the constant stream of psychological exercises Janet was so fond of.
Thank you for not trying to see the bright side.
That’s always the worst. When you’re lost in a sea of melancholy, the last thing you need is some well-meaning person accidentally minimizing your pain.
Just let me wallow in it, damn it.” She chuckles.
It’s so good to see her smile, he can’t help but laugh too. “When Jerme died, I never wanted to talk to anyone about it because I was so afraid of the things people would say to me. I think that’s part of the reason I shut people out.”
“And send a manupartner to your FRIENDS groups?” she teases.
He waits for her to shoot a glare at the door, but she doesn’t. She must assume he keeps it at the office.
“I went to them when NHOS first rolled out Project LEN.” He chuckles again. “I was already quite adept at my aloof persona by then.”
Her mouth falls open. “So that version of you is the persona! That’s another thing I wondered about. I thought you were having an identity crisis. Or acting like everyone you meet is a manupartner.”
He shrugs. “I’ll admit I do that occasionally. It makes social situations easier. Wouldn’t Janet call it a defense mechanism? As far as identity crises go, I am indeed having one, considering I’m the very public creator of manupartners—”
“You’re either brave or foolish,” she says, and he raises a brow in question. “If you recall, the last time you said something to that effect, I got quite angry at you.”
He kisses her lightly. “You didn’t let me finish. I’m the very public creator of manupartners, in the midst of falling for a human woman.” Her cheeks redden, and he relishes that he can make her blush so easily.
The device in his pocket buzzes. “One second,” he says, pointing to his m-volt implant behind his ear. It’s a message from the identity company Electra mentioned. After their visit to the reincarnates, he created a BLACKOUT account and sent them a request to meet, and they’ve finally replied.
She watches him listen to his message, opening her mouth. Probably to berate him for getting distracted with his device, but he presses a finger to her lips before she can speak. “It’s good news that you’ll want to hear, so please hold your comments.”
“Oh, really?” she asks, swiping at his hand.
He brushes the last residual tears off her cheeks.
“Yes. We officially have an appointment with IdenTECH. Tonight.”
“Really?” she asks, beaming.
Res6 isn’t thrilled about the prospect of meeting at a dusty bar in Z Quadrant called Scraps with the two founders of the alleged company, but he has to give her something to make her happy, and keep himself valuable to her so she won’t leave.
That’s what he failed to do all those years ago with Jerme. He won’t make that mistake again.
Plus, seeing the conditions the reincarnates were being kept in convinced him a fake ID was an option worth exploring.
If she gets one, she’ll still have to be careful since Wanda can identify her.
But they can navigate that together—unless he can convince Inspector Wanda to grant the reincarnates personhood.
Then he could tell her about Electra and get her legitimate citizenship too.
Electra shakes his shoulders. “Really?” she repeats.
He grins. “Yes, really.”
The private SAT emits a faint humming as it zips across MSP toward Z Quadrant, the location of the meeting Res6 arranged for them with the founders of IdenTECH.
Beside him, Electra’s vibrating knee betrays her anxiety.
Since they set up the meeting, he’s been scrolling through BLACKOUT for anything that will give him some insight into the people he’s about to meet with.
She’s watching him intently as he scans an article. “What are you reading?”
She chews her lower lip, trying to steal a glimpse at his screen. “You don’t want to know,” he says, rubbing her knee to ease her nervous energy.
“Well, now I certainly do,” she says, leaning closer.
The SAT pulls into a public garage, and the doors lower to begin the air purification transfer.
There is a loud click before the hiss of the air exchange, which is powerful enough to rattle the vehicle.
Outside the window, the air becomes lighter until it’s the clear, breathable inside air he’s used to.
Electra reaches forward, tapping his phone to scroll to the beginning of the article Tommy sent that’s still making the rounds from over six weeks ago.
He lets her read it quickly, knowing there is no point in arguing once she’s decided something.
It’s part of the reason he’s sitting here.
At least she quit pressing him about his “work” experiment, i.e.
, the gelatinous blob that might one day become Jerme.
He knows she’s gotten to the part about the manhunt that took place in B Quadrant when she emits a small gasp. “This article is dated October 14. Does that mean Wanda knew about the reincarnates the day of the robbery?”
The word reincarnate seems to have caught on. Even the NewNews reporter is using it. “Evidently, but when she messaged me to ask for my help, she didn’t mention how long they’d known about them.”
“Several of the people at Camp Reincarnate stated that their owners turned them in, but the ones there the longest said they got caught, which suggests she found out some other way. Maybe BLACKOUT, like you and Tommy?” she asks.
“The organization that hosts and moderates BLACKOUT has a way of blocking people who might have cause to shut them down. Because NHOS isn’t shy about shutting things down, people like police officers or government officials and anyone associated with them get restricted.
I gather they know about it and occasionally find ways of getting access, but if the moderators routinely slipped up, people wouldn’t trust it.
NHOS could have found out through a number of channels—FrogBlog for one. ”
He doesn’t miss how she blanches at the app’s name.
“That makes sense. Do you think the woman from the article was in camp with the others? None of them mentioned running from the police during the interviews.” By her alarmed expression, she’s probably envisioning herself in the woman’s place—wherever she is now.
“Wait, how do you think they knew she was a reincarnate?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know—maybe her owner tried to turn her in, so she fled?”
“This whole situation is awful. Wanda couldn’t have been happy that this article got out. It reads like both NHOS and GROW are on cleanup duty. They published your official statement, which definitely reads as an advertisement for CHOICElover.”
She’s right, it does—he and Tommy crafted the statement specifically to make CHOICElover look good. The doors to the SAT open, and he takes Electra’s hand, helping her out. There’s no one but the half-interested Z Quadrant garage attendant in the vicinity.
She eyes the man as they pass into a vacant hallway. “Wanda won’t shut CHOICElover down, will she?”
“CHOICElover has always led the field with our security protocols and rigorous safety testing. We’ve been completely transparent with the Consumer Rights Protection Agency and Product Safety Commissioning Board.
Not to mention we’ve made our research available to NHOS, which has led to advancements in the disease prevention and human longevity project.
As long as our record remains untarnished, I don’t think we are the company that NHOS will be scrutinizing. ”
She takes his hand, squeezing. “Well, that’s a relief.”
He squeezes her hand back. “Electra, even if they forced me to shut down CHOICElover, we would be fine. I have more unicoin than we’ll ever need, and I would be highly sought after for other projects as a scientist and business leader.”
She stops midway down the hall, yanking him to a halt.
He turns, giving her a quizzical look. She shakes her head.
“I’m not worried about that, you ridiculous man.
I know your company is important to you, and even though I don’t necessarily think manupartners are the right solution for human companionship, I care about what happens to CHOICElover because it impacts you. ”
A not-altogether-unpleasant pang hits him square in the chest. “I knew you made your peace with what I do for a living, but that’s . . .” He looks away, fighting a wave of emotion. Her simple acts of caring are unlike anything he’s ever known.
“Come on,” she says, offering him a reprieve from his emotions.
Dear Electra, indeed. For her sake, he hopes that the IdenTECH people are the real deal. His concern for her happiness is beginning to eclipse his own desires, which might be concerning, if his descent didn’t feel so inevitable.
After a short elevator ride, they’re on the ground floor, hovering outside a dingy-looking bar called Scraps.
He follows her to the door, but just as she’s about to reach for the handle, she spins, retreating a step, and crashes into his chest. He takes hold of her shoulders. “Did you see something?”
She steps out of his reach a few feet from the door and leans against the wall, looking visibly shaken.
“No, but that article is freaking me out. Trust me, I would not do well in that center with only a blanket and the gross protein packs they’re giving those poor people.
I’ll be the first to say, if the apocalypse happens, just give me to the zombies. ”
“I’m sure Inspector Wanda’s given them better food and cots by now.” He leans against the wall next to her. “What about all the heroines you write about?”
A few people pass down the otherwise barren hall, not paying them any mind, but that doesn’t stop her from giving them a scrutinizing once-over. “That’s fiction, Res6. I am not cut out for a life on the run from monsters, or prison for that matter.”
“We’ll be fine. It looks like the bar has quite a few patrons, which is good for us. Let’s just step inside, and if anything seems suspicious, we can leave right away. We’ll just go up to the bar and order a cocktail like we planned. We have no obligation to talk to anyone.”
“You don’t really think it could be NHOS inspectors, do you?
” A strand of hair falls into her eyes as she leans forward to make an assessment through the glass of the door.
He reaches up and brushes it away, taking her jaw in his hand.
With her head angled toward him, the trepidation in her expression is impossible to hide. He hadn’t realized she was so nervous.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you, okay? This isn’t the other shoe dropping.”
Her eyes widen. “That’s a saying from my time.”
He grins proudly. “I know. I looked it up. I was reading about your scarcity mindset in an effort to understand you better.”
The pinched, fearful expression slips from her features, replaced with something softer yet more determined. “Wow. Janet would be proud. If you’re not careful, I’m going to think you’re enjoying romancing a human woman.”
“I learned from 2027’s alien romance queen,” he teases. “My new mantra is ‘What would Vorack do?’ ” This earns him a humorous eye roll. “Come on. Time to channel your inner Ella and face your fears.”
“That might be the best pep talk I’ve ever received.” She giggles, shaking her head. “Now or never, I guess.”