Chapter 8
Are you sure this is wise?
I paused only for a second while climbing the metal ladder to the surface. “Wise? Hell, no. But do we have any other options?”
I cautiously lifted the heavy cover to find myself at the edge of some paved road in Dreswick.
I could tell it was Dreswick by the smell of dead fish, which stunk even more than I remembered.
It was dark—middle of the night was my guess since there was no sign of another human being out and about.
I scanned the sky for the telltale blinking drone lights but saw none, not that I expected to see any.
There tended to be fewer drones out at night because the ones with night vision cost more.
I shimmied through the narrow opening and set the cover back in place, surprised at how well it blended in with the surrounding curb.
I wondered if the crawlers had built this entrance or if it was a leftover from the dozens, if not hundreds, of access points the original colony had built to the surface for their terraforming activities.
I stood and got my bearings, recognizing one of the buildings on the corner.
Then I took off running, still in awe that I wasn’t bent over, coughing up a lung.
Maybe, possibly, I don’t know, having an amp wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
On the flip side, that lady had stuck it in me for a reason.
If someone does something to you without your permission, it’s to benefit them, not you.
On top of that, nothing’s free in this world.
I wondered when I was going to pay the price on both counts.
I’d never been much of a runner, but with my lungs working better, I ran faster and farther than I had in over a decade.
I was careful to stick close to buildings, stopping before crossing an intersection or taking another road to look for drones.
The night sky was clear, like usual, even though I’d half-feared drones to be flying at me like a horde of hornets once I left the Crawl.
That everything was normal made me hope that the enforcers got bored chasing me and found another poor soul to torment.
It took about twenty minutes to reach Grandmother’s house, which was actually a basement in a three-story house she shared with five other extended family members—people she’d adopted through the years, like me.
As homes went, it was nicer than most without standing out.
One of the things I remembered most about her place was that there were no rats.
Only a mouse every now and then. To me, that made her place a castle.
I jogged down the steps and rapped the metal knocker on the old door.
A familiar face answered a moment later. She smiled. “Cal.” And then she sobered, glancing around and motioning me inside.
Once I rushed in, she closed and locked the door before turning to me. “You’ve made new friends.”
“How’d you know?”
She gave me a knowing look. Of course she knew. Grandmother knew everything.
“Have a seat. Let’s get you some tea.” She motioned to a teenaged girl peeking from the kitchen, likely Grandmother’s latest stray.
“I’ll take any old food you got laying around. I’ll pay you back,” I added as I sank into the worn, old, comfortable cushions.
“You’ll always be my son, and a mother’s job is to keep her family fed.” Grandmother nodded to the girl who hustled into the small kitchen.
I lifted my chin toward the kitchen. “Who’s that?”
“One of my children,” she answered before adding, “I was worried about you. I thought I’d either see you tonight, or I’d never see you again.”
Like I said, Grandmother’s the wisest person in all of Dreswick.
The girl returned a moment later, carrying a tray with a teapot and two cups and a bowl of cold rice with fish sauce drizzled over it. She set down the tray, eyed me, and then rushed away.
“She doesn’t like me,” I said.
“She doesn’t know you,” Grandmother replied.
I grunted. “Then she really wouldn’t like me.”
She set down her tea and steepled her fingers as she scrutinized me. “There’s something different about you.”
“Yeah, I’m a fugitive,” I said as I began eating the rice. It brought back memories from my childhood—I’d eaten rice with fish sauce every day for over ten years. It would always remind me of better times. No, make that the best of times.
“It’s not that. You’re not coughing. Did the clinic finally get some anti-inflammatories in stock?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I got an amp.”
She frowned. “Amps don’t have the capability to improve one’s health. You must’ve received bionanites.”
I tapped my temple. “It tells me it’s an amp.”
I am an amp. Byte actually sounded indignant.
She frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. Tell me how this came to be.”
And so I did.
When I finished, we’d drank her tea, and I finished a second bowl of sticky rice.
She bore a troubled expression. “Amps can’t be simply injected into someone’s brain…
unless they’ve discovered a new implantation vehicle, but that’s highly unlikely given I’ve seen nothing of it on the news.
Whatever you have, I believe it’s different, and that’s why the enforcers are looking for you. ”
“I figured they were looking for me since I irritated them.” More like they were looking for me because I was a witness to their murdering of old ladies.
She smirked. “I’m sure that plays into it. But what you have inside your head is like nothing I’ve heard of. It’s clearly not something available on the commercial market. They won’t stop looking for their property, especially if it’s something they don’t want anyone to know about yet.”
“They don’t know I have it,” I corrected. “Those guys had cleared out by then.”
Her brow furrowed. “I can’t believe they would put enforcers at your apartment and take Nolan if you’d merely irritated them.”
I jerked. “They took Nolan?”
She gave a tight nod. “They apprehended him at the Powerworks plant earlier today. He hasn’t been seen since. I’m sorry, Cal. He disappeared.”
I fell back in my seat, gutted. They’d taken Nolan. I never should’ve left him behind at the factory. They took him because of me . My body went cold. “I’ll turn myself in, exchange myself for him. They’d do it.” They had to.
“You would be signing your own death sentence.”
“Better mine than his.”
I disagree as I am wholly dependent on your health.
“Shut up,” I growled.
Grandmother looked offended. “Excuse me?”
“Sorry, it’s talking to me.”
Her brow knit. “It’s talking to you, as in conversationally? Even without you giving it commands?”
“Yeah, and it can be really annoying sometimes.”
“That sounds more like a support bot,” she said. “Maybe it’s an amp that can mimic support bot behavior.”
I chuckled. “You’re telling me I’ve got a sex bot in my head.”
I am not a sex bot. Yeah, Byte definitely sounded indignant that time.
“I’m saying that you’ve got something that seems to have attributes of several different technologies in your head.
It also seems to have the capability to produce bionanites.
It’s displaying characteristics of amps, bionanites, and bots.
If this is a prototype, it’s a very special prototype.
Tell me, did the person who injected you give any reason why she chose you? ”
I shrugged. “My guess? Because she was dying, and I was the only person in the alley. Which reminds me… if I ever think of trying to help someone again, please tell me I’m an idiot.”
She smiled. “Helping others is never idiotic.”
“I’m living proof that you’re wrong.”
“Then I’m the biggest idiot of all, hmm?”
I cowered under her pointed stare. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”
Her features relaxed. “What do you intend to do now?”
“Now?” I shrugged. “I figure, if they want it back so much, they can have it as long as I get Nolan back.”
Impossible. We are integrated.
Grandmother’s expression turned into one of sadness. “You know that no one’s ever found someone who’s disappeared.”
I tapped my temple. “Yeah, but I’ve got leverage.”
She stood as well. “Cal, as much as I hate to say this, you can’t do anything for Nolan.
You can’t negotiate with enforcers. Negotiations are only possible when the two parties have something to gain.
But there is nothing to prevent them from taking both you and keeping Nolan, if he’s even still alive. ”
I glowered.
She continued. “But you can still protect yourself.”
I guffawed. “I don’t give a flying?—”
She pressed a finger to my lips just like Grandmother who’d raised me. “Shush. I care about you, and I care about Nolan. You can’t do anything while you’re running in the dark, so find out what this thing is inside your head.”
“Yeah, that’s easier said than done since the only people who can tell me about it are either dead or want me dead.”
She thought for a moment. “You need to return to the Crawl.”
“Trust me, it’s not safe down there. That’s why I came back here.”
She held up a finger while she communicated with her amp. “Can you find your way around the tunnels?”
I nodded. “Sure, I guess.”
“Good. Go to 39-12-G. At least that was her last known location. Ask for Skeleton Key. Tell her Grandmother sent you, and that I’m calling in a favor for her to help you.”
“Skeleton Key? Her parents had a weird idea for a name.”
“She’s a very good hacker. If anyone outside of Softbiotics can tell you about that amp in your head, it’s her.
” She looked around, nervous. “Now, you better hurry. If that is an amp in your head, then it’s connected to the amp-link, and anything on the network cannot be trusted.
If the enforcers aren’t on their way here yet, they will be soon. And I have work to do.”
Dread caused bile to rise in my throat as soon as I realized what I’d just done. First, I screwed over Nolan. Now, Grandmother. I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think?—”
“No,” she interrupted. “You’re my son and always will be. I’m glad you came here so that I could see you were still alive. So… stay alive for me; that’s all I ask.”
I reached out. “Come with me.”
She gave a smile. “I’m Grandmother. Dreswick needs me.”
“Screw Dreswick.”
She scowled.
I felt like a kid again.
The girl from the kitchen was peeking around the corner, watching us carefully.
I tapped my foot, anxious, focusing on Grandmother. “Just come with me for now. I’ll bring you back when it’s safe.”
“It’ll never be safe. It’s never truly been safe. Don’t worry about me. Grandmother has taken care of Dreswick for nearly two hundred years. I’m not going to allow a few enforcers to take her away.”
I stared at her as if I could mentally will her to change her mind. She didn’t budge. When I realized that, I hugged her. “I’ll figure out what this thing is, and I’ll find Nolan. I’ll come back. Take care of yourself.”
“And you take care of yourself, son.”