-1- Acoustic Days Florence and The Machine
Everything is in slow motion
The burning pain has swallowed me whole.
I close my eyes tighter and brace myself. A new sharpness radiates through my stomach, up my throat and erupts as a bloody mess of mucus and guts on the concrete. The powerful force behind the hit is almost inhuman. I have no idea what I am being attacked with, probably a crowbar or some kind pipe. The voice in my head is screaming at me to stop being a victim and protect myself, but I'm too weak, too disoriented, too hurt…too damn scared.
I can feel the bruises that are blossoming on my skin, I want to put a face to his cruelty, but my vision is screwed. Even if I could look him in the face I wouldn’t know what I was seeing.
Of course I am assuming he is even a he. The drugs they gave me keep me pretty fuzzy and I couldn't make out a face or even a clear enough body shape. The exhausted heavy breathes sound male to me, but did have a soft more feminine quality
I think about home. Thinking that if I keep imagining it, I'll eventually get back there.
The blows cease, the pain continues and I can hear him breathing. He is probably staring at me, waiting for me to break, waiting for me to scream, waiting for me to admit something I have no knowledge off.
Or maybe he wants to see what other vulnerable body part he can damage next.
In the distance I hear sharp footsteps. Within seconds the door quickly opens and closes and I hear the receding steps of my attacker.
I'm alone again.
I'm scared.
I feel around until I find the cracked plastic bucket in the corner and finish spitting up whatever is lingering in my mouth. Then I pull myself across the ground until I feel the threadbare blanket in the opposite corner and close my eyes. I can shut out the blurriness of my surroundings, I can relax into my pain until it's just numb, I can pretend I'm somewhere else. The inside of my eyelids is at first a black, then a dull red and finally a peaceful gray.
I don't know who they are or what they want but I get the distinct feeling they are going to kill me.
I'm not worth it. I don't deserve it.
The evil side of me, the side that just wants to survive, play on repeat an evil thought.
She's worth it. She deserves it.
-2- Sunrise
This wasn’t how my New Year was supposed to begin.
What felt like just hours ago I was in my bedroom at my parents’ house, carefully avoiding my Dad's gaze as he knotted my silk black tie. Dad was never affectionate with me and having him so close was weird. I mean, Dad wasn't a flaky parent or anything. He was always there when Mom and I needed him. He just never went beyond what was acceptable as a father.
“Dad, I’m 19 I can tie my own tie,” I said for the third time as he withdrew his hands from my neck, the pristine Windsor knot finished.
“I know.” Dad guided me towards the floor length mirror on the back of my bedroom door. “But, it has to be right for tonight. You don’t want to look foolish.”
What he meant is he didn't want to look foolish.
Staring at our reflections, there was no doubt I was my father’s son. Same dark blonde hair, blue eyes and deep set jaw. It didn't help that we were dressed in identical black tuxedos.
The only differences were the 3 inches he had on me, the crows feet around his eyes and the fact that he could actually grow facial hair. Something that seemed to be overlooked in my genetic makeup.
“Hey Dad, how about after the party we go stand in line at the Starscape Launch ?,” I half-joke as we head to the staircase. Our shoes clicked in a matching rhythm against the marble floor.
The new Starscape Syndicates were releasing at an in person pop up at midnight. All the tech-baiters had been standing in line for them since Christmas night.
“Maybe,” he said with a devilish smile, “If I’m not completely hungover.”
I forced an awkward laugh.
While my mom still treated me like a child, I was developing this weird relationship with my Dad where he talked to me like I was one of his friends.
“I havn't upgraded in a whole year,” I remind him, breaking our rhythm and jogging down the stairs in front of him.
Mom was in the kitchen fully dressed and staring off into her Syndicate. Her dress was like someone had dumped hot pink glitter on her head; the glitter tapered out at her knees until it was just sheer fabric. The top of the her dress was way too low.
Luckily, none of my friends would see her tonight. They always got so weird around Mom.
Clipped to her ear sat the pink Sony 0 Syndicate. It was no bigger than her pinky finger and when she turned, it was all but obscured by the diamond earrings dad ordered for her last night.
She tapped the Syndicate to project the party invitation in front of us and was staring at it like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
“ Do you think I should do my hair up in a chingon ? It’s more a more elegant affair this year, right ? I mean it says elegant on the invite.”
“No, dear. You look fine,” Dad reassured her, slipping his hand around her waist and kissing the inside of her neck. She laughed and leaned into him.
Believe me when I say I can’t wait to get out of my parent’s house and back to school.
“Come on we’re late,” Dad said grasping Mom’s hand as we headed into the garage.
The hydraulic suicide doors of his new Lincoln U201 swing open as we approach.
Mom and I got into the backseat while Dad got into the front. While the car elevator begins it's descent to the ground floor, Dad enters the coordinates for the hotel into the holographic interface.
Once we are on street level and the car is self-navigating, Dad swipes through a few of the car's holographic menus impatiently.
"How the hell do I tint the doors ?," he grumbled to himself, before making an audible sigh. "Ah, nevermind, I got it."
With a soft purr the clear back doors began to tint a solid black.
His new car was sick. The body was covered in a flexible liquid screens so you could change the color of the car to whenever you felt like it. Dad had just showed up with the car. Mom seemed a little pissed, but I was happy because it meant I would get Dad’s last car—which was barely 6 months old.
Mom placed her hand on her SINdicate and a tiny white pin point shines in her eyes and then they go still. I could tell she was watching her favorite soap opera, Passion Cove. Her volume was up so high I could hear the sound of the annoying teen actress coming out of Mom’s ears.
“Hey, Mom that show has a Simstim cast,” I told her
“Hmm ?” she questioned, pushing her finger on an invisible button in front of her eyes --pausing the show.
“That show has a Simstim,” I repeated as she reached her hand over and started to fix a piece of my hair. Her nails matched her dress right down to the sparkles.
”You can only use SimStims on the new StarScape SINdicates,” I explained. “Dad said he may buy them. Wouldn’t that be amazing ?”
“I don’t know. I don't even know what it is, baby."
“It’s cool,” I tried to tell her. “It’s like you are an actual character in the show. Like you are standing right in the room. It’s cutting edge.”
“Yeah, cutting edge entertainment shit,” Dad added dryly. He was never big into entertainment or anyone using hi-tech just for fun. He thought advancements should only be used to create medicine or something else good for society.
Well, except if it helped his car obsession.
“It’s still cool,” I told him.
“Well, if we got this StarScape thing for you would it make you stay at home the rest of break ?,” Mom bargained tapping her nails against the window.
“Nope,” I smiled, but she kept her red lips in a straight line and her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Sorry,” I added weakly, but she already had her SINdicate back on.
I had spent two weeks of my winter break from the Metro College of Art and Design at home bored out of my mind. When my roommate, Marco, invited me to spend the last week of break at his parent’s vacation house with some other guys I would have left that second, but I had to go to this New Year party. Mom was upset because she didn’t really know Marco and well, everyone was on high alert with the recent attacks and everything.
It wasn’t a big deal though. I mean terrorist want to blow up borders, not a vacation housed.
I turned my basic Sony S7 SINdicate back on and turned up my music. The Sony S7 doesn’t do much, but it is the first SINdicate to offer an exclusive sports pro package. I looked out my window as we drove past the rest of the metallic high rises that made up our neighborhood.
I imagined the building were mostly empty.
Our neighborhood was made up almost entirely of employees of Tempus Corporation—the company dad worked for. Everyone from the senior executives to the lunch cooks lived in those few blocks of the South District. Most had single family units while a few, like my family, had penthouses.
Empty spaces in between the buildings had continually running hologram ads and screens giving text news updates.
“The 4th Infantry Guards will be awarded The Bronze Heart for bravery upon return to Atlanta.”
“Terror level is no longer an Orange. It has gone up two places to Green.”
Good. Maybe Mom will stop freaking out.
“Happy New Year, South District !”
Almost.
“State Guards on the Border send love and New Year’s thoughts to S. Townsend, Helen Dawnson, Maggie F and Bradshaw M.”
Taking my eyes away from the screen I can see a bunch of kids my age heading off to parties. I'm a little envious, but, I had promised Dad I would attend the Tempus Corp New Year’s Party before I left with Marco.
I'd been joking with Dad he would be be lucky if I stayed around until midnight.
Hanging out with his boring co-workers wasn't exactly how I wanted my New Year's to go.
-3-
The car finally pulled up to a Tempus Corp headquarters--a glass and bronze high-rise that always seemed to shine brighter than the building surrounding it. Tonight strobe lights were bouncing off the exterior and lively jazz music was coming from inside.
At the entrance two security guards--probably State Guards off duty---were scanning people for weapons. Security was intense nowadays, some people were even taken aside and patted down. Dad gripped my arm as I was scanned and I resisted the urge to pull away from him. Maybe it was from being in college, but my parents were so god damn protective. The guard scanning me had the standard close cropped military look. He was wearing shades, but I guess he was new because he seemed barely interested in his job.
Inside the atrium, holographic balloons, ice sculptures and solid gold art pieces surrounded the glittering dance floor. The holoscreens on the wall showed a large countdown and with each number change virtual 3D glitter sprung from the letters and floated around crowd. In the middle of it all were two big spotlights focused on where Tempus Corps' motto was engraved in wall; Scienta Veritas. Truth in Science
All the employees were decked out in their fancies clothes. The adults milled around talking; most of them were older and worked with Dad. Dad placed his arm around mom’s waist and the other on my shoulder as we were suddenly greeted by his subordinates.
Mrs. Lewis, the new assistant office manager of Tempus Corp greeted us first. She clacked over to us in a pair of strappy silver heels.
“Look who is here ! Such, a beautiful family !, Mr.--"
"Please. Just call me Harry, " Dad reminded her with a handshake, humble nod and slight wink.
I'd seen him give that "Just call me Harry" line followed by hand shake/nod/wink combination at countless Tempus parties. For some reason that move made everyone want to be his best friend. Of course, what most of them don't realize is becoming best friends with my father was never going to happen. Dad loved socializing and being the center of attention, but he never really let anyone into our lives.
I guess that's where I got it from.
“Cielle you look beautiful as always and look at your son! I hear you are at Metro, that's my husband's alama mater. How is it ?” Mrs.Lewis continued in my direction.
“Good,” I lied automatically.
College was boring, I didn't have any real friends yet, I didn't know what I was going to major in and I was hiding the fact I'd failed two classes from my Dad.
I put on my best smile and nodded along while Mom descended into polite conversation with Mrs.Lewis about earrings.
Dad started at Tempus as an intern when he was close to my age. In 25 years he had gone from getting coffee to the Chief Engineering Officer. The Founder and President of Tempus—Mr. Kyto, kept Dad in his back pocket. He constantly received pay raises and swung privileges for Mom and I.
The privilege seeking thing was probably another reason everyone cozied up to Dad.
I’m not sure exactly what Tempus does, but I do know Mr. Kyto invented a chemical that is essential to creating BioFarms--the large holding plants for genetically harvested organs. Either way, it's a multi-billion dollar company and the New Year’s Eve party is a show for that. I had never been before, but now that I was getting older, Dad insisted I come and make an appearance.
I did a quick scan of the room and saw Mr. Kyto’s daughter, Allison, at a table by herself carefully stacking cheese cubes on a small plate. I was about to whisper to Dad I was going to talk to her, but he got to me first.
“Go talk to Mr.Kyto’s daughter. Be a gentleman,” he said to me sternly, then gave me the half smile/wink/nod combination.
I quickly walked over to Allison for no other reason, but to get away from my parents. Allison was two years younger than me, but we had always been friendly because of these Tempus events our parents dragged us to.
No other employees really brought their kids around much once they got around Allison and I’s age. We were pretty much the youngest ones here---aside from a few babies in the arms of women on the dance floor, the ass kissing interns and another younger teenager sulking in the corner trying to sneak a beer. My Dad brought me around to show me off (I assume) and Allison’s did it to keep an eye on her.
Or maybe both our parents had more nefarious purposes.
Allison isn’t a bad looking girl. She has this naturally tan skin, a full face and dark eyes. Tonight her dark hair is pulled into a ponytail and she's wearing a gray puffy gown and a matching shawl over her shoulders that ties in front of her chest. I’m sure it’s supposed to cover her breasts but, it makes me stare to see exactly what she is covering up.
“You look pretty,” I said to her, even though I think her dress is ugly. The muted gray makes her look so gloomy. I started to give her a half hug, but I stopped myself.
“Thanks,” she smiled, putting her hands in her lap. “You clean up nice too.”
I shrugged. The tux was uncomfortable as hell.
“Your mom is so gorgeous. She looks dazzling tonight,” Allison sighed
“She is--sparkly,” I said awkwardly sitting in the seat across from Allison.
Allison has a proximity chip.
It stops boys from getting to close to her. If they do, she gets really bad nerve pain. Dad told me about it and he said Mr. Kyto does it for her protection. Mr. Kyto thinks she is a smart girl who doesn’t need distractions. Particularly male distractions. It was kind of weird and I had a lot of questions, but wouldn’t dare bring the chip up to Allison.
We sat in silence watching the adults get more sloshed by the minute. People were beginning to dance.
“Oh,hey can I see it ?,” she asked, “The tattoo.”
“Oh, um yeah,” I said and rolled my sleeve to show her the tattoo on my wrist. It was a simple and elegant pattern of lines going across my wrist.
Encoded in the tattoo was all my System ID Number information—My SIN. Now all I had to do was scan my wrist to pay for stuff, enter the security system or pass an ID check.
Everyone has a SIN, it was how you could transfer data between SINdicates. Most people kept their SIN information on accessories like rings or, if you were older, on cards. But, most of us kept our identity where it should be ; apart of us.
Getting the code tattooed had been one the first things I did while I was I in college. In one sense it made things easier but, the real reason I got it was because I thought it looked cool. I have to admit though, at times it seemed like to much—to showy.
“Did it hurt ?,” Allison asked
“Of course not.” I told her,” It was done with lasers I barely felt a thing, just some tingling. ”
Allison and I talked about the usual crap; school, friends, new tech and we were constantly interrupted by people coming over—mostly other Tempus employees---asking how Allison was doing or commenting how fun the party was. Like they couldn’t see we were bored out of our minds. Or like they thought they had done us a favor by talking to us.
“Hey," Allison said suddenly. Her voice sounded different, cautious almost. "Can you buy me a drink ? Just one, I’m so bored.”
I was startled as she sputtered out the last words nervously. Allison Kyto has a reputation. The kind of reputation you want your daughter to have.
“Yeah, I don’t-- I mean . . .I can’t--”
“Please,” she begged. ”If Dad finds out, I’ll tell him I bribed you. I won’t let them blame you. I have to be here for four more hours. Please ?”
I wanted to say no, but reluctantly nodded my head. I guess it was better me than some creep who would take advantage of her.
Plus, it wasn’t fair she had to be the only sober one.
“Okay,” I said. “ I’ll bring it outside so no one sees. Meet me by the fountain.”
She popped up a little too quickly and then calming down, walked to the back door, slipping out as inconspicuously as her ugly gray dress would let her.
After a few moments I went to the auto-mat bar, scanned my SIN and ordered a beer and some kind of pomegranate infused vodka cocktail for her. My beer was in a simple sleek glass, but her cocktail looked like a piece of artwork. It was all swirls and embellishments.
I carried the drinks outside to the massive black marble fountain. Dad told me it was an abstraction of clock and the water rotated at different angles to signify the passage of time. It was kinda cool to see, but I was more concerned Allison was no where to be seen.
Setting the twirly bright pink drink on a stone bench, I paced around to the god awful jazz music flooding out of the ballroom.
“Allison ?,” I called uncertain. She had just stepped out here only seconds ago. “Allison ?”
I heard a rustling in the artificial trees that surrounded the are. Just as I touched my SINdicate to call for help Allison popped out of the darkness with a smile on her face.
“Shit!,” I shrieked “You scared me. Why were you hiding like that ?”
“ I’m sorry. I thought someone might see me. Sorry,” she smiled nervously taking the drink and inspecting it. She was clearly pleased.
“You shouldn’t go where people can't see you,” I told her. "With all the threats and stuff going on."
“Yeah. I know, it was stupid,” she said.
I shrugged it off, regretting having sounded like someone's parent.
She raised her glass for a toast and I did the same. We paused a moment, our glasses inches from one another.
“To . . . ?” Allison asked.
“To a Happy New Year and open bars ?,” I suggested
“To good friends,” she added
“You mean friends who will break the law for you ?,” I smiled
“That too,” she giggled.
We toasted and she took a tiny sip.
“Thanks. I owe you.”
“Yeah,” I said.
We sat in silence and in a few minutes I had downed the beer and she has sipped away most of her drink.
“I don’t even feel buzzed,” she said. “I don’t get the big deal.”
I shrugged. I guess she was going to need a few more.
-4-
As I brought out our third drinks Allison turned on her Sony Alpha SINdicate and the external speaker flooded the courtyard with her music selection. It was one of those classical vintage sappy love song set to a stereotypical soft beat, but I still liked it. With her new drink in hand, she stood up and swayed to the music. She never invited me, but I stood up to join her.
I took a few steps closer to her until she winced and held up her hand. I took a few steps back and began to sway with her. It was weird dancing two feet apart, but it was still nice.
“I hate that we will be the only ones without someone to kiss a midnight,” she mumbled and then pressed her lips together, “I mean, I will be. I don’t know if you have a--”
She was actually blushing.
“No, I don’t have anyone," I quickly added," Never even thought about it,"
“I mean, it’s not important to me. Having a New Year's kiss or even a, you know... boyfriend. I mean my Mom would freak if she heard but, I don’t care about that stuff. I mean not right now, I guess--”
“Me either.” I interrupted, but I don't think I meant it. I don't think she did either. “I mean, I know where you are coming from.”
We danced to the next two songs on her playlist and then I heard the back door open. Allison quickly downed her drink and tossed the glass in the bushes. The drink had been straight liquor and she immediately had to spit it out in the fountain.
I smirked and she let out a hurried laugh as one of the guards from the front entrance walked towards us.
Busted.
The guard pulled out a gun and pointed at Allison
“Whoa—hey, I’m sorry,” Allison started. “Is it that big of a deal--”
“Follow me. Now,” the guard ordered holding up Allison’s ID card.
“Hey, c’mon,” I said.
The guard seemed to be noticing me for the first time. She stared at me for a hard second and then shots erupted from behind her.
I quickly got down and the guard caught my back under her foot. Pressing her boot deeper into my spine she kept her weapon trained on Allison. I lifted myself up abruptly, forcing the woman off my back. She slipped and fell back smacking her head on the corner of the marble fountain.
A dark figure emerged from the shadows. Instead of taking down the guard they started firing more bullets in my direction.
The woman wasn’t working alone.
I turned my back and ran towards Allison. I knew it was stupid to turn my back on someone with a gun, but I had to make sure Allison was okay. I charged towards Allison and she let out a blood-curdling scream as I made contact, her proximity chip shocking her for being so close to me. I felt her body tingling as her nerve endings sent pain signals to her brain.
With all my energy I pushed Allison into the dark fountain—away from the bullets-- as I saw the familiar faces of Mr. Kyto’s personal bodyguards coming towards us. The guard was on her feet as she casually walked over to me and placed a hand to the back of my neck.
I felt a pinch and it all went black
----
-5-
It all happened so fast. I It felt like a blurry dream instead of something that actually happened. I remember having some sensation of being dragged across the pavement and thrown into the trunk of a car.
They had gagged me, making it impossible to swallow and I was sure I was going to suffocate in here. I was jerked from side to side of the small trunk space as they drove. It felt like hours.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Mom and Dad. I had to get out of here. I needed to know if Allison was alive, I had just pushed her into the fountain but I had no idea if she could swim or not.
Whatever type of vehicle this was, it deadened the signal to the SINet.
I started kicking out the tail light until it gave way and dangled inches from the road. Natural light flooded in and my SINdicate jacked back into the net. The signal was low and I didn’t want to talk so, I immediately patched into the police and typed ‘help’ into the connection, hoping someone would pick it up.
When I was confident it had gone through I scooted to the edge of the trunk to see if I could get a stronger signal and contact my parents. I had half of Dad’s number in when I was suddenly thrown to the back by the car coming to a sudden halt. I heard footsteps and the car trunk opened.
From my position all I saw was a female torso wearing a black tank top.
“What the hell ?,” said a woman—I guessed it was the guard from the party, her voice filled with the same distain. Although I was beginning to think she wasn't a guard.
She bent her knees and peered down at me in the trunk. It was her.
She was older than me, her shaved hair was a dark red and her bleak eyes were staring hard into mine. She had a gun in her hand and another smaller one holstered to her side. Her eyes made a trail from me to the dangling taillight. She picked it up and my brain became frantic with my next escape move.
Like a divine intervention I could hear the sound of police sirens. She quickly shut the trunk on me placing the taillight back into it’s socket. It was crooked and I could still see the outside through a crack.
The police car stopped and I heard two sets of footsteps get out.
“Is everything okay here ma’am ? Are you hurt ?” an officer asked
“We just had a flat tire,” she lied,” It’s fine though, I fixed it.”
“You make a call via a SINdicate ?,” the officer asked
“No ? Why, is everything okay ?,” she said in a convincingly innocent voice.
“Can we look around ?” the officer asked
“I’m sorry but, no,” she answered,” You have no right, I’m not--”
I immediately tried to scream to get their attention but the gag muted me. I kept going, hoping my choking and gagging could be heard by them. Police were supposed to have senses for things like that.
“Can we check the trunk ?,” the officer asked.
Footsteps came towards the car and I heard the sounds of gunshots. A stream of blood shot through the crack in the trunk and onto my face. The woman ran back to the passenger seat and the car sped off.
Shit. Had she killed them ?
The car continued for more hours as I tried to make sense of what happened. No normal person would shoot a police officer. They can track any interaction based on their SINdicates communcating.
When the car finally pulled over again, the woman opened the trunk and removed the gag, tears were streaming down my face as I inhaled all the fresh air I could. She watched me pathetically for a few seconds and then held her hand over my nose cutting off air until I was forced to open my mouth. She stuck her weapon in it. The barrel was still warm around my lips.
“Stand up,” she ordered.
I got out of the trunk, my limbs were sore and clumsy as she lead me into a deserted alley way. It was dark and had no idea where I was—some abandoned part of the city-- but, I was sure I could get back home from there.
I tried to make some kind of begging noise so she would have some kind of mercy on me.
“Don’t think I won’t kill you. You’re just my constellation prize,” she said. The only light came from a flickering holo-screen that was tuned out of the Networks. She pulled the smaller gun out of the holster on her hip and aimed it towards the side of my face.
“Knees,” she ordered.
My legs trembled as I kneeled in front of her. I guess this was the value of having a SIN tattoo on my arm--whenever they finally found my body they could identify me.
I closed my eyes to my fate as the gun went off and a sudden heat burned past my ear.
I looked to see my Sony7 SINdicate fall to the ground. It was immediately followed by a rippling sensation that went through my body, like I had been electrocuted.
“Fucking piece of shit,” she snarled at me. "Stand up,”
She walked me to the front of the car and let me sit in the back seat. I could see the back of a man’s head in the driver’s seat. I felt like I had horse-blinders on because my peripheral vision was non existent. Still, I sensed someone was sitting next to me. She placed a needle into my skin and my tired body came to life and back down again and I was left in a paralytic state. I couldn’t move any of my limbs or make a sound but everything else around me had never felt so real. She placed a pair of shades over my eyes as we sped through a tunnel.
As the car continued to drive I began to see the sounds around me and hear the gray and black of my clothing. I saw something in front of me like the SINdicate was still on--things I could not make sense of. Images glittered in and out of my vision like the sparkles on Mom’s dress.
I was high.
She probably gave me chrome--the drug that seemed to cause the collapse of a country.
I was in-between hallucination when I saw it the lights up ahead.
We were at the border.
She was taking me across the border to the LOLA.
***
I have no memories of actually crossing the border. All of my recent memories have been of this cell.
A room
A cracked plastic trash can in the corner
4 stone walls and a door.
Maybe a door.
At first, everything was a blur and before I make make sense of it, it transmuted in my vision and everything became a brilliant white. Pure white. So white I could hear it. So clean and perfect I felt euphoric. An uncontrollable smile twitched at my lips.
Then I passed out.
I was scared, but that fear was better than the fear I have now. When I first woke up, I thought I might have a chance, but now I’m not so sure.
I remember having this sense someone was in the room with me. Before I could say a word a sole landed in my face. It kicked me hard in the head and in the stomach, seemingly taking pleasure in causing me pain.
I didn’t know if this was supposed to be torture. They never asked me questions, if they did I would give them all the answers.
I just want to go home.
-----
A/N
Well, if you are reading this, I finally found the courage to post it, so go Shawna
I hope you caught all the homages to the original peice (i.e I used a Beatles song again )
Catch the Lile reference ? Huh ?