“I’ve been in Karma for five days.” Chester pointed at Pierre’s milk. “Can I have a sip?”
“Sure.”
“But it’s been ten days since my last boost.”
“I’m here because they might try to kill me,” Pierre said, trying to make Chester feel better.
“Lucky you. At least you’ve got a way out.”
“Is it like they say? You can’t think of any good times?”
“Sort of. I mean, I remember watching movies. We had sleepovers in Gordy’s
treehouse. Put recording devices in your kitchen to listen to your parents. But it all feels like a joke.”
“So is it environmental? Or just chemical?”
Chester shook his head. “Is it ever just one?”
“What’s it about?”
Chester wiped his right eye. “Julie.”
“Julie. Do I know her? Julie who?”
“She’s the daughter of Martin, the shop owner I told you about. I was working for him for Gambler’s money. Her brother, Paul, didn’t like me. So he hid GPS tagged money in my closet at home. I didn’t do anything about it. Didn’t report it to Audric or anything. Now it’s too late.” He picked up a Caesar salad from the sustenance bot like the one Pierre had.
“There’s plenty of bracelets in the machine.” This was a standard Audric saying similar to there are plenty of fish in the sea but it also meant being physical with a woman or man was tantamount to getting your bracelet removed.
Chester shook his head. “It was like I loved her.”
“So why can’t you date her? Who cares about this guy, Paul. What can he do?”
“He’ll kill me.” Chester shook his head. Then he stared sharply at Pierre. “What are you going to do?” The question was more an accusation as if Pierre was unaware of the seriousness of his circumstance. Chester didn’t break his stare. “Remember Will Sterling?”
Pierre looked around, avoiding Chester’s stare. Will Sterling was trying to father too many children. Audric had specific birth control practices that required women to take a birth control pill. All pregnancies had to be authorized. When Will Sterling tried to out the injustice he felt he was experiencing on television, Audric sent a signal to his acceptor which killed him right then and there.
“You’re lucky you’re not dead already,” Chester said, looking away.
“Why do you think I’m not?”
“You’re Pure Pierre. Do you realize how it will make them look if they kill you. They need consent to kill you. Especially after the article in The London Times. Maybe they spread word you were gonna be killed to check the reaction first.”
“Maybe.”
Chester put his hand on the Karma motif. “It means we’re all connected. Audric might be reconsidering Genesis Smith’s argument that we’re all independents. Like I said. Or maybe it’s just to make me feel like I’m letting people down.”
“You’re not letting people down, Chester.”
“I’m letting myself down.”
Pierre shook his head. “Hey, I’ve got half the school thinking I’m a suicide case. Trust me, if you’re letting people down than I’m practically dropping them off a building.”
“You ever find out, why, you, you know…”
“Not yet. Who is your therapist?”
“Kalpana Thindrel.”
“Kalpana? Me too. I didn’t know her last name was Thindrel. Is she related to David Thindrel?”
Chester shrugged. He seemed to be looking at someone out of the corner of his eye. “Hey. There’s Ethan Chadwick.”
Pierre saw Ethan, wearing a long brown coat, at a table with three other people. “Why is he here?” Pierre asked.
“He’s here because Audric knows there was no bet between you and Ethan. Some guy named Caleb Price told me that. He inducted me into Karma.” Chester turned back to Pierre quickly. “Ethan’s looking. Don’t look over there.” He changed the subject. “Kalpana thinks I’m interesting,” he said, looking down at his salad. “A lot of the Gamblers are depressed. She wants to cure me of my depression and show that therapy works. That someone who isn’t an Audric Compliant or a Gambler can make the trip from misery to happiness.”
“So what does it feel like?”
“It feels like death … invading my cells.”
“It’s just about the girl? Didn’t you get a girl this summer, for money?”
“It made me realize that I was crazy about Julie. She’s not just another girl. Haven’t you ever felt that way about a girl. She’s … she’s the only girl in the world.”
“So turn Paul in and date her.”
“It’s too late to report it. I’m already in the Karma program. They wouldn’t believe me.
They’d think I just wanted a way out of Karma.”
“Tell Kalpana. If she believes you, she can report it. They’ll believe her. Tell you what.
When is your next session?”
“Tomorrow at ten a.m.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Chester showed a glimmer of a smile. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve got a 40/40,” Chester seemed almost excited. “She’ll listen to you.”
Then, a string of grunts caught everyone’s attention, and Chester turned quickly back to where Ethan was.
“We’re having an altercation,” one of the kids at Ethan’s table announced wryly.
Pierre leaned his chair back and saw Ethan and his friend Selin Garcia on floor. Selin had Ethan in a headlock and seemed to be trying to take his head off his shoulders. Pierre was about to stand up and go check it out, but Chester stopped him.
“Wait,” Chester said, thinking about Ethan’s long brown coat. “He might be packing.”
Pierre sat back down.
Chester gave a head nod, “Audric’s crashing the party.”
At that moment, three men in grey suits with dark blue lights embedded in the fabric emerged from the elevator. Pierre looked around for a videocamera and saw one in the corner of the room. So that was why they were so prompt. Audric quickly broke up the fight holding Selin and Ethan apart from each other.
“I thought they were friends,” Chester said.
Pierre nodded, watching carefully.
“What happened,” one of the suits asked.
“He’s a Gambler,” Selin said. “He wears a fake bracelet. He’s a Gambler!”
At that moment, Ethan grimaced and then his eyes closed. He was going into post-shock REM.
“Get them both to their rooms. Tell their counselors they are not to associate with one another. Stagger their lunch times.” One of the suits looked at Ethan and told Selin, “he’s getting shocked. He’s not a Gambler.”
Before the suits carried the two of them out of the room, Selin shouted, “He’s a double agent. He’s here for Pure Pierre!”
Pierre typed in a code adjacent to the door and looked through the window. Kalpana’s office began moving more quickly towards them, the doorways coming into alignment. A series of beeps accompanied the opening door. Pierre and Chester walked into the waiting room outside Kalpana’s office. Pierre looked around wondering where Dot had entered from but saw no doorway leading outside. The door behind them closed and the room began spinning slowly leaving them without a way out.
Kalpana had heard the series of beeps and she opened her office door to see Pierre and Chester sitting on a couch together.
“Pierre wants to sit in with us,” Chester said. “We have something we need to talk to you about.”
Kalpana thought for a few moments. “I’ll allow it. But this is Chester’s session.” They both nodded. “Come in.”
They walked into the office, and Chester noticed the bottle of Grease on the table that Pierre had forgotten after his last session.
“You forgot this,” Kalpana said, handing it to Pierre.
/> “Gamblers give you that?” Chester asked.
“Maybe,” Pierre said.
“It’s not just hair gel,” Chester said, thoughtfully.
“What is it?” Kalpana asked, looking down at her notepad.
“My Mom found some of it at a flea market. She wouldn’t tell me what it did. But she said it was special. That was about six months ago. She said Gamblers were testing it out.”
Kalpana looked at Chester. “You want to tell me what Pierre is doing here?”
Pierre rubbed his hands together. “So, Chester wants you to know that he was framed. Someone put GPS tagged money in his closet. He’s been Audric Compliant his whole life. What would be the point of hiding GPS tagged money. Of course, he knew he’d be caught.”
“They think he’s in Limited Ed for a reason,” Kalpana said. “He’s been getting shocked for over a month. It looks awfully stupid for him to come clean about it now. I hate to bring the bad news. But you’re gonna be stuck here for a while, Chester.”
Chester sighed. “How long do I have to stay?”
“You need to stay here until they are sure you’re not suicidal. Then you can return to a
normal life. But it will be life with no boosts. They will track your progress.”
“I’m not suicidal,” Chester said, defensively.
“The brain scans don’t lie. And the brain scans say that as soon as you get out of here you’ll kill yourself.”
“That’s not really true.”
“Well, let’s change the plan. When you get out of here what are you going to do?”
Chester shrugged.
“Chester,” Pierre said. “Whenever you start thinking about Julie spend some money on something you want. You’re not Audric Compliant anymore. Make the most of it.”
“What happens if I spend too much? I don’t get shocked?”
“Your acceptor has already set up a system of judgments in your brain. You spend too much, you get more depressed.”
“Well, buy candy or something,” Pierre said. “Take your mind off your misery.”
Chester eyes filled with tears. “You’re right. My life is a joke.”
Pierre remembered he called Chester’s life a joke that day in the journalism department.
He felt miserable. “I didn’t mean that Chester.” He paused, waiting for a boost from his acceptor. It didn’t come. “I didn’t mean that.” He thought Chester had it a lot worse than he did and he needn’t mention the lack of a boost.
“Ethan Chadwick is here,” Chester said. “He was arrested yesterday after getting in a
fight. We want to know what he’s doing here.”
Kalpana looked away, thinking heavily. “Ethan, I was surprised to find out, has always been a Gambler. He’s been keeping it secret since he was a little kid. He wears a fake bracelet. The post-shock REM was an act. He was never in trouble for a non-existent bet with you, Pierre. You went along with the bet as if Audric couldn’t be trusted to do the right thing. This is not bad enough for you to get shocked. But it’s enough for them to use against you in the court of public opinion.”
“So did you ask Ethan what Audric is planning?”
“He’s seeing a different counselor.”
“Well then, how do you know?” Pierre asked.
“My husband and I are both following your case, as are the authorities in Brighton.
There’s a gossip freeway and it’s moving quickly.”
“Is your husband David Thindrel, my social worker at the infirmary?”
“Yes. David says your fate is sealed. But David wants me to help you. However, I couldn’t be seen to try to help you remember in our sessions together.” Kalpana pointed to the video camera in the corner of the room. “This is Chester’s session. So I doubt they’ll watch the tape.”
“Who’s gonna kill me?”
“Caleb Price. Caleb is a mystery. No one seems to know where he’s from or what his
motives are. We know he’s anti-Christian, strongly Audric loyal, and Genesis Smith appointed him Head of Security this past year when the Head of Security died.”
“So what makes you think he’s not a nice fellow? What bones has he broken?” Pierre asked.
“He has a son allegedly around your age. Supposedly, his son has terrible behavioral problems. Caleb has kept his existence a secret, but it was revealed in a tabloid a short while ago that his son almost definitely exists. Caleb has the eyes of a man hell-bent on the cruelty of control. Combined with some of the rumors, and what I know about how he views your situation, I think you’d do best to steer clear.”
Pierre nodded. “Okay.”
The phone on Kalpana’s desk rang – a series of beeps. Kalpana looked at the ID and saw it was David Thindrel. She hit the speaker button.
“Kal. It’s David. Where’s Pierre?”
“He’s here with me.”
“They’re coming for him.”
“Who?”
“Caleb. Since Ethan’s attempt failed, they’re planning on saying he resisted arrest. The kill was authorized by Hendrick last week.” Pierre knew Theodore Hendrick was the head of the Audric Earnings Authority. “Caleb has his guide dog, Samuel, and they want to attack,” he said with disdain.
“Caleb called me before he was admitted,” Kalpana said. “He said Pierre can’t be encouraged to remember. You have to tell me the truth.”
“Genesis Smith wants to call a tribunal. They want Pierre tried. Pierre threatens the Zero Proposition if he remembers.”
The Zero Proposition was a statement in The Financially Prudent World that said that if happiness was derived from external methods, such as serotonin boosts, one still goes to Heaven.
“Caleb wants to forgo the tribunal. Less muss, less fuss. He wants it dealt with minimal exposure. Everyone in Audric will look the other way. Except us.
“He threatens the Zero Proposition?”
“Yes. You can’t let them kill him.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Kal. Be careful.”
Pierre stood up and looked around quickly. “Where’s the exit Dot came through? She said she was outpatient,” Pierre said. “There’s no such thing as outpatient is there.”
“I’m Dot’s Godmother,” Kalpana said. “David and I want to adopt her. She said she wanted to meet you. If anyone asks how I know her I’ll deny it.”
“So you’re a Christian,” Pierre said.
“I never had a cause I really believed in. But I believe in you.”
The intercom on the wall beeped. “Kalpana. Where’s Pierre?” It was a gravelly voice.
Caleb.
“How should I know?” Kalpana answered. She put her finger to her lips indicating quiet.
“We’re not going to kill him. We’ve decided he’s been neutralized. Just tell me where
he is.”
“In his room, most likely.”
“He’s not. The complex has been searched. He’s with you or he’s done vanished.”
“Come check.”
“We’re coming up. Samuel?” The intercom went dead.
Kalpana turned to Pierre. “That was Caleb.” She stood up and spoke as she walked towards the door. “Shortly after the depression when Gamblers were severely marginalized they needed a way for Gamblers to enter the Sanitarium without calling attention to themselves. That’s what the secret tunnel is for. It leads to a facility.” Kalpana opened the door to the waiting room and removed a card from her pocket. She slid it along the door jam and the far wall of the waiting room opened to fresh grass. “You tell them Kalpana sent you. The code you need to remember is 5925. Don’t forget your Grease.”
Pierre picked up his Grease off the table.
“See the outline,” Kalpana said, pointing. Pierre saw forty feet away a patch of grass that seemed separated from the rest. “Good luck.”
/> Pierre turned to her before exiting. “Good luck to you too. Look out for Chester.”
A set of steps had slid out from under the structure when the wall opened. Pierre jogged down them, landing on the turf, and he made a beeline for the patch of grass that led to the tunnel. As he ran, he turned back and saw the wall close and Kalpana re-entered the office.
Pierre lifted the patch of grass. It was planted on a bit of pliable plastic. He descended the steps, not bothering to look at where he was going. When he was almost completely under, he turned around and realized he could see the rotating office from under the grass. The patch of grass was only a few inches above ground. He doubted they’d see him, let alone look for him. He wanted to see what Caleb Price would do, and make sure Kalpana and Chester emerged unscathed.
A couple minutes passed. Then Pierre saw Caleb walk into Kalpana’s waiting room. Caleb was a big man, muscular. He had thick eyebrows, a big mustache, and his hair was parted and combed to the right. He had thin grey eyes.
Chester took a nervous breath.
“Come on, buddy,” Pierre said to himself, hoping Chester could keep it together.
“He’s not here,” Caleb said, as he and Samuel entered Kalpana’s office. “Give me the
gun.”
“Hendrick said…,” Samuel responded. Samuel had spiky black hair and wore a blue jacket.
That’s when Pierre realized David called him a “guide dog” because he was there to make sure Caleb didn’t do anything too vicious.
“I know what Hendrick said. I’m just gonna get some information. Give me the gun.” Samuel removed a gun from its holster and handed it to Caleb. Caleb pointed the gun at Kalpana.
Pierre watched, hoping the rotation of the room would be slow enough that he’d be able to see the entire confrontation.
“Can he remember?”
“No,” Kalpana said. “I don’t know why but your right, he’s totally neutralized.”
“Your husband, David, says this kid threatens the Zero Proposition. I can haul you both to Southwick for questioning but we have footage of you asking the kid about Elijah Harbinger. It seems you’re not content to sweep things under the rug.”
“Harbinger is a joke, Caleb. Everyone knows he wears an ear wig. Pierre is lost.”
Caleb turned to the painting on the wall. “Faces like lost jewels. That’s how you feel about Audric. I say we bill her.” He turned to Samuel. “Permanently. Show her what lost jewels really are.” Billing someone permanently meant “killing them.”