The synapse sequence, p.23
The Synapse Sequence, page 23
She watched as I took another mouthful. Another small mouthful, carefully judged so that I could continue to eat at my own pace. But then a moment of panic caused me to issue a small hiccup: Grace was leaving the conservatory, taking the old fool she’d been dealing with back to his room.
Charley noticed this too. She took another step forward, and I felt her hand on my jaw. Pulling it open and pushing my head back. The beaker was at my lips. The sludge and slime filled my mouth, and my gullet kicked in to try to swallow it while keeping my airway clear.
‘You need to eat this,’ reiterated Charley, continuing to pour. She let the beaker hit my teeth and slice at my gums. I kept swallowing – my body starting to shake as it ran out of air – my ears filled with those damn numbers now being called out by N’Golo.
Then suddenly he stopped, came close and whispered, just as the beaker was being pulled away from my mouth and I was able to cough the last of the sludge from my mouth and onto my chin. ‘You’re still in the sequencer,’ he said. ‘The nurses aren’t bots because you’re still in Jake’s sequencer. And it’s time you got out.’
38
‘THEY’RE ALREADY SAYING there’s going to be an inquiry.’
Holland’s enjoyment seemed unaffected by Anna’s harsh, angry stare. On one of the spare synapse benches, beside Jake’s broken torso, lay Mitchell. The S&P analyst was already connected to the sequencer and interacting with Jake. In a few moments Anna would be expected to allow herself to become immobile on one of the benches, as her consciousness was transferred into the sequencer to join them.
Anna looked deep into Holland’s face. She’d wanted Cody to accompany her to Jake’s synapse chamber – to be there during the time she was submerged – but he’d refused. He’d told her it wouldn’t do her any good anyway, because Holland would have simply pulled rank and had him thrown out. And yet she’d still come, despite her fears about what this nurse might do to her while her mind was elsewhere. The call from Jake had been marked urgent. If she wanted to keep her job, what choice did she have?
‘Come on, then,’ Holland said. ‘The sooner you get connected, the sooner you can be fired.’
Anna didn’t allow herself to be rushed. She’d arrived straight from home, and had brought with her a small black leather handbag. She looked around for somewhere to put it while she was submerged, then opted for the empty bench next to the one she’d soon be occupying. ‘I don’t understand why you don’t just admit it,’ the nurse continued. ‘Everyone knows you fixed the outcome of that crash, and everyone knows you were pressured. Being caught using a spoof now only confirms it.’
‘I’m not here to talk about Tanzania.’
Holland laughed, and brushed back some of her red hair. ‘They’ll make you talk eventually,’ she said.
Anna pulled herself on to an empty bench, swinging her legs round and letting her head settle on the steel. She pushed her head back to keep her airway clear.
Hold her under. Keep her down.
‘I’m not going to discuss Tanzania with you,’ Anna said. ‘I’m here to see Jake.’
‘Your heart rate is high,’ the nurse said, checking her systems and then moving across to her bench. ‘Almost like you’re worried about something.’ She paused, allowing herself a sly grin. ‘This is your data this time, isn’t it?’ She placed a hand on Anna’s chest, directly on the breastbone. ‘Yep, you need to learn to relax.’
Hold her under. Keep her down.
‘Just connect me,’ Anna said, her voice shaking while she wondered what would happen next. She drifted away seconds later. One second she was on the synapse bench…
The next standing in a gym.
Directly in front of her Jake was running on a treadmill, sweat pouring off him and drenching his bright yellow running vest. Mitchell was speaking, but she stopped sharply as Anna popped into existence.
‘Keep talking,’ said Jake, gasping for breath. He was running hard, his legs pumping as the machine kept the road open ahead of him. In the real world, he wouldn’t have been able to keep this pace up for long. Here, though, he seemed to be able to keep going indefinitely.
Mitchell hesitated, waiting for a break in the rhythm of Jake’s exercise. She wasn’t going to get one, though, and she gave up trying. ‘Given recent developments’ – she glanced at Anna – ‘we’re ceasing cooperation with your experiment. We want your team to remove their equipment from Durrant’s bedside and—’
‘That doesn’t make sense,’ Anna interrupted. Jake glared at her. The treadmill gave him a slight height advantage, and her position in front of it – watching him continually charge towards her – only served to underline the threat.
‘We can issue a warrant if need be,’ Mitchell continued. ‘But I’m sure you’d prefer to have your technicians remove your equipment, rather than have it impounded.’
‘We’ll have it cleared by the end of the day,’ Jake said, continuing to run.
‘It’s getting late. Are you sure you can—’
‘I’m aware of the time,’ Jake snapped. ‘I live in here just as you do out there.’
‘Fine. Just make sure it gets done.’
Anna cleared her throat. ‘Aren’t you forgetting Beth Hayden?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Connolly,’ Anna said. ‘N’Golo took Beth to see someone named Connolly.’
Mitchell sighed. ‘Pretty much everything you tell Fowler gets straight through to us,’ she said. ‘But we’ve already run the numbers, and every Connolly within the area has come up clean.’
‘Are you sure? Did you push down into their personal data?’
‘Those we were able to legally access, yes.’
‘So what do you intend to do?’
When Mitchell spoke, it was with more than a little regret. ‘The probability Beth Hayden is still alive has been dropping by the hour. In fact, her chances took a tumble off a cliff as soon as the kidnappers found out that their plot was compromised by Durrant. Resources are being reassigned.’
‘Already?’
‘Whoever has taken Beth has already demonstrated a certain degree of brutality,’ Mitchell explained. ‘The chances they intend keeping her alive are low; particularly given the lack of further contact.’
‘Is that you talking, or S&P?’
‘It’s both, Miss Glover. Christ! This “Connolly” was using a false name. I would have thought you’d be familiar with the idea given your situation. I think we’re done here… How do I discon—’
Mitchell was gone. The heavy thump of Jake’s sprinting drew Anna’s attention back to him. How long had he been running like that? How long would he continue?
‘You were using a spoof,’ he said.
Anna nodded. ‘They won’t let me see her. I expected them to arrest me too.’
‘They would have done,’ Jake replied. He reached forward and touched the controls of the treadmill, lessening the pace. His breathing immediately adjusted. He didn’t seem to need any recovery time. The change in speed was probably only to allow him to speak more easily. ‘I intervened.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Using a spoof is in violation of your employment terms. But more importantly, it’s bloody stupid.’
‘My work isn’t affected by…’ Anna felt a sudden itch running away from her wrist and towards her elbow. ‘It’s unaffected. I have it under control.’
‘Your real stats are way outside the performance boundaries of where I want my staff.’
‘I’m good at my job.’
‘People with anxiety tend to concentrate on the wrong thing,’ Jake continued, as if he hadn’t heard her. ‘They don’t see the bigger picture. There’s a fine line between being a specialist and becoming a dinosaur.’
‘I have it under control,’ Anna repeated.
Jake didn’t acknowledge her defence. ‘Have you experienced anything strange using the sequencer?’
Anna couldn’t help but give a strangled laugh. She knew what he was getting at. It was time to admit it. ‘I’ve been able to speak with N’Golo directly,’ she said. ‘Not just experience his memories.’
‘As yourself – or through the eyes of others?’
‘Both, just like we’re doing n—’
‘It’s not the same,’ cut in Jake. ‘Not the same at all. You should have said something. Maybe your own biofeed would have warned Weaver. He still should have noticed the feeds were being spoofed, though…’
‘He’s not to blame for this.’
‘Don’t interrupt me, Anna,’ he said curtly. ‘Your technician seems to have a habit of minor failures.’
Failure begets failure. ‘Cody is a good technician.’
‘Noted.’ Jake slowed the treadmill some more. ‘The risks of using the sequencer are clearly stated in your employment terms. We’ve already spoken about the first: severance.’
‘And the second?’
‘Post-detachment echoing. You may have noticed your own brain fills in gaps within the memory construct?’
N’Golo Durrant was white. ‘Yes…’
‘It’s a two-way thing,’ Jake continued, his tone remaining angry. ‘A little bit of Durrant may be in your mind now, and he’ll be hard to get out. Worse, if this Durrant kid does ever come round, then his memories of certain events are going to be screwed. He’ll have pieces of you inside his cortex.’
Anna suddenly felt cold. The chill concentrated in her torso, along the front of her chest. If I unbuttoned your shirt, you’d get cold, Cody had said. Back on the synapse bench, was Jake’s nurse playing some sort of sick game? She had to say something.
‘Jake—’
‘There’s going to be an inquiry into that Tanzania business.’ Jake was climbing down from the treadmill. Glaring at her, still towering over her. There was no trace of the kindly businessman now.
‘I’ve seen the rumours,’ Anna said, swallowing her complaint.
Jake seemed surprised. ‘Really? I thought it was secret. My information comes from the Ministry. Whatever – when it’s formally announced, I’m going to have to let you go. You do realise that, don’t you? We can’t have that kind of negative attention on the company.’
‘Yes.’
‘In the meantime, you have a short window.’
‘Window? To do what?’
‘You still have a few hours to get what you need from N’Golo Durrant, before the team at the hospital unplugs my equipment. And do you know what success begets, Anna?’
* * *
ANNA PUSHED OPEN the door to the synapse chamber – her synapse chamber – and headed straight for one of the empty benches. She didn’t bother to look for Cody, she knew he was here, still communicating with the hospital-based health team and no doubt processing the news that their experiment was being brought to a premature end.
‘I want you to submerge me at exactly the same point as before,’ she said, hoisting herself onto the bench and throwing her black handbag on to the floor. ‘The exact same memory.’
There was a moment’s pause. Then footsteps echoed across the chamber’s tiles as Cody hurried towards her. Anna responded by pushing her head back, making it easy to make the final checks. He didn’t touch her.
‘We’re shutting down, Anna.’
‘No – we still have time for one more go. Attempt seven.’
‘Anna…’
‘There’s a girl’s life at stake, Cody.’
‘And a young man called N’Golo Durrant could also die. The health team are sure now: he’s coming out of his coma. He’s going to recover.’
‘But not in time, Cody! Not in time to save Beth!’
Anna stared at the ceiling. They were rushing. It would amplify the risks. But the answer was there, she knew it. They’d been within touching distance last time.
‘Didn’t think you were a handbag sort of person,’ Cody said, undercutting the tension as he noticed what she’d dropped. Anna continued to stare upwards. She had no wish to talk about it. After she’d left Jake’s memory construct, she’d returned to find the bag’s zip half open, which meant Holland had rifled through that as well. And she’d made a point of leaving the bag open so Anna would know what had happened. ‘You were using a spoof,’ Cody continued. He sounded disappointed.
‘Yes.’
‘I should have noticed.’
‘It’s not your fault,’ Anna said.
‘It’s all over the boards… that, and the inquiry thing.’
‘Then they have a choice, don’t they? Arrest me for using a spoof, or frame me for what happened in Tanzania. Either way, I don’t have much time. And neither does Beth Hayden. If we achieve nothing more here today, I need to know all this wasn’t a waste of fucking effort!’
Cody looked round the empty chamber, as if searching for someone to either object or give him permission. He found neither, and instead headed back to his workstation. Anna closed her eyes and waited. She heard him speaking to the health team. Didn’t quite catch what they said in return.
‘I’m getting some odd readings from the biofeeds,’ Cody said, his voice starting to be lost.
‘They’re not odd,’ Anna whispered, losing some of the sensation in her jaw. ‘They’re mine.’
* * *
‘CONNOLLY,’ THE BLOND man said. Anna had slipped back into N’Golo’s memory of the bar. The man in front of her seemed relaxed, confident. Just as he had been the first time round.
‘Workers’ League?’ She heard herself say the words, but tried to let them flow without thinking. Here, she was Beth Hayden, not Anna Glover. She needed to keep that in mind, to remember what she could of the mistakes she’d made previously that had almost caused N’Golo to bump out. Connolly grinned.
N’Golo stood up. ‘You wanna drink?’
‘Sure.’
Without N’Golo, Connolly again fell silent and static. He remained like that until N’Golo came back with another pint of beer. He placed it on the table, but the man calling himself Connolly didn’t pause to drink.
‘First of all,’ Connolly said, ‘you need to forget what people tell you about us. We’re not some homogeneous group.’
‘I’ve heard you called Luddites.’
‘Luddites, peasants, communists, Trotskyists. Whatever. Labels that seek to describe the past and not the future.’
‘So everyone’s got you wrong, then?’
‘As I said, we’re not a homogeneous group. Which is why I dislike the term, and the symbol.’
‘Then why don’t you explain?’
‘I’d rather talk about your dad. He’s one of the few people who doesn’t seem to be affected by what’s going on out there.’ Connolly gave a rueful smile and then reached across the table. As before, his thumb came to rest on Anna’s cheekbone while his fingers clasped her jaw. ‘Let me make this plain for you: what do you think would happen if someone here were to cut your face?’
Then he drew a line with his thumbnail across her cheek before releasing her face and letting his hand thud back down on the table. ‘That’s not going to happen, of course. But suppose it did?’
Anna hesitated. She was a girl pretending to be something she wasn’t. ‘I’d be scarred,’ she said.
‘That’s right,’ Connolly replied. ‘You’d be fucked. Most employment filters include photographic scans. A scar – especially one on the face – signals issues. And that’s all we boil down to nowadays: patterns and statistics.’
‘We’re people, not numbers.’
‘Clever girl. But surely the biggest lie is that the government only sees us as simple numbers. Let me give you a scenario: say Person A and Person B both steal twenty thousand pounds from the government, each one by making a false UI claim. Which one do you think goes to jail, and who gets to pay the sum back and continue as a Member of Parliament?’
The opportunity was here. She had to take the next step. ‘You think my dad could help in some way?’
‘Yes, maybe your dad could do something, but let’s leave that for now. First, let me tell you about how we’re helping young people like N’Golo take back control.’
‘Okay.’
‘Anna – we’re getting some minor perturbations from the hospital…’ Cody’s voice buzzed into her ear.
N’Golo looked puzzled, then he formed a quizzical smirk. ‘Déjà vu,’ he said.
‘The Luddites broke the factory machinery because they thought those devices would take their jobs,’ Connolly continued, ignoring his companion’s uncertainty. ‘They didn’t realise their descendants would end up shovelling coal or packing crates or working in call centres or managing social media. As a society, we’re like blindfolded men being forced to walk across stepping stones. We put our foot out, and find some other job to occupy our time while the machines gobble up the stone just vacated behind us. Always, except for now. We’ve run out of stones. There’s too many of us, too few decent jobs, and the illusion that what we’re now tasked with is worthwhile has burst.’
Decent jobs. Connolly wasn’t ever going to spend his life shovelling coal or packing crates. He was a white collar, just like her. Which gave them another detail: another way to whittle down the list of potential suspects, if she could get the information to Fowler. The Workers’ League was supposedly composed of the diehard left, but this was a man who until recently probably had little sympathy for labour rights. Not until his own job was taken.
‘You’re planning on breaking the frames though, aren’t you? Just like the Luddites?’
Connolly shook his head and reached for his beer.
‘We can’t attack the machinery,’ N’Golo said. ‘It’s too well protected.’
‘As are our noble politicians and their ears,’ Connolly said, taking back the conversation from his young recruit. ‘N’Golo tells me you’re a big fan of Emmeline Pankhurst?’
Trust in God; she will provide. ‘Yes.’
‘Did you know the Pankhursts – Emmeline and Christabel – only wanted the vote on the same basis as men at the time? Only for women who owned property? They expelled Adela Pankhurst for suggesting all women – no matter how rich or poor – were important.’
Anna kept silent. She had no wish to get into an argument with a figment from N’Golo’s memory. Beth was all that mattered, and the Hayden girl probably hadn’t wanted to argue with Connolly either.
