16. On the Same Wavelength
Chapter sixteen
On the Same Wavelength
Translucent fish swam through the air. I reached out to touch one but felt nothing as my fingers passed through the light construct.
Soft, bubbly Finian-produced instrumentals gave a subtle ambience to the tame conversations around Wavelength. Half of the tables were occupied by smaller groups than ours of five. Some sat alone, sipping vibrant light-infused drinks while their eyes flashed with neurospace usage.
Koa took a handful of the fish-shaped snacks from the bowl in the center of the table and kicked her legs onto the empty seat next to her.
“Try some,” she said as she noticed my eyes on her. “You like fish?”
I nodded, took three, and shoved them into my mouth.
I was growing hungry for more than food and hoped a small snack would compensate for however long we would be with them.
It had a slight fishy taste, but it was not strong enough to leave the residual feeling of the sea in my mouth.
Each piece was airy and dissolved within a few bites.
After eating, the smell of sea water overcame my senses.
A Finian approached us in a sleeveless tuxedo, displaying pale arms with glowing tattoo sleeves. He placed a coaster before each of us. “Anything to drink?” he asked.
“Surprise me,” Kao said.
“Whiskey on the rocks,” Koro said.
“Milk,” Kyo said.
She raised her eyebrows, noticing my attention on her.
“Yes, of course they have the real stuff here. I won’t order any of that artificial guk and have grown sick of trying to find it elsewhere but here you can count on.”
I looked up at the waiter. Maybe Akna was onto something, but I doubted she drank anything as real as this. “I’ll have a glass of milk as well.”
Kyo smiled. “You picked a man of taste, Naoma.”
Taste had nothing to do with it.
My knowledge of what real milk was like was nothing more than a collection of rumors.
The taste didn’t matter, only one of the facts I knew to be true.
It wasn’t teeth and I hated the liquid bones Abbas had given us, but I was willing to try anything for the promise of calcium if it meant a relief of my growing hunger.
“Speaking of him–”
Kao cut off Kyo. “Did you want anything, Naoma?”
“Matcha would be great.”
The mechanical band across the top of the Finian’s head lit up as he spoke. “Wonderful, I’ll be back with them soon.”
Kyo faced Kao with wide eyes. “Now?”
Kao nodded.
Kyo giggled. “So who is this, Naoma?”
“This is Petya, my boyfriend.”
Kyo squealed.
Koro nodded.
I wanted to be happy to hear her say it but wondered if it was safe to give my name.
Looking around at the security pods on the ceiling and the recognition software 3Rochi was bound to have for security, I figured anyone here could have looked at my real name if they wanted.
Without Ralia covering our tracks, they could have learned enough to ruin any chance we had with 3Rochi.
I didn’t know the extent of Ralia’s work but figured she hadn’t made my history anything that would prompt questions.
“Okay…” Kyo rolled her wrist. “How long has this been a thing?”
Naoma smiled, keeping her composure, but that did little to mask her blushing.
Despite the show we were putting on, I knew that we both felt the reality of our bond taking root.
We were two adults from opposite ends of the world’s social order, yet here we were, on the edge of giggling like teenagers.
“I met him when things ended with Reef.”
Koro punched Kyo’s arm. “That is what we want to hear about.”
“But Naoma is our friend. Why do we have to make everything about business?”
Koro pointed at me. “Is he more than business to you?”
“Yes, of course.” She sighed. “And I’m not only with him because I no longer have a contract that forbids anything like this.”
Kao glared. “We’re not leaving Reef, either, if that is what you were here to suggest.”
“No, I–” She stopped as the waiter approached, then passed out our drinks.
“Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with.”
Kyo raised her drink and took a sip. She hummed her satisfaction then lifted her glass out toward mine. They clinked together and I drank.
It was sweeter than I expected and creamier than any of the milk replacements I had grown up drinking.
It was hard to explain the taste besides these two factors, but it tasted pure, like the real beef Boyband had fed us.
I took another sip, drinking like an infant to his mother’s milk.
It did nothing to soothe my hunger for teeth but left me feeling like I could bear the hunger longer.
“Loving it, huh?” Kyo set down her glass.
“I guess I was just a little thirsty,” I replied.
“Milk boy. You know what that means, Naoma?”
“What? No, I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Back to business,” Koro said after a sip.
Kyo groaned. “Come on, give us a second to breathe.”
“I’m not going to until we know if we can let our guard down.” She pointed at me. “I don’t know you, like, at all.“ Then, to Naoma, “And you’re different already.”
“Can I explain myself?” Naoma asked.
“Didn’t Anton die when you left?” Kao asked.
“Can I explain or not?”
Koro smiled. “There is the upfront Neon Idol I remember.”
Naoma looked at Kao, while running her finger around the rim of her steaming cup of matcha. “What did you hear about Anton’s death?”
“I thought it was a stunt to promote your next album, especially after the lack of footage following the supposed disaster.”
“It was in the Red District, right?” Kyo said.
Koro swirled her drink in her hand, the ice clinking against the glass like subtle chimes. “Still doesn’t excuse the footage they should’ve had.”
“Did the assailants delete the footage or did you?” Kao asked.
“I don’t know, justice wasn’t my focus then. Survival was all that mattered. Now that I’m on the other side, I can’t find anything about the people who did it.”
“Then what happened?”
“I think Crimson Phantom had something to do with it.
Koro scoffed. “I thought they backed off our market after their last flop?”
Naoma shrugged. “Apparently they have some new artists lined up, but they haven’t produced much yet. That being said, their sabotage hit them just as bad. Glowbones and other fiends in the Red swarmed us, but Petya actually helped me out of there.”
Kao ripped her glowing drink towards me. “So what brought you there?”
Naoma spoke for me. “He was a social strategist visiting to oversee the meeting between rival producers. He entered on neutral ground, but you can see that he chose a side.”
“But you’re not really Reef anymore.”
“Not really?” Kyo said. “Not at all. You’ve been off the grid, girl. Without weekly songs and some random Nichley project in Arabasia, people have been asking us too many questions that we can’t answer.”
Koro hissed after a sip. “Not gonna lie, Naoma. We all saw you as a friend but after disappearing without a word, we wondered what that meant.”
Kyo touched Naoma’s hand. “I was more worried about your well-being.”
Kao nodded. “That being said, we had a lot of thoughts when you came to see us.”
“Right during one of our largest pop-ups,” Koro said.
“We were near the end anyway.”
“Oh, I’m not complaining. I was sick of it by then.”
“So what did you want from us?” Kyo asked. “Just friend stuff, right?”
Koro held a finger up. “I want the rest of the story first.”
Naoma nodded. “Anton died, as far as I know, as well as most of our crew. There was something… other than just glowbones. Not sure how to describe it, but it was a massacre.“ She glanced at me. “Petya and some of his friends saved me. Then, I didn’t really know what to do. Without Anton, I didn’t have ties to Reef.”
“So you did a little soul searching?” Kyo lifted her glass to her lips, then paused before taking a drink. “Wait, where are you from, again?”
“It’s kind of private.”
“Kind of?”
“I’d rather not talk about it, but yes, I wanted to see what life was like without this being the center of it. I got pulled into the Nichley job because of an agent that I have since parted ways with.”
“So you’re just out doing your own thing now?” Kao asked.
“Independent artists are failures,” Koro said.
Naoma shook her head. “I used to think so, but I couldn’t agree less.”
“How so?”
I watched Naoma with interest in her answer.
It shouldn’t have surprised me that she had invested so much thought into this besides what we had discussed.
Everything was natural and not an obvious lie.
Most of it was the truth, despite the involvement of Crimson Phantom.
I found my muscles relaxing and my grip on her hand softening.
I no longer had to work to trust her. It came with the trust she gave me.
“Certain subcultures are aligning with the anti-capitolocratic parties in entertainment as well as with political stances. People want media produced by anyone other than companies. Yes, it’s rare, but it’s gaining more mainstream popularity.
Independent artists don’t have to hold to the Haven Health ads and the other Pharma collabs Reef forced upon us.
Sure, Finians have their up on the production side, but a lot of the independent producers have taken Finian implants to up their skill.
What independent agents lack, dedication compensates. ”
“And you’ve found one of these freelance producers with a Finian implant?” Kao asked.
“I’m working on it.”
What did that mean for Boyband? Would we have to add yet another modification to his body?
Koro shook her head. “Who is funding you? Who is advertising? Who–”
“I’m not going into this blind. I’ve had plenty of time to assess my options and I’ve got the help I need to get things moving.”
“So is your boy help or passion?”
“Can’t I be both?” I finished the last sip of my milk.
“Mixing love and business isn’t always a good idea,” Koro said.
“You think I haven’t heard that before?” Naoma said. “My career isn’t your problem.”
“Then why did you come?”