‘What’s all this we’ve been hearing about the implants turning us into spy robots then?’ asked an old bird, her arm looped through another old bird’s arm.
Alida blinked slowly; it wouldn’t look professional if she scoffed. ‘I’m guessing you’ve heard this from Odeene?’
‘Well, her and some of those Rewilders who’ve been moving in on the edges of the tent city.’
Alida didn’t have to refer to her information pamphlet to tell the old birds exactly what she thought of Odeene and the Rewilders and their loopy ideas. And it wasn’t the first time that day she’d been asked about them. The most bullshit rumours spread the fastest.
Alida gave them her spiel, shook their hands and continued on her way down the implant queue.
A blue rectangle with the words Welcome to IntelliEnhance appeared floating in the air in front of her. She drew back and blinked rapidly.
‘Seen a ghost, girlie?’ someone called out.
Alida tried to smack the panel, but it wasn’t really in the air at all. It was a trick inside her brain. Slick.
The words on the panel changed and an androgynous voice in her mind read them to her. Welcome to IntelliEnhance. For audio instructions please say AUDIO. For text instructions please say TEXT.
It was too creepy having a stranger’s voice inside her head, so she said, ‘Text.’
To launch your IntelliEnhance experience please say BEGIN. To exit IntelliEnhance at any time simply say EXIT. To restart IntelliEnhance say HELLO, INTELLIENHANCE.
Alida traipsed back up to the Medi-procedure gate, squinting through the semi-transparent blue panel.
‘Everything all right?’ Shuqba asked.
‘My implant came online. Can I take a second to set it up?’
‘Sure. You’re entitled to an hour break anyway.’ Shuqba waved a guy and his young son through the gate. ‘Go into the tearoom and help yourself to some refreshments.’
‘Cheers.’
Alida stepped into the cool of the hub. She pulled off the dusty sunhood of her uniform and scanned her wrist at the tearoom door. It unlocked with a satisfying beep.
The tearoom was as cold and clinical as the rest of the hub. An aluminium bowl filled with shiny red apples sat on top of a glass table. Vending machines lined the walls. On a bench was something called a CyberGourmet. A cute little cleaning bot waited eagerly in a corner for a mess to clean up.
She’d play with the bot another day. Right then she had to play with her IntelliEnhance.
‘Welcome to LeaderCorp Hub tearoom. How can I help you?’ the Building Intelligence System said.
‘Um … can you tell me when an hour is up?’
‘As you wish. I will alert you in exactly one hour from now. Would you like anything to eat or drink?’
Alida’s stomach grumbled and her throat was dry from chatting to Demis. This was her only break all day and grub was on the house while she was an employee. As eager as she was to get stuck in to setting up her implant, she couldn’t pass up a chance to munch.
‘What can I have?’
‘I can offer you a variety of hot and cold drinks, vitamin bars, snack foods and CyberGourmet prepared meals. Full lists of items available can be found on the front of each vending machine.’
CyberGourmet prepared meals sounded shiny. But she had other things to concentrate on. Tomorrow and the day after that Alida would explore the CyberGourmet meals. ‘I’ll just have a nutrition bar and a nutrient water for now. Cheers.’
She could get used to the benefits of a LeaderCorp gig.
Alida collected her items from the vending machines, sat down at the table and said, ‘Begin.’
A short video outlined the methods of interacting with IntelliEnhance. They included hand signs, voice command and the harder to master but way slicker brain impulse and eye movement – the only method a Citizen would ever consider using. Alida slogged through a tutorial three times before she had the hang of it.
Next she fiddled with her settings and reached the main menu just as BIS informed her that her hour was up. She quickly scrolled through the menu functions on her way back out to the queue. There were a range of entertainment, shopping and communications functions and two augmented realities. Most importantly, the HealthSentinel menu had nano sunscreen, an infection and malignancy hunter, health reports and diagnostic functions. Heaps of other menu items had a lock symbol next to them, which meant they were only available to full Citizens or to Demis flush enough to pay the pricey subscription fees.
Graycie would have access to so much if she was still a Citizen. She would have the privilege that meant every day wasn’t spent wrangling with the bare basics of survival. Alida could’ve had all that too, if Mum had let Alida’s Citizen father keep her. What kind of person would she have become if she’d grown up in plasticland? She wouldn’t have to sell her vadge to feed herself. Would Graycie end up selling hers one day too? Alida shuddered. Graycie had been tossed out of the city through no fault of her own. She didn’t deserve this life.
She had to get back to work. Chewing over the Graycie problem took her round and round in circles.
She flicked on the beach augmented reality and returned to the implant queue. It was all sand, with the ocean on the horizon, and no matter how far she walked the water never got any closer. All around her, weird tall trees waved their green dreadlock leaves way up high. Everyone was in skimpy threads, with slick bodies and young faces. Alida had to flick the reality off a couple of times to see who she was really chatting to. After ten minutes she changed over to City Chic reality. It was basically clean, clean and clean. Everything silver and white, and the ground paved with solar panels. Everyone was shiny and healthy-looking, their teeth sparkling with no gaps.
She soon turned off the augmented reality. It felt like cheating. She wanted to see things for what they really were. It was safer that way. She didn’t want any illusions about her life. May as well become a passenger junkie if she wanted that.
As if summoned by that thought, Zave waved to her from halfway down the queue. ‘Hey, Al!’
Alida couldn’t walk away and pretend she hadn’t heard him; she was chained to the implant queue all day. She gritted her teeth. He was going to ask her for dosh again. She couldn’t spare a single credit, but she hated saying no to him.
‘I know you’ve been dodging me, Al,’ Zave said.
She grimaced. There was too much love and history between them for her to start bullshitting him now.
‘Don’t stress. I won’t ask you for credits anymore.’ Zave’s eyes were glassy and his pupils were pinpricks. He was off his head.
Alida frowned. ‘Really. How come?’
‘I’ve found another gig.’
‘What kind of gig?’
‘Oh … you know. Same kind of stuff I was doing for Freel, only now there’s no middle man taking a cut. I’m booking my own jobs. I’ve even got one in the city. But most are in the ghetto.’ Zave held out his arms to indicate the Demi-Settlements.
‘What about security?’ Escorts gigging without protection regularly turned up as corpses.
‘Nah, just me. I don’t wanna shell out for security. I can look after myself.’
‘Sounds dicey, Zee.’
‘Nah, it’s okay. Don’t stress about me.’
Alida did stress about Zave, but she had other things that stressed her more.
Someone further up the queue called out to her.
‘I better get back to work. You’ll love the implant. If you have any questions about it, find me later.’ She planted a kiss on his cheek.
‘Laters, Al. Working for LeaderCorp. I’m proud of ya. Stay away from Freel’s gigs and the passenger and all that gack. You deserve better.’
She squeezed his hand and traipsed back up and down the queue for the rest of her shift.
♦ ♦ ♦
The sun had set long before the last Demi of the day left the hub. Magda would ask for extra creche fees for keeping Graycie afterhours for sure. Alida’s throat was hoarse from gabbing all day. She reckoned she’d be mates with nearly everyone in this part of the Demi-Settlements by the time her gig with LeaderCorp was done.
‘Good work, Alida.’ Shuqba locked the gate behind them. ‘Have a shower and some chow before you bug out. It’s all in your employee entitlements.’
‘Hell yes. That sounds slick.’ Alida’s calves and lower back ached. She could walk all day on a scavenging trip in the burbs no hassle, but standing in one spot was a killer. A shower would be heaven, as long as it wasn’t the decontamination shower. But there was something she had to do first.
‘Okay if I slip into the dispensary? Dr Kimani prescribed some medicine for Graycie and I wanna see how much it costs.’
‘Sure. Go for it.’
Alida consulted the dispensary AI. The cost of Graycie’s immune boosters made her stomach plummet. A week’s supply was worth almost a whole week’s pay at the hub. Bile rose in her throat. She bolted out of the dispensary and dry-retched on the steps.
Shuqba rushed over. ‘Hey, are you all right?’
Alida leaned against the wall. ‘Yep … I just … this situation with Gray. I’m not sure how I’m going to cope. The implant was going to solve all of our problems – well, some of them for a stretch anyway.’ Even without Graycie’s medical expenses it would be tight for them.
Shuqba sighed. ‘That is unfortunate. I don’t know what else I can do for you.’
‘You’ve done more than anyone else.’ They looked at each other for a second. Alida sensed the unspoken questions. She pushed away from the wall. ‘I’ll have that shower now.’
The shower was all she’d hoped. The water was warm and soft. Not at all fierce like the water of the decontamination shower. Alida could have stayed in there for hours, but Graycie needed picking up and Shuqba needed to close up the hub. Alida stepped through the body dryer and put on her own threads. She found Shuqba in the tea room, her hands around a mug of hot chocolate.
‘Cheers for waiting. I hope I didn’t hold you up.’
‘You didn’t. The medics are still finishing up in the procedure room. Would you like something to eat before you go?’
Alida licked her lips. A hot drink and a hot meal were very tempting. ‘I wish I could, but Gray’ll be waiting.’
‘Of course.’ Shuqba stood and handed Alida a bag full of nutrition bars, nutrient waters and two apples on top. ‘They tend to over-cater when there are medics on site. I’ll let you out.’
Alida followed Shuqba through the front door to the gate. ‘Well done today. The medics were pleased with how well informed and prepared all the Demis coming through were.’
Alida chuckled. ‘I did wonder if some of them understood a thing I was saying.’
Shuqba unlocked the gate and Alida slipped through. Only a grenade’s throw away from them, the wall of City 1 was lit with a cold white light. Characters laughed and yelled around warmer patches of light in the dark. The implants would be coming online, one person at a time. It would be a raucous night in the Demi-Settlements.
‘Goodnight. See you tomorrow.’
‘Yep – laters.’
Alida waited until Shuqba was inside before approaching the bald-headed silhouette leaning against a car about ten metres up from the hub.
‘You’ve been avoiding me.’ Ganya folded her arms over her chest.
‘No. It’s not like that. I’ve been … busy, and Graycie’s had some health issues.’ Alida shifted on her sore legs. She just wanted to go home and zonk out.
‘And now you’ve got yourself some work at the hub.’
‘Yep. Well they asked me and, um …’ Alida didn’t know how to spin it to prevent Ganya and Freel arcing up at her.
‘Don’t worry, we’re well aware. Freel approves. This implant rollout is his baby, after all.’
Alida grimaced in the dark and hoped Ganya couldn’t see. She had to ask for approval from Freel for everything she did now? She’d always suspected Mum had exaggerated the stories of Freel’s control issues. Not anymore.
‘So you’ve had your own implant fitted?’
‘Yep, I was the first today.’
‘Give me your MindLine ID.’
Alida hesitated. If Ganya and Freel could contact her whenever they wanted, she wouldn’t be able to avoid them. You couldn’t hide inside your own brain.
Ganya raised her eyebrows and unfolded her arms. Every muscle in her body was a threat.
‘Just a minute. I’m looking for it.’ She opened the IntelliEnhance interface panel and read out her ID.
Seconds later the word Ganya strobed in her vision.
‘Answer.’
Alida dragged the name to the smiling Accept icon.
‘I’m sending you a software download link. Run it.’ Ganya’s voice was inside Alida’s head, her real-world mouth not even moving.
The link appeared in Alida’s vision panel. It said SEMLeader-CorpBlock.exe. A Sapien Enhancement Movement program.
‘What is it?’ Alida couldn’t help mouthing the words as she chatted to Ganya through MindLine.
‘It’s a LeaderCorp tracking blocker. One of the perks of our relationship with SEM.’
Alida felt uneasy about running any program Ganya and Freel sent her. Most of her life she’d done her own thing, trekking through the burbs, scavenging at her own pace.
‘I’m not sure about it. I don’t think I want it.’
‘You’ll need it to enter the city.’ Ganya put a firm hand on Alida’s shoulder. ‘This isn’t a choice, Alida.’
Alida gritted her teeth and ran the program. She had zero clout in this relationship. ‘Won’t LeaderCorp notice if all the Demis are suddenly untrackable?’
‘They won’t be. This is only for Freel’s people. Nobody else in the Demi-Settlements will be able to get hold of this kind of software.’
Exclusive software. That was kind of slick. A window appeared saying the program had successfully installed.
‘It’s done.’
‘There’s a job for you tonight. I’ll MindMail when I have the pick-up point confirmed.’ Ganya opened the car’s driver’s side door.
‘Tonight? But I’ve been working all day at the hub. I’m exhausted.’ Alida moved forward to stop the car door closing. A glare from Ganya made Alida pull her hand away as though the car were made of flesh-dissolving nanites. ‘It’s just, I don’t need the gig right now. Maybe in a couple of weeks after this hub gig is finished.’
Ganya climbed out of the car. Even though they were the same height she seemed to tower over Alida. ‘What is this kak? You can’t half-work for Freel. You’re either his employee or you’re not. If you don’t take this job tonight he’ll wipe you. And on top of that you’ll make him, and me, angry.’
Alida’s stomach churned. She couldn’t think straight. She didn’t want to do this regular, but she needed to be able to make dosh when she needed it. Why was this her only option, to be abused and drugged to barely scrape by? There had to be a way out of this. This couldn’t be her life now.
‘Is there some other kind of gig I can do for Freel? I can read and I’m getting all sorts of experience at the hub. I could be like a secretary or an assistant or something.’
‘There’s only one kind of gig we want you for.’
‘Right.’ Alida blushed.
‘Good.’ Ganya got into the car and slammed the door.
Alida collected Graycie from Magda’s creche and carried her home to bed. Alida’s brain fizzed and throbbed with everything that had happened that day, or maybe it was just her neurons adjusting to the implant.
She didn’t want to do the gig.
She saw herself becoming Zave. Doing gigs in the Demi-Settlements when plastic-faces no longer fancied paying for her. Being addicted to passenger and maybe even being killed by a john. If she could change anything in her life, she’d make it so that Mum had given her to her Citizen father and she had grown up in plastic-land. She loved Mum, but there was only so far love could take you in life. The opportunities open to littlies in the city were limitless.
She squashed three mosquitos on the wall above zonked-out Graycie. A Citizen’s life was Graycie’s birthright. But what if she went to characters who were cruel? Would the worst-case scenario in plastic-land be better than selling her body to survive and possibly dying young out in the Demi-Settlements?
Alida decided. She wouldn’t need the gig after all. She opened MindComm and hesitated between MindMail and MindLine. She couldn’t speak directly to Ganya. She wasn’t brave enough. She dropped her message bomb via MindMail and bolted to the IntelliEnhance inactive mode. There were places in her brain to hide after all.