As she gets closer to the wall, her heart skips a beat. Two guards stand by the main entrance, staring right at her. Usually, they turn their blank faces away. Act like she’s invisible. That is, if the guards are even around. Attacks or bomb threats in the city are almost unheard of these days.
Should she turn around, run away? The guards would catch her in no time, with their electric cars or scooters or eagle-sized drones. Maybe her suspicious behavior would get her shot down, the muddy stream her final resting place.
The guards, motionless, patiently wait for her to stop in front of them. Rain has turned her clothes into wet rags, but the water slides off the guards’ waterproof uniforms.
The younger and flimsier of the two guards clears his throat.
“Good day, Miss Kaarina. We are here to escort you to see Doctor Solomon at the Chip-Center. Apparently, she has some good news to share with you today. If you wouldn’t mind following us, please.”
Pulse strong in her chest, her blood rushing in her ears, Kaarina stares at the blue men, digesting their message.
“Laura wants to see me? What for?”
“We don’t know what the news is, Miss.” The other guard—five, maybe ten years older than his colleague—shrugs halfheartedly. “We’re only here to tell you that this is a time sensitive invitation. And that your time is running out. Would you be so kind as to step into the vehicle? It’ll get us out of the rain and into the Chip-Center quicker than walking.”
Bill? What is this?
“Whatever you do, do not get into that car, Kay.”
She nods, more to Bill than the guards. “I’m afraid I can’t get in your vehicle. Not without feeling like I have a nail pounding through my brain. It’s okay, I don’t mind walking. I’ll just meet the doctor once I get there.”
“Do not go to the center. It’s a trap, you know it is.”
Relax. I got this.
The older guard walks up to her, gently leading her through the entrance and inside the city. “You’ll be able to sit in this one.”
An old gray Volvo stands by the wall. Kaarina hasn’t seen a gasoline-powered vehicle since the inception of the Happiness Program.
What if she did it—what if she climbed into the backseat? Why does the doctor want to see her now, after two years without anyone ever coming after her? Could her research team have figured it out? Kaarina’s damaged brain?
The younger guard opens the back door, waits for her to get in. The leather seating inside look flawless. A new car smell reaches her nose.
She hesitates, talks to Bill silently. It can’t be a new car, can it? And why do they have cars specifically for Unchipped now? I thought they all got destroyed because of the pollution.
“Oh, that’s what we’re worried about right now? Climate change? Walk away Kay, I’m not going to tell you again. Something’s not right. This is fishy as fuck.”
“Miss? Let’s get you out of the rain.” The older man places his hand back on her shoulder and gives her a push. This time the gesture is not as careful and or as friendly. Kaarina dodges his touch, takes three sidesteps.
“I said, I do not mind walking. And I don’t mind the rain. Besides, I have someone to see. Just tell Doctor Solomon I’ll stop by on my way out.”
The lie flows too easily, like she means it. But meeting Solomon would be a foolish thing to do; nothing she says can be trusted. At the same time, Kaarina can’t push the thought out of her mind that Doctor Solomon might have found a way to connect her chip to the CS. It powers its way back into her brain. Tempting, alluring.
What if they did it? What if a broken brain can now be fixed?
***
They’re watching her. Maybe through cameras, maybe drones, she’s not sure. But she can feel the burning sensation of an intense stare.
Instead of the park bench, she heads straight to the crooked sign, to Raino’s pharmacy. The blue lights blaze in the darkening afternoon. No blue suits are around. The pathways around the apartment complex are empty and even the park seems gloomier than it did before.
Three careful knocks on the window, and the door opens. Glazed, blurry eyes peek out, then look left and right, like someone about to cross a busy road.
“Come on in.”
“I can’t. The blue light in your shop will make me sick.”
His head disappears, but the door stays open a crack. Soon the crooked sign goes off. So do the lights inside the pharmacy. Raino glances back outside.
“Not if the power’s shut down. Come on, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
A dozen lit candles greet her as she walks inside. The door closes silently behind them. From the dark corners, muffled whispers reach her ears, along with the sounds of people moving around restlessly. But Kaarina can’t see anyone other than Raino.
The old pharmacist walks to the counter, picks up a black backpack, and brings it over to Kaarina. His AR-glasses are nowhere to be seen. The bag is heavy, bursting at the seams.
“It’s from all of us. Not just medicine, but clothing, dry food, lotions, hand warmers, and a pair of brand-new winter boots. Never used.”
“But I haven’t even told you about Toni yet.”
He smiles and reaches for her hands. The touch is warm, genuine. It sends her back to the way things were before, when people still had enough trust to touch one another. No wonder Markus had been so moved when he touched her face.
“I know, I know. And if you have news for me, that’s wonderful. But if you don’t, you are still going to keep the bag. We don’t need any of it. With those antibiotics, you chose to help someone who can never repay you. Now, we’re doing the same.”
A lump tickles her throat. She swallows back the tears and rapidly blinks her eyes.
In the candlelight, five, maybe more people make their
