Triptych

Chapter 2

Candor

Sometimes when she closes her eyes, she can see the world. See its simplicity in shapes and colors instead of reading hard coded facts about it. It only works when she is alone in the dark, and she closes her eyes tight until the 1’s and 0’s that make up her monochrome world disappear into a cacophony of colors. Reds, blues and greens appear into the darkness behind her eyelids, and for a moment, the world is quiet, her mind relaxed.

“Are you quiet alright Lana?” Her father asks from his seat beside her. She opens her eyes and it all comes rushing back. She turns to look at her father, observing his eyes – generation two business class lens, optimal for language translation – trained on her. They’re almost unnoticeable compared to her unnatural silver eyes, and she wonders how he sees her. Would he be able to entangle the mess of aimless thoughts and pointless information inside her head, translate it into something she can understand? Or would he be distracted by the numbers, the always there numbers hovering over everything around her like a machine’s specs. It was supposed to make her job easier, make her efficient. But all it does is take the fun away.  “You’re awfully quiet today.” Her father is saying. “Nervous about the upgrade?”

Lana looks through the car window behind him, watches the skyline of new Tokyo pass them by faster than she can distinguish individual information passing in front of her eyes. “it just -- ” she pauses to run a metal hand through her short hair, the bio-skin still growing after her latest maintenance last week, “I have reservations about volunteering, especially since it’s a prototype and I’m already equipped with the latest FOCUS has to offer for my field.”

“Lana” her father sighs, calling on patience for an argument they have before every trip to the labs. “It’s a wonderful opportunity, and Dr Yates has assured me that it’s safe. Besides, once you get the neural web implanted in our nervous system, there will be no more upgrades required, you can be whatever you want, with just a thought.”

“Just a thought.” Lana murmurs to herself. She pictures nimble precise fingers poised above a sketch pad, her lines clean and aesthetic. She shakes her head before the thought can form an image clear enough to leave an impression. Then wonders if she stopped the thought or was it blocked before she could reach it. She sighs, “I guess you have a point papa.”

Her father seems taken aback at her agreement. “I mean – yes. I only want what’s best for you. You know that right?” he asks gently, raising a hand to pat her head. She avoids looking at him directly. Gen one model 3401, her brain supplies anyway, just as the hard palm touches her head. She’s grateful she can’t physically flinch, her jerk reactions taken away to ensure accuracy during mechanical work. She smiles demurely just as the car makes a turn around, landing smoothly at the roof of FOCUS central labs.

Dr Yates greets her at the elevator, looking up and down at his creation and nodding in approval before greeting her father. “This is a big day for us both Candor. I assume you’re ready.”

Lana allows herself a second to entertain the possibility that she can say she’s not. Then the second passes and she nods, maybe she should let the doctor have another look at her inhibitor nodes. The trio enters the elevator together, and Dr Yates takes the time to recite bio alteration rights and FOCUS codes even though she can recite them even without the eidetic memory drive. “You’ll be signing your own affirmation and consent papers this time. The terms and conditions are mostly the same but you’re almost eighteen and since this is a voluntary process, it’s mandatory for you to sign yourself.”

“Of course she’ll sign it. No problem. ” her father affirms before she can answer. Lana simply nods.

“You’re quiet today Candor, systems running slow?”Dr Yates jokes.

“I’m fine” Lana ensures him, “Just bracing for the upgrade.”

“Ah. Well hopefully all will go well and you will be the first fully independent Meta human in the twenty second century.” He says cheerfully. “I told you she was destined for greatness Mr Candor” He tells her father proudly, “I told you the moment I saw her results thirteen years ago.”

Ah yes. The aptitude test that sealed her fate all those years ago. Her results that put her on Dr Yates’s radar, a prodigy in the making he called her. And her parents took his words to heart, signed her up for augmentation as fast as they good and provided her every single update so she could be the best computer engineer the world has ever seen. And she will be. After the last upgrade to her neural web and bio-skeleton, she’d have no need for extra parts. She can bend her body into whatever she wants at just a thought. Lana allows herself a smile.  

Her father puffs up with pride at her side as they ride down choking on the air clogged with pride. Destined for greatness.