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Authors: Heather Anastasiu
Tags: english eBooks
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godlam’d cold down
there too. I don’t know how you guys do it.”
“But you said—”
“I just don’t like driving on roads I know are monitored.
Makes me feel exposed. I think we made a clean escape and
this vehicle looks regulation from the outside, it should pass
their satellite cams without problem. The Rez.” He looked
at me and smiled. “Sorry, I should be explaining more as I
go. Rez is short for Re
sis tance. Anyway, we just usually
avoid the cities, you know, so it feels kind of cracked to just
be cruising down these streets out in the open.” He glanced
over at me. “But it’s nothing to worry about. I’ve run ops in
the city before.”
I stared at him openmouthed for a second, then shook my
head. “You do realize that nothing you are saying makes any
sense.”
He laughed again. His laugh was completely diff erent
from how the offi
cial’s had been. It sounded nice. In spite of
all the feelings and new sensations swirling around right now,
the sound of it made me feel warm inside.
64
G L I TC H
“I’ve never met anyone like you. . . .” I paused, trying to
fi nd the word. “Someone else who’s . . .”
He reached over and squeezed my hand, his eyes still fac-
ing forward. “You aren’t the only one, Zoe. You’re not alone
anymore.”
He removed his hand and put it back on the wheel, but his
touch left behind a lingering warmth. I ran my fi nger over
that part of my hand in wonder.
“Can you talk and navigate at the same time?” I asked.
“Because I would like to hear some of those answers you
promised earlier.”
“Soon,” he said. “We’re almost at the checkpoint.
Besides . . .” He glanced over at me. “My mom can explain
it all better than I can.”
“Your mother! You mean, she’s not . . .”
“Nope, not a Link drone.”
I was stunned. I hadn’t even imagined the possibility of
parents who were free of the Link. I looked out the window,
upset and confused about what I was feeling. This was an
emotion I didn’t have a name for. My eyes stung and when I
reached up under my glasses to rub them, my fi ngers came
away wet. Everything was happening too fast. I couldn’t sort
out one confusing thing before another came up.
“What about your father?” I asked. I knew there
were
more pressing questions, but I was still stunned by the thought
of parents who weren’t Linked. After adulthood and the fi nal
V-chip installation, subjects never glitched. They only worked
at their Community jobs all day and night until their bodies
65
Heather Anastasiu
become unproductive and they were deactivated. Glitching
parents were an impossibility.
“He died when I was small,” Adrien said. “It’s just been
Mom and me for as long as I can remember. She’s kind of a
hard- ass.”
He glanced over and must have seen my confusion at the
term. “She’s really protective of me. My dad died doing work
for the Rez, so she shuntin’ hated it when I started working
for them a few years ago.” He gave a short laugh.
“Why do you do it, then?”
“We’ve been on the run our whole lives. I don’t know
anything diff erent.”
He looked over at me, his eyes intense. “I have to crackin’
believe the world can be diff erent. That we could be safe
and . . . free. ”
I nodded slowly. Free. The concept was foreign, but . . .
yes, it felt so right. It felt like the perfect word to encapsulate
exactly what I’d been longing for.
Suddenly, he sat up straighter.
“What?” I asked.
“We’re at the city gate.”
I looked up and saw a huge gray concrete wall ahead of
us. The road led straight into a tunnel through the wall, but
as we slowed down to a stop, I saw armed Guards in front of
the huge sliding steel gate.
Adrien laughed once, ner vous. “Now we’ll see if Mom
was able to contact the Rez in time. Otherwise, this is going
to be one short godlam’d trip.”
66
Chapter 6
“sorry,” adrie n said, looking
there too. I don’t know how you guys do it.”
“But you said—”
“I just don’t like driving on roads I know are monitored.
Makes me feel exposed. I think we made a clean escape and
this vehicle looks regulation from the outside, it should pass
their satellite cams without problem. The Rez.” He looked
at me and smiled. “Sorry, I should be explaining more as I
go. Rez is short for Re
sis tance. Anyway, we just usually
avoid the cities, you know, so it feels kind of cracked to just
be cruising down these streets out in the open.” He glanced
over at me. “But it’s nothing to worry about. I’ve run ops in
the city before.”
I stared at him openmouthed for a second, then shook my
head. “You do realize that nothing you are saying makes any
sense.”
He laughed again. His laugh was completely diff erent
from how the offi
cial’s had been. It sounded nice. In spite of
all the feelings and new sensations swirling around right now,
the sound of it made me feel warm inside.
64
G L I TC H
“I’ve never met anyone like you. . . .” I paused, trying to
fi nd the word. “Someone else who’s . . .”
He reached over and squeezed my hand, his eyes still fac-
ing forward. “You aren’t the only one, Zoe. You’re not alone
anymore.”
He removed his hand and put it back on the wheel, but his
touch left behind a lingering warmth. I ran my fi nger over
that part of my hand in wonder.
“Can you talk and navigate at the same time?” I asked.
“Because I would like to hear some of those answers you
promised earlier.”
“Soon,” he said. “We’re almost at the checkpoint.
Besides . . .” He glanced over at me. “My mom can explain
it all better than I can.”
“Your mother! You mean, she’s not . . .”
“Nope, not a Link drone.”
I was stunned. I hadn’t even imagined the possibility of
parents who were free of the Link. I looked out the window,
upset and confused about what I was feeling. This was an
emotion I didn’t have a name for. My eyes stung and when I
reached up under my glasses to rub them, my fi ngers came
away wet. Everything was happening too fast. I couldn’t sort
out one confusing thing before another came up.
“What about your father?” I asked. I knew there
were
more pressing questions, but I was still stunned by the thought
of parents who weren’t Linked. After adulthood and the fi nal
V-chip installation, subjects never glitched. They only worked
at their Community jobs all day and night until their bodies
65
Heather Anastasiu
become unproductive and they were deactivated. Glitching
parents were an impossibility.
“He died when I was small,” Adrien said. “It’s just been
Mom and me for as long as I can remember. She’s kind of a
hard- ass.”
He glanced over and must have seen my confusion at the
term. “She’s really protective of me. My dad died doing work
for the Rez, so she shuntin’ hated it when I started working
for them a few years ago.” He gave a short laugh.
“Why do you do it, then?”
“We’ve been on the run our whole lives. I don’t know
anything diff erent.”
He looked over at me, his eyes intense. “I have to crackin’
believe the world can be diff erent. That we could be safe
and . . . free. ”
I nodded slowly. Free. The concept was foreign, but . . .
yes, it felt so right. It felt like the perfect word to encapsulate
exactly what I’d been longing for.
Suddenly, he sat up straighter.
“What?” I asked.
“We’re at the city gate.”
I looked up and saw a huge gray concrete wall ahead of
us. The road led straight into a tunnel through the wall, but
as we slowed down to a stop, I saw armed Guards in front of
the huge sliding steel gate.
Adrien laughed once, ner vous. “Now we’ll see if Mom
was able to contact the Rez in time. Otherwise, this is going
to be one short godlam’d trip.”
66
Chapter 6
“sorry,” adrie n said, looking
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