Aura, p.18
Aura, page 18
He sits down at the desk, facing me, moving the laptop to one side. “It will simply be unconscious. Preserved here as if it's in a deep sleep.”
“Could this kill me?” I look up and stare into the whites of his eyes.
“No.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I'm not going to pretend that the procedure isn't without risk, but I've done this many times, and I won't let any harm come to you.”
I suck in more air and let it out.
He puts a cold hand on mine. “Aura, I know the science. This is my life's work.” He moves his hand away. “I can't force you, and I won't, but realistically, there is no other way. This is The Telepathe we're talking about. A wig and a pair of contact lenses won't conceal you from The Society.”
I swallow. Can I go through with it?
“We've come this far,” he says. “Let's not falter now.”
I pull myself up. “How does it work?” I ask, pacing the room. “I want you to explain what happens. All of it. And my asking doesn't mean I agree to anything.”
But I know if I don't agree to this, Dad is as good as dead.
Edward explains that the transfer of my memory disk to a new Vessel will take less than a minute, and he'll give me a low dose anesthetic so that there's no pain during the process.
While I'm deliberating my decision, I go to my room to check in on Reece.
He is sleeping soundly on my bed. Careful not to wake him, I gently peek under the edge of his bandage. The wound is already starting to heal.
Edward was right. He's going to be okay.
I stare at myself in the mirror for a moment.
If I don't go through with the memory disk transfer, everything we did over the last two weeks – all my training – will have been for nothing.
But if I do go ahead, I could be reunited with Mum and Dad by the end of the week.
My choice is obvious.
I go back to the hidden room where Edward is waiting.
“I've made up my mind,” I say, fighting down my apprehension.
I'm an Influencer.
I walk toward the operating table. “Let's do this.”
Despite Edward's reassurance, I'm still expecting some discomfort when the transfer is complete.
It doesn't come.
There's only a slight interruption in my consciousness, as if time has stood still for a second, but I'm still me on the other side.
“Whenever you're ready, open your eyes.”
Edward's voice is far away.
I keep my eyes closed on the operating table while I examine how I feel.
My new body feels strong, powerful. My head is clear, not fogged with stress and training.
I move a hand across my stomach. There's muscle there.
My hands are big and rough, with short nails on thicker fingers. I clench them into fists.
Slowly, I open my eyes.
My vision is sharper. I can see every line on Edward's face looking down at me.
I sit up, and a wave of dizziness comes over me. I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience.
I guess I am.
I look past Edward and see my real body leaning back on one of the chairs, glassy eyes wide open like the other Vessels.
The girl in the chair looks exhausted. With her tired skin, scraggy red hair, bruises everywhere, she looks like she's been to hell and back.
“How does it feel?” Edward asks.
I don't answer right away. I'm still adjusting to the new sensations in this body.
At last, I say, “Good. I feel strong.”
For a second, I'm surprised at the deep voice that comes out of me.
“But your mind is your own, yes?”
“Yes.”
He clasps his hands together and studies me. “Why don't you have a little walk around? Get used to how it feels. When you're ready to switch back, I'll be here.”
Fascinated, I leave Edward in the lab and go to the bathroom to study my new Vessel in the mirror.
I'm a handsome sixteen-year-old boy.
My heart beats faster as I look at my reflection, trying to come to terms with the fact that this is me inhabiting a new form.
I move in closer until my breath steams up the glass.
My new eyes are green and bright. My hair is a thick, chestnut brown. My skin is smooth and tanned. I touch my face and feel the beginnings of stubble on my jawline. I blink, and I smile, and I frown, marveling at how it all works.
Even walking feels different. I'm heavier on my feet. I take up more space. It's kind of thrilling. I've always wondered what it would be like to be a boy.
Yet even though the outer packaging has changed, I'm still me.
Edward is reading a document when I get back to the lab.
He looks up and for the first time today, I notice the dark circles under his eyes. He's exhausted too. “Feeling okay?” he asks.
“Weirdly, yes.”
“This is for you,” he says, handing the document to me. “Your new identity. And detailed instructions on what to do once you're in the server room. Now that you're ready, we need to act quickly.”
I glance at the page.
Name: Alex Harper.
Status: Elite.
Propensity: IT
Level: 2
Legacy: No
“Being assigned to the IT team will give you a reasonable excuse for being in the server room,” Edward says, as I read. “I don't want you to use your Gift unless you absolutely have to.”
“I won't,” I assure him. I don't want to use my Gift unless I absolutely have to.
“What does ‘Level 2’ and ‘Legacy’ mean?” I ask, looking up.
He smiles. “Everybody starts as a Level 2 agent. There's a 12-month probation period before you're made a Level 1,” he explains. “And ‘Legacy’ simply means that your parents, your grandparents, and your great-grandparents are Elite as well.”
I vaguely remember Seb telling me that some of the kids who had grown up in the Inner Sanctum treated him like an outsider when he first moved there. Now I know why.
“Nobody will recognize Alex Harper in the Inner Sanctum,” Edward says, “so it's safer that you're classed as a New Elite.”
“What about the other New Elite kids? And won't they all wonder why they haven't seen me in school?”
Edward shakes his head. “Like 30% of the Elite student population, Alex Harper was homeschooled,” he says. “He checked in with his virtual teacher online every month and scored top marks in all of his homework assignments.”
I nod. That works. “So who is Alex Harper?”
“A work of fiction,” he says. “I created a handful of false IDs for Neeve and myself as a kind of insurance policy back in my Edcal days – what I was researching wasn't exactly safe. Alex Harper is one of those identities. Luckily for us, he turned sixteen three weeks ago.” He smiles. “Happy belated birthday.”
I smile back, and my mind drifts to the little boy with the crushed piñata in the Level One simulation – the boy whose photo I found in Edward's safe…
“We may not be able to communicate once you're in the server room,” Edward continues. “You'll need to memorize the instructions for uploading the code to erase the thought imprints.
“The code will be hidden in an email I'll send to Alex. My sender details are on that document.” He nods at the sheet of paper. “Before you open the email, you'll need to disable the computer's antivirus software. Once the software is disabled, find the email and click on the file at the bottom of it. The code will take care of everything else. Once installed, it will crawl through all of the computers on the network.”
“So how does Alex Harper get from here to your place in the Inner Sanctum without getting shot or arrested?” I ask, setting the document down.
“The same way that I got out four years ago. He'll be disguised as a CSO.”
I raise my eyebrows. “But impersonating a CSO –”
“You'll only get in trouble if you're caught,” he says, cutting me off. “And you're not going to get caught.”
He leans back against the wall. “Neeve will take you through our supply tunnel to the other side of the border, at the back of a warehouse. You'll meet a young man called Dash there who can take you to the Old City, where you will take a cab to the Golden Belt.”
“Who's Dash? Can we trust him?” I ask, remembering Caleb.
“We can't trust anyone,” he says, “but he doesn't need to know who you are. You'll be a CSO. That will be enough to make him do as you ask.”
“Oh. Right.”
“You'll be staying in one of my old properties,” he says. “Alex Harper's profile is assigned to the house, so you'll have no trouble getting in using the retina scanner.”
“The retina scanner?”
“All of the properties in the Inner Sanctum have retina scanners at the front door to save the Elites from carrying keys around,” he explains.
“Once you arrive, keep the curtains drawn, and try not to be seen. We don't want anyone asking questions.”
“It seems like there's a whole lot that can go wrong before I even set foot in the Telepathe,” I say.
He gives me a sad smile. “I can't deny that.” He glances at the clock on the wall behind me.
“Edward, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“The boy I saw in the Level One simulation,” I start, watching for his reaction.
He blinks but says nothing.
“I found his photograph in your safe when I was putting Mum's memory disk back in there,” I say.
He lets out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. His silence tells me everything I need to know.
“I wasn't supposed to see anyone in that simulation, was I?” I ask. “Who is he? Why was he in that cell?”
He looks at me. “Aura, what I'm about to tell you can't leave this room.”
I frown, wondering what could possibly be coming next. “Okay.”
He takes a deep breath. “That photo you found is a picture of my son. I have no idea how or why you saw him. I didn't program him into that simulation.”
I'm confused. “You have a son?”
“Rivers,” he says. “He would be 29 now. Neeve has no idea that he exists.”
“Why? Where is he?”
“He was Gifted,” Edward says. “I didn't know. On the day of his 11+, I was in the hospital with my wife while she was giving birth to Neeve. My mother took Rivers to his examination, and when the technicians saw his results, they alerted the President and immediately took him into custody.”
“So this is the reason you're so desperate to get back,” I say, finally understanding his motivation.
If it hadn't been for Edward and Mum, the same thing might have happened to me.
“Why can't Neeve know about him?” I ask gently.
He shakes his head. “I thought I would tell her when she was old enough to understand, but when it came to it… Well, there was nothing I could do to bring him back anyway. It seemed better to hide his existence from her altogether.”
“I'm so sorry,” I say. It sounds glib. Inadequate.
“They used to let me visit him once a week,” he says, removing his glasses and wiping his eyes. “But he was in so much pain.” He swallows. “To see your child like that… I failed him.”
Edward clears his throat. He seems embarrassed by his display of emotion. “I haven't seen Rivers in nearly ten years.”
I put a hand on his arm, trying to offer some comfort. I don't know what to say. Neither does Edward.
He makes a show of rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn. “Let's transfer you back to your own body before I fall asleep, shall we?” he asks, walking to the operating table.
Chapter 39
Reece is staying the night. He's showered and dressed after his nap and seems to have recovered from his earlier ordeal.
It's good to have him here.
We sit in the front room to eat.
Edward has cooked up a warm potato stew. Neeve fills our water glasses, and we tuck in.
There's an almost-celebratory atmosphere around the table. It's hard to believe, but despite all of our setbacks, I've completed my training.
“So you guys used to live in the Inner Sanctum,” Reece says, shoveling potatoes into his mouth. “What was that like?”
I smile. He's trying to sound casual, but Reece has always been obsessed with the idea of the Inner Sanctum. Like me, he's only ever seen it on TV or on the shuttle screens.
“It wasn't like this place,” Neeve says under her breath.
“Do you miss it?” Reece asks.
“Every day,” she says.
“Sometimes,” Edward says, picking up his glass of water. “But staying wasn't an option.”
“If you're Elite, you can pretty much have anything you want, so long as you play by the rules,” says Neeve. “My father just couldn't play by the rules anymore.”
“Here's a question,” Reece asks, aiming for something less personal. “If my parents were Workers, but I turned out to be Elite, we'd have been given a swanky pad in the Inner Sanctum, right?”
“Pretty much,” says Neeve, taking another bite of her food.
If only it could have been that easy for my family.
“Okay, but what if it was the other way around? If my parents were Elite, and I turned out to be a Worker?”
“Oh, you big disappointment,” she smiles.
“You'd have to relocate to The Neighborhood when you turned sixteen,” says Edward. “But in reality, that doesn't always happen. There is a risky – and extremely expensive – procedure that can recalibrate an individual's brain from Worker to Elite like their parents. One in ten who have the surgery don't survive, but that doesn't usually stop people from getting it.”
“I bet you're so glad you asked,” Neeve says, raising an eyebrow at Reece.
“If you had your way, what would it be like?” I ask Edward, changing the subject. “The Society, I mean.”
He thinks for a moment. “I'd like to see a world where science and technology are used to improve people's lives, rather than to oppress them,” he says. “People's minds should be their own.”
“You sound like Aura's dad,” Reece says.
“I didn't know him, but I'm sure that's quite a compliment,” Edward nods. “It takes courage to think differently in The Society.”
I look at my plate, suddenly emotional. I swallow, moving my food around with my fork.
In twelve days, my dad may not even be alive.
I can't let him down.
“So is the Old City as bad as they make out?” Neeve asks.
“Worse,” Reece says. “My family left over a year ago. We've been in the camp ever since. I didn't think I'd ever see this one again,” he says, elbowing me in the side.
I muster a smile.
“You were a great help today, Reece,” Edward says, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. “It's a good thing you and Aura have such a strong friendship.”
Reece flushes, proud. “Do you know anyone else like Aura? Influencers, I mean?”
“I don't,” Edward says. “It's been an honor to meet her, and to show her how to use her Gift.”
My stomach flips. An honor?
For a moment, I wonder if they're talking about someone else. I almost wish they were.
Who am I to think I can save anybody or fix anything with this Gift I didn't know I had? So many lives rest on my not screwing up.
We talk until the early hours of the next morning. I don't want to go to sleep because when I wake up, I'll have to get ready to leave. Eventually, though, Edward starts nodding off, and we have to call it a night.
“You can have my bed,” I tell Reece as we go downstairs. “I don't mind sleeping on the floor.”
“Don't be daft. It's your bed.”
“Fine, we'll share.”
Reece slides under the duvet on the double bed, and I unclip Mum's locket from around my neck. “Will you give this to Selena when you go back to camp?” I ask, handing it to him. “It was Mum's. I don't want to lose it.”
“Sure.” He fastens it around his neck and tucks it under his shirt.
“Let me in; I'm freezing,” I say.
He shuffles over and lifts the duvet. I snuggle up next to him. I can smell the soap on his body from the shower.
“So you leave tomorrow,” he says.
“I guess.” A wave of butterflies swirls in my stomach. “I'm scared, Reece,” I admit.
“I know,” he says. “Look at me.”
I roll over to face him.
“I believe in you,” he says, pushing the hair out of my eyes. “Edward does too. You're not like everybody else. You can do this.”
I'm glad he's here.
“Thanks,” I say. “For being my friend.”
I turn away again, and he puts an arm around me. His breath is warm on my neck.
Before I know it, I'm fast asleep.
Chapter 40
The next morning shuffles along, slow and quiet, as if time itself is afraid of what's to come. I leave for The Society in a matter of hours – as soon as it gets dark.
Neeve walks Reece back to the camp early, leaving me to a final review of my training in the White Room.
Thanks to the simulations, I can navigate my way around The Society and The Telepathe as if I've been there most of my life. I no longer hesitate when one of the AI staff asks me a question. I know Alex Harper's backstory as if it's my own life. Edward's instructions for uploading the code are locked in my brain.
“Once it's uploaded, the code could take up to eight hours to propagate,” he says. “In that time, we'll get you out of The Society, across the border, and back into your own body.”
"And then we start to make arrangements for getting to Calvin with Mum's memory disk – and getting my Dad out of there, right?” I say, my mind firmly on my end game.
“Of course,” he nods, scratching his head. “But Aura, there is one thing I haven't been able to account for.”
