Triptych

Chapter 8

Mac

Somedays, Mac wonders how she’s made it this far without committing murder. Don’t get her wrong, high class parties are a necessary evil she knows. Rubbing elbows with the business elites and sharing smiles with old men she barely knows so they keep investing her in her brand is probably the worst part of her job. Yet she has to power through it, if only because their money plays a huge part in keeping her illegal penthouse lab functional.

But tonight is different. Tonight it’s a million times harder to keep the smile on her face and control her cringe when slimy hands venture too far. She feels too restless, too tightly wound as if one wrong comment would make her snap. And Orion probably realizes this because he doesn’t push her towards people he knows she hates meeting with and doesn’t frown too much every time she swaps her empty wine glass for a new one.

He does hover a bit closer than usual, his eyes following her around the room. Their phantom weight makes her feel safer, lets her breathe easier when the air feels clogged with competing egos. Mac meets his eyes for the umpteenth time and this time he gives her a subtle nod.  Mac feels herself relax, the smile on her face turns almost real and it appeases the men she’s talking to. Mac excuses herself to the ladies room and moves slowly to the exit, knowing that Orion won’t be far behind.

“What’s the word?” Mac inquires as soon they’re sure they’re alone.

Orion casts a wary eye around before answering her. “The girl is fine. For now. The doctor seems worried though.”

“Worried why?” Mac asks quickly, biting her lip nervously.

Orion sighs, like he’s regretting every choice he’s ever made. “The upgrade it—it’s effecting her in a way no one anticipated. The full repercussions are unclear for now but he’s positive this whole thing was not their best idea.”

Mac scoffs, rubbing her arms. “You can say this whole thing was a bullshit idea.”

Orion makes a weird gesture with his head that Mac takes as agreement. “Now what? Candor’s already been given the all clear from the doctors so she’s out of the lab.”

“Well she can’t.” Mac emphasizes. “Not until we’re sure everything is okay with her.”

“Don’t tell me she’s your new pet project” Orion reprimands her. Not a rare occurrence.

“She’s not.” Mac replies, earnest. “She—I saw something when I was --” she lowers her voice conspiratorially, “in her head. It was—I just want her to okay. Whatever happens I want her to be okay.”    

Mac pauses to gaze around her. She looks down at the lush garden visible from the balcony where she stands, lit up by nothing but the pale moonlight. It’s quiet here, serene except the low murmur of voices from far away. Mac hates everything about it. “Let’s go home.” She says quietly. “If I stay any longer I’ll scream.”

Mac contacts Dr. Stein as soon as she gets home. He picks up before she realizes its well after midnight and the poor guy would probably be sleeping. Mac offers a quick apology as she takes off her jewelry in the elevator. He waves it away, claiming he wasn’t asleep in the first place.  His voice sounds too hoarse to be believable but Mac ignores it in favor of asking about Candor, dropping her heels and jewelry unceremoniously.

“I told her to contact you.” The doctor shares without preamble, making Mac stop in the middle of changing.

“You what now?” She manages to say, her dress stuck around her middle.

“Well not you per se.” He corrects himself, unaware of the silent tornado taking over Mac’s body. “I told her to contact this famous underground hacker Mac. Just to get a third party opinion outside FOCUS jurisdiction.”

“How bad is it? If you’re referring her to me directly.” Mac asks tentatively, half excited and half dreading the answer.

“You wanted to meet her” He says accusingly.

“That’s not why you did it though” Mac retorts.

A deep sigh, then “You’re right its not. She’s – I don’t know it might be pointless to worry. Daniel certainly thinks so.” Dr Stein admits uncertainly.

His words make Mac laugh. “Dr Yates thinks anything that doesn’t make him money is pointless. Tell me what’s wrong with Candor.” She asks, stepping out in her pajamas.

“Nothing yet.” He admits. “But her temperament has been different. Sometimes she’s almost zoned out in the middle of a task. Other times she’s angry or frustrated without reason. And the whole time, her neural readings are normal.”

“Isn’t that what inhibitors are for?” Mac frowns. She wonders how such behavior got past Dr. Yates’ radar, especially since Candor is his self-proclaimed pet project.

“About that” Dr. Stein begins hesitantly. “Candor asked me not to upgrade her inhibitors at the time of the update.  Said it’ll help her adjust.” he sighs deeply, as if regretting his leniency. “I don’t know what that means but she does assimilate better if her inhibitors are left on low restrictions.”

“Of course she does” Mac smirks, knowing too well that wandering thoughts are a luxurious escape when the world around her feels too tight and her body feels too small to contain everything she's thinking. “So when should I expect her?” She asks, barely covering her enthusiasm.

“I don’t know yet.” He replies coolly. “It’s up to her.”

“In the meantime, you can familiarize yourself with her reports. I just linked you to her mind cloud. You’re welcome.” With that Dr. Stein cuts the com line, leaving Mac frozen in her spot for a second before she sprints to her computer screens, with a morbid sense of excitement and curiosity about Lana Candor.

Mac tries to patient, she really does. She waits for a week for Candor to make contact, keeping her private coms open throughout the day and double checking with Orion everyday if he’s got any incoming messages. Hell, she even checks Katherine Mcenzie’s fan mail in a moment of desperation. She can practically feel Orion’s amusement as he watches her pace around, asking Dr. Stein for the fifth time if he gave the girl the right contact information.  The doctor tries to placate her the best he can, but Mac has never been a patient person, not about things that matter.

Halfway through the next week, Mac has had it. She almost drives herself to Candor’s apartment before Orion talks her into having a night out, to get her mind off of things. As entertaining as her new infatuation is, they have a life and a job beyond that. Orion’s exact words.

And that’s how Mac finds herself at Triptych, an underground bar she visits when she wants to remain anonymous among the crowds. There’s a strange sort of serenity in the chaos, with people who are half flesh, half metal arguing over old sports matches with soft jazz playing in the background.  There are no IQ classifications here, no job hierarchies, no corporate ladder to climb over each other. Orion is already on his second beer and a lot more talkative, and Mac is snorting around her straw at his imitation of her strict manager. Orion leaves her to take a call when she feels a soft tap on her shoulder.

Mac turns around, a polite rejection for the guy already on her lips. But the person behind her makes her pause and stare dumbly, her mouth falling open in shock.

“Mac? I’m Lana. Can we talk?”