Nanobots, Murder, and Other Family Problems

Sat 12/31 17:07:15 PST

Stepping out of the dorms and into the decorated commons blasts me with a sensory overload that forces me to turn the feedback from my implant all the way down. Haven't had to do that in a while. Haven't seen this many people in one place in longer than my memory goes back, either. I make a note to thank Mrs. Hastings, who did an incredible job turning the campus commons into a festival. The night is lit up with colored lights strung between the buildings. Tiki torches line the edges of the grass and overhead heaters on long poles dot the commons, warming the cold winter evening to what my overlay shows as a pleasant 20° C.

Huge speakers on either end of the field blast catchy music, the throbbing bass strong enough to shake the ground near them. Ahead of me, a crew of chefs at big charcoal grills cook up strips of meat with Ethiopian-style seasonings on skewers. I grab one as I pass by and take a bite. It's not all that authentic, but it's very tasty. The nursery kids mob the long tables with platters of sweet flatbreads and small pastries, their nannies hanging back and chatting with each other. A small army of caterers bustle all over in their neat white uniforms.

The bar set up in front of the cafeteria building serves mixed drinks to the staff, who all seem to be enjoying themselves. Mrs. Jones giggles a little as she introduces me to her husband, a handsome, broad-shouldered man with silver hair. He seems nice enough and we chat for a moment. Mr. Johnson looks like he came solo, but the way he's flirting with Andrea's math teacher and tossing back shots, he may not leave that way. I guess this is as good a place to celebrate New Year's Eve as anywhere.

Marc is the life of the party. He bounces between groups of kids and staff alike, entertaining everyone with his stories and jokes. Jeff and Louise sit off to the side on the Residence steps a few meters apart from each other. Louise seems exhausted. The work to get the new implant interface running must still be working her over. Jeff is just being antisocial. Andrea is up on the small stage, dancing and projecting lights and colors high up into the night sky. It's like a fireworks show, but better, and it keeps going on and on as the festivities continue. She even has realistic boom and crackle sounds timed to the holographic explosion. The younger kids are entranced by it, screaming with delight at every new display. Eventually, Andrea wraps up her show. Evan steps up and takes the microphone.

"Let's all give a big hand to Chad," he booms. "Graduating from our little institution and heading out into the big outside world!"

Everyone bursts into applause and the chatter dies down. Chad, mingling near the food tables with some of the younger nannies, waves and grins at the attention. The crowd settles in to listen as Evan starts talking about Chad as a kid in the nursery. How he's always been a leader, always been the biggest believer in the mission, always helped out Father, and on and on.

He's got some funny bits about how Chad wouldn't eat anything spicier than mashed potatoes when he was little. The jab about Chad crying for a week non-stop when they built the dorms and my class moved out of the Residence seems a little rough, but that's probably because my experience wasn't far from that, and I moved in when I was over a decade older. Different circumstances, but still. The rest of the kids take it in good humor. I guess it wasn't an unusual thing, and they've all moved past it. He tells plenty of jokes both kind and cutting from experiences in the last couple of years, a lot of them about what a suck-up Chad is to Father.

It's not a bad roast overall, even if it was pretty heavy on the praise. Evan is almost as funny as Marc when he puts some effort into it. Mrs. Hastings works her way through the crowd of kids and staff and nudges me.

"She has arrived."

Excellent. I hope Chad appreciates the effort I put into this surprise for him. I thank Mrs. Hastings, then make my way to the stage and take the mic from Evan's outstretched hand.