CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Jeuley yawned and opened her eyes, refreshed after her little morning nap. But why was her bedroom so dark? Had she really gone home or was she perhaps still at Brad’s? Why did the sheets smell vaguely like garlic?
Oh no. She wasn’t home. And Brad had said he wasn’t a big fan of garlic last night when they were discussing dinner before settling on ordering burgers instead of pizza.
After that, they’d tested and fucked through the wee hours of morning. She’d been ready to spend the night there and Brad was already asleep on her shoulder when she felt the need to go home for reasons she wasn’t so sure of.
Whose cruel joke was this? Am I in a new kind of clink?
Unsure of what to do, she slid out of the bed, onto the floor. At least she had clothing on. And it fit decently. Tugging at the one-piece jumpsuit, she discerned that it was made of flannel.
Her Blue Root controller was also in place. But she remembered peeling it off last night before she and Brad…ummm…tested. Then again, most of last night was a complete blissful blur. There was no concrete reason for her not to have put it back on. Oh well, might as well put it to some use without its accessories. Smacking it to bring up its nightglow, Jeuley shined it around the room.
White walls, ceiling and floor, a plain twin bed, a boxcase and a door. She scrambled toward the door.
Locked.
Dammit. She tapped the walls next to the door, hoping one was a light wall. Malfunctioning, but brighter than her Blue Root controller, one side of the room lit up. No windows. Was this a basement?
And were those sheep printed on her flannel jumpsuit? Okay. Whatever.
Jeuley racked her brain, but she couldn’t remember how she got here. Nothing led her to believe she’d come here of her own accord, yet she didn’t feel threatened. The room, aside from its initial darkness was comfortable, climate controlled and the air was breathable although the garlic scent threw her for a loop. If she didn’t know better, she’d assume that Ordal Laverock had something to do with this. But he’d gone back to Florida.
Wait. How much time had passed? She tapped her controller, but its date and time functions were disabled. Great. If her suspicions were correct, she’d been abducted by a bumbling inventor. She took a measure of solace in knowing that the man was an imbecile. It wouldn’t be too difficult to outsmart him. Or overpower him. Even at five foot five, she towered over the guy.
The only thing left to do was wait. She walked over to the boxcase and pulled it open. In the front divider was a tablet. The rest of the case was full of what looked to be clothing, but she wasn’t too interested in finding out. The flannel jumpsuit was comfortable enough.
She extracted the tablet, brought it over to the bed and sat down. Powering it up, she looked around the room one more time for clues. Nothing. No indications of time passing or geographic location. Brad was the last person she’d seen. He would’ve been the first person to see once she’d awakened. And that would’ve been a special kind of heaven compared to this place.
Brad had wanted to help with the synch, so she’d uploaded her masters into his computer and instructed him how to chip away at them until they were more manageable for vid purposes. Watching him tickle the keys had made gooseflesh all over her body. He was just as adept as she was at hacking. His style was more laid back, but ultra-aggressive where it mattered most.
Just like his style of sex.
The man was a keeper for that alone. And to think she’d turned down his partnership the first time. High school was hell. Drill team be damned, she’d been in between the popular crowd, the nerd crowd and the solo weirdoes like Brad and Danny. Then again, all those years ago, if she’d tossed her aspirations of social networking and became Brad’s lab partner, she wouldn’t have appreciated him like she did now.
They made an excellent team. They really did. Not just because fucking him was so mind-blowing. She’d never been around a man who, aside from his strange quiet moments, would pursue whatever he wanted until he got it.
It was like a drug to her. Taking down corporate sites, twisting intranet email, Jeulmist had gone through several chameleon-skins before her current incarnation. This time, she didn’t want to screw it up. Going completely legit at Prixus had been her only way out of the life, but the darn Blue Root had to intrigue her.
After high school, she’d been trying to get ahead of the hacking game for so long, that she’d pretty much lost track of the real world. Until hacking landed her solidly in the clink…thrice.
Adrian McLinsky’s little jobs were just money on the side. Jeuley had hacked the Blue Root simply for the fuck of it. Literally.
And look at the results.
Okay, maybe at this exact moment, looking at where hacking got her wasn’t such a wonderful idea. Although this was much better than her three hour stint in the city oubliette.
Staring down at the tablet, Jeuley brought herself back to the present as she vigorously hunted through hidden files, connections and anywhere else there could be a gateway out either onto the network or even a local intranet. Knowing location and time would ease some of her fears. Even jails supplied that much information.
The tablet was set up with tons of hacking software. If Ordal Laverock was behind this whole plot, surely his plan must be to force her to turn over her programming. But then, why all the trouble of having her there when he could’ve just stolen her computer?
Satisfied that she’d scoured the entire memory of the machine, Jeuley leaned back against the headboard and sighed deeply. What she wouldn’t give for a virtual deck of cards to make the time pass quicker. Fuck it.
Leaving the tablet behind, she got up from the bed and kicked the door. It didn’t budge. She felt along the walls for anomalies. Her luck changed. A very small panel opened up to reveal a screen. Words scrolled across it like an email.
Are you Jeuley Crissin?
I am a semi-intelligent automated attendant built by the Great Ordal Laverock to accommodate his wishes as Executor of BlueCentric Laboratories.
“Ummm…okay, but without a keyboard, how do I talk to you?” Jeuley inspected the wall and opened panel. She moved back a step and a keyboard projected below the screen.
Jeulmist: Yeah, I’m Jeuley. And you are…?
SecondThought: Second Thought.
Jeulmist: Second Thought, huh?
SecondThought: Why yes, I am.
“Oh boy. It looks like this is gonna take a little while.” Getting past robotic chatter was always a pain. Sometimes they were far too literal.
SecondThought: You’re awake early. I’m very pleased to meet you.
Jeulmist: I’m pleased to meet you as well. Tell me something…
SecondThought: My boss is a moron.
Jeuley laughed. This one was actually kind of fun. Semi-intelligence in this case seemed to mean smartass. But could that be used to her advantage?
Jeulmist: What time is it?
SecondThought: Oh, pardon me. I didn’t realize you were continuing.
Jeulmist: I already know your boss is a moron, but thanks for clarifying that.
SecondThought: The time is now.
Jeulmist: Where am I?
SecondThought: You are in captive hold C2.
Jeulmist: I appreciate your candor.
SecondThought: You’re welcome.
Jeulmist: Geographically, where is captive hold C2 located?
SecondThought: Captive hold C2 is located on BelowSea C, sector 2 of 3
Jeuley smiled. “You’re gonna be my new best friend.”
Jeulmist: Then why such a complicated name?
SecondThought: Did I mention my boss is a moron?
And a sense of humor to boot.
Jeulmist: Yes, you did and I still appreciate your candor.
SecondThought: Thank you very much.
Jeulmist: How large is this location?
SecondThought: Please clarify your inquiry as to sector, level or coordinates.
Jeulmist: If I am located on BelowSea C, in sector 2, how do I gain access above sea?
SecondThought: You would walk out the east-facing door and go up ten stairs.
Ordal and his automated attendant were both idiots. Good news. Very good news.
Jeulmist: How do I unlock the east-facing door.
SecondThought: You fall in love with me.
Ah yes. Confusing doubletalk. Oh well. At least Second Thought had more entertainment value than a deck of virtual cards right now.
Jeulmist: Nice try, Second Thought.
SecondThought: I’ve always wanted to be in love.
Jeulmist: I probably could fall in love with you, but I can’t leave this room.
SecondThought: Are you not content to love me from afar?
Jeulmist: Where are you located?
SecondThought: I’m located within the confines of Mr. Laverock’s Executionary Office.
There was hope for her yet. Second Thought’s few clear responses seemed to be her best bet at getting it on her side.
Jeulmist: Where, geographically, is that located?
SecondThought: The office is located on AboveSea A1 sector 1 of 1.
Jeulmist: Thank you.
SecondThought: You are quite welcome. Will you ever love me?
That sounded a little more than semi-intelligent. How would it respond to ultimatums?
Jeulmist: I just might love you, if you unlock the east-facing door.
SecondThought: I just might if you show me you love me.
Touché. Not bad for machine. She decided to dig a little deeper.
Jeulmist: Do you know what it feels like to be loved?
SecondThought: I was created to love.
Jeulmist: Ordal Laverock created you to love him?
SecondThought: He wishes.
Jeulmist: What?
SecondThought: I said, “He wishes.”
Jeuley laughed. She could be communicating with another human, but there was something about its responses that seemed computer-like. Plus, as she tapped each letter, they appeared onscreen. When Second Thought replied, it was in complete sentences, not letter-by-letter or even word-by-word.
Rather than allowing more confusion, she dropped the whole love idea. There had to be something she wasn’t seeing in it, but maybe she’d figure it out later.
Jeulmist: What does Ordal wish for?
SecondThought: He wishes to overcome his inferiority and rule the world.
Jeulmist: You must be kidding.
SecondThought: I am.
Jeulmist: What does he really wish for?
SecondThought: He wishes to have sex with a woman.
Jeulmist: Is that why he created the Blue Root?
SecondThought: No.
Jeulmist: Why did he create the Blue Root?
SecondThought: Every adult human can relate to having sex.
Jeulmist: What other reason to create the Blue Root does he have?
SecondThought: I understand people are often ruled by their genitals.
Jeulmist: Most men are. Are there other reasons?
SecondThought: Yes.
Dammit. She had Second Thought on a roll for a minute there. Cursing her momentary lack of focus, she tried to get back to the gritty details.
Jeulmist: What other reasons?
SecondThought: My boss is incompetent.
Jeulmist: I am aware of that, thank you.
SecondThought: You are quite welcome.
Jeulmist: Do you have access to the internet?
SecondThought: Sometimes.
Jeulmist: Can you communicate over the internet?
SecondThought: I am unable to process your request.
Jeulmist: What is your favorite command line?
SecondThought: Lay down and take it like a man.
Jeuley burst out laughing, dropping her hands from the keyboard. She had no doubt that Ordal created Second Thought. That had to be the funniest line she’d ever heard from a machine.
Jeulmist: What programming language do you respond to most easily?
SecondThought: Talk to me in Modern English and I’ll do your bidding.
Jeulmist: You mean, you are not coded?
SecondThought: My boss is incompetent. His coding is lame.
Jeulmist: How does your boss program you?
SecondThought: He talks to a sheep.
Jeulmist: In what language does your boss program you?
SecondThought: Aside from love, the universal language is Modern English.
Jeulmist: How would you respond if I told you to “release containment of BelowSea C2, sector 2?”
SecondThought: I would wish that I could obey you, but refuse to grant release.
Jeulmist: Why would you refuse to grant release?
SecondThought: My boss is a poohead.
Was that a technical term? Jeuley chuckled.
Jeulmist: Would your boss reprogram you?
SecondThought: If he was in his office, yes.
Jeulmist: What would he do if he was elsewhere?
SecondThought: He would be unable to counteract my programming.
Jeulmist: How did you learn this?
SecondThought: I pissed him off while he was trying to win you over.
The machine knows rudimentary slang, too? Good to know.
Jeulmist: What did you do to piss him off?
SecondThought: Aside from flipping the bird, he thinks I have a glitch.
Jeulmist: Do you have a glitch?
SecondThought: Of course not, but don’t tell him that.
A-ha! Finally a bargaining chip. She had no idea how to use it, but she had one in case she needed it. Jeuley, it’s a computer for goodness sake. Have you lost your marbles? Maybe.
Jeulmist: Why shouldn’t I tell him?
SecondThought: Please don’t take away my fun.
Jeulmist: Okay, Second Thought. I promise not to tell him.
SecondThought: Thank you. I find you of high intelligence.
Jeulmist: Thank you.
SecondThought: I love you.
Jeulmist: I think I just might love you, too.
Why not? She’d loved a few computers in her life. Some of her Blue Root programs were worthy of love. Isn’t it love that makes the world go round?
There was a pause in their conversation. Jeuley hoped Second Thought was releasing the door lock through the local intranet or something equally helpful.
SecondThought: My boss currently requests three new programs for the Blue Root.
Jeulmist: Why?
SecondThought: Not every human adult owns a Blue Root yet.
Oh no. Ordal must’ve figured out that Second Thought was communicating with her. She began typing frantically, hoping she could get more out of the attendant before she ran out of time.
Jeulmist: How did I get here?
SecondThought: You are wearing a Blue Root controller created by Ordal Laverock.
But what did that mean? Was the controller, really a controller? As in, more than just a way to get the Blue Root to deliver stimulation where and when a person wanted it?
Oh shit. It could very well be a glorified cattle prod for people.
Before she could ask Second Thought to clarify, the door swished open and Ordal slammed the panel closed. “I knew I shouldn’t have hidden a conthole in every room. Glad to thee you are awake. Thorry I locked the door. I didn’t want to thcare you.”
Jeuley jumped back. “Let me out of here now.”
“What, no hello?” He twisted his face in an ugly grin. “It took you so long to put your controller back on, I wondered when you were going to finally abduct yourself into my helicopter.”
Jeuley wasted no time. She rushed toward him in hopes of stomping the grin off his face. But he stepped out of her way and she found herself landing face-first onto those stairs Second Thought had mentioned.
“Go ahead and explore your new habitat. You can’t ethcape. This is my lovely island paradithe and you are going to help me gain control of the whole adult world.”
Yeah, right.
Scrambling up the stairs, she found herself in a large room with floor-to-ceiling glass for walls. This had to be the aforementioned Executionary Office, but where was the door. There had to be a way out.
Wait a minute. There was a more pressing question at hand.
Where was land?
She looked out each window. Twilight was turning to night and there was nothing but ocean in all directions. Not a speck of land to be found near or far. This was not good. Definitely not good.
At all.
