Remote

Codex 15111

"After we get some food." The always-moving girl said as she lightly rocked from foot to foot.

"Let's go downstairs and have a snack." He stretched before opening the door and checking the hallway. They trod into the spacious, sleek kitchen.

"We don't have anything like this in the caves."

Wren ran her hand across the computerized stainless appliances for ease of use. Glass, chrome, screens, and wires created an organized and tidy area. A large butcher block table with six chairs sat in the middle of the room.

He pulled out an apple from the fruit bowl. "Here."

She bit into it, savoring the juicy bite. "We don't get a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables," Wren said, her gaze taking in every detail. "Phantoms do a great job creating power outages, which affect everything going on underground, including the hydroponic crops."

"Phantoms are the worst." He said. "I can't imagine what it's like for you."

"Even if they can't pinpoint the exact location of the caves, the bombings often force us to live by candlelight and survive on what doesn't get destroyed."

Wren picked up an animated picture frame. It was like a miniature movie, the image shifting as Codey ran along a beach, his parents trailing behind him. "Is this real?" she asked.

"It's from a vacation we took a few years ago when my dad had to do research on turning saline water potable. Most of our vacations are via hook-up."

"Potable?"

"Able to drink."

"Your mom's pretty. Why do you keep pictures in a frame? Isn't everything stored on the visual or informational cloud for you? Don't you envision it to get it?"

"I guess my parents like it." He shrugged, never having thought deeply about it. "It was when New State recruited him to work for them."

"Your dad works for New State?" Disgust entered her eyes.

"Yes."

"I should go."

"Take a breath. You're safe here."

"What exactly does your dad do?"

"I told you. He works for the government." He paused. "It's complicated."

Wren paced. "I got it. What exactly does he do?"

"He's a mechanical engineer. Lifestyle improvements, infrastructure reinforcement, Phantom technology."

Wren huffed, and a hard shell of hatred disfigured her face.

"He's different. Dad works in a lab on bionics. The implants he creates fix people who have accidents.'"

"And Phantoms."

"I'm not like him, and I'd never turn you in."

She rocked on her feet. "Can people have bionics implanted even if they don't need them? Do people really amputate limbs and replace them with improved ones?"

Codey shrugged as if amputations were as normal as speaking. "Some people do it for work. Bionic fingers type faster, and bionics help people become stronger if they work in fabrication or a similar field. Wouldn't you want to be the best at your job if you could?"

"Not like that. I wouldn't lose a limb to be able to run faster. The New State approves all of this?"

"New State loves it. The more technology people have, the more consumerism there is for New State to tax.

"And the more ways to track people."

"You can start modifications at the age of six.

"Win-win for New State."

"Was that sarcasm?" He pulled out two bowls from a cabinet and headed to the fridge, where he got out strawberries and blueberries and the freezer, where he extracted ice cream. "Ice cream is even hard for Dad to get. Genetically modified cows don't produce a lot of milk. You're just lucky there was a shipment last week."

"Are you modified?" The girl's eyes followed him.

"I'm not modified. Stop staring. It's not polite."

Her eyes fell to the waistline of his white pants. "Anywhere?" she asked.

"Anywhere."

"Won't your parents wonder why the food's gone?" Wren asked.

"They won't miss the ice cream. They'll assume I ate it for a snack. It happens."

"What if they come downstairs?"

"They're both hooked up for the night. They won't return until the alarm goes off at six a.m. You'll be long gone."

"You're not what I expected. You're relatively normal for a New State Tech Head. Why aren't you more engaged with your internal computer?"

Codex shrugged as he placed a bowl full of fruit and ice cream on the counter next to Wren. "This is who I am." He rummaged for a spoon in the drawer and placed it next to the bowl.

She picked up a spoonful and tried it. "So good," she gasped between large spoonfuls shoveled into her mouth.

He watched her, fascinated. He'd had crushed on Del.icio.us83012's avatar last year, but this was different. He dragged his eyes away and said the first thing entering his thought. "There was an obesity epidemic some years back, and now most food is calorie and portion controlled by New State engineering, but not this. With genetically modified food and reduced-calorie food, obesity has been eliminated for ninety percent of the population."

"How is that possible? Is the food safe?" Wren stared at the ice cream in the bowl.

"New State regulates all food." He eyed her bowl. "Except for imports like what you're eating."

"It's so good. What do you call it?"

"Vanilla ice cream." He stared at Wren, longing to feel the same intense enjoyment on her face. Mostly, he'd felt little until she showed up at his pod. "What's it like not to have an implant?"

"I have nothing to compare to, but I'm free. Free to think about what I want to and do what I want. No one monitors me."

A creak on the stairs had Wren out of the chair and searching for an exit.

"Codex is that you?" A female voice sang out.

Codey put a finger to his mouth to silence Wren. A knife had magically appeared in her hand.

"Just having a snack." He yelled up the stairs.

"Get hooked up soon."

"I will, Mom." Codey turned around.

Wren was gone.