-Glitch in the System-
It's 2052 and the world has gone to hell. Jade West and others like her have accepted their roles as pariahs, condemned by a society that has been deceived. When Jade inherits her grandfather's greatest invention, will she and Tori be able to use it to set the world right? Or will those in control do everything in their power to ensure the truth never comes to light? Jori. Rating for future chapters.
AN: It may be a little slow to start, but I encourage you to stick around :) I just have to get the foundational stuff out of the way. Positive feedback/criticism is super encouraging and appreciated, beteedubs!
The year is 2052. The world has descended into dystopia. In our never ending race for technological advancement, mankind tripped over its own laces. Boundaries were crossed. A new type of hacker emerged – a faction bent on Armageddon. They developed vicious, intricate viruses that plagued havoc within every kind of institution. Medical. Government. Military. They were responsible for economic collapse, innumerable deaths, and incited widespread paranoia. A futuristic witch-hunt began. Governments allied themselves with men and women who they believed could track down these criminals, who they believed could turn the tide and reclaim the world.
They were largely successful. Hundreds of hackers were arrested, their software seized and compromised. Progress was made in returning the world back to its former state, but the damage was too severe. Scars visible and invisible marred citizens. Paranoia lingered. The computer companies that first rose from the ashes were not only praised, but begged to prevent this kind of catastrophe from ever happening again. With such a heavy burden placed on their shoulders these companies took drastic measures. The witch-hunt continued as society limped along. Individuals and their companions suspected of illicit activities were branded, their technological "privileges" severely limited, their whereabouts and actions monitored. Society would cast them from their midst like lepers, leaving them to fend largely for themselves in whatever shelter they could find.
The year is 2052, and this is the world Jadelyn West was born into, her father having been identified as one of the techno-anarchists, she guilty by association. This is her story.
[===]...[===]
Jade groaned softly as she sat back on her stool, joints and muscles protesting even the slightest movement. She dropped her screw-driver on the table and flexed her fingers, working out the stiffness as she glanced at the clock on the wall. "Five." She murmured, unsure if she had been working for two hours or fourteen. Windows, and consequently a sense of time, were not a luxury she could afford. It wouldn't have been the first time she had worked straight through the night. "Better be worth it." She grumbled, sliding off her perch and testing her legs. Oh yes. It had definitely been fourteen hours.
She momentarily abandoned her project to work out her joints, shivering with pleasure as many of them popped with a loud crack. Satisfied with her effort she returned to her table, scrutinizing her project with sharp blue eyes unaffected by lack of sleep. It was a new alarm system, her last one having been confiscated. "You don't need a security system, Ms. West." She repeated shrilly, rolling her eyes. "If you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be concerned about security." Shouldn't be concerned about security. "Dare them to spend one night in this neighborhood without wanting an alarm system."
The Sweepers (as she had deemed them) made random check-ups on her to make sure she was keeping her nose clean, not creating any weapons of mass disruption. She snickered at her own joke and looked behind her, expecting to hear a giggle. Her smile faded and her face twisted into a scowl, lips curling in an ever so slight snarl as she surveyed Cat's empty bed. She had been "swept" by the Sweepers, having been caught swiping a laptop from a customer at the local coffee house. Laptops were strictly prohibited for their type. Too "advanced." Too much potential trouble they could cause with them.
Jade had worried for days. She rarely left their den to venture out into society – she was too easily provoked by remarks people made when they realized she wore the anarchist's mark. Cat both impressed and frustrated Jade with her ability to tolerate normal people. Despite their condescension and hateful attitude, Cat always remained positive in their presence. She continued to love people in spite of their ignorance. Jade, on the other hand, wanted to smash in their heads with a bat.
Jade, consequently, had had her social duties revoked. It was Cat's job to find the groceries. Cat earned what little income they had. Cat made frequent enough appearances that Sweepers didn't worry about their whereabouts. Jade took care of the inside duties. She cooked (if you could call it that). She cleaned (sometimes). She decorated with things that would only impress a mortician or taxidermist; bones and skulls cluttered the shelves, feathers and pelts adorned the walls. It was morbid. But it was home. Cat and Jade's home.
When Cat disappeared Jade didn't panic initially. Or even notice. She had a tendency to get sucked into her projects and go hours, days even, without acknowledging Cat's presence. The redhead never seemed to mind. She entertained herself with … herself. The girl had always struck Jade as a bit odd; a few screws loose here and there. But she was still good people. It wasn't until Jade woke one afternoon, face-down on her work table, that she realized something was wrong. Cat would chastise her for doing that, and it usually resulted in Jade skulking away for a few hours. It was then she realized that two days had passed since the smaller girl had popped out for "a quick trip to the store."
Reluctantly, the sun-starved techie had made herself presentable, donned her required crimson arm-band to announce her "potentially dangerous presence" to the public, and ventured into town. She accomplished nothing more than creating a few new colorful and graphic insults to hurl at people she passed. Cat was nowhere to be found. It wasn't until two sleepless days later that she checked the list of Techies that had been apprehended. Bleary eyes scanned down the page to the "Vs," snarling angrily when she saw the crime. Cat had stolen the laptop for her. Jade had been complaining for weeks that it was going to be nigh impossible to manufacture a new alarm system without harvesting parts from a working laptop.
In a rage, Jade had trashed their home and then drank herself into a stupor. By the time she awoke she was starving, hungover, and still furious. Who knew how long Cat was going to be locked up for stealing that damned computer. That was a major infraction. With nothing else to do Jade threw herself into her work, trying to find anything to distract her from the growing ache caused by isolation. It wasn't working well, but she at least had a security system to show for her efforts.
The pale girl lolled her head about her shoulders, working out the kinks in her neck with grime-covered fingers as she began planning her next distraction. She supposed she should install this system. Living alone in this neighborhood was just asking for trouble, even if she did live in a basement guarded by a heavy steel door. It would be nice to know if someone entered the ground floor; she was tired of being surprised. The raven-haired girl pulled on her combat boots and trudged up the stairs, grabbing her tool belt along the way. It wouldn't take long to setup, and thankfully it was still early enough that passersby wouldn't question her presence in the window of a foreclosed butcher's market.
She pulled her dark hair into a ponytail, scowling again when she realized she desperately needed to wash it. Her next priority would be a cold shower. Shoving thoughts of neglected hygiene aside, Jade set about setting up sensors on the windows and door. If anyone were to open them while the alarm was active, a quiet bell would sound in her room. With any luck she would eventually come across a few functioning monitors so she could maybe set up a respectable surveillance system. With the sensor guarding the entrance screwed into place, Jade unbolted the heavy locks and cracked the door a few inches, wincing as a shrill, piercing whistle met her ears.
"Definitely going to have to tune down. Son of a bitch." She hissed, releasing the door so both hands could be free to deactivate the system she still needed to install in her room. The door swung shut quickly, but not before Jade noticed an envelope on the front porch. Brows furrowed, the pale girl returned her hand hesitantly to the knob, hesitating. Was it just litter? Was she overreacting again? Attention made her anxious. Attention was dangerous for people like her. She drummed her fingers on the metal of the lock as she debated with herself, finally coming to a decision. Jade whipped open the door quickly and stepped out, glancing around to see if anyone was watching. Realizing she was still very much alone in the dawn hours she snatched up the letter and slipped back inside, slamming the door and turning the multiple locks.
Once safely back down in her den, Jade curled up in Cat's bed, her own piled high with equipment and clothes. She scooted up against the wall and grabbed the threadbare giraffe that was shoved under the pillow, tucking him under her arm as she examined the envelope. No return address. "Surprise, surprise." She muttered, tearing it open to reveal a hand-written letter inside. She unfolded the crisp white paper and a photo fluttered out. Curiosity peaked, she retrieved the picture from her lap, examining it closely. Blue eyes widened and her attention quickly shifted to the letter, lips moving ever so slightly as she read the words to herself.
She read it twice more before returning her gaze to the picture, bringing it up to her face to somehow validate the truth of the image. Jade chewed on her bottom lip as she contemplated her next choice of action, glancing around the room as if seeking advice. "Aw, fuck it. The shower can wait." She finally muttered, jumping to her feet and grabbing her leather jacket, making sure the photo was tucked safely inside the breast pocket. She scribbled an address on her hand, not wanting to be caught with the letter on her person. She hurled the pen in the direction of her desk and sprinted up the steps and out of the building, wanting to get to her destination before the city awoke.