Alive
Book 2
Pt7
1
Cracks in the ceiling.
Thin and time worn.
Side by side, they ran twin meandering paths the full forty-foot length of the room, from the doorway to the bookshelf that lined the northern wall; like twin palm creases, predicting a fate David could not decipher. He had been waking in this same spot for the past five years, with a few notable exceptions, and yet he'd never noticed them before. Perhaps it was because they were above the light array and usually cloaked in shadow? Or maybe it was that they were so thin they had escaped detection all these years.
Most likely it was because this was the first morning he had just lain abed, staring at nothing.
"So… you guys already know each other?"
The cracks crisscrossed here and there. Pinpoint fractures were embedded in the fabric of the ceiling where they intersected, like tiny explosions.
"We've met."
"Yeah… a long time ago."
Strange, to have lived someplace for so long and yet know so little about it. When was it built? By whom, and why? Had it always been a place for the manufacture of…
"Hello again… 'Ice'."
"Yeah. What a surprise."
Life.
Every time David thought he was getting a handle on it, something popped up to show him just how much he didn't know. 'The unknown unknowns'. Like the way a couple of insignificant cracks in the ceiling showed him that the very place he called home was still an enigma.
Even he was still an enigma to himself.
What had come over him last night? It seemed someone else had taken control, some violent alternate personality, suppressed too long; like a program poorly erased from a forgotten user profile had been accidentally initiated. He thought back to the confrontation with the CJ boy in the plaza, and how he could have just walked away from it all. And the fight in the Nexus. Hadn't there been a thrill to it?
And then awoke a sleeping demon, when his nemesis had arrived.
"Hey, you guys! Don't turn up the volume, ok? I've had enough boy stuff for tonight."
Amanda had thought they were going to fight. And oh, how David had been willing to let things play out that way; how ready he had been as he gazed into Martin's disbelieving eyes. Every dark thought he'd ever had came back in that instant. And he was no longer a confused newborn, innocent to the green passion, jealousy; no longer dazed by the mysteries of his new flesh or weakened by hunger and exposure to the merciless elements. No. Now he was fed and fit, fearless. Most of all fearless.
If not for Lex's sudden appearance, David may well have loosed his demons.
"Ariel is waiting Sir. I think it's time we depart."
'Sir'
The way the others had all looked at David when Lex had used that word. Their eyes had asked the same unanswerable questions 'who the hell is this guy?' He couldn't blame their sudden suspicions. How many sixteen year olds had their own bodyguards? And hadn't he spent the whole night pretending to be one of them?
Their skepticism David could have dealt with. Even the improbable appearance of Martin and the resurgence of his forgotten resentments would have left him simply angry. But Amanda! The way she'd pulled away from him when he'd reached for her hand.
"We have to go, Amanda."
"I know, I know. Sorry, Ice. Call you later, ok?… See you guys!"
David covered his head in his blankets, moaning as the bruise the CJ's fist had left on his head awoke painfully. But he was grateful for the distraction. Anything to keep his mind off the confusing emotions doing battle in his heart.
Martin and Amanda! The improbability! He sought refuge in the mental process of calculating the odds. What would be the factors? Both Amanda and Martin had fathers in robotics. Yes, that would narrow the numbers. And it was not inconceivable that they would run in the same circles. Martin would only be couple years older, David guessed… well technically more than that, since he'd lost five years in Cryo…. That would make him…
But the numbers would not come, and after a time David was left to the mercy of his turbulent young emotions.
"Ice," he mumbled into the covers.
Amanda must have come up with that. It seemed like something she'd say. David imagined their conversation; Martin telling her of his years lost in the freeze and Amanda in her irrepressible flippancy deciding that 'Ice' was an appropriate nic.
And when had that conversation taken place? Had they been alone?
David threw off his covers and sat up on the edge of his bed. The quick movements brought a rush of pain to his swollen eye, and he cupped his head until it subsided. The blue travesty that Amanda had forced him to wear yesterday, lay folded in a chair. He wanted to throw it away, to tear it to shreds and toss it out the window. But after a moment's consideration, he relented. It would be a hollow gesture. He glanced at his lute, hanging from his wall. The discipline of playing had always calmed him before. But even as he started to rise, he understood that not even his music would work this time. He sat back on the bed and massaged his wound.
When did they meet? How?
He should have asked her on the ride home. But he'd been unable to speak, his mind reeling from the sight of his sibling rival and the change that had come over Amanda; her façade of innocence as she'd pressed him for information in the copter.
"So how do you know Ice? … David? … David! Oh, so now we're not talking? Don't act this way! He's just some guy I know!"
Her words had irritated him even more. All along he'd known she was right. He had been acting like an ass, and he'd known it. But he couldn't stop himself; could not suppress the rage that had awakened inside him.
Of all the people! Martin Swinton! His brother! His enemy!
David rose and rushed to his window, wanting to scream, wanting to cry, wanting to roll back the tides of time to that unpredictable moment and break Martin's jaw! Like he should have!
He cursed all those crazy Orga kids with their shifting cliques and pointless rivalries. If only he had been born into this world a babe and had lived a natural youth among them, he might understand their Orga hearts! But he was never such a child! And he was not now such a youth as they; could never really be.
David closed his eyes, forcing his mind away from these vexing thoughts. He leaned out his window and breathed deep the ocean air; set his focus on this simple act. Breath of life. In. Out. In. Out. Each release taking some of his fire with it, to be extinguished in the eternally undulating sea below.
Let it go. Let it go.
In time David calmed. The memory of Martin's face slowly dissolved and was replaced by another. With it came understanding deeper than the bitterness that still clung to his heart; and deeper than the confused adolescent longing restless nether.
It was 'She', wasn't it? She was the memory that Martin's presence awoke in him. She, whose face still burned deep in his unique genetic code. She, whose memory was the source of the rage that had silenced him to Amanda's pestering queries. She, whose gentle words had birthed him to the world of sensation, and for whom he had crossed the boundaries of existence to be here; encased in this fragile soft machine, ever vulnerable to its constant provocations.
Yes. For all the pretenses of his flesh, and the amorous illusions of desire that led him astray… there could only ever be one true love.
"Monica."
The name fell softly from his lips. It was calming. Reassuring. It renewed his purpose.
David opened his eyes.
The day was cloaked in a blanket of gray cloud. The ocean disappeared into a white mist that floated gently on the horizon. A chilled salty breeze wafted in though his window, caressing his face and chest. The unceasing rumble of the lions was a welcome sound. It was good to be back among the familiar.
He was born here. He'd been reborn here. He belonged here.
"Oh, Amanda," he sighed. "I can't be 'that' one."
It was time they talk. He slipped on his worn cut-offs and t-shirt and made his way to her apartment.
2
Stuart King stood in his doorway, looking at David as if he wasn't sure who he was. The man hadn't been up very long. His hair was disheveled and his eyes still puffy from sleep. He was dressed in only slippers and a bathrobe with a Cybertronics logo on the breast.
"I can come back later," David said, embarrassed at having woken the man. It was Sunday after all. Stuart probably needed his rest. But the man just yawned and gave David a knowing smile as he gestured for him to enter the spacious living quarters he shared with his daughter. David didn't quite understand the expression on Stuart's face. He had expected to be met with anger for the events of the night before. But instead he was ushered in without hesitation.
Their place was lightly decorated. A large crescent couch and a couple of oversized chairs faced a large flat-screen on the wall, surrounded by framed portraits of smiling people. Family and friends. Numerous projects lay around the room, robotic body parts in various states of repair. The transparent dining table held stacks of papers featuring diagrams and schematics covered in hand written notes. It was the kind of quarters one might expect from people who were used to being on the move. Nothing so colorful or stylistic as Grace's quarters, but not as simply utilitarian as Mario's and the other techs who kept apartments here. It was actually similar to his Father's rooms. Though not as dark.
"Now that's what we used to call a 'shiner'," Stuart said as he closed the door behind them. David didn't get the statement at first. Stuart gestured to his swollen eye.
"Oh," David said. "It looks worse than it feels."
"I guess you got a little overdrive under your belt last night, eh?" Stuart said with a genuine laugh.
David donned an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry about that, Mr King, "he said. "I don't know what happened. Some kid started challenging me and … well, I lost control and everything just went a little crazy. But Amanda was my responsibility and I should have just walked away."
Stuart patted David on the shoulder
"Skip the Mr. King business," he said. "And never apologize for just being a kid." He looked David over for a silent moment. David couldn't hold the man's gaze. It was clear where Amanda got her piercing black eyes.
"I've been around long enough to know about those Crasher types." Stuart continued. "We didn't call them that when I was working the Flesh Fairs. We had 'Regulators' and 'Mashers' and all the rest of the wild boys who loved beating on things that couldn't fight back. But no matter what they call themselves, they're really all the same. Rebels without a clue."
David nodded thoughtfully, but he could say nothing. In part because Stuart's words were incisive, and he wanted to think on them. The violent boys were aimless, and cowardly; full of sound and fury and little else. But also, because he never really knew what to say in Stuart's presence. Just being in the same room with him was disorienting; left David with the lingering fear that he'd say something inappropriate, something that only his former self could have known.
"But there is something else we really need to talk about, young man" Stuart said, his face suddenly serious.
'The kiss!' David thought instantly. The memory of Amanda's body against him was still strong, and he was sure the man was about to give him a lecture on taking such liberties with his daughter. Stuart gestured to the couch and then took a place in a chair across from it.
"Yes?" David said hesitantly, as he sat down.
"Your Dad tells me you have some compelling ideas on the 500 series. Is that true?"
"Oh," David said, hoping his sense relief wasn't too obvious. But it had been a couple weeks since he had worked on the new line and he wasn't really sure where to start. After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he leaned forward and clasped his hands together, unconsciously mimicking the professorial gestures of his Father.
"Well, I was thinking we could expand the peripheral field and modify the facial recognition features," David said. "Throw in some generic emotional temperament profiles, you know… so the bot could use that kind of data in calculating its swing. I know my Father doesn't think it would make much difference, but I've been practicing on one for a while and I believe it's worth a try. I mean, that's the way Orga… uh, the way we predict things. If we're going to emulate human responses and reflexes, then I don't see any reason to omit this category of data. It would take us one step beyond simulation and closer to genuine duplication."
Stuart rubbed his chin as he digested the idea
"But, what would be the purpose?" he said. "The 500s are elaborate, yes, but in the end they're glorified toys. The kind of emotive feedback you're talking about might serve to enhance familial interactions, but we're nowhere near simulating the kind of motion capabilities we need to actually make a bot play baseball. The most we can hope for is letting an imprinted father take his 'son' out for a little batting practice."
David lowered his head so Stuart wouldn't see the conflict in his face. He didn't like talking about this subject, especially with this man. He was talking about himself... about the robot he used to be; but could not let the man know it. He would have to choose his words carefully.
"When my Father designed the original David… he not only built a simulator capable of experiencing 'love'…" David paused there, gathering his emotions. He knew Stuart would mistake his hesitation for an analytic introspection. "But he also created an emotive feedback that would allow the Mecha to develop it's own internal sense of reasoning…. Reasoning that would allow it to create internal metaphors and make its own decisions about what to pursue and why."
He finally looked up into Stuart's eyes.
"But why?" David said. "Why bother doing that? As long as the simulator can just appear to return love, as long as it can just appear to be curious and to play and do all the other things that 'real' children do, why make it actually experience those things?"
David paused, letting the rhetorical question sink in. Stuart gestured for him to continue.
"Because he had a vision," David continued, confidently. "Because everything we are doing is leading to something bigger. Making the 500s react to stimuli in the same way we do, including the same peripheral data we do and for the same reasons, creates a new avenue for processing. Only in the lab do we consider this data superfluous.
"And when we do eventually develop the kind of motion capability that leads to a Mecha that can actually run bases and slide into home plate, then it will already be able to make decisions based on the emotional temperament of the opposing team members."
"Intriguing," Stuart said. "I'll admit to being with your Dad on this one. But it would make an interesting experiment." He stared thoughtfully at David. "You have an interesting perspective, David. Not many kids your age think about these things. You're one of a kind."
David looked away again. The words were too strange coming from this man's mouth. Stuart mistook David's aversion for shyness.
"But, I guess you're really not here to talk shop with me, are you?" Stuart said. David turned to face him, grateful for the change of subject
"Is she still mad at me?" he said. Stuart made that smile again; the one David could not read.
"I can tell you've led a bit of a sheltered life here," Stuart said. "Probably don't know a lot about girls, eh?" David acknowledged this with an embarrassed shrug. Stuart laughed again.
"Don't worry," he said. "If she's angry about something, it'll pass." He rose and stretched. "I'll go see if she's up yet."
David jumped up from the couch.
"Mr Ki-... uh, Stuart," he said as the man started to leave. Stuart stopped and turned, fixing David with that questioning look that made him so uncomfortable.
"Do you know her friends very well?" he said. Stuart slid his hands in the pockets of his bathrobe and thought.
"Well, I've met Jazzy. A little crazy, but a good kid. She's honest. And I've met Zee and … oh, the skinny one with the painted face?"
"Frill?"
"Ah yes. That's his name. And I've met a few others whose names I can't recall. But I try not to intrude too much. Amanda's not a little girl anymore. And she's always shown discretion in choosing her company."
"What about Ice?" David said.
Stuart chewed his lip for a moment, trying to recall.
"Can't say I remember that name," he said. "But, like I said, she's old enough now to choose her own-"
"His real name is Martin," David interrupted. He tried to keep his voice even. But just saying the name made his jaws clench. Stuart seemed to notice the anger beneath David's forced calm. He cocked his head as he tried to place the name.
"Martin… Martin," he said. "Ah! You mean Henry's boy? Henry Swinton?"
David flinched involuntarily. Stuart definitely caught this one. He crossed his arms and a look of concern crossed his face.
"David," he said, "is there something going on that I should -"
"Well, look what the ocean washed up!"
The voice surprised them both. They turned to see Amanda standing in the doorway to her room, one arm cocked on her hip as she eyed David accusingly. She was, as usual, already dressed as if she was headed out to an informal gathering.
"So, has he regained his ability to speak yet?" Amanda said.
"Morning, honey," Stuart said, casting an amused look at David. "His voice was working a moment ago."
"Hi, Amanda," David said sheepishly. "Sorry about last night."
Amanda's eyes widened, and she raised her arms to the ceiling.
"Hallelujah! It's a miracle!" she said, dancing around like a tent revival preacher. Stuart tried not to laugh, but could only hide his mouth as he snickered.
"Guess I deserve that," David said softly.
"Yes, you do," Amanda said. "And you deserve that black eye too!"
"Mandy," Stuart said, recrimination in his voice. Amanda surrendered with a sigh.
"Okok, that was a bit much. Sorry," she said. Then she shoved her door open wide and then stormed into her room. "Why don't we continue our little chat in here," she said over her shoulder.
Stuart patted David on the back, his face bearing that strange smile again; the one that David could not read before. But now he thought he might finally understand what it meant: 'You really stepped in it this time!'
3
Amanda's room stood in stark contrast to the rest of the apartment. Colorful décor, odd knickknacks, numerous images and posters, both static and motion capable. Her console monitor displayed some game she'd been playing on pause; a vast snowy landscape with anime characters frozen in the middle of doing battle. And a silent Mecha sat in a corner chair. It was a 'Sheila'; a generic female simulator used as everything from secretaries to prostitutes. The bot smiled at David as he entered.
"That's my tutor," Amanda said. "I actually preferred going to school, with all my friends. But I guess those days are over." She tapped the tutor on the shoulder. "We are going to talk now. Go sit in the living room until I need you," she said. The Sheila rose obediently and left the room.
"You know, they don't record conversations unless they're told to," David said.
Amanda ignored him and jumped on the fluffy cushions of her bed. She grabbed her pod from a nightstand and gestured that David find someplace to sit.
"Look what you started," she said as David leaned against her windowsill. He watched as she flipped through a few of the small holographs floating over her pod, and stopped at one that resembled a rotating ice cube. She looked up at David with an accusing glare, and pressed a key.
"Mandy! Why the hell were you acting like that? And what were you doing with that guy? Where'd you meet him? You'd better be careful. That guy's some kind of hustler or something. Call me."
David was about to say something, but she held up a finger to silence him, and hit another key.
"I know you got my message, Mandy! You better call me. There's stuff you need to know about this 'Blue' guy. First off, that's not his real name. And no matter what he says about me, it's all bull. This is not a game. Call me!"
"Amanda," David started. But she keyed another message before he could finish.
"Hey, Amanda. Sorry for that last message. I just…. Look, don't be mad at me, alright? I should have met you at the show, but I had to take care of other business. So call me back, ok? I just want to talk. And I heard about those CJ idiots. I hope you didn't get hurt. I should have asked about that last night. But when I saw that guy I… just call me back… please."
The sound of Martin's futile pleas brought David a quick sense of guilty joy. He turned his head, pretending to be enjoying the view outside her window so she wouldn't see him smile. But it was too late.
"You think this is funny?" Amanda said, brows furrowed. "Because it's not. It's definitely not!"
"No, no," David said, shaking his head. "Not funny. I agree. Sorry."
"There's seven more of those things, David" Amanda said, looking at him as if he had been the one that made them. "I even had a call from security, asking me questions about it."
David had never heard of simple messages triggering an alert. But he didn't get a chance to say anything.
"And there's no telling what he's left in my inbox!" Amanda continued quickly. "I've only known this guy for a few months. It's not my fault he thinks that just because he takes me to a few shows and buys me a few gifts - which I never asked for, by the way - that he now thinks he gets to double check my every move in life, and I'll be damned if I get stuck in the middle of some stupid 'guy thing' between you two. I don't know how you two met or what the hell is going on between you now, but neither of you have any right to-"
"Amanda!"
It was the first time David was able to stop her. It must have been the tone of his voice. Or maybe she'd remembered how he got the bruise above his eye. But she did stop; gritting her teeth in frustration.
David rose and walked to her bedside. She followed him with her eyes, but said nothing. He knelt beside her and reached for her hand. Amanda pulled away at first, glaring. But when he reached again, she relented.
"I met Martin a long time ago. We were just kids." David paused a moment, deciding how to continue. "It was at a party and …we got into a fight. And … and that's all I can tell you right now."
"What?" Amanda said. She pulled her hand away again and retreated to the other side of her bed. She sat up and wrapped herself in her blanket. "You got into a fight when you were kids? That's it? So … what then? You don't see each other for years and then the war starts all over again? So what was all the 'he's a hustler' and 'don't trust him' stuff about? Huh? I'm not stupid David!"
"I know you're not," David said. "But that's all I can tell you now. It's a long complicated story. And neither of us can be objective about it. But, the fact is, you can't tell him anything about me. You can't tell him I live here. Can't tell him anything we've talked about. And in turn I promise to keep you out of it. I'll never ask you about him. Deal?"
Amanda glared at him a moment more. Slowly she calmed and started watching the avatars that were appearing and disappearing silently over her pod.
"Damn. Everybody is texting me," she said. She raised her eyes to David. "And it's probably all about you! They're all like: 'Hey Mandy, what's up with Blue's bodyguard?' 'Yo, is that guy rich or something?', 'Found yourself a badass now, Mandy-girl'." She sighed and relaxed against the headboard of her bed.
"I don't get it, David," she said, softly. "I don't get the hatred between you two. It's almost like…" She stopped a moment, looking as if about to breach a tender subject. "Were you … I mean you and Martin… were you like, boyfriends or something?"
"What?" David guffawed. "No! Why would you think …No!"
"Because, I wouldn't care," Amanda continued. "It's not like it's a big deal. Frill used to go out with that guy Myron, before he got all into that CJ crap… then Frill met Zee and… you know. It's normal for some guys to like each other."
David finally managed to stop laughing.
"It's nothing like that, Amanda," he said, chuckling; amused by the idea.
"Then what?" she said, trying to understand the rivalry. "Is it some kind of family thing? Are you related?"
David looked at her seriously.
"No." he said. It wasn't really a lie. It wasn't really the truth. It was like everything else about his life; somewhere in between.
"Boy, that idea sure shut you up," she said, eying him skeptically. "Wonder why that is?"
No, she wasn't stupid, David thought. And he had to be careful. He rose and looked at Amanda with sober eyes.
"Maybe someday I'll explain it all. But I only came to apologize for acting that way on the ride home. And I wanted to tell you that, even with the fight and the insanity, last night was the best time I've had in years. I hope we can do it again sometime. But that's up to you. And if we do, I'll be wearing my own clothes."
Amanda rolled her eyes at that. But said nothing.
"I know this place is boring for someone like you," David continued. "Someone with so many friends and so used to the city and the noise and parties and all. But I am very happy you came here and I hope we can stay friends."
He turned and headed for the door.
"Nice exit monologue," Amanda said, clapping as David put his hand on the doorknob. He turned so that she could see him roll his eyes. Then he opened the door.
"Bookworm," she said. David gave her a sour look.
"Ok, ok. I mean David," she corrected herself.
"Better," he said.
"Sorry about your eye," she said. "And just so you know, I had a good time too."
"All of it?" David said. Amanda gave him one of her impatient looks.
"Yes, all of it, d'uh," she said. "Well, except for the fighting part. The 'other stuff' was pretty ok." She smiled a smile that reminded him why he was always giving in to her little whims.
"That's good to know," he said. Then he turned to leave.
"David!"
"What!" he said, using the 'impatient' look on her for a change.
"Have we met before?" she said.
David felt a rush of excitement roll up his spine. How badly he'd love to tell her the truth. How badly he wanted to tell everyone.
"Yes," he said. "If I remember right, we went out together last night, when I got punched in the head. And then the day before that we bought some stupid blue suit online, even though I just wanted some jeans. And the day before that I believe we had breakfast together and-"
"Ok, wise ass!" she said, laughing. "You know what I mean. It's just that, sometimes you seem so familiar. Like we've met before"
David shrugged.
""Maybe it was in another life," he said. Then he left to see his Father. They had much to discuss. Storm clouds were forming on the horizon.
4
Alan Hobby was sitting at his desk when David arrived, deep in conversation with someone on his console monitor. The monitor was turned so David could not see with whom he spoke, but the man's brow was creased in an expression of concern. Behind him, the giant flatscreen on the wall soundlessly portrayed various panels of news feeds from around the world. David recognized one of the featured stories and knew he would have to deal with the events of last night before he could discuss the 'Martin' problem.
Hobby looked up at David, and gestured that the boy should have a seat. David plopped down on the couch; gently massaging his bruised head as he waited for his father to finish whatever business he was engaged in.
"… and for all we know at this point, it could have just been something in the lab," the voice from his father's monitor said. It was a woman's voice, and sounded vaguely familiar.
"Mario is inland for the weekend, but I'm sure everything is locked up," Hobby said.
"It checks out on my end too, but we still shouldn't rule it out," replied the voice. "Truth is, unless there's another attempt, we might not be able to trace it."
David wasn't sure what they were talking about, but it didn't seem to involve him. He started watching the news feeds as he waited. The panel carrying the Nexus story featured images of police copters landing in a plaza, screaming kids running from the exits, and handcuffed CJ boys inside a lock-up unit, snarling and spitting at the camera. David knew one of those faces. It was Myron, the boy who had struck him; the one who, according to Amanda, had once run with the Shiny kids, and had been in a relationship with Frill. David wondered what had happened to make him change so drastically. But apparently Myron was enjoying his moment in the spotlight; something to brag to his new friends about later.
Then something in his Fathers conversation caught David's attention.
"We took a look at your new hire," the voice said. "The girl had a lot of incoming but nothing too far out of the ordinary. Are you confident in the man's vetting?"
Hobby noticed David's curious gaze.
"Don't worry about that, Jenna," he said quickly, as if he there was something he didn't want David to hear. "Keep me posted. I don't care what time it is."
"Will do, Alan."
Hobby closed the connection and slapped his palms on the desk.
"Well, that's an interesting fashion statement," he said. "I guess all adventures have their price."
"It's not as bad as it looks," David said.
Hobby stood and walked to the couch. He knelt before his son, and scrutinized his bruised head. David pulled back when he gently touched it.
"Ow," David said. "Don't do that."
Hobby regarded David thoughtfully.
"Those aren't exactly the colors I was hoping you'd find," he said, chuckling. "Did you stop by the clinic?"
"I'm fine," David said. ""I've lived through worse." Hobby conceded this with a nod and patted David gently on the shoulder.
"I'll have someone drop in on you later," he said as he rose and went to sit behind his desk again. But David just waved his arm dismissively.
"I'm fine," he said.
"Stubborn," Hobby said.
"It's just my own self-motivated reasoning," David quipped. His father laughed. Then he leaned back in his chair and his face grew serious.
"Have you been on any social sites today?" he said. "Been sending any texts or images… videos?"
David shook his head.
"How about the 500?" Hobby said. "Were you working on it, or any of the other projects?"
"I've been a bit out of it today," David said. "Just laid around. Went to visit Amanda for a while. Why?"
"Probably nothing," Hobby said. "That was Jenna West on the line. She's with Cyber Security. Apparently something triggered an alert while trying to access a restricted account. But it could have just been a routine that was left running in the lab… something trying to login with an expired password, perhaps."
"Has this got anything to do with Amanda's messages?" David said. He wondered if his Father knew who the messages were from. But the man gave no indication that he knew, or that he cared if he did know. He just waved the subject away.
"Don't worry about it," he said. "Nothing was breached and whatever it was, has stopped. Jenna's flying in tomorrow to scan the building. Just for safety first." He was quiet a moment, tapping his chin. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to cover all the bases," he said pensively.
David understood more than his Father thought. He was talking about Stuart King. This Jenna woman had suggested that Stuart might have been the source of the security alert. She had asked if the man had been fully vetted. And now his Father was having his first doubts about adding the man so quickly.
But David had no worries about Stuart. He had other things on his mind.
"Dad," David said. "Something happened last night I think we need to talk about."
"Oh , you mean this?" Hobby said, turning to the flatscreen. "Enlarge frame two," he said, and the story about the Nexus went fullscreen. He tapped the remote and the volume came up. A woman's voice was speaking over images from the night before. The same images that had been scrolling since David walked in.
"… of Nexus security dismissed complaints of overbooking, saying the problem was caused by a gang known as Crash Jammers; violent youths who are known for causing mayhem at public events. But this is not the first time Nexus plaza has faced complaints of negligence."
The scene finally changed to a smiling man in a dark suit, standing before a glass wall with a white logo etched in its surface; a large 'O' with a smiling mustached man in its center. David knew that logo. He'd seen it on a copter in the parking bay last night.
"We spoke with Taylor Mann," the reporter continued. "Attorney for Olmier Enterprises, owners and operators of The Nexus Plaza."
David bolted up in the chair. Had he just heard what he thought he'd heard? Hobby noticed his alarm and turned to face him.
"Was that the guy who punched you?" he joked.
"Not funny, Dad," David said, shushing his father. He wasn't sure if he'd heard the reporter correctly. But he had to find out. Something was suddenly occurring to him, something that should have been obvious all along.
"No institution is immune to the type of organized violence these youth groups commit," Taylor Mann said. "The Nexus deploys state-of-the-art security simulants; each capable of scanning for contraband and weapons, and fully licensed to do so. But we still haven't developed a way to scan a person's intentions; and we can't be expected to take responsibility for their unexpected behavior."
"But would it really be unexpected that a group of kids known for violence might do something like this?" the reporter said.
"What should we do?" Mann replied. " Profile? Refuse entry to kids in dark clothing and tattoos? That's half our clientele!" Mann laughed at his own joke. The reporter was not so amused.
"This isn't the first incident like this," she said. "Hasn't the Nexus been the target of lawsuits before?"
Mann made a disarming smile.
"Yes, there have been issues in the past, and we have offered appropriate recompense when we were genuinely liable. But those cases were few. Very few. No more than any of the other clubs who cater to young people. More often than not, these cases are simply opportunists trying to take advantage of other's misfortunes. A successful business like Olmier Enterprises is bound to become a target for such people."
The reporter began asking another question. But David wasn't listening anymore. His fears had been confirmed. He stood slowly, his mind racing.
"Olmier," David said. Could it be that Olmier?
"What's wrong, David," Hobby said. He muted the monitor again, and stood with a look of concern on his face.
"How could I miss that?" David said. He remembered how tight the security had been, and remembered thinking that Sy would never have worked a place like the Nexus…. unless he had someone inside!
David started for the door, speaking over his shoulder as he left. "Dad, you have to lock up any outbound communications… and send security to my room… and Amanda's room! And tell them to bring scanners!"
"David! What's going on?" Hobby said, as David rushed away. But David had no time to explain.
"Just do it, Dad!" he yelled.
David had finally realized why a bunch of Crash Jammers would start a fight in a place where they were sure to get arrested. It was because they knew they'd have cash awaiting them when they got out. Martin was suddenly the last thing on his mind. Any threat the boy posed had been dwarfed by the likely presence of a roving snooper, one that would, to the ordinary eye, look like nothing more than a small insect.
A spider.
He ran for his room, hoping the snoop hadn't found anything that would reveal his identity to one of the last people he'd want to be exposed: Dreven Olmier!
(cont..)