CHAPTER NINETEEN
Chaz:
The spicy fragrance of crawfish gumbo and dirty rice steamed through the house. It was the sweet perfume of New Orleans, and jazz was its pulse. I paused at the foot of the stairs, not quite ready to join the party. People swirled past me, some familiar, some Ia€?d never met. Everyone wore colorful costumes, gold masks, shiny beads and ostrich feathers: it was always Fat Tuesday here. If there was ever a city drunk with life, this was it.
And I was tired of trying to find fault with it.
Every corridor vibrated with the laughter and wild, untamed kinetic energy of children. Running. Jumping. Singing. A flash of light sizzled as Isabelle chased two of her friends through the living room, each child wearing a bright, slender BP collar. Beacon protectors were the latest child safeguard device, and Russ and I had fought hard to make them mandatory on children under the age of thirteen, just like seat belts and VR age controls were in the past. If a childa€?s heart rate increased drastically, like it would during an abduction, the device would automatically emit a blast of light outward in a complete circle, a blast that would temporarily blind anyone within twenty feeta€”with the exception of anyone wearing a BPa€”and thereby give the child an opportunity to escape.
a€?They were a good idea,a€? a familiar voice said next to me.
Cake. Definitely vanilla cake.
I looked to my left and saw a woman who looked quite a bit like Mom. A slight haze blurred her facial features and she was outlined in pale yellow light. Is that what I look like? It felt strange to be on the other side of a VR suit.
a€?The BPs,a€? she continued. a€?I saw the statistics last week. So far they have prevented six kidnappings and helped locate two missing children. Did you know that flash of light can be seen from our satellites?a€?
I grinned. a€?No, I didna€?t.a€? She meant the Fresh Start satellites, of course. The ones we use to track and transport dead bodies, the first stage in our regeneration process.
a€?I think there might be something wrong with your Newbie, honey.a€?
Mom never wasted time.
a€?I talked to her for a few minutes when you were all singing a€?Happy Birthdaya€? to Isabelle.a€? She paused and glanced over at the corner. She nodded and smiled at holo Dad right when he looked up at her. The two of them had this synchronicity that seemed to defy time and space and death. It really made it seem like that holo thing was alive. Sometimes I wonder what gave him the idea to have that blasted thing made just two weeks before he was killed.
Maybe he knew somehow. Maybe he wanted to leave a part of himself behind. Like we send prayers forward into heaven, maybe he wanted to leave one behind.
I felt a slight chill. Noticed that the front door was open. I could see out into the night, where a mass of faceless bodyguards hulked around the house perimeter. They were dark spots blotting out the light.
a€?Have you started her tests?a€?
I nodded, kept my attention focused outside. Did I see movement, somewhere between the black-on-black muscle men? The complexion of the party seemed to change. It was probably my imagination, but everyone suddenly looked a bit sinister. I never have liked Mardi Gras masks; tonight they went beyond irritating, all the way to ominous.
a€?Well, youa€?ll probably attribute this to womena€?s intuition.a€? She glanced around the room, focused on Angelique, standing alone in between two groups of laughing people. a€?I have a feeling something went wrong during her jump. You need to make sure she pulls through okay.a€?
a€?I always watch over my Newbiesa€”a€?
a€?No, trust me, this one is different.a€?
I wondered if she knew more than she was willing to admit. Mom had an almost supernatural gift for reading between the lines, for knowing things that couldna€?t be known. Like that time Dad lost his wedding ring down in the bayou and she knew exactly where it was.
Mom laughed and then changed the subject. a€?Now wherea€?s that crawfish gumbo? I heard that you can taste food in these VR suits, I want to give it a trya€”a€?
Just then the front yard erupted in a chaos of shouting and all the perimeter lights flashed on. I instinctively shut my eyes just in time. Four children in the living room went into a panic and their BPs sent out a shock wave of light. Now people were shouting all around us.
a€?I cana€?t see!a€?
a€?What the hell happened? Jimmy, are you okay?a€?
a€?Where is he? Where is my son? Is this a kidnapping?a€?
a€?Somebody call the mugsa€”a€?
a€?We dona€?t need the mugs,a€? I yelled back. a€?Kids, come to me. Right now.a€?
A line of children began to form obediently in front of me. They had been trained how to respond in an emergency like this and I needed to take control immediately. Before another one shot off a blast of light.
a€?Six, seven, eighta€”Isabelle, get over herea€”twelve, thirteen.a€? I lifted my head. a€?Wherea€?s Deacon?a€?
a€?Here,a€? a feeble voice answered as a little boy crawled out from beneath a nearby table.
a€?Okay, I have eighteen. Thata€?s right, isna€?t it?a€? I shouted to Russ. He nodded, an expression like relief in his gaze. For a brief moment I realized how much he trusted me, something hea€?d mentioned once or twice but I always managed to ignore. a€?Okay, all the kids and all the guards, up to Isabellea€?s room. Russ, you lead the way.a€? My niecea€?s bedroom was the most secure location in the building. a€?Russ, call me when youa€?re all inside.a€?
I waited a minute. Then the Verse implant in my ear buzzed.
a€?Wea€?re locked in,a€? Russ said.
a€?Just a second.a€? I saw Angelique, crouched on the floor. a€?Pete, take her upstairs with the kids. Two more coming up,a€? I told my brother.
Then I grabbed a handful of liquid light from my pocket, enough to render an entire crowd helpless, if necessary.
And I headed outside.