I looked at my wrist, the nine glowing brightly. I had taken the plunge to avoid the scanners, but if he or I walked through one, it would pick up on our identities and we’d be toast. Luckily, the scanners were only used when entering or leaving a department, or, in the case of the Medica, when I was checking in. If he got scanned, no doubt he’d be flagged immediately, what with Gerome’s murder having taken place only nine days ago. If I was scanned, well... there wasn’t really much difference in what would happen to either of us in that case.
And I still wasn’t sure how I was going to avoid it yet. Although I did have the smallest kernel of an idea.
“Oh.” He continued moving forward, his face thoughtful. “You might be good at this improvisational stuff.”
“Shut up, prisoner,” I said loudly as I saw a woman step into the corridor, a large hammer balanced on her shoulder. She waited for us to pass, her eyes curious, but I merely turned my indicator out, nodded politely, and kept my eyes straight ahead.
Once she was outside of hearing distance, I leaned close. “Good job. You okay with this?”
“It’s not exactly an unfamiliar role,” he replied dryly, giving me a pointed look, and I flushed, the nature of our meeting flashing through my mind.
“Hey, I’m sorry if I was a little overzealous with you,” I said. “I just thought if I could finally catch a one, maybe Scipio would, you know... show a dissident like me a little bit of mercy.”
He chuckled as he ducked under a bit of piping that jutted out of the wall. “I’ve been guilty of the same thing in the past. But you know what? I’ve had some of the best times just turning my back on the system. If I died tomorrow, at least I led a life that it felt like I was living, you know?”
“Even if you’re on the run and are hunted for being different?”
“Especially then,” he said softly, his voice ringing with conviction. “Which is why it’s important to do it. You can’t make things change by sitting around and doing what everyone else does. If I die doing it, at least I’ll die doing something I believe in.”
His words made me look at him, and suddenly it was if I was seeing him all over again, a little piece of the puzzle falling into place to bring the picture into focus. He was, in his heart, an optimist, and he didn’t try to hide it. And I admired him for it. I was too sarcastic to be an optimist, but anywhere I could find a bit of hope, it was beautiful to me.
We fell into silence as we walked, but there was so much more that I suddenly wanted to say to him. Too much more, and I wasn’t even sure where to begin. From the kissing stunt he’d pulled, twice, to the way he had given me his pills and sacrificed his own safety. And then there was that third kiss and the conversation he had started almost two weeks ago, when we had first arrived in Sanctum.
He’d treated me so well, been so good to me, that it was hard not to feel my attraction for him grow, no matter how many ways I tried to tell myself it was a bad idea. We literally had to rely on each other to survive, and that could get complicated quickly, especially in such a small group of people.
And yet, my mind would inexorably lead me back to the brief images I had of him caring for me when I was sick. The way he offered me a piece of his apple, even though we weren’t exactly friends. His sense of humor and loyalty.
Scipio help me, I really liked him.
And this was so not the time for that particular revelation, so I pushed it aside to focus on the task at hand.
“Name and designation?” the clerk asked, looking up at me with wide, cheerful eyes.
“Holly Castell, 25K-437. Please don’t scan me—this one,” I jerked his arm slightly, like I was annoyed, “seems to have damaged a portion of my net. I about peed myself when I tried to get on the elevator, the shock was that bad. I need to be checked out before I take him to the Citadel.” Using my mother’s name came on impulse, and I was relieved that some part of me had an idea of what to do. The lie about the scan was based on a kernel of truth; it had happened to my father once. Somehow, though, I didn’t think he’d admitted that part to the Medics when he had gone in, and I derived some small, perverse pleasure in the way the clerk’s cheeks flushed at that part, her eyes flicking to my indicator and back again. It put her off her game, which was good for us. Feeling flustered might cause her to overlook a detail or two here or there. Besides, if she pulled up a picture of my mother... well, with the exception of the eyes, we looked almost exactly the same. I doubted she would notice that now.
And since I was the one undergoing treatment, Grey wouldn’t be scanned, but would be allowed in with me, as prisoners weren’t allowed out of sight of a Knight. I’d never dreamed I’d be so thankful for protocol.
“I’m really a nice guy once you get to know me,” Grey said, a smile forming on his face as he looked down at the young woman on the other side of the counter. “This is all just a huge misunderstanding. You’ll see.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, instantly annoyed that he was trying to flirt, and super anxious that he was going to blow our cover with this charming criminal spiel.
And then the clerk smiled in return, and I instantly hated both of them. Him for the flirting, and her for buying into it.
Scipio save me, but I was letting my self-revelation detract from the matter at hand.
“Excuse me, Medic?” She looked up at me, and I forced a polite smile onto my face. “It’s really close to the end of my shift, so I was wondering if we could speed this process up?”
She nodded once and turned back to her screen, her fingers flying. “All right, Knight Commander Castell, please follow the green lights to the treatment room, and the doctor will be with you shortly.”
“My thanks,” I said, already tugging Grey away and following the lights. We passed through the wide white doors into the treatment center. Unlike on the third level, the halls here were busy, even in the morning, and I watched as Medics moved in and out of the doorways.
I nervously followed the green lights, wondering how I could get us out of here and to the elevator to take us up. With my mother’s designation, I could override the elevator and its scanners, but I couldn’t override the request to see a doctor. And the Medics would know if we didn’t go to the room, as our passage was monitored by a computer system of cameras and pressure sensors.
Therefore, I went to the room. Without any better options, my hands were a little bit tied, and I wasn’t certain I was ready to risk getting caught or giving away my intentions just yet.
The room the lights led us to was small, with a soft brown chair in the middle and an empty desk to one side. A portion of the wall was displaying instructions for Grey, and all at once, it came to me.
I dropped Grey’s arm and moved over to the display. “Jasper?” I said, my voice rising a note. “Are you there?”
“Liana, what are you doing?”
Grey was looking at me like I’d sprouted two heads, but I ignored him. “Hey, Jasper? It’s me, Liana. I’m really sorry to bother you, but I need your help. Again.”
Grey looked around, his eyes squinting in confusion, and then turned back to me. “Liana, who is Jasper?”
“I’m Jasper,” the voice said gruffly, and the walls began to glow warmly. “Hello again, Liana. I’m so glad to see you well. I was quite worried about you. Now, can you tell me why you revealed me to the boy I helped you get out of here, or should I just start singing childish love songs at you?”
“You’re in a sassy mood,” I observed. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask Grey to leave, but you know that the instant he goes outside, and gets on surveillance, a nearby Medic will be alerted to drag him back in here, so cut me a break. Besides, Grey’s a good guy—give him a chance. He’s actually kind of... fun.”
“Oh, fun... how I do long for it,” Jasper sighed, and I smiled, because it felt like the whole room was sighing as he exhaled. “I miss being young.”
I blinked, surprised by the whimsical nature of his voice. “You were young?”
&nb
sp; “In a manner of speaking. Now, tell me, what do you want?” Jasper’s gruff statement might have seemed abrupt, but I still couldn’t keep from smiling at how he could go from reminiscent old man to grumpy old man in a matter of seconds.
“We need your help,” I said. “One of my friends, Zoe Elphesian, is being held up on the third floor.”
“And?” There was no hostility in the computer’s voice, only curiosity.
“And, I want to get her out of here without attracting any attention.” This was insane, I knew it. I had no idea whether I could really trust Jasper with this. What he had done for Grey and me had been small, possibly small enough for his programming to let go. But this? This could get us caught, right here, right now. And I was going for it full throttle.
“I see.” There was a pause, followed by: “You are aware that literally everything you said is a criminal offense, right?”
I hesitated. “I am.”
There was another pause. “And you still asked me?”
“Look, Jasper, I’ll level with you. Zoe is my best friend, and I am trying to spare her from getting murdered just because she doesn’t fit into Scipio’s perfect model, but that’s because the system is rigged against her. It’s rigged against me, and Grey, and I just want to keep her from getting killed because she’s different.”
“Basically, we’re desperate,” Grey added, and I looked over at him to see him eyeing the walls nervously. He might have been helping, but he was definitely uncertain about what was going on. I was just glad he wasn’t interrupting me with questions.
Jasper was quiet for a long time. So long that I began to grow nervous and started looking at the door, wondering if it was time to make a run for it—or if it was already too late.
“Your heartbeat is increasing again, and your adrenaline levels are starting to rise,” Jasper cut in a second later. “I’m also noting that there is no evidence that you have taken the medication Dr. Bordeaux gave you.”
“You notice that?”
“My sensors are very sophisticated,” he replied without missing a beat. “But that’s not the point. Your ranking is a nine, but you haven’t been taking your medicine. Can you explain that?”
“Not in the time we have,” I said, suddenly recalling that a Medic was on his or her way here soon.
“Try.”
“Why should I?” I asked, and to my surprise, he laughed.
“You’re contacting me, Liana. I think that means you’re the one who needs help, not me. Either tell me or don’t, but don’t be surprised, if you choose the latter, that I opt not to help you.”
I hesitated, and then gave in. Jasper had helped us before, and I was betting he would help us again. The computer had more programmed empathy than most people in the Tower—I was counting on it.
“A friend of ours made a medication that helps our rankings,” Grey said, straightening some and crossing his arms. “But it doesn’t change anything about who you are inside.”
“Which means you found a way to cheat the system. Interesting. Do you have any with you?”
“What? Why?”
“I wish to analyze it. Maybe it will reveal something that can help refine the pills they are using now on the lower-ranked citizens. All data, no matter how small or inconsequential, is important for discovery.”
“I’m sure it is, but... if we give you the pill, you could use it to expose us and what we’re doing to circumvent the Tower. I’d... I’d need to know that you wouldn’t share it with anyone.”
The walls dimmed slightly for a second. “All right. I will analyze it and store it in a private server I created for myself. No one knows that I have it, so it will be safe there, even if they dismantle it. I can’t promise that I won’t lead the Medics toward any relevant information that I discover there, but I will destroy the pill. Will that make you more comfortable?”
I looked at Grey, and he immediately shook his head no. Biting my lip, I gave him an apologetic glance before reaching into my pocket and pulling a pill out—I grabbed from my stash, unwilling to risk one of Zoe’s just to give him the weaker dose. I held it out, and something small popped out of the wall in front of me, revealing a slot. I pushed the pill through it, praying I was doing the right thing.
I knew Grey wasn’t going to understand, but there was something about Jasper that made me want to trust him.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell the Knights,” Jasper said, his voice resplendent with irritation. “Believe me, I’ve noticed all sorts of problems in this system since being activated, and the doctors I am supposed to be assisting don’t seem to care about the suicide rate, or their own inability to keep some individuals’ numbers consistently high for extended periods of time.” He stopped suddenly, and I looked around, wondering if he’d maybe gone offline. “I guess I’m just saying that I was designed to save lives, not aid in murder. I’ll help you.”
“Really?” I asked, feeling surprised. “That would be... I mean... Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ve created a path for you to your friend’s room, and given you special permission to enter. You need to get in and get out, and don’t stop for anything, because I can only hold back the alarms for so long. You understand?”
“I do,” I replied, barely able to suppress the thrill of success I was feeling. We’d gotten in... and gotten something rather incredible.
33
“Do you really think this computer is on the level?” Grey asked me as we followed the green indicator lights on the floor. I looked around. The hall here was empty, but the curve of the walls made it impossible to see more than twenty feet ahead.
“He’s different,” I said, my voice whisper-soft. “It was one of the first things I noticed about him.”
“He reminds me of Scipio,” he replied, and I looked over at him.
“He doesn’t sound anything like Scipio,” I informed him, thinking of the clipped, aristocratic voice that was generated in my ear whenever Scipio handed out orders. “I mean, he acts like Scipio, in a way, but his voice is completely different. And as far as I can tell, he really does care about people. Didn’t you hear the disgust in his voice when he talked about the suicide rate?”
“He’s a computer. I mean, Scipio is too, but he’s far more advanced, far more complex. Jasper was probably just designed to sound human. For all we know, those responses are based off parameters to get your enemy to trust you, and these lights could be leading us directly to a Knight’s station!”
I bit my lip to keep from giving him a sarcastic reply, partially because I didn’t want to risk starting a fight between us, but also because he was right. My interactions with Jasper made it seem like there was something more to him, but Scipio was the only AI in the Tower. There were other computer systems that were interactive, and some seemed personable, but at their core, their responses were based on an algorithm. There were no parameters for creativity on the part of the computer.
Still, I felt strongly that Jasper was different. I didn’t know how, and I couldn’t explain it, but I believed he was more than a series of programmed responses.
The green lights veered off into a side hall, and I followed them as they directed us toward a door leading to the staircase. Grey walked beside me, his hands in his pockets, but his eyes darting around, his shoulders hunched over.
“Relax,” I told him, trying not to give away my own nervousness. I checked my wrist by habit, and the nine was still there. “You look like a criminal.”
He rolled his eyes, but wiggled his shoulders slightly to work some of the tension out, and I pushed open the door into the stairwell. The green lights followed the steps up, and so did we, around and around and up.
“He led us up the stairs,” I announced after a moment, and Grey looked over at me, surprise and confusion flickering over his face. “Jasper. He’s making us take the stairs. Because he knows if we get scanned in the elevators, the Tower will be on alert.”
“He would’ve
known that if he led you to the elevators, you would suspect a trap.”
“A machine that can think? So he is an AI after all?”
Grey shot me an annoyed look, and I smiled, pleased that I had found a partial flaw in his argument. Truthfully, though, his doubts about Jasper were making me nervous, and with each step I took up, I became more torn between the need to rescue my friend, and the need to turn tail and run. Because Grey was right—I was putting my trust into a computer that I had barely interacted with.
Even as it was happening, it all felt too easy. Like he had been too easily convinced. Which meant that he might not be on our side, and might very well be leading us into a trap. It took every ounce of my willpower to keep myself moving forward, and even then, it wasn’t my trust in Jasper that propelled me, but hope.
We climbed up four stories, and as soon as we drew near a door at the top of the landing, it clicked open, allowing us entry. The lights in this hall were significantly dimmer than the ones on the other levels, and I immediately sensed that this was the right area. It was too gloomy, too depressed, too devoid of color to be anything but where they held twos. And now threes.
The green lights, dimmer now, led us down the hall to our right, and I followed them as they curved around. Another left and right, and the lights dead-ended at a section of wall where a doorway stood.
Slowing, I looked down the hall behind us, and then back up ahead. I couldn’t hear anything coming from either direction, but the stupid design of this place made it difficult to tell whether we were alone. Grey didn’t seem to notice, and drew nearer to the closed door.
He came to a stop in front of it, facing the doorway.
“I really hope Jasper remembers about the door,” I heard him say as I turned and cast another glance down the hall behind us. “Because if not, I— Oh. Hello.”
A click sounded, and I turned just in time to see Grey’s expression change from surprised to fearful in front of the opening door, and then the next thing I knew, he was down on the ground with Zoe’s small frame straddling him, her fists flying.