Chapter Six: Caryn
“You can’t take it off,” Anderson says. “There is a 64 hour acclimation period for cards to sync with your body. When it’s over then it can be removed at will.”
I stop scratching the gold card attached to my palm.
“Why 64 hours?” I ask.
He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t know. It has something to do with collecting enough vital scans. What happened? How did you get the card?”
“I was looking for you and I saw her in the hall. She shook my hand.”
“Did she tell you she was giving you a gold card?”
“No.”
“This is exactly why we keep you and the other candidates here, so they can’t pull stunts like this. We can’t trust them.”
“What does this mean? This won’t disqualify me, will it?” I scratch again at the thin plastic on my skin. It feels almost like the scales I have above my elbow, but there are no ridges where the skin and plastic meet.
He just shakes his head and walks away. I open my mouth, but I can’t think of the right words that would make him answer me. Something about way his facial lines gather around his mouth, instead of in the smile wrinkles of his eyes, that tells me he’s done. No matter how many times I might ask, or rephrase, he will not say anything.
He takes me to the candidate dining room and despite the stress I’ve had over the Tournament and the meeting, I manage to eat a whole plate of gray protein chunks and green mashed vegetables, a signature dish we are often served because it rebuilds muscle and replenishes energy. Anderson only picks at his food and his mouth remains wrinkled so I don’t say anything. My mind is still spinning from the events of the morning, I can hardly believe it is all real, but I don’t have an opportunity to analyze them.
Anderson’s pocket buzzes.
He pulls his handheld computer from his pocket and taps the screen.
“What is it?” I ask, when he sighs.
“Foreman wants us in his office, now.” He stands and I follow suit as a member of the housing staff takes away our plates.
“Did he say why?” I can’t help asking. All the food I ate seems to have knotted together and I wonder if I should have eaten the whole plate.
“No, come on.”
Neither of us says anything as the elevator shoots up to the administration floor. As soon as the doors open I am surprised at the smell. There’s a dry, dusty scent of overly purified air and a complete lack of the humidity that occupies the candidate floors because of their proximity to the pools and practice aquarium. I take small sips of the air into my lungs to allow them time to adjust.
Anderson leads me to Foreman’s office, past a small man, hunched over a small desk typing at the speed of light. He nods at us without breaking his rhythm and Anderson knocks on the door. It opens with a hiss and we enter into a large room with two tinted glass walls and two walls covered in bookshelves. Foreman stands with his back to us gazing out at the science labs across the main road of the Compound. His office door shuts behind us of its own accord and we stand waiting for him to acknowledge our presence. Foreman sighs, but does not say anything or turn around. I begin to think Anderson is right, we will be given a stern talk, possibly even punished, although I am still not sure why.
Finally, Foreman faces us and moves to sit behind the long, cherry wood desk. There are no other chairs in the room so I stand with my back straight and my hands clasped in front like we are taught. Anderson does the same and we wait as Foreman clears his throat.
“Today’s events have been unprecedented in the history of the Compound. Caryn, your time not only broke all the prior records it sets a new standard for future candidates to strive toward. Unfortunately, this is something the ruling elite wish to exploit, as you know from your attendance in the meeting. Their actions and questions were out of line. The gold card is a law that supersedes the Compound’s privilege. My hands are tied.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” I say. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Foreman and Anderson share a glance and I see Anderson shake his head once.
“I see,” Foreman leans forward and rests his folded hands on the desk. “The gold card they gave you is a powerful, technological gift that can only be revoked by the recipient in the presence of the giver before it is accepted. By taking it, you agreed to a contract with Beta’s rulers.”
I look down to see the gold card still in my palm. It doesn’t shift when I rotate my palm even if I hold it upside down.
“But what is it?” I ask, with the hope that this time I will be given answers.
“It’s a chip that carries information,” Foreman says. He blinks once and then continues after seeing the confused look on my face remain. “Personal information like medical records, employment records, driver’s license, passport and financial status. Anything that anyone might need to know about you is contained on that chip. There are also levels of chips denoted by the color given to them and levels of contracts that each chip carries.”
He opens a drawer and holds up a chip the same size and shape as mine, only his is dark green. “Mine is green because I work at the Compound and because of my responsibilities here. Whenever I travel to the city this chip is scanned and allows whatever transaction I may do to run smoothly. I am automatically given access to green level secure rooms and can make purchases without speaking to anyone. I take what I need and my account is charged. Do you understand?”
I nod. “What does gold do?”
“It is the highest ranking card that exists,” Anderson says after a tired look from Foreman is cast his way. “Travel, expenses, permission, there is nothing a person with that card cannot do. Only fifty have ever been made and not all stay on Beta. Some of the most powerful people of Earth and Deltan will also carry them. But they only last for a short predetermined time.”
“The card you are holding will be good for three days,” Foreman says. “And grant you unlimited resources and access during those days wherever you are.”
“But the gathering is scheduled to take place in a week,” I say. “When would I have time to visit--”
“Exactly,” Anderson says.
Foreman shakes his head. “The council did this deliberately. Now is the time when you need to be focused and in top physical--”
“No, I’m sorry you can’t go in there!” a voice says from beyond the room
“Nonsense,” says a woman’s voice.
“Wait. Stop. The First Official is in a meet....”
The door hisses open and the Mayor of Highton charges in. I step away from the door to let her pass.
“I’m sorry, sir,” says the man from outside Foreman’s office. He has a hold of the mayor’s elbow, but she raises an eyebrow at him and he releases it. Then she notices me.
“Ah, there she is. I knew you would be hiding her somewhere close by,” the mayor says, squinting at Foreman.
“I assure you, madam mayor, that this is neither the time nor the place to discuss this.” Foreman stands and walks around his desk.
“That, young man is the problem.” The mayor mimics Foreman’s tone. “There is never the right time, no matter how much we are given. I should know. I was only an aid for Highton’s mayor during the last Tournament two hundred years ago but there has never been enough time when it comes to dealing with the Compound. However, this is not what I came here to discuss. There are some details that need to be finalized before tomorrow.”
“Fine.” Foreman leans against the wall. “Caryn will have her three days.”
“Of course she will. She entered into a binding agreement.”
“An agreement she didn’t know she was making,” Anderson says, but Foreman raises a hand.
“Since Caryn is underage we require that she have one of the officials with her at all times.”
“Absolutely not!”
“After the way you went behind our backs, I refuse to let her spend three days alone with you or anyone who wo
rks for the council.”
The mayor presses her lips together. “She has to be accompanied by someone, unless part of her training includes navigating cities.”
I almost laugh out loud at that. But just as quickly I imagine the look I might get from Foreman and not a peep comes out.
“There is also her safety to consider,” Foreman says.
The mayor gives a short cackle. “She’s perfectly safe in our cities. Crime has been down by 15 percent this year and our surveillance can stop anything that might get out of hand. I will agree to arrange for a private party, not connected with the council, to accompany her.”
“And if we don’t approve of them?” Foreman asks.
“If she doesn’t like them, then she can pick someone she will.” She waves a hand in the air and shifts back to me. “What do you think about taking a short trip to Highton?”
Heather immediately jumps to the forefront of my mind. She would bring stacks of books from the library all about Highton, the first colony on Beta, and spread them out on her bed. Then she would go over them with me, pointing out the different locations and saying how exciting city life must be. It was the only time her eyes would truly sparkle and a smile would soften her face and I loved to watch her read.
“Well, I’ve heard a lot about Highton.” I shift my feet and wish Heather was here. She’d be nodding her head and squealing with excitement at the thought of leaving for a few days, even with the gathering a week away, but I feel torn. “There is a lot to do.”
The mayor presses her wrinkled lips together into a tight smile. “What are you required to do in the next few days that you could not do in the city?”
I glance at Anderson and I half expect him to pull out a long list with a detailed schedule for each day, but he just stands there.
Foreman speaks instead. “There are required procedures. She has to be monitored by our physicians as well as receive a saturation of the jigger scent.”
“That can easily be moved to the city and she would be saturated by the scent everywhere she went.” The mayor’s smile grows triumphant.
“Don’t you think it would be cruel to show her the kind of life she could have with all that will be expected of her at the end of the week?” Foreman asks.
The mayor shakes her head. “It would be cruel not to. Let her live some. What do you say, girl? Are you ready to visit the outside world?”
My head aches. I can tell Foreman is against this by the way his arms are folded over his chest and the intense wrinkles on his brow. The mayor is used to getting her way and genuinely seems to believe this would benefit me, but there is something about her when she talks that makes me think there is something else behind this offer. Then there is Heather’s dream. Just thinking about Highton makes me feel closer to her, as if she is waiting for me in my room with a new stack of books full of adventures. I almost smile at the thought.
Maintaining my current level of fitness would not be that hard, especially since the actual Gathering is less strenuous than the Tournament. The Tournament is timed and a competition that only allows one breath. The Gathering is not timed and is completely dependent upon the will and determination of the candidate who can surface when needed. It is a race against my will and my own body breaking down.
I try to imagine what a last week here would be like and I find the routine, although familiar, completely predictable, even without Anderson showing me a schedule. My days would consist of: exercise, swimming, exams and tests in the science labs, food and sleep. Three days in the city could be anything. They could be full of the adventures Heather would tell me about. I don’t even know what to expect. It could be terrible or wonderful, but I would never know if I stay here.
“Yes,” I say. The word comes out quickly, like a puff of steam from a covered hot cup.
“Excellent, I will call ahead for the companions to be ready and arrange for you to accompany me on my flight. We’ll leave in ten minutes,” the mayor says and exits before I can think to take it back.