Zoe
Zoe Ashton woke with a start. For five months she had been having the same dream about the day Ryen left them in Wisconsin, walking away from that BP in the middle of the day. She still felt the guilt she had at losing another sibling.
She rose out of bed and into the kitchen of her small apartment. She made some tea and sat down in a big chair in the living room. Glancing at the clock she realized that it was already ten in the morning. She had a lot to do. Quickly gulping down her tea, she left the mug in the sink in the kitchen and went to take a shower. Afterwards, she quickly dressed in a knee-length black plaid kilt and a black sweater, along with her winter boots. She grabbed her backpack and left her home for the store. Once she got down the stairs and out the door of her building, she only needed to walk about ten steps to Brock's store.
"Hey! Zoe!" Brock said, surprised to see her there. He hadn't seen his big sister in several weeks.
"Hey Brock. I was wondering if you had a computer part for me, since mine totally blew during the last snowstorm. I think I need a new modem, and a fast one." She didn't have any time for chitchat today.
"Gee, Zoe. I've been pretty busy lately." His head was bent over a memory chip, picking at it with a pair of tweezers. His blond hair was falling into his eyes. Suddenly he picked his head up and smiled.
"But I think I just got a large shipment of parts in. If you're willing to find what you're looking for yourself, then you could save some time by not having to wait on me."
"Thanks, Brock."
Brock did a little black market business. His shop was actually a general store, but in his storage room was where all of the computer components were stored. Zoe spent a mere ten minutes seeking out the perfect part and then paid him for it. They said their goodbyes and she bolted out the door and back up to her apartment.
Back at her apartment, Zoe installed the modem. Just as she was about to connect to the internet, she got a call.
"Yo."
"Hey, Zoe." It was Luna.
"Luna..."
"I know you're busy, Z, but I just wanted to call and say that Mel, Ressa, and I won't be up to see you today as planned. We gotta work overtime... and it's just a bitch around here with this damn labor shortage."
Zoe managed a smile. "It's ok, Luna, I totally understand. We'll just have to reschedule."
"Ok... well I gotta run. Talk to ya later."
Zoe sighed and hung up. It was nice to see that she wasn't the only busy one. So that left Roz, Hawk, Kirk, Colby, Brock, Tenna, and Taze. She knew that at least one more would have to cancel before tonight. She didn't hold that against them, though. She had to cancel on them many times before. She got logged onto the network and started working. She was a real estate agent, but the demand for housing was low so she also did a little work on the side to make ends meet.
She was a hacker. Not a bad hacker, but a hacker that checks for simple holes in systems of top websites. Of course, she and her brothers and sisters could break into any online database or website they wanted to. Back at Manticore they had practiced their skills on the Department of Defense online databases. Within 2 minutes they could get in, get out and get on their way with the info needed.
They could and would still hack into almost any system or site. The only online source that she refused to hack was Manticore. Hawk had once, but that was only to delete the records of Jade so they couldn't clone her. Since Manticore did automatic traces on all who access the site, Hawk got very close to getting shipped back. Zoe shivered at the thought.
She leaned back at slid the glasses off of her face. There were so many experiments. When the X-6's were created, they were all flawed in one way or another, but it wasn't until after six years of constant training that the problems began to show themselves. Most had bad eyesight, like Zoe. But some were ailed with constant migraines and seizures. It hadn't mattered to Manticore; a chimera with any weakness was unsuitable. In Wyoming they X-6's were infected with a deadly virus. At the base in Michigan were Zoe lived, they were used for experiments to see what had gone wrong in their DNA. The few X-5's at their base were delighted to watch the torture of her siblings, and sometimes were even allowed to join in on the fun. She remembered how they had tried to heal Luke's headaches by poking around his brain and exposing him to radiation. He had gotten many tumors and his brain bled until he died, the scientists were there recording every second of his demise. When they chose
Jade to become the focus of their next experiment Zoe couldn't stand to stay. Jade was the sweet little sister, after all. Zoe would have done anything to keep her alive. But she had failed and she failed horribly.
******
Zoe had managed to fall asleep at her keyboard. The phone rings awakened her.
"Yo."
"Zoe, hey it's Taze."
"Hey Taze."
"Listen I just wanted to know if you'd like me to stop and get some deli sandwiches for dinner. I need to go to the store anyway."
"Yeah, that would be good. You only need to pick up eight. Mel, Luna, and Ressa canceled."
"Ok, I got it. See ya in an hour."
"Great, bye."
She had been asleep way too long. It was already dark outside, and there was only an hour to go before her siblings came over. They were planning on breaking into the computer systems of a company in California. Hawk claimed that it was still producing tools for Manticore, so it was their job to eliminate the system. Zoe shut down her computer and began to walk away, but stopped when she heard a beeping noise. She turned around and walked to the back of her desktop and looked around. There she saw a little black box taped to the fan of her computer. She already knew what it was, already knew it was too late.
She gulped as the box exploded, filling the room with fire.
Brock was just getting ready to close down the shop when the phone rang.
"Hey, Sixes Store. How can I help you?"
"Brock, it's Colby. Have you seen Zoe lately?"
"No, why?"
"She didn't look very good when I saw her last Monday. I wonder if she's up to the hack tonight."
"You know that Zoe would always be up for a hack." He paused. Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck began to prick up. Something was wrong.
"Brock, you ok?"
"Yeah, it's just I feel weird."
"Oh, I'm sure it's...."
Zoe Ashton woke with a start. For five months she had been having the same dream about the day Ryen left them in Wisconsin, walking away from that BP in the middle of the day. She still felt the guilt she had at losing another sibling.
She rose out of bed and into the kitchen of her small apartment. She made some tea and sat down in a big chair in the living room. Glancing at the clock she realized that it was already ten in the morning. She had a lot to do. Quickly gulping down her tea, she left the mug in the sink in the kitchen and went to take a shower. Afterwards, she quickly dressed in a knee-length black plaid kilt and a black sweater, along with her winter boots. She grabbed her backpack and left her home for the store. Once she got down the stairs and out the door of her building, she only needed to walk about ten steps to Brock's store.
"Hey! Zoe!" Brock said, surprised to see her there. He hadn't seen his big sister in several weeks.
"Hey Brock. I was wondering if you had a computer part for me, since mine totally blew during the last snowstorm. I think I need a new modem, and a fast one." She didn't have any time for chitchat today.
"Gee, Zoe. I've been pretty busy lately." His head was bent over a memory chip, picking at it with a pair of tweezers. His blond hair was falling into his eyes. Suddenly he picked his head up and smiled.
"But I think I just got a large shipment of parts in. If you're willing to find what you're looking for yourself, then you could save some time by not having to wait on me."
"Thanks, Brock."
Brock did a little black market business. His shop was actually a general store, but in his storage room was where all of the computer components were stored. Zoe spent a mere ten minutes seeking out the perfect part and then paid him for it. They said their goodbyes and she bolted out the door and back up to her apartment.
Back at her apartment, Zoe installed the modem. Just as she was about to connect to the internet, she got a call.
"Yo."
"Hey, Zoe." It was Luna.
"Luna..."
"I know you're busy, Z, but I just wanted to call and say that Mel, Ressa, and I won't be up to see you today as planned. We gotta work overtime... and it's just a bitch around here with this damn labor shortage."
Zoe managed a smile. "It's ok, Luna, I totally understand. We'll just have to reschedule."
"Ok... well I gotta run. Talk to ya later."
Zoe sighed and hung up. It was nice to see that she wasn't the only busy one. So that left Roz, Hawk, Kirk, Colby, Brock, Tenna, and Taze. She knew that at least one more would have to cancel before tonight. She didn't hold that against them, though. She had to cancel on them many times before. She got logged onto the network and started working. She was a real estate agent, but the demand for housing was low so she also did a little work on the side to make ends meet.
She was a hacker. Not a bad hacker, but a hacker that checks for simple holes in systems of top websites. Of course, she and her brothers and sisters could break into any online database or website they wanted to. Back at Manticore they had practiced their skills on the Department of Defense online databases. Within 2 minutes they could get in, get out and get on their way with the info needed.
They could and would still hack into almost any system or site. The only online source that she refused to hack was Manticore. Hawk had once, but that was only to delete the records of Jade so they couldn't clone her. Since Manticore did automatic traces on all who access the site, Hawk got very close to getting shipped back. Zoe shivered at the thought.
She leaned back at slid the glasses off of her face. There were so many experiments. When the X-6's were created, they were all flawed in one way or another, but it wasn't until after six years of constant training that the problems began to show themselves. Most had bad eyesight, like Zoe. But some were ailed with constant migraines and seizures. It hadn't mattered to Manticore; a chimera with any weakness was unsuitable. In Wyoming they X-6's were infected with a deadly virus. At the base in Michigan were Zoe lived, they were used for experiments to see what had gone wrong in their DNA. The few X-5's at their base were delighted to watch the torture of her siblings, and sometimes were even allowed to join in on the fun. She remembered how they had tried to heal Luke's headaches by poking around his brain and exposing him to radiation. He had gotten many tumors and his brain bled until he died, the scientists were there recording every second of his demise. When they chose
Jade to become the focus of their next experiment Zoe couldn't stand to stay. Jade was the sweet little sister, after all. Zoe would have done anything to keep her alive. But she had failed and she failed horribly.
******
Zoe had managed to fall asleep at her keyboard. The phone rings awakened her.
"Yo."
"Zoe, hey it's Taze."
"Hey Taze."
"Listen I just wanted to know if you'd like me to stop and get some deli sandwiches for dinner. I need to go to the store anyway."
"Yeah, that would be good. You only need to pick up eight. Mel, Luna, and Ressa canceled."
"Ok, I got it. See ya in an hour."
"Great, bye."
She had been asleep way too long. It was already dark outside, and there was only an hour to go before her siblings came over. They were planning on breaking into the computer systems of a company in California. Hawk claimed that it was still producing tools for Manticore, so it was their job to eliminate the system. Zoe shut down her computer and began to walk away, but stopped when she heard a beeping noise. She turned around and walked to the back of her desktop and looked around. There she saw a little black box taped to the fan of her computer. She already knew what it was, already knew it was too late.
She gulped as the box exploded, filling the room with fire.
Brock was just getting ready to close down the shop when the phone rang.
"Hey, Sixes Store. How can I help you?"
"Brock, it's Colby. Have you seen Zoe lately?"
"No, why?"
"She didn't look very good when I saw her last Monday. I wonder if she's up to the hack tonight."
"You know that Zoe would always be up for a hack." He paused. Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck began to prick up. Something was wrong.
"Brock, you ok?"
"Yeah, it's just I feel weird."
"Oh, I'm sure it's...."