Dreaming in Static

Chapter 12

Andromeda

The others had already been lulled into a false sense of safety, but Andromeda was fully aware of the threats they faced. There was a war going on right now, and she didn't have the slightest inkling of what a war in 2117 entailed.

Andromeda didn't have the unlimited Wi-Fi she'd had back in 2217, but it took just one Google search to find out the premise of the war. It'd started in 2109, when Russia had seized the nuclear weaponry of Ukraine. The United States had allied with Russia, endearing to their fifty-year treaty; the decision to side with Russia had spurred minor riots and rebellions scattered across the country, but nothing serious.

No, the serious part was that France, Japan, and Great Britain were now involved. This was World War III.

Andromeda knew about the outcome of the war, of course. Somewhere along the line, the President of the U.S. had been assassinated, and France had seized control of the country for a few years before uprisings forced them to relinquish the government to the hands of the American people.

That was all she knew, though. Just the basics. The history that everyone in 2217 knew. Andromeda didn't know what tactics had been used in the war, nor what areas of the country had been targeted; Ali seemed to have more knowledge in this field, but even that was quite limited. She cursed herself for not pursuing an education in history while she'd had the chance.

***

"We can't stay here forever," Andromeda said, looking up at Ali urgently.

He was leaning against the wall, eating something he'd probably salvaged from a party the night before. Thank goodness Andromeda and Polaris's batteries were solar-powered; otherwise, all three of them might've perished already.

"I know," Ali replied. "I didn't think we would stay for very long, but it looks like we'll be here for a month or two, at least."

"Fake IDs," Andromeda suggested. "And then we can get jobs, and then we can...rent a place."

Ali shrugged. "Fake IDs aren't hard to get. The only issue is the money we'll have to spend."

She exhaled and tilted her head back to gaze at Polaris, who was lying on the top bunk with her eyes closed, smiling slightly. That was generally how she looked when she was utilizing her interface. The smile meant she was using it to text Wei.

"Polaris, can you get some money from your boyfriend?" Andromeda called. Polaris's eyes snapped open, and she sat up indignantly.

"First of all, Wei's not an iBank, Andromeda! We can just find jobs somewhere. And second, he's not my boyfriend," Polaris said, looking very serious.

"Right. You keep telling yourself that," Andromeda laughed. "At least try to find a job through him. He must work at a cafè or something, right?"

"He works at the local hobby shop," Polaris corrected her. "They sell drones and robots and things like that."

"Well, at least talk to him about it," Andromeda sighed. "Wei obviously knows how to get a job. So learn from him."

Polaris closed her eyes and lied back down on the bed with a thump. "I will."

Polaris

"Victor, talk to me," she whispered, bundled in her blankets.

It was the middle of the night. Two days had passed since Victor first revealed himself to Polaris.

He exercised periods of control occasionally; when she'd come close to crying on that day with Wei, he'd somehow stopped her tears. And whenever she began talking to Andromeda or Ali about something potentially incriminating against Victor, she'd suddenly choke up and lose the ability to breathe.

It was never fatal, and it never impaired her system in any way. But it was terrifying. And that was so much worse.

Polaris had been trying to avoid talking with Victor, but she couldn't dodge another meeting forever. At the very least, she had to satisfy her curiosity and quell her dread of what Victor really was.

At her request, Victor appeared before her, sitting cross-legged on the other side of the bed. That disorienting feeling of moving and breathing, and yet staying absolutely still, returned to Polaris.

That was before she took in his new appearance. He was no longer a milky white, blurred figure, and she was glad for this. She was glad she could attribute a real face to the name, even if it was all in her head.

He was donning a fedora and smiling, showing perfect white teeth. He seemed to be wearing an old-fashioned suit, complete with a black tuxedo and tie.

"You look kinda dorky," Polaris said, grinning.

Victor raised his eyebrows. "That's insulting. I spent quite a while on this persona, but I suppose I could revert to my old appearance if you like."

"Please don't," Polaris told him. She looked down at her hands and focused on her fingers instead of Victor.

"I thought so," he sneered. "I think you want more information on who I am."

"Yeah. That'd be nice," Polaris murmured.

"I'm simply a person. I am Victor, inserted into your mind. I have my fingers on the controls, and I can do anything." Victor smiled softly and leaned closer (when had Polaris looked away from her hands, back into his dark eyes?) to whisper: "But I won't. Because I love you, Polaris."

A cold bolt of fear struck her through her heart, and she inhaled sharply, trying to calm herself enough to formulate a response.

"No, you don't," Polaris said, closing her eyes (and then they were open again, and hadn't she tried to close them?). "You're a...I still don't know what you are. How did you suddenly come into my mind? Are you just a figment of my imagination?"

"I am real. I'm just as real as you are, or Andromeda, or Ali, or your...friend. Wei. The fact that I do not have a body doesn't mean I'm not real. Trust me on this, Polaris: I am not a fabrication of your mind; I exist elsewhere, but now isn't the time for you to know about those other places."

"Then why don't you just come and talk to me like a regular person?" Polaris asked, becoming agitated. "Why do you have to alter my memory and control my actions and--I mean, isn't just sending me a message through my brain, however you do that, isn't that easier?"

Victor blinked for the first time.

Polaris could tell she'd trapped him.

"That's what I'm doing. I'm communicating with you through your memories. I'm inserting my persona into your memories, and in this way, my body is very nearly real. I'm certainly completely real to you. This is how I choose to talk to you."

"You're avoiding the question. Why don't you talk to me by sending me simple messages? Texting me? That's how I usually talk to Wei, and he's not any less real," Polaris rebutted.

"I want you to see me," Victor said, his chest rising and falling. He dropped his hands in front of him, palms facing upwards. "I want you to...know me. In all my vulnerability and my openness, I want you to understand me. This is the most substantial way I can communicate with you."

Polaris reached forward and made to grasp Victor's hand, but her fingers passed through it, and a brief image of static flashed through her mind. Victor recoiled, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"You aren't invincible," Polaris said softly.

"No," Victor admitted. "I'm not."

He paused, and her memory of that moment fluctuated in and out of existence before finally sticking in her mind.

"Sleep well, Polaris."

***

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