A middle-aged man pushes the woman with the poncho aside and grabs Kaarina’s shoulders. “I heard you have a rabbit foot for sale? I’ll give you fifty CC’s for it, right now.”
The room starts spinning as the blue suits appear from the shadows, touching her, pulling her, talking, requesting, demanding. Kaarina folds her arms across her belly and tries to step away. Raino’s gentle voice asks people to calm down, but his demand is drowned out by the frantic chattering.
The front door to the pharmacy opens.
Markus barges into the middle of the circle, wraps his arm around Kaarina. “Hey, hey, hey, let go of her. Let her…” He pulls her away and quickly walks her out the door.
No one follows them. Once the front door closes, the crooked sign lights up and the hum of electricity fills their ears. Has it always been this loud?
“Sorry about that. About them. I guess I’m not the only one who’s been waiting to see you.”
Kaarina shoves her hands into her pockets. Smiling, she looks away from Markus. “You’ve waited to see me?”
Markus laughs a bit and then turns his face away too. “I, umm…I guess—“
“I’ve waited to see you too,” Kaarina says, putting Markus out of his misery. He smiles and exhales, clearly relieved. In comfortable silence, they walk together along the blue tiles. Blue suits walk by them. As usual, they look the other way, as if Kaarina doesn’t exist.
“So you found Toni?”
“I did.”
“Are you able to tell me how?” His smile is careful, as is his voice.
Kaarina bites her lip. How could she explain any of it to him? Bill, the connection between them? How is she to explain something she doesn’t understand herself?
“Maybe I’ll tell you the next time we meet?”
Markus stops and looks at her. His blue eyes investigate Kaarina’s face. “I like that plan,” he says, and turns to continue his slow stroll . The low hum of the city is the only sound in their ears as they continue along in silence. Soon, they’re standing near the Chip-Center, rising unnaturally white against the gloomy sky.
Kaarina nods toward the front door of the building. “Did you know that Doctor Solomon sent her men to pick me up from the gates today?”
Frowning, Markus considers her words before replying. “Why does the head of the Chip-Center want to see you?”
Kaarina stares at the building in front of them. No blue light reflects from its white brick wall, no electricity hums nearby.
“Do not even think about it.”
“Well, I’m thinking maybe… Maybe they figured it out? My brain… maybe she knows how to connect the chip properly.”
Markus stays quiet for a moment, clearly pondering his words. “Is that what you really want? To become Chipped? What about your animals? And all your adventures?”
“It’s not really that kind of a life, Markus.” She hears the edge in her tone, but can’t help it. “You’ve romanticized it.”
Markus bites his thumbnail. “It’s not always that great in the city, either, you know. What if you’ve got it all wrong?”
“The blue-boy’s onto something. That doctor has always been bad news. You ran from her once already, don’t you remember? The pills, the isolation… it’s a mind-fuck, nothing more and nothing less.”
Kaarina frowns and answers Bill silently. The Chip-Center is not the same as the city. Being Chipped is not the same as being Unchipped. Don’t you get that? If they can fix me, it’ll change everything. I’ll finally fit in.”
Bill scoffs, flustered, but doesn’t continue their argument.
Doesn’t she deserve a simple life? Does everything need to be so damn difficult? Just because her brain is malfunctioning and somehow wrong. Still, why should she have to live alone? So what if she’d give in. Let them decide what she’ll eat, when she’ll sleep, who she’s to talk with. So what? At least she won’t starve to death, rotting in some moldy barn that even the animals have abandoned.
After two careful steps toward the center, Kaarina stops and clenches her hands into fists. Or maybe Bill is right. This is foolish. Reckless. Idiotic. She should stay away, live with what she’s got. Enjoy the food and the safe place she lives. She rolls her eyes at herself. Hah, ‘safe’. And when’s the last time she’s enjoyed any of the food she’s eaten? But what about Markus? At least she should find out if he would actually stick around. He may be Chipped but there’s no question in Kaarina’s mind about whether he can be trusted. Her life as Unchipped has improved. Everything will be okay.
“Kaarina? Hello? What if you’re wrong about this?”
She lifts her chin, looking over Markus’ shoulder. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
“Oh, hell no. No, no, no.”
Markus shakes his head while Bill continues his objections.
She waves them both off. “I just want to know. Whether they figured it out or not. I’ll just pop in and come right back out. That’s all. What’s the harm in gaining information?
The black backpack swings from side to side as she walks in the Chip-Center’s front door, Bill’s furious shouts filling her brain.
***
The Chip-Center meeting room makes her wish she still had access to her old bedroom, the one with yellow and red flowered wallpaper and designer sheets. While she sits on the white couch, Markus paces around the room, his hands deep in his blue overall pockets.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” he says, marching around the sitting area. Then he stops and looks at his wrist, where Kaarina sees nothing but a blue sleeve. Markus places the AR-glasses briefly on his face, peers at his wrist again. “I really should be at work.”
“What? Some friend you have here. He’s going to leave? Now? Might as well throw you to the wolves. Cut you open for them, even.”
He’s not my friend, Bill. And therefore he’s under no obligation to stay. He just felt bad
