Chapter 27 Facade
Busted
“The baby’s fine,” said the nurse. “It’s up in the State nursery just like Amber requested.”
“No, Peggy actually requested it,” Amber said, looking at the nurse. “Please check the record. Peggy Miller. That’s what she wanted.”
Amber looked at the Millers. “Peggy signed the State adoption documents several weeks ago. She told me that’s what she wanted. She thought it would help her Score the most.”
The nurse was looking at adoption records on her palm screen. She projected the records into the room so everyone could see. “Yes, the records show that Peggy Miller requested a State adoption. So everything looks good here.”
“But why did you call her Amber?” asked Mrs. Miller.
Amber replied, “When we checked in, the scanner must have picked up my Chip since we were walking together. I had to help her in because she was having contractions. Maybe the system was confused since I’m pregnant too and it somehow read my Chip instead of Peggy’s.”
“It happens,” said the nurse.
“So, what happened to her face?” asked Mr. Miller.
“I was helping her into the bathroom a few days ago because she said she was lightheaded,” said Amber. “When we got into the bathroom, she fainted. I couldn’t hold her up and she hit her head on the sink.”
“Sounds like everyone has an answer for everything,” scoffed Mr. Miller. “So why is Peggy so upset then? Shouldn’t she be relieved that all this is behind her now?”
The nurse replied, “Peggy’s been through a lot today, Mr. Miller. And she’s been through a lot emotionally for some time dealing with this decision. It’s not uncommon at all for new mothers to be upset after giving birth. And especially if a baby adoption is involved. I’d say Peggy is acting pretty normal under the circumstances.”
“Answers for everything…” Mr. Miller said, his voice trailing off as he turned towards Peggy’s bed and walked over to her. Mrs. Miller had been standing beside Peggy, stroking her hair and gently talking to her. Mr. Miller touched Peggy’s arm. “You okay, honey?”
Peggy nodded. “What happened?” she asked.
Darren and Amber came over to Peggy’s bed. Amber took Peggy’s hand and held it. “You passed out, Peg. But everything is okay now. You had your baby and it’s fine. It’s with the adopting agency.”
Mrs. Miller looked at Amber with a scolding look and asked, “Why did you guys lie about the adopting family, when Peggy knew all along the baby was going to the State?”
Amber thought for a moment. “We thought you’d be upset by her giving the baby to the State system, especially after the story you told her.”
Mr. Miller rolled his eyes. More answers, he thought.
“Well, I want to hear what Peggy has to say about all this,” said Mrs. Miller. “Honey, are you alert now? Can you tell us what you remember?”
“I’m just so tired, mom. Right now all I remember is Amber and Darren helping me get to the clinic and to the delivery room. Then I must have blacked out. Are you sure my baby is alright?”
The nurse had been standing nearby and responded, “Yes, Peggy, your baby is just fine. You need to get some rest now.” Looking at the others, she continued, “Maybe it’s best if everyone gives Peggy a little break.”
When they were all outside the room in the hallway, Mrs. Miller said to Amber and Darren, “We’re going to take Peggy straight home from the clinic tonight. Please go get all her things from your apartment, put them in her car and bring it back here to the clinic. I’ll be driving it home and Peggy will ride with her father. I guess I should say thank you for all your help. Now we’ll take it from here.”
Darren and Amber were relieved that things were ending so cleanly without a scene. They did as Mrs. Miller had requested, then took public transit back to their apartment. They left Bryan with Darren’s parents for the night so they could assess what all had happened and determine whether their plan had paid off.
“This is what we’ve been waiting for,” Darren said. “With our debt paid, and months of wearing the conversation band and uploading comments to help my Record, let’s see where we’re at.”
They kept checking their Scores with their palm screens. No changes. Nothing. “Did something go wrong?” asked Amber. The couple discussed all the twists of the past few days. Did Peggy somehow blow it for them? Had she blabbed everything to her parents? They were starting to get very nervous.
After several hours they collapsed on the sofa. Amber looked weary. Darren pulled out his palm screen again so that they could review their Scores together. He projected the Score data in front of them and they both stared in disbelief. “Look at that! We moved up to B1/B2, Amber. Do you know what this means?”
Darren stood up and yelled, “Holy crap!” They were stoked. He paced around the room. “We can have so many more opportunities now, better pay, better food, better housing. Shit! Just in time for our baby too.”
Amber was smiling now with a wide grin. “Yep, it looks like we really pulled it off.” She stood up and they hugged. “If I wasn’t nine months pregnant I’d say let’s open a bottle of wine, but that can wait a few weeks. Hell, go ahead and open one for you, Darren. Thank you, my hero.” They kissed and savored the moment.
Over the next few days, Darren and Amber continued to celebrate and make plans for their new future together. They checked their Scores several times each day, as if to pinch themselves to make sure it wasn’t just a dream.
After two weeks, Darren and Amber were convinced that their new class status was cemented enough to inquire about home loan possibilities. On their way through the brass trimmed glass doors at the local bank branch, they ran into their friends, Sinead and Miranda, who were just leaving.
“Hey, you two,” Amber said cheerfully, eying them up and down. “What are you gorgeous girls doing here?”
“We just got approved for a home loan,” Sinead said, smiling.
Miranda was beaming too, her arm around Sinead’s waist. “Our life is finally starting to happen,” Miranda added, looking at Sinead and squeezing her close. They gave each other an affectionate kiss on the lips, then looked at Amber.
“Good for you,” Amber replied excitedly. “We’re so happy for you. Seems like a lucky day for all of us. Darren and I are applying for a home loan today too. Finally, we’re starting to live our dreams.”
The Millers weren’t living any dream yet. At home since the night of Peggy’s delivery, Mr. and Mrs. Miller watched their daughter slowly come out of the fog. Peggy was gradually regaining her mental capacity after months of intense 4M treatments. At first, Peggy didn’t complain much about what all had happened.
But each day she began to remember more and more. She remembered overhearing conversations that Darren and Amber had. She remembered being drugged with something that knocked her out and left her with the worst headaches afterwards.
She remembered being slapped hard in the face. She remembered not being allowed to use her palm screen or leave the apartment without Darren or Amber. She remembered 4M treatments every day that left her feeling like a zombie. She remembered the constant coaching to give up her baby.
The Record “remembered” plenty too.
The funny thing about the whole SIN Record was that few people were ever being actively watched. As intrusive as it may have been, everyone was fairly invisible to prying eyes. SIN Scores were all automatically calculated and social positions automatically adjusted and enforced by predetermined computer algorithms. Only when things got out of line did real human intervention follow.
For those who dared to cross the line, though, they had better beware. There was the Record of everything they’d done, everywhere they’d gone, everything they’d purchased, every call they’d made. There were no lies capable of getting someone out of their mess. There were no Silicon Facades. The Record was there forever
. It was the judge and jury. It was the truth.
The truth caught up with Darren and Amber. Within a week of Peggy’s baby being born, Peggy began to sing like a parrot. There were lots of interested ears.
That fateful day at the bank, while seated in front of loan officer Matole Lavy’s desk, Darren and Amber Cross watched two local police officers make their way into the bank. They quickly spotted Darren and Amber, who were immediately arrested and charged with a host of crimes, including kidnapping, Crimes of Manipulation using 4M technology, criminal use of date rape drugs, assault, medical fraud, and falsifying information on a State adoption application.
For these crimes, their B1/B2 class status was stripped away. Darren and Amber Cross were recalibrated, relocated, and retained somewhere they would pay for their crimes, somewhere they could no longer manipulate anyone. Their family dissolved.
Little Bryan was adopted by Darren’s sister and her family.
Amber’s baby girl was placed in labor commune Baby Ward 14 for final payment of Darren’s Marriage to Freedom debt. The paid debt did nothing to help them, though.
Peggy was able to get her baby boy back from the State. She had decided to keep him after all and live at home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Miller were more than happy to help raise the child.
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