Chapter Nine
The flickering starts in my fingertips, spreading up my arms in tiny sparks.
I watch, transfixed, as the purple glow lights up my skin. It’s responding to the energy in the wires, calling to it like a magnet.
I’ve always been able to siphon electricity, ever since I can remember. Which honestly isn’t that long—maybe a few years locked in the room while the doctors ran their tests. It’s hard to say how long they kept me contained because I don’t remember any kind of life before.
My gaze drifts over the electrical landscape, taking in the dark area where no power is currently coursing through the lines. It’s been down for a while, but as it flickers to life, I recognize a deep red glow highlighting the spot where the flow flickers briefly.
A halo of gold surrounds the dancing light, flowing from the spot. It’s brighter than any other area. Could it be… Summer?
Perhaps. Someone is working on the lines, and as they fiddle with the wires, I reach out, letting my energy mingle with them, probing. “Summer?”
I sense the gasp through the energy, and the power levels out. “Ray? What...how did you...?”
“It’s me,” I respond gently. “I’m not sure how we can hear each other, but the current is carrying my thoughts.”
“But how?” There’s a pause as a flurry of thoughts patters against my senses. “You’re not even anywhere around me.”
“No. I’m down in the rooms and tunnels under the buildings inside the power hubs. I didn’t mean to scare you. I can...manipulate electricity. That’s how I noticed and connected to you just now.”
“Wow.” Summer’s energy shimmers, glowing brighter before leveling out. It’s strange, but I could swear I sensed her emotions fading to curiosity. “Huh. That’s...different.”
I chuckle. “You have no idea.”
“Well, it’s nice to hear you’re okay, Ray. I’m tapped into one of the primary hubs under the meal hall. One of the ventilation systems has been fickle, and I’m trying to figure out if we’re going to need new equipment or if it’s electrical.”
Her golden glow brightens, warming me. Maybe this place won’t be so bad after all.
“I need to thank you again.”
The change in conversation surprises me until she explains, “This morning I saw a woman who’d been rescued from the cages with us. But when I tried to talk to her, she didn’t recognize me at all. So… thank you. Again.”
I can’t remember a single time in the past that someone has thanked me. Ever.
Summer’s voice through our connection drops slightly. “It was the strangest thing. I sat next to her on the bus to the debriefing. But it was like she had no memory of me whatsoever. Total blank looks when she saw me. And she’s not feeling well. She had a headache and wasn’t sticking around to work.”
I frown, wondering about the programming I stumbled on when I located Summer. How often do they do that to the unsuspecting military? They’d never know.
“I’m in some really old tunnels,” I tell Summer, glancing around. “I haven’t left this room in a while. Too risky. But there are underground passages connecting all the buildings. I want to stop them, Summer. Whatever experiments they’re running—no matter how important they believe it is—it has to end. But I can’t do it alone.”
“Whatever you need, I’m here. I’m totally in your debt.”
Hope blooms in my chest, and I rub my sternum thoughtfully. Some of the feelings I’ve been experiencing are so… intense.
Summer’s voice through the wires becomes a conspiratorial whisper. “Here’s what we can do. I have a cell phone. It’s wireless, so we can talk to each other from anywhere on the base. I’ll give you my number and you can call me whenever you need to.”
I frown, puzzled by her strange words. “Call you? What does that mean?”
She sucks in a breath before saying, “Oh wow, you really don’t know, do you? Calling is when you use a phone to talk to someone far away. The phone converts your voice into signals that can be transmitted wirelessly.”
“Hmm.” I rub my chin, studying the way our communication carries along the wires. “And this‘phone’allows private conversation? No one else can listen in?”
Summer hums her agreement eagerly. “That’s right! It’ll just be between you and me. Much safer than trying to meet in person.”
Interesting. This technology could be quite useful if I can figure out how to access it, but perhaps the electrical current doesn’t need a wire.
“All right, Summer. I don’t fully understand, but I will try to call you on this‘phone.’Though...” I furrow my brow, squinting. “I suspect the electrical charge in the air has something to do with it. I may be able to use my abilities to connect to your device.”
“Ah... I never thought of that! You’re probably right, though. Let’s see if you can make it work.” Her husky voice sends a tingle down my spine. “This is my number. Two, five, eight…”
Her voice rattles off a combination of numbers that’s easy to remember, but how do they figure in with connecting to her device? “I think I understand. This‘calling’allows private conversations over a distance. Intriguing.”
I glance around my small, dingy room. I believed I’d hit limitless information when I discovered access through the system to the network called the Internet. But now, possibilities open before me.
A friend. Someone to explain all the things I don’t understand. We could…
“Summer, if I could access this‘phone,’it would change everything.” I know she’s maintaining a connection to the electrical wires to keep speaking with me. “We could truly communicate. Plan. I could learn so much from you.”
Excitement grows within me. I’ve spent my life confined, but Summer is a ray of light. I need to learn everything I can about this place, including how to survive outside it.
“I don’t fully comprehend this technology yet. But I will study it. Learn its secrets.” Energy crackles at my fingertips. “Somehow, I’ll use my abilities to connect us.”
“I know you can do it, Ray. And I’ll be right here to help along the way.”
“I won’t stop until I figure out how to access your phone,” I vow, already running through the unknowns I’d stumbled across in the system. “Just tell me where to start. I want to understand how this technology works.”
Summer laughs and the warmth travels through to me. “Let’s start with the basics. Cell phones use radio waves to transmit signals back and forth. That’s how we can communicate over distances.”
I listen intently as she explains, picturing invisible waves traveling through the air. “So if I can harness my abilities outside the electrical wires, I may be able to tap into those signals,” I realize.
Summer agrees, “Exactly! I know you can do it, Ray. We just have to break it down step-by-step.”
Her confidence in me is contagious. I feel energy thrumming through my veins, eager to be unleashed, making my dark skin fade to a glowing purple.
“We have a real chance here to take down the Program once and for all. I don’t have everything figured out yet, but I’m going to do it—no matter what. In fact, it’s better if we communicate from a distance. You should separate yourself from me so you aren’t blamed—”
“I don’t care about that.” Summer cuts me off. “I want to help. And I’ll be here whenever you need me. But I should go now and keep working. I have to shut this down again and do some troubleshooting.”
“I understand.”
“Oh, and we can also send written messages to each other through my phone. They’re called‘texts’and with the same number, they come into our devices, similar to emails and… well, you’ll probably see.”
Perhaps. I have a lot to learn. “Thank you, Summer.”
“Of course. I’ll be on and off all day, so reach out anytime.”
“Thanks.”
After a moment, I watch her light fade and the entire area’s power along with her. My mood plummets, but I remind myself it’s not about me. It’s about the others who are counting on me to help them escape.
I close my eyes and focus, letting my abilities expand outward. The electrical currents in the facility form a web around me, thrumming with power. I direct my consciousness along the threads, searching for the unique frequency of Summer’s phone.
When it’s not visible, I head into the information on the internet. There’s so much to learn.