Remote

Codex

The next night, after he was sure his parents had hooked up, Codex dragged himself back from a virtual beach where he'd been surfing some killer waves. He unplugged. Again. He had never unhooked on so many nights in a single month. He feared his punishment if caught. Heart thumping in his chest, the tall teen, garbed in his night whites, exited the house pod and waited for the rebel he whose image invaded his thoughts more often than he liked to admit. She'd be a fool to return, yet he still hoped.

He noticed her standing still as stone and blending into the shadows.

"Over here rebel girl."

Wren jumped, searching out his voice, words clipped. "I didn't see you."

"You want to come inside this time, Wren?" her name filled the night air as he said it.

"Straight to the point."

"New Staters were always direct. Less words and thoughts the better. Be polite, think tight, and keeps words light. Don't they teach you anything in school?"

"Nope. You'll turn me in if I go inside." She bounced lightly on her feet like a predator ready to devour prey.

He laughed. "You came back. You can't believe that." Codey waved her over. "I want to show you something in my room. I have more questions too."

"What's wrong with staying out here? Why would I go up to your room?"

He smiled. "Aren't you curious about hooking up? I want to understand the underground. How many chances are you going to get to hook up?"

"I'd ever want to."

"I can at least show you how it's done, and you can tell me how your world works. The rebels have been on my mind since you ran away the other night."

"I didn't run away. There was a Phantom overhead." She formed fists with her hands, indignant. "Wouldn't it be dangerous for me to hook up?"

"No. I don't rank high enough for thought download." He studied her. "I'm not sure if your failed CHIP implant matters. I guess we'll find out. You really must experience what it means to hook up." He grabbed for her hand. 'I want to understand everything about your world. All the stuff the refuse to tell us in history downloads."

Wren avoided his touch, spitting words. "I didn't have a failed CHIP implant. No one would ever implant anything in my brain."

"Really?" Confusion sat on his face. "It must be hard to function."

"I can function fine, and I don't want to hook up with you." Wren growled.

"It's not like that." Codey musical laughter infused his otherwise robotic lilt.

"I've studied what hooking up means to tech heads." The thought of it made her shiver. "No thank you."

"Let's conduct an investigation and find out the parameters of a rebel without CHIP to interface with the computer. You can hook up to go into any alternate reality and live your fantasy and we'd amass some data."

"I said no!" Her eyes turned to slits. "My mind is my own. Hooking up is my worst nightmare."

"You've never done it before, right?"

"Of course not." Her face registered complete shock.

"You sure you didn't reject your CHIP implant at birth?" He stared at her head like he could envision the inside of her skull.

"I have no idea what you mean. No CHIP. Ever."

He turned contrite. "Stupid question. Please come inside."

"Why should I even trust you?"

"The answer's obvious." Her lack of logical thoughts frustrated Codey. She'd returned to his house. Didn't that say it all? Maybe if he rephrased for her. "Why'd you come back? Why are you standing here?"

"I have questions and you're going to answer them." She titled her chin to the sky checking for Phantoms.

"It's not safe. Come inside."

She scrutinized the housing pod.

Wren's curiosity got the best of her. "Please."

"Fine, I'll go." Her steps were slow and precise as if navigating a mine field.

Codex15111 tugged at her coat, urging her toward the house. He pulled Wren along and through the front door. She surveyed the large, ornate entryway made of sleek metals and clear glass. Tiled floors gleamed under them. Wren's nose twitched as she smelled of fresh flowers on the entry table.

"Who lives here?" Wren asked.

"My parents and I."

"Only three people and all this space?" Her eyes narrowed. "No siblings or relatives bunking with you?"

"No."

"How old are you?"

"Turning nineteen soon and joining the New State work force in two months." He ignored the impoliteness of her gaping mouth and climbed a set of steps. "This way."

Her heavy boots didn't make a sound when they hit the plush white carpet on the steps, but the dusty bottoms left stains. He'd have to run a clean-up program when she left.

Codey huffed, out of breath by the time he closed the door to his room. He slid into his desk chair gulping air.

"Walk much?" Wren asked.

"Asthma. Much of the population has it, but you can get it fixed with lung implants. My parents told me to wait." He sucked in air. "I guess I'm more nervous than I thought sneaking you inside."

"I can't believe I came." Wren examined his room, staring at a poster of the New State Leader Prime hung on his wall.

"The old man's poster or the nation's flag had to be displayed in every room of a home to show respect. What do you think of my room?"

The man who hunted her people like rats stared at her from the poster on the wall. "It's big." Wren shifted toward the door, bird pendent around her neck choking her.

"I invited you in my house. I'd never put you in danger." He waved away her fear with a hand. "Let's get you hooked up." He sat and swiveled in his chair to face the computer monitors swallowing the entire wall. The central monitor was huge, shrouding the most space, but around it smaller monitors loomed. He flicked a button, and they all pulsed to life at once like a giant squid in the ocean.

Wren stepped back.

"What's wrong?"

"Why do you have so many monitors?"

"I can be in a variety of settings at once. We learn from a young age how to multi-task. I can be in up to fifteen places at once and still focus. The world record holder can be cognizant in over 100 different worlds." He shook his head. "Impressive, right?"

Wren shrugged.

"Let me show you." The image of a tropical beach popped up on one of the screens. Seconds later, images of mountains, desserts, and forests filled the screens.

"It's beautiful."

"I'm keeping us out of public places for now. I don't want to have to interact with anyone."