Triptych

Chapter 3

Mac

It doesn’t take long for her to find him. Candor: 1500. An entire life simplified in a name and a test score. Mac scoffs in derision, her insides unintentionally burning with awe and jealousy. She finds the corresponding records, a long list of upgrades and enhancements in a span of eighteen years. “Bloody fuck, it’s a miracle if the guy can keep his head straight after all this.”

Candor is a certified genius according to his mental aptitude test, taken at the young age of five. It put him on FOCUS’s radar at once, more than random citizens of Tokyo already are. Immediately getting scouted by the country’s elite engineering firms, Candor was offered multiple scholarships to tech schools but he opted for general education with periodic enhancements throughout the years. Mac scrunches her nose in disgust, wondering if he’s one of those freaks addicted to going under the needle and coming out with more metal than actual muscle every time. She shrugs the sentiment away, hoping the clusterfuck of code in his brain makes it a challenging hack. Her face breaks into a grin of perfect white teeth.

“What are you thinking?” Orion inquiries from where he’s spread on the couch, seemingly resting but one eye trained on her, always trained on her. At this point he’s more friend than her security guard, and Mac is glad she chose to reset his neural inhibitor instead of disposing of him like all the candidates before him. Also helps he’s 40% transhuman, equipped with the latest security tech to provide an extra level of security to her lab.

“Nothing too incriminating. Don’t worry.” Mac smirks around the straw in her mouth, sipping her drink delicately before casting an eye to Orion. He’s staring at the roof as if lost in thought, his lips pulled in a scowl. “Running another scan of the roof?” she asks dryly.

“It can’t hurt.” he says defensively, “You hacking into FOCUS central always gives me the creeps.”

She watches him scan the surroundings and relax back on the couch before she speaks, “I’m gonna hack the volunteer’s neural web when he goes under. See what the big fuss is about.”

As expected, Orion springs up as if held to a hot flame. “You’re going to what? Have you completely lost your mind?”

“What?” She shrugs defensively, “I wanna see what’s so special about this one?  Must be some rich kid with a few good moments and he’s becoming FOCUS pet project.”

“This is risky Mac, even for you” he says vehemently, “I get that you resent FOCUS and how they provide their tech to different classes of people, and breaking into their servers as a regular past time is one thing but this is some kid who’s already been poked and prodded enough without you meddling in his brain.”

“Please, like he hasn’t let those doctors and scientists have their fun with him. Relax, I’m not gonna harm him” She assures him. Orion glares at her some more, seeming indecisive. Mac lets out a resigned sigh, “I just, I want to see what makes him so special. And I want to find out what the last upgrade is, they’re keeping it way too hush hush don’t you think?”

Orion nods jerkily. “Fine, but the second he seems to be compromised, in any way, you pull out. Don’t do any damage Mac. This isn’t some machine component that can be replaced after you fry it.”

“I know” Mac rolls her eyes. “What do you take me for, some dumb blond with aesthetically enhanced visuals and no brains?”

Orion doesn’t return her teasing grin, turning back silently as Mac faces the monitors again. Waiting for Candor’s neural web to get plugged in. then, its show time.