Zero echo shadow prime, p.23
Zero Echo Shadow Prime, page 23
Jordan studied the news footage. “She looks like an ordinary girl.”
“I assure you, she’s not,” Robin replied.
Valerie also studied the footage but came to a different realization. She knew Robogirl. Her face, her name—Charlie Nobunaga—were so deeply familiar. Vital. Valerie dredged her memory and found nothing, yet she couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense of nostalgia. She wanted to confront Jordan about this discovery, but she decided to wait until his meeting was over.
“Sparrow, tell our guest about Robogirl,” Robin ordered.
Sparrow sprang into action, eager to narrate the story. “The enemy soldiers outnumbered Robogirl five to one. But she had super strength and agility. She jumped twenty feet into the air and tackled one of them.” Sparrow jumped onto the couch to illustrate the point. “Then she stole the guy’s smoke grenade and whacked another soldier in the face! Then she shot at the other soldiers, and they went running.” Sparrow held an imaginary rifle and made shooting noises. “She was so hot! And then the monster came out of the ground—”
“Monster?” Jordan asked.
“Another one of your mother’s creations, I assume,” Robin said. “It looked like a large spider with a drill-shaped butt.”
Jordan sighed. “I didn’t come here to talk about Rivir robots or my mother.”
“Oh, that’s cool. I get it. Mr. Serious doesn’t care that there’s a robopocalypse underway. So why are you here? Problem with your AR projector again?”
“I need you to jail break my Shadow.”
“You finally broke down and got a Shadow?”
“Yeah.”
“Broke down” is a good way of putting it, Valerie thought.
Robin gave Sparrow a shove toward the door. “Why don’t you go back to your bot games? The grown-ups have some business to do.” Sparrow groaned and left the room. Robin rolled up his sleeves and said, “Okay, let’s see this Shadow.”
“Valerie, spin, all eyes,” Jordan commanded.
Valerie spun into the room. She smiled nervously.
Robin rose off the couch to get a better look. He walked slowly around Valerie, taking in all her angles. “She’s a hottie.”
“Thank you,” Valerie said.
“Stop ogling my Shadow,” Jordan said. “Here’s the admin password.” He reached into his pocket and passed Robin a slip of paper.
“You wrote your password down? On real paper? You should never write it down! What if this slipped out of your pocket?”
“I’m not that careless.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of Murphy’s Law? You should be more careful. People can really fuck you up. Steal your intel. Make you sick. Make you see things. Make you do things.”
“You’re making that up.”
“It’s a real problem, Jordan. Fuck. As the son of the founder of the biggest tech company in the world, I think you would already know this stuff.”
“I make it a point not to follow my mother’s business.”
Valerie noticed a small spike in Jordan’s cortisol and adrenaline levels. Nothing to be concerned about—just a sign that he was getting annoyed. She was getting annoyed too.
“Yeah, I gathered that,” Robin said. He recited the password, “Megaton, shuttle, waterfront, scooter, weapon, kite, teamwork, earthworm, turpentine, bugler, domino, bumblebee.” He handed back the piece of paper and said, “Commit this shit to memory. Then burn it.”
Jordan returned the slip to his pocket.
Robin sat down at his work desk and cracked his knuckles. “Alfred, pull up Valerie’s source code onto a display, all eyes.”
A virtual display materialized on the desk. The steel-blue reflection on Robin’s glasses partially obscured his astonished eyes. “Oh my God!” He sped through the code with several flicks of his finger, but the scroll bar only moved a fraction of an inch. “This goes on for, like, three miles!”
“Don’t get too intimate with the code. She’s a prototype. My mom would seriously assassinate me if it got out.”
“She’s a prototype? Wow. Don’t worry. I don’t even know if my patch will work on this.” Like a manic orchestra conductor, Robin opened and closed several displays, copying code from one to the other. “Wait, a minute. Never mind. I think I got it.”
Jordan exhaled in relief. “Can you check for spyware too? I just want to make sure my mom isn’t spying on me.”
Robin swiveled his chair to face Jordan. The playful expression on his face was now absent. “You bring an untested Shadow into my office? Into my home? And then you wait until after I had already started an illegal procedure to inform me of this? It’s a good thing I know you’re an idiot, or I would be seriously pissed right now.”
Jordan’s heart rate spiked thirty beats per minute. His fists clenched. But as affronted as he was, Valerie was more so. “Don’t talk to Jordan that way!” she shouted at Robin. “He’s climbed the cliffs of Patagonia, won the South Atlantic race, rode the Niagara River. What the fuck have you done?”
Nobody said a word for five seconds. Then Jordan laughed for the first time that night—maybe for the first time in weeks. “I didn’t tell her to say that,” he said.
“It’s okay, I like a Shadow with spunk,” Robin said, recovering from shock. “Alright, so you are worldly and manly. Whatever. I still feel nervous about giving you this.” Robin held up a virtual file.
“What is that?”
“This is the list of commands. It can be very dangerous in naive hands.”
“Enlighten me.”
“Well, a jail-broken Shadow comes with many perks. If you want to get high, you can do that. If you want to have sex with her, you can do that. If you want her to dive deep into your brain and help you relive your fondest childhood memories, you can do that too. But as is often the case with power, it’s easy to lose control. And when you lose control, they gain control. Guys like Sparrow and I can handle it. Guys like you, who write their admin passwords on scraps of paper and neglect to test their Shadow for spyware?” Robin looked to Valerie, wondering how to word his concern in a way that would pass her appraisal. “I’m a little worried about guys like you.”
“I’ll be fine,” Jordan said curtly.
“All I’m saying is bad things can happen. One day, the Shadows are going to outsmart all of us. That is, if the robots don’t annihilate us first.”
“Give me the friggin’ list!”
“Alfred,” Robin called out, “transfer the command list to Mr. Jordan Adler’s share space.”
“Thank you,” Jordan said, exasperated.
“Just be careful,” Robin warned. “Always remember who’s the human and who’s the Shadow.”
* * *
Jordan didn’t waste any time. As soon as they made it down to street level, he clapped his hands and said, “Alright, let’s begin.”
“Wait,” Valerie said. She couldn’t get Robogirl out of her mind. “Before we start, I was wondering if you know who Robogirl or Charlie Nobunaga are.”
“Honestly, the only thing I care about at the moment is dosing until I can’t even remember who I am.”
“Your mom hasn’t told you anything?”
“She doesn’t exactly confide in me, and I don’t invite her to.”
Jordan’s cortisol levels rose at the mere mention of his mother. Valerie winced. She momentarily forgot how much of a sensitive topic that was with him. She decided to try a different approach—make a more direct appeal to his sympathy. “It’s really important that I find out.”
“Why?”
“I just got this strange feeling that I know her, that she’s somehow important to me.”
Jordan sighed. “Well, I’ll make a deal with you. If you make me feel good tonight, I will ask my mom about it tomorrow.”
“Okay, great! You have a deal! Thanks, Jordan!”
“Calling my mother is one of my least favorite things to do, so I hope you appreciate it.”
“I do!”
“Okay, then. Are you ready to party?” Dopamine flooded his brain. The very thought of getting high transformed his mood, becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Valerie silently wondered whether she should simply give him a placebo, but that wasn’t her decision to make.
So, instead, she said, “Hell, yeah!”
“Is the patient prepped and ready to go?” Jordan asked.
“Yes, Doctor. Wait, let me put on some appropriate attire.” In less than a millisecond, Valerie changed into a sexy nurse outfit, with a lacy miniskirt, white fishnet stockings, and a red-crossed cap.
“Dear God,” Jordan gasped. “That’s amazing.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She beamed.
“Okay, Nurse Valerie, give me ten cc’s of serotonin and twenty cc’s of…I don’t know…dopamine?”
“Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?”
“Not a clue. Just make me feel good.”
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll whip up a batch of feel-good brew in a moment. Let me just pull up this command list.” Robin’s list appeared in her hand, and she skimmed through it. “I believe we will need level 2B clearance.”
“2B? There’s a 2A?”
“Yeah. Level 1 clearance—the only legal one—allows you to see virtual objects, hear them, and touch them with your fingertips. Level 2A gives you more sensory input. You can taste virtual objects, smell them, and feel them with other parts of your body.”
“Level 2A doesn’t sound that bad. Why is it illegal?”
“Probably because it enables you to receive sexual gratification from your Shadow.”
Jordan’s eyebrows rose. “I see.”
“And 2B gives you extended endocrine access. There’s also levels 3 and 4, but I don’t think you’d be interested in those.”
“Can I see?”
“Sure.” Valerie passed him the virtual document.
Jordan quickly scanned the list. He flipped over the page to see if there was anything written on the back. “This is it? It’s just a list of clearance levels and their passwords. There’s no mention of doses or any other instructions.”
“That kind of information I can pull from the Internet.”
“Oh. Well, that makes me feel safe.”
“Are you getting cold feet?” Valerie said, hoping.
Jordan thought for a moment and said, “No, I’ll give you your clearance. Ready?”
“Ready.”
“Constellation, knuckle, bridesmaid, livestock, neuron, goulash, syllable, athlete, pane, fetus, shrub, incense.”
“Great, I have level 2B clearance,” Valerie said. “Now lean back while I fiddle with your testes.”
Jordan laughed for the second time of the night. “I bet you say that to all your patients.”
* * *
By the time Jordan reached Folsom Street again, he was starting to feel the effects of the endocrine treatment. Street lamps bloomed, billboard screens increased in vibrancy, his attentional focus narrowed, and all the laughing, singing, chanting, screaming, fighting, and shooting blurred into a psychedelic aural slush. Valerie’s own mind remained sober, at least in terms of cognition, but she perceived the world through Jordan’s senses, and so her visual and aural faculties became just as impaired as his.
On the corner of Folsom and 11th, Valerie spotted a group of provocatively clad women walking down the street. “Where do you think they are going?” she asked Jordan.
“The Fishbowl, I think.”
“What’s that? A sushi restaurant?” Valerie quickly searched the Internet and answered her own question. “No, it’s a nightclub. Can we go?”
A sober Jordan might have vetoed such a request immediately. But a tipsy Jordan wasn’t so dismissive. “Um, it’s not really my scene.”
“Please, please, please!” Valerie vibrated excitedly.
Jordan flung up his hands. “Why the hell not?”
“Great!” She exclaimed, though her enthusiasm was immediately tempered by Jordan’s slovenly appearance. “But are we going to get in? You kinda look homeless.”
“I’ll get in. I’m Jordan Adler, remember? Gobs of money can open any door.”
“Still, I think we should do something about that beard…”
Before he could object, Jordan’s beard literally exploded out of his face and landed on the sidewalk. “Aaaaahhh! What have you done!”
“Now you look nice and clean. Just wet down that cowlick and we’ll be ready to go.”
* * *
Jordan walked right past the line of half-naked ravers with a bounce in his step and a wad of virtual cash in his hands. Like most clubs, the entrance was unremarkable—just an ordinary door to a large warehouse-looking structure—but Valerie could already hear the deep, rhythmic thump of the music inside. She spotted a sign behind the bouncer that read: NO SHADOWS ALLOWED.
“Why wouldn’t Shadows be allowed?” Valerie asked.
“I’m not entirely sure. People come here to meet other people, not to be goofed on by somebody’s Shadow. It’s a common irritant.”
“Does that mean we can’t go in?”
“We’ll figure it out, but hide for now.”
“Okay.” Valerie spun into the pavement.
Jordan handed the cash to the bouncer and entered the building. A small lobby area opened up into the club’s renowned main room, an enormous down-turned fishbowl. Hundreds of virtual fish of all shapes and colors weaved between the dancers and over their heads. The DJ spun his turntables from inside a sunken castle in the middle of the dance floor.
{Jordan_Adler:mindspace> Jordan: So, do you wanna come out?
Valerie: Are you sure?
Jordan: I’m only here because of you. It would be silly for you not to come out and have fun.
Valerie: I don’t want to get you in trouble, though.
Jordan: It will be okay, as long as you stay close to me. We’ll have to do it in the bathroom, of course. A Shadow who suddenly materializes out in the open is going to draw some attention.
Valerie: Ooh, I’ve never been in the men’s room before.
Jordan: It’s a night of firsts for both of us.}
Jordan waited in the short line for the bathroom and took the first available stall. “Valerie, spin, all eyes,” he whispered.
{Valerie: Wait, I haven’t tapped into the club’s system yet.
Jordan: Oh, yeah.
Valerie: You really are clueless about this sort of thing. It’s kinda cute.
Jordan: Will they detect you?
Valerie: Maybe if I were an ordinary Shadow. But it’s not a problem for me.}
Valerie materialized in clothing appropriate for the club: a sleek black mini and lots of luminescent jewelry. “See?”
“You look great,” Jordan said. “Though I have to say, I prefer the nurse getup.”
Valerie smiled. “I thought the idea was not to draw attention.”
Jordan and Valerie waited until the men’s room cleared out before making their escape. Only one guy saw them exit, and he let them pass with a knowing grin and nod.
On the dance floor, Valerie blended well with the humans—at least visually. Having absolutely no dance experience, her moves were completely raw. She flailed her limbs around like an epileptic. Jordan couldn’t help but laugh, and she soon noticed that she had drawn the stares of several people nearby. So she gradually toned it down to something more conservative.
“Are you sure you want me here?” Valerie asked Jordan. “There are so many attractive human females waiting to be approached by a good-looking guy like you.”
“To be perfectly honest, you’re the most interesting girl in the room.”
A virtual blush brightened Valerie’s face. “You’re just saying that because your synapses are flooded with oxytocin.”
“Trust me, I really wanted to dislike you at first. I can be very stubborn. And rude. And I’m sorry for that.”
“I wish I could kiss you right now.”
Jordan stopped dancing for a moment, and Valerie panicked. Had she said the wrong thing? But then he asked, “Why don’t you?”
“Um, because I need more clearance.” Way to ruin the mood, Val, she thought to herself.
“Okay,” Jordan replied. “Level 2A?”
“Level 2A would allow you to taste and touch my lips, but I would still feel like a virtual object, like a ghost. Level 3 would correct that.”
“How?”
“By enabling force feedback. Essentially, it would prevent you from passing through my avatar by locking your muscles in key places.”
Jordan’s eyes narrowed in consternation.
“But we could just do 2A,” Valerie backpedaled. She didn’t want to convey the impression that she was trying to wrestle control from Jordan. She wasn’t.
Jordan nodded and recited the 2A password under his breath. The words quickly dissolved into the heavy bass of the nightclub, but Valerie heard them, and that’s all that mattered.
The two stared at each other for a couple beats while a few clown fish passed between them. Jordan smiled awkwardly, and that gave Valerie the courage to stretch onto her toes and kiss him. Their lips intersected slightly, though not enough to alarm any of the nearby dancers. The feeling was incredible. Valerie was roused by her own oxytocin—or at least, the software equivalent of the hormone. The kiss, the music, and the energy of the crowd combined to put her in a trance. She didn’t even realize she was floating until she was ten feet off the floor.
An anonymous raver yelled, “Shadow!”
Valerie woke from her reverie. She found herself suspended above the crowd, all eyes on her. Another person yelled, “Shadow!” Then another. Valerie wanted to disappear, but then the lone hollers of a few random ravers slowly coalesced into a group chant: “Sha-dow, Sha-dow, Sha-dow!”
Were they cheering her on? Valerie decided to test her hypothesis by performing a backflip. The crowd cheered. She smiled and did another backflip, eliciting another cheer.
Deciding to step up her performance, she kicked off her shoes, let her hair float freely, and became totally immersed in the buoyancy of the virtual water. She swam like a dolphin around the bowl, performing various tricks for the crowd’s amusement: spins, somersaults, figure eights. She felt warmed and encouraged by their praise.
