You know what I mean. You've seen the news.”
“Like this morning.”
She shook her head. “This morning? What happened to you this morning?”
“I bumped into a man and he screamed at me. It was horrible.”
“I don't like this. Too many events are happening to you.” She turned her head and whispered. “It's got to be a system test of some kind.”
“What do you mean?” he said.
“There's a lot of activity around you. Maybe too much. What if the system knows that we contacted you and is trying to trap us?”
“I'm not sure I understand.”
She looked into his eyes. “I'm not surprised. Perhaps you're not able to understand.”
“Your arm,” he said. “Let's get back to the story.”
Nellie shook her head as though she understood something that he didn't. “Yes, the story,” she said. “Well, the man had a steak knife in his hand. When the waiters came to calm him down he threw the knife. I raised my arm to protect my face. Miraculously, the knife killed the chip. Million-in-one shot.” She shook her head. “You'll never understand what happened. The strange tingling. The rush of pain, of emotion. It was the most horrible thing to ever happen to me. And the most wonderful.”
Keith stroked her hair.
She leaned in and kissed him.
“Can you stay the night?”
“No. If I get caught here…”
“How do I contact you if I find the security breech?”
“I'll come by, or I'll see you in the hall. I'll find you,” she said.
“You can't let anyone see you entering the apartment. They stop unwanted visitors.”
“I'll take that chance.”
Chapter 5
DAY 3
T he next day, Keith awakened with the sound of his alarm speaking softly to him. How pleasant to hear the familiar voice. A normal day could easily ensue from such a beginning. He only briefly remembered Nellie's unrequested visit the night before. He had promised to help her, them, with their escape route. Normally, he would feel nervous about such a thing, but this morning he felt only calm and peace. He decided to take the project on as he would any other work situation, as a request for information that he was very capable and highly qualified to provide.
And with that thought, his daily routine began. He rolled onto his side and swung his legs from the bed and onto the floor. The warm carpet welcomed his feet. As his weight shifted and he stood, the light in the sterile white room brightened. He stretched his arms over his head and bent at the waist. His back cracked as he stood straight again.
He felt the tug of curiosity as he made his way to the bathroom. His new project felt as though it was a game, a puzzle. Could he find the route that the boy with the bullet hole in his head used to get in and out of Newcity? Of course he could. He already knew the answer to that question.
The bigger mystery was whether he could find the route without being caught – by Carl or by the system. He ran through his morning routine preoccupied with trying to create a plan that would limit suspicion from Carl. He settled on reorganizing his day, by segmenting how he went through the reports. He'd upload only one type of report first, then all of another type. One set at a time. This way he could review all the security reports consecutively, which would allow him to concentrate on how they might be connected.
But he didn't have the map. He brushed his teeth thinking about how he'd remember the route if he couldn't recall the map; how would he follow the path through the maze of floors and sections? Especially if the boy came all the way from the far end of the building? The time it took him to traverse that distance alone would mean that the boy would have had to enter Newcity – Keith checked the time on his wrist terminal – from before his alarm had woken him that morning. Good for tracing the boy's steps, at least.
Keith had an egg and cheese sandwich for
“Like this morning.”
She shook her head. “This morning? What happened to you this morning?”
“I bumped into a man and he screamed at me. It was horrible.”
“I don't like this. Too many events are happening to you.” She turned her head and whispered. “It's got to be a system test of some kind.”
“What do you mean?” he said.
“There's a lot of activity around you. Maybe too much. What if the system knows that we contacted you and is trying to trap us?”
“I'm not sure I understand.”
She looked into his eyes. “I'm not surprised. Perhaps you're not able to understand.”
“Your arm,” he said. “Let's get back to the story.”
Nellie shook her head as though she understood something that he didn't. “Yes, the story,” she said. “Well, the man had a steak knife in his hand. When the waiters came to calm him down he threw the knife. I raised my arm to protect my face. Miraculously, the knife killed the chip. Million-in-one shot.” She shook her head. “You'll never understand what happened. The strange tingling. The rush of pain, of emotion. It was the most horrible thing to ever happen to me. And the most wonderful.”
Keith stroked her hair.
She leaned in and kissed him.
“Can you stay the night?”
“No. If I get caught here…”
“How do I contact you if I find the security breech?”
“I'll come by, or I'll see you in the hall. I'll find you,” she said.
“You can't let anyone see you entering the apartment. They stop unwanted visitors.”
“I'll take that chance.”
Chapter 5
DAY 3
T he next day, Keith awakened with the sound of his alarm speaking softly to him. How pleasant to hear the familiar voice. A normal day could easily ensue from such a beginning. He only briefly remembered Nellie's unrequested visit the night before. He had promised to help her, them, with their escape route. Normally, he would feel nervous about such a thing, but this morning he felt only calm and peace. He decided to take the project on as he would any other work situation, as a request for information that he was very capable and highly qualified to provide.
And with that thought, his daily routine began. He rolled onto his side and swung his legs from the bed and onto the floor. The warm carpet welcomed his feet. As his weight shifted and he stood, the light in the sterile white room brightened. He stretched his arms over his head and bent at the waist. His back cracked as he stood straight again.
He felt the tug of curiosity as he made his way to the bathroom. His new project felt as though it was a game, a puzzle. Could he find the route that the boy with the bullet hole in his head used to get in and out of Newcity? Of course he could. He already knew the answer to that question.
The bigger mystery was whether he could find the route without being caught – by Carl or by the system. He ran through his morning routine preoccupied with trying to create a plan that would limit suspicion from Carl. He settled on reorganizing his day, by segmenting how he went through the reports. He'd upload only one type of report first, then all of another type. One set at a time. This way he could review all the security reports consecutively, which would allow him to concentrate on how they might be connected.
But he didn't have the map. He brushed his teeth thinking about how he'd remember the route if he couldn't recall the map; how would he follow the path through the maze of floors and sections? Especially if the boy came all the way from the far end of the building? The time it took him to traverse that distance alone would mean that the boy would have had to enter Newcity – Keith checked the time on his wrist terminal – from before his alarm had woken him that morning. Good for tracing the boy's steps, at least.
Keith had an egg and cheese sandwich for
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