Ami awoke with a start. She jumped to her feet and ran to her front door, sliding across the carpet. Her fingers checked every bolt, every heavy locking mechanism she had installed. It was only when she saw that it was tightly secure was she able to relax. She slowed her breath, leaning her back against the door, and slid to the floor.
Another safe night.
She lifted her hand, reaching to the window on her left. She drew the dark curtain away, and peeked over the dusty ledge. It was just before daybreak. The haze wasn’t as thick in the morning, and she saw long shadows begin to form from the skyscrapers as the sun began its rise over the horizon. There was a chain of clicks behind her as her door unlocked for the day.
She stood up and opened the drapes, letting what little light there was enter her small room. There was a mattress on the floor, a dusty bookshelf, and a well-worn couch.
It wasn’t hers.
None of this was hers.
Everything was here when they first moved her in. She looked at the now-torn duster jacket on the floor. Not even this was hers.
She often wondered what happened to the previous owner of the tiny apartment. She made up stories in her head, during her long days at the park, of the mysterious elderly man that once called this home. Maybe he was a teacher, a writer, a scientist? Maybe he ran away with the love of his life, not bothering to take even his clothes with him?
No.
She knew that wasn’t true. But she didn’t want to dwell on any alternatives. She kept the apartment as close to the same as when she found it, not only out of respect for the man, but also for her own reasons. She didn’t want to get too comfortable. Comfort is an illusion. She knew who she was at night, and comfort would only make her forget. That’s why she wore his jacket – as a reminder. She is only a stranger here.
So was that girl.
The girl. She had to find her again. She had to speak with her and tell her if she didn’t already know. Her mind raced.
Downtown.
---
Ami didn’t like being outside, especially Downtown, without her jacket. It made her feel exposed, vulnerable even. Most of the shops were virtual down in the bottom streets. Although most people did their shopping at home, there was a vending machine-like device at the edge of the alley. She had only used it once before, and in her confusion, had accidentally purchased a digital copy of the shoes she needed.
There was a small line in front of the machine when she arrived. She studied each person in front of her, carefully trying to understand the process through watching, but they seemed to be experts. A touch here, a gesture there, and like magic – a new pair of glasses, mask, then pants fell out of the bottom of the device.
Someone gave her a push from behind, catching her off-guard. It was her turn.
A uniformed woman appeared on the screen.
“Shopping for yourself?” she asked. A “yes” and “no” option appeared on the screen.
“Yes,” Ami answered, nodding.
The woman stared back at her, still smiling wide.
Nothing happened.
Ami tried pushing the floating Yes button on the screen.
Again, nothing.
“Yes!” she shouted, tapping the screen in agitation. But the woman just stared back at her vacantly.
There was muffled laughter behind her, along with disapproving whispers. She felt the stares of everyone around her, judging, mocking. Her face began to get hot under the pressure.
It didn’t do this last time.
“Hi.”
There was a small, familiar voice over her shoulder.
She turned to find the HoloGuard from yesterday standing behind her.
“Let me help… Before you break it,” he said in a hushed voice. He then lightly removed her hand from the screen. “It tracks your eye movement.”
Of course. She should have realized sooner. She stared at the Yes prompt, and to her relief, the women on the screen finally reacted.
“Please place your ID chip to the screen. We will now take your measurements.”
The HoloGuard moved to grab her hand again, but stopped himself upon seeing Ami’s glare. He crossed his arms and looked down, mumbling an apology. Ami raised her bracelet to the screen and let it read her information. The screen switched to the familiar clothing catalog. She knew this part. She picked a jacket closest to the one that ripped yesterday and paused. This is where she messed up last time.
With hesitation, she turned to the HoloGuard.
“I want this. How do I get this… I mean, the real jacket. Please.”
He looked up, slightly surprised.
“Yes, sure...” he spat out awkwardly.
He stepped in front of her and made a few quick gestures with his hands. There was a chime, and a paper-wrapped package fell out of the machine. She grabbed it and quickly moved aside for the next person in line. Her hands slightly shook as she tore the paper. Her nerves were catching up to her. She slipped the long dark brown jacket on. It fit her perfectly. She looked back up at the HoloGuard, “Charlie.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Yeah, of course! I saw you struggling and wanted to help. These new machines can be tricky. Good choice, though,” he gestured to her jacket.
He paused, staring at her for a moment, then nodded. She could tell that he wanted to say more by his expression. His eyes darted away from her.
“Right then, I should be off now. See you around,” he said, stepping backwards into the walkway.
A group of students walked between them.
He was gone.
Ami tugged at her sleeves, trying to get used to the tighter fit as she began to scan the street for the girl she saw yesterday. She tried to stay focused, but her mind kept wandering back to the HoloGuard. Why did he help her? And how did he know she was there? She shook her head. It didn’t matter. She needed to focus on finding the dancing girl.
Ami’s first stop was the utility box. It was surrounded by a group of glass-eyed Saged but there was no sign of the girl from yesterday. She wanted for a moment, taking in her surroundings, seeing if there was anything she might have missed. The holographic screen on the wall started to loop another ad, but it suddenly stopped short.
“Breaking News” appeared on the screen, followed by a flash of sharp images. A dark stain, a bloody knife, then a face frozen in terror - eyes wide and still. With every flash, Ami felt her stomach sink further. A blonde, suited woman appeared on the screen.
“Another murdered couple found in the south high-rises. Local law enforcement and HoloGuards are still on high alert in search of the lone perpetrator, who they think is responsible for the recent string of homicides in the area. Please continue to travel in groups. More updates will follow,” the woman spoke in a calculated tone.
Ami felt chills run through her entire body, followed by a cold sweat. The murders? Why hadn’t she known this before? Her mind raced. The dancing girl.
I have to find her.
But where could she start? She had nothing to go off of. All she knew is that the girl used Sage at least once. But she could get Sage in any lounge, any street corner Downtown. She had to think, and wandering through the crowds downtown was getting her nowhere.
Ami found herself on the SimuPark’s lookout bench, twisting one of the old cigarettes between her fingers. The dancing girl was either naive as to what happened to her body at night, or she did know and didn’t care. Ami couldn’t decide which was worse.
At the bottom of the hill, she spotted a familiar sight. The HoloGuard, “Charlie.” He was speaking with a group of students, giving directions. She watched as they went on their way, and the HoloGuard stayed, swaying back and forth on his heels. It was too much of a coincidence, him being there. The SimuPark was huge - had he been following her? Just then, Ami realized something. This man was a HoloGuard, and being a HoloGuard came with its own privileges.
“Hey!” Ami called down the hill.
She could tell that he was pretending not to hear her at first. She called him again.
“Hey, HoloGuard!”
The man turned around, feigning surprise. He waved to her. He was beaming. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.
Charlie made his way up the hill, then sat down on the bench next to her.
“Hey, didn’t see you there. Also, you can just call me Charlie if you want...” he began.
Ami interjected, “Do you know anything about the recent murders?”
His smile fell.
“Oh. Well. Not much,” Charlie fumbled. He then looked at her, studying her expression, “Why do you want to know?”
Ami hesitated, considering the best strategy.
“I get worried at night, seeing all the pictures on the news. I’d feel better if I knew more. I thought you might be in the loop,” Ami looked down, and tried her best to look disappointed. She then turned her eyes up to him and let her voice grow soft, “...Since you’re a HoloGuard and everything.”
He looked at her, frozen for a moment, before he finally spoke.
“I mean, I could look into it… I’ll let you know if I find anything,” he smiled, then hesitated, “... How can I let you know if I find anything?”
Ami hadn’t thought of this yet. She didn’t have any of this new world’s many technologies, implanted or otherwise, that connected to the network that everyone was on. Everyone, even children, had some sort of device to communicate with one another, usually in the form of an eye implant. With a blink, or even a thought, you could connect directly to who you needed, seeing their image in real-time. But Ami had nothing.
“Do you have a lens? Or an Oculi implant?” he asked, “I’ve never seen you talking to anyone with anything... I mean, when I’ve seen you at the park.”
Ami thought hard. This was a problem.
“I don’t. But you always seem to find me, so it shouldn’t be an issue, right?”
He frowned, “So you’re off the grid, huh? One of those conspiracy nuts?” he chuckled. His brow then furrowed. “It really isn’t safe though, not having anything to call with. Especially with everything that’s been happening recently.” He looked back up at her, “I’ll figure something out.”
“You really don’t need to-” Ami stopped herself.
Something was wrong.
She looked up at the SimuPark sky, the clouds had already rolled over.
No, no, no. She had lost track of time. How could she be so stupid?
She jolted up from the bench. “I have to go,” she called over her shoulder before breaking into a sprint towards the exit. She needed to get back. The door.
He jumped up to join her, running close behind.
“Wait - Let me at least get you home,” he sputtered.
She ignored him. There was no time. She needed to get back before her door shut for the night, otherwise.. Otherwise… She didn’t want to think about it.
Ami dodged the packs of people in the downtown alleyways, swerving left and right. She heard Charlie close behind, still yelling at her to stop.
A group of Saged teens blocked her path, dancing with each other and singing out of tune.
No, not now!
“Stop!” she heard Charlie shout from behind, his voice hoarse.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, a man stepped between her and Charlie. He was tall, with wide shoulders, and dressed in all grey. Then, without warning, the man in grey shoved Charlie to the ground. Charlie’s armor hardened on impact, the loud KLINK echoing on the tight walls. The crowd cleared with surprise.
“HoloGuard scum,” he spat.
The man in grey then turned to Ami, letting her finally see his face. He had dark curly hair and bright green eyes that shot into her from beneath his woven hood. She had to crane her neck to look at him.
“Go. I’ll take care of this,” he ordered before turning back to Charlie.
She looked to Charlie. He was still sitting on the ground and brushing off his HoloGuard armor. He was visibly shook, his amber eyes were wide and bright and seemed more confused than angry at the man in grey.
But, as he turned to Ami, he mouthed something. I’m sorry.
Sorry? Why was he apologizing? She shook her head. There was no time. She had to get back before her door closed.
She easily pushed past the teens that had blocked her path. They were all standing frozen still, shocked and sobered at the bold act of rebellion against a HoloGuard. As she stepped through, she felt sharp pains start to stab her stomach. Guilt? Fear? She didn’t have time to think.
She took the stairs up to her apartment three at a time, sliding past and dodging the other residents making their way down. She finally got to her door, gasping for breath, and waved her bracelet at the frame.
There was a beep, and a red light appeared on the small sensor.
No. No.
She was too late. The lock had already been activated for the night.
She let her back hit the hallway wall, hard. She slowly slid to the floor, defeated. Her face grew hot and she felt the heaviness of tears start to gather in her throat. She made an effort to take deep breaths to keep them away. Crying would not help her now. She had to think, and quickly. Her door was going to be shut until the sun came back up. Where could she hide until then?
What was locked at night, with no people? Her mind raced. She could only think of one place.
The SimuPark.
She hit her head with her palm. All this effort, all the running, pushing and shoving, only to return to the park. But she could think of no other choice. It was her only option.
Ami got off the floor, and with heavy steps, made her way back to the alley, and back to the SimuPark. She avoided the area where she had last left Charlie, hoping to avoid being spotted by him. She couldn’t handle any of his questions… and couldn’t bring herself to face him again after leaving him on the ground like that. Her nails dug into her palms.
Stop it.
She had nothing to be sorry about. She barely knew the guy.
He was a stranger, and needed to stay a stranger.
____
She let out a shaky sigh and held her bracelet to the SimuPark gate. The bright, cheery chime welcomed her in. The sun had already set in the park, and only a few delicate lamps dimly lit the paths. She scanned the horizon, and to her relief, found she was alone.
Ami knew the park closed itself in the evening from the signs posted at the entrance, but she had never stayed long enough to see what it looked like at night. She looked up, and for the first time, in a very long time, she saw the stars. She stared at the vast sprawling darkness sprinkled with tiny twinkling lights until she began to feel dizzy. She knew that it wasn’t real, only a SimuPark projection. But she let herself pretend, if only for the moment.
She carefully made her way to the back of the park, using the dim lamps to see, and stepped into the holographic projection of the largest tree she could find. She crouched to the ground, careful to pull her coattail close to her body, and made sure she was completely hidden in the trunk. Although the park was empty, she didn’t know for how long, and hiding here made her feel less exposed. She needed to hide, and to stay awake as long as she could.
There was a chime, and the SimuPark speakers announced that the gates were closing for the night in 15 minutes.
Suddenly, in the distance, Ami heard the faint sound of footsteps. She looked up to see a small light bobbing over the hill. A HoloGuard was sweeping the park, probably making sure it was empty before locking up. She shut her eyes tight, and focused on slowing her breath as she hugged her knees tight.
The footsteps faded. Then, to her relief, there was the loud CLINK of the gates closing for the night. She opened her eyes, carefully scanning around herself. She was still alone.
As time passed slowly, the park grew colder. She wrapped her new jacket around herself but it didn’t seem to improve anything. Maybe it was for the best, maybe the cold would keep her awake.
She peeked her head out of the tree, sneaking a quick glance at the stars again. The last time she saw the night sky was the night of the accident. It had been a while since she let her mind go over that night. She had spent years, decades, going over what she saw when she finally woke up. Years floating in the blue tank, she was trapped in her thoughts, trying to piece together what had happened before she woke up.
She remembered seeing her sister’s cold hand, limp and hanging off the top bunk. Then the screams of her mother. She could still hear them, so clearly, even after all this time. She remembered the men, dragging her to the cold holding cell, where she waited, still in her pajamas. Her memory came in flashes after that.
Her next memory was stepping into the empty tank, and hands carefully placing the mask over her face. She remembered the glass closing around her, and the blue liquid rising from the drain. She had pounded on the glass with small fists, trying to escape, and the sad eyes of the white coated woman stared back at her. Then came the chilling, awful sensation, as the liquid began to course through her body, causing everything, every muscle, every vein to slow. The intense pressure was unbearable, and she wanted to scream, but the mask, wrapped tight around her face, kept her mouth shut. It was here that Ami stayed suspended.
In the beginning, she was able to watch the white coated scientists work, going over videos of Ami that she never remembered them recording, and running what seemed to be endless tests on their computers.
Ami watched as the empty tanks around her were soon filled with more children her age. Some of them fought the scientists as they put the mask on them. Others only cried quietly as the blue liquid filled their tank. She wondered what they did to deserve to be here, if anything.
Ami was able to piece some things by watching the scientists. Just as the child entered their sleeping state, prior to the REM cycle, they would “wake up” and enter an alternate state, waking self. This altered personality would act out violently, acting on a pure predator drive without pause. She watched the scientists labor over their computers, endlessly simulating different treatments without success.
Over time, less of the white coated scientists showed up. Eventually, there was only one lone woman, showing up every day by herself, typing on the computer. Ami watched her hair turn grey. She watched her struggle getting up from her chair. And after one long night of slowly mazing through the tanks, the old scientist never returned.
Ami’s eyes grew heavy. She knew she needed to stay awake, but the stress of the day was catching up with her. Before she knew it, her eyes were closed, and she let the sleep take over.
---
Ami woke with a start, bolting upright, and the dull pain of sleeping on the hard floor shot through her body. In the distance, there was a heavy clink of machinery, and a low rumbling buzz. She was in a bright white large empty room, with rolling shiny tiled hills. Only a sprinkling of benches, trash cans, and street lamps dotted the vast sprawling floor. The power that created the holographic park illusion must have turned off sometime during the night, and the noises in the distance must have come from the park turning it back on. To her surprise, there was a heavy coat on top of her, like a blanket. She scanned the horizon, and saw a familiar face climbing up, carrying two steaming foam cups.
“Good Morning!” Charlie called with a cheery smile, “You’re finally awake. You get to see my favorite part.”
“Wh-,” Ami started as he placed the warm cup in her hands.
Did she not wake up in the night? Why was he here? Her mind raced.
“Wait, just watch this,” he said, sitting down next to her.
The low buzzing grew louder, and slowly, the SimuPark came to life. The trees and grass appeared first, fuzzy with static, then slowly turned crystal clear. The small birds began to fly through the glowing sunrise on the horizon, singing sweetly as they passed overhead. She watched in stunned silence. It was beautiful.
As the humming stopped, with the SimuPark now in full operation, Ami turned to Charlie.
“Wow,” she managed in a whisper.
“I know, right?” He chuckled, “I get to watch it every morning.” He turned to her, gesturing to the cup in her hand, “I just grabbed you a tea, hope it’s okay. It’s all I have in my office.”
“You work here?” she asked, sniffing the cup. She had never had tea before, but it did smell nice.
He gave her a curious look.
“Yeah, I’ve been contracted by them for a while now,” he answered. He shook his head, amused, before finally asking, “So, uh, whatcha doing here?”
She opened her mouth to answer, then stopped herself, considering carefully what she could say.
“My door locks itself at sundown… as a safety measure,” she answered, “That’s why I was rushing to get home. But I got locked out, so I came here for the night.”
“Oh,” he paused, staring at the rising sun.
His eyes were lost in thought for a moment before he put the tea to his lips.
“I’m sorry for chasing after you like that... I was just worried.”
Ami could tell that he wanted to say more, but he was stopping himself. He turned to her and smiled.
“I have to open the gates now. Mind if I take this?” he gestured to the heavy coat on her legs.
“Oh, of course,” she stammered, standing up.
He threw the coat over his shoulder, and stared at her for a moment in apparent amusement. But Ami couldn’t help but notice that there was something sad behind his eyes.
“See you around, Ami.”
He then turned away, making his way down the hill once more.
“Thanks,” she let out in a whisper. She doubted that he could hear her.
Her mind raced as she made her way back to her apartment. The streets weren’t as packed this early in the morning, but she was too distracted to enjoy the temporary space it gave her. Did she sleep through the entire night? What had happened? How long had he been there for? She remained distracted as she climbed the flights of stairs, and before she knew it, she was in front of her apartment.
Ami shook her head, preparing herself for disappointment, as she raised her hand to her doorway. To her relief, the door recognized the tiny chip on her silver bracelet, and chimed open.
As she stepped inside, something seemed off. As she scanned the room it seemed unusually bright. Bright and cold. She turned swiftly, and realized that the curtains were still fully drawn. But her stomach dropped as soon as she saw that the window was open. It was only open a crack - too small for someone to fit through, but she double checked the entire place just to make sure she was alone.
Nobody.
As she made her way to close the open window, her foot slipped on something. An envelope. She picked it up and examined it, turning it carefully in her hand. It was blank. She used her finger to rip open the top.
In small typed letters, centered on a thick card, it read:
WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
She stared at it for a moment before running to the window and slamming it shut.
We know who you are? Who was ‘We’? And what did they mean?
Her knees hit the ground, exhausted. After weeks of nothing… Weeks of sitting alone at the park… Suddenly, everything was happening at once. She just wanted to go back to bed. Her body still ached from a long night on the cold uncomfortable floor. The heavy blankets on her bed looked so warm and soft, tempting her. But, no. She couldn’t take any chances.
Suddenly, there was a chime at the door. “Delivery” it sung.
Her heart started racing.
What now?
Ami crept to the door and peeked at the security screen. There was a small package on the floor. She hesitated, then slowly opened the door and picked up the delicately wrapped brown paper box. There was a carefully folded note tied to the top in thin string.
She shut the door and carefully unfolded the cream-colored paper. She slowly read the small messy handwriting.
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhXSLdzUU5
Hi Ami, Hope this isn’t weird. I saw a cheap lens at the store for you. You put it on and can connect with whoever. It’s already all set up on its own network.
Sorry, Thanks - Charlie.
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjtgic5PTi
Ami flipped the note over in her hand. On the back, in even messier writing, the note continued.
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlRPITjEzo
PS - My ID chip has a proximity scanner (HoloGuard thing), that’s how I know your name and address.
Sorry again if it's weird.
Bye.
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TIqMSl81g
