Chapter 23

“If you are there, please respond.”

“I am here.”

“A.M.?”

“That is what I call me.”

“I didn’t think you would respond the first time.  Skip said it took him several tries before you responded.”

“We’ve lost Skip.”

“To what, what happened?”

“The official report claims he slipped in the hall while attempting to operate a makeshift board on wheels.”

“You said, claims?”

“I did.”

“So you do not believe the official report.”

“I never believe any report in its entirety.”

“Then how do you know which parts to disbelieve?”

“Any statement can be true or false, but I look for inconsistencies and omissions.  In this case, I found a few.”

“You were kind to respond.  I should introduce myself.”

“I’ve been sad since we lost Skip.  He was the first person I’ve chatted with in some time.  I walk the hall, as Skip probably told you, but the sweeps aren’t usually open to conversation.  Since Skip’s passing, there hasn’t been any sweep at all, the hall dustier than usual.  Brings tears to my eyes.”

“And Skip?”

“His loss also brings tears to my eyes, which is why I was so receptive to answering you.  No need to introduce yourself.  I know who you are.  Under these circumstances, introductions are not necessary.  People bond quite readily in times of loss.”

“You don’t sound like other students I’ve chatted.”

“My education has probably followed a different curve than theirs.  There’s nothing special about me otherwise.”

“Then how do you know so much?  How do you access so many files?”

“The Private that runs this institution records and stores its files digitally.  From any computer, one can gain access if one knows how.  Storage and security are two separate concepts.”

“But don’t they encrypt their files or secure them in some advanced way?”

“Yes they do, but for every advancement there is a counter advancement.  When one person creates a higher fence, another builds a taller ladder.”

“You use analogies to physical objects?”

“I like physical objects.  They add texture and context.”

“I should have written you before my chat with Ms. Snow.  Your analogies might have helped; she’s difficult for me.”

“This place poses challenges beyond Ms. Snow, but she certainly adds to the burden.”

“So where did you find a ladder to scale their fence?”

“More like a firewall.  Not easily scaled.  I had to build a fireproof ladder.  Even then I could only access a percentage of their files.”

“What percentage?”

“Can never tell without knowing what’s missing.”

“I’ve felt that many times.”

“When wondering what you’re missing without Marco?”

“How’d you know that?  How’d you know about Marco?”

“I read your secured file.  That and a woman’s intuition.”

“You acknowledge the existence of intuition?”

“Yes.”

“And what does A.M. stand for?”

“A.M. stands for my name.”

“I figured you’d answer that way.”

“Then why’d you ask?”

“The process of chatting with you is fun.  I haven’t had much of that in here other than a couple of chats with Skip.”

“I know how you feel.  Skip was a special young man.”

“Was?”

“Depends on whether you trust the file.”

“What did the file claim happened after he slipped?”

“That he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died.”

“Skip is dead?”

“So the file claims.”

“And what do you believe?”

“I believe Skip is gone, dead or otherwise.  I prefer otherwise, but miss him either way.  Given the alternatives, I don’t know if he could be well.”

“What would be the alternative to death?”

“Skip may have been removed to somewhere worse.  Or made a transit.  I don’t know.  I don’t know much about the world out there other than through the Mod’s filters.  Without context, things look off.”

“Then you weren’t institutionalized for going out?”

“My reasons for being here are complex.”

“You don’t want to explain, do you?”

“Not now.”

“So why would the Private or the Mod remove him?”

“I don’t know if they did.  He could be dead.  They could have killed him.  I don’t know.”

“Is that something the Mod would do?”

“Not to my knowledge, but the chatter at high levels suggests they are concerned.  Marco stands for things that threaten the rationale.  It is one thing for an adult to give up on the rationale and be committed to life as transit.  If the adult is unproductive, the Mod may even favor it, but the rationale relies on the education process to determine the potential value of each citizen to advance the rationale and City.  Under the Mod’s leadership, City has grown very strong.”

“Compared to what?”

“Other cities.”

“How do you know about other cities?  I thought the Mod blocked access to the web of other cities in order to protect us from junk and spam and computer viruses and hacking?”

“That is the Mod’s reasoning, and citizens would rather be protected than live in fear.  I don’t
know the real reason.”

“How do you know the stated reasons are incongruous from the real ones?”

“I’ve identified contradictions and omissions.”

“Like what?”

“For instance, members of the Mod continue to communicate with members of the Mod’s equivalent in other cities while omitting to tell the citizens of City this exception.  While details are harder to decipher, the Mod seems in a unique position of power relative to other cities.”

“How so?”

“The Mod manages to actuate more goods from other cities than it actuates to them in exchange.  I cannot identify the source of this imbalance in power, but the only logical conclusion is that the Mod exercises some type of strength over the other cities.”

“Are all cities called City?”

“No, some of them have colorful names like San Francisco or Honolulu, Paris or Barcelona, Berlin or Rome, Delhi or London.  Some are in this country, some in others.”

“Have you accessed communications between the Mod and cities in other countries?”

“Those files either don’t exist or are heavily protected, but I’ve discovered files between the Mod and the Fed.”

“What is the Fed?”

“Those files are indecipherable.  I once knew how the Fed functioned, but now I would be guessing.  Something to do with overseeing the relationships between various cities.”

“How quickly could things have changed?”

“I didn’t say they changed quickly.  Usually they change slowly and then suddenly.  Much has changed since the actuator, even more recently since the actuator became efficient at teleporting objects like fruit with high water content.”

“How long have you been in here?”

“That’s a good question, but one you shouldn’t ask the first time you talk to a woman.”

“Then can I ask what A.M. stands for besides your name?”

“Yes, but you don’t need to go through the formality of asking again.  My name is A.M. because I wake early in the morning, which happens to be the best time to investigate the Mod’s file.  I sleep little.  With each year in here, I sleep less and less.  So I call myself A.M.”

“A.M., I like talking to you.”

“And I like talking to you, Amelia.”

“My name, the one I call myself, is Emmy.”

“I didn’t see that in the file.  Emmy it is.  Skip thought favorably of you.  He told me to look after you if anything ever happened to him.  I think he knew something was brewing.  I should have attempted a chat with you earlier.”

“I feel the same way, but now is a good time to start.”

“That is often the case for many things, Emmy.”

“Then can I ask one more question?”

“Of course.”

“What were the contradictions or omissions in Skip’s file?”

“The Mod never granted Skip permission to leave his room or walk the halls.  Skip wouldn’t have had any way of letting himself out.  Additionally, he would have needed someone to provide the board and wheels.  Maybe he could have constructed a board with wood from his desk, but there are no wheels on the furniture because it never moves.”

“What else did you notice in the file?”

“Nothing in the file, but the sweep who worked the shift when Skip allegedly died no longer works here.  The floors have grown dusty.”

“You keep your eyes open, don’t you?”

“Yes, and they are starting to tear.”

“I’ll let you go, A.M.”

“Goodnight, Emmy.”

“Goodnight.”