Read Online Shadow Unit 15 by Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear
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themselves the way boys are taught."
"How can you say I don't have any empathy, Dann-O? I literally feel what others feel. That's empathy plus."
"You get off on fear, Saito. Your empathy is the drug lever on a rat cage. That's why you're not a good candidate."
"But that's my point. The chip can teach me a different reward system. That's what it's for, right? That's what it does, right?"
"You should probably talk to Doctor Allison. She's the one who does the assessments, so there's no getting around her."
"That bitch."
"Do you want me to remember Dallas or not?"
"I want you to tell me about Hafida Gates. That chip in her head making her a good girl? Oo. Feel that? I sure did, Dann-O. She's scaring you. Computer girl, with a computer in her head. She can do anything to it, can't she?"
"She's handling the treatment well."
"Liar," Saito murmurs. "You can lie, but why bother? I told you, Dann-O. I'm empath plus."
*
Donatta Fletcher sleeps for another six minutes before waking, and Hafidha Gates is there, spinning silk beside her bed.
"Arachne?" Donatta says, and Hafs parks the spindle.
She finds the cold water bottle and offers it. "Sip. You're still loopy for a bit yet. Let's do the drill. What's today?"
"May 21st, 2014," Donatta says. "My name is Donatta Fletcher. I'm in Idlewood Hospital just outside Ashton, Virginia."
"Okay, you're sharp, kid. But you're going to fall asleep again. How's the melon?"
"About a five. Pounds. Feels hot."
"That's all fine. You dizzy?"
"No."
"Follow my hand and say that," Hafidha says.
"Don't the doctors have to do this?" Donatta asks, and tracks Hafidha's fingers. "Okay, now I'm dizzy."
"I'll get a nurse. Probably you need to sleep more."
"No. Stay. I want to watch you spin. Had a dream," Donatta says. "A weird dream. I was riding a horse inside a long hallway."
Hafidha draws the silk out fine as frog hair. "No river?"
"No river. No underground. Will I dream about it again?"
"Probably. I dream about Erik still. But when you wake up, the chip will activate, and it'll calm you down."
"So I won't be scared any more."
"Only normal scared," Hafidha says, and sends Dr. Allison an email about monitoring fear responses in Donatta's exams.
"And I'll go live upstairs?"
"You'll go live upstairs," Hafs says. "And I'll visit you."
"You said there was a girl my age up there."
"There is. And she knows that you're going upstairs, and she wants to meet you," Hafidha says, and lets the spindle fly. Drafting gives her something to do, so she can be patient.
"What if she..."
"Doesn't like you? You'll get a lot of chances to talk to each other. And she could be worrying exactly the same thing."
"So I should be nice."
"So you should be you, Donna. But I'll give you a tip. Let her show you all her favorite shows. She's really into TV. And I only got fifteen minutes, kid. Try to close your eyes for a bit."
Donna nods, but she's watching Hafidha leave when she looks back.
*
When your lunch break comes, you deliberately take your tray of lasagna to the women's locker room and eat it in a bathroom stall, where no one can see you eat two pounds of ground chicken, pasta, and three kinds of cheese in a creamy tomato sauce. When you finish you put the knife and fork in the dishwasher and take the path to the electrical room. You'll have to turn the generators off first, and then you have about two minutes to shut down two power junctions on the grounds. You have to move fast.
You have to stop her.
You're nearly at the exit door when you have a better idea. You turn around and head for the supermax wing.
*
Dyson Ciesclewicz is getting his ass handed to him.
"Think of the positions," Eddie says. "Look at each piece, see its paths. What do you see?"
"That I'm screwed," Dice says.
"Not quite yet," Eddie laughs. "You've actually set up a really good defense. You could play me to a stalemate, I bet."
"Maybe," Dice says. "Think you're just being nice."
"I mean it.
"How can you say I don't have any empathy, Dann-O? I literally feel what others feel. That's empathy plus."
"You get off on fear, Saito. Your empathy is the drug lever on a rat cage. That's why you're not a good candidate."
"But that's my point. The chip can teach me a different reward system. That's what it's for, right? That's what it does, right?"
"You should probably talk to Doctor Allison. She's the one who does the assessments, so there's no getting around her."
"That bitch."
"Do you want me to remember Dallas or not?"
"I want you to tell me about Hafida Gates. That chip in her head making her a good girl? Oo. Feel that? I sure did, Dann-O. She's scaring you. Computer girl, with a computer in her head. She can do anything to it, can't she?"
"She's handling the treatment well."
"Liar," Saito murmurs. "You can lie, but why bother? I told you, Dann-O. I'm empath plus."
*
Donatta Fletcher sleeps for another six minutes before waking, and Hafidha Gates is there, spinning silk beside her bed.
"Arachne?" Donatta says, and Hafs parks the spindle.
She finds the cold water bottle and offers it. "Sip. You're still loopy for a bit yet. Let's do the drill. What's today?"
"May 21st, 2014," Donatta says. "My name is Donatta Fletcher. I'm in Idlewood Hospital just outside Ashton, Virginia."
"Okay, you're sharp, kid. But you're going to fall asleep again. How's the melon?"
"About a five. Pounds. Feels hot."
"That's all fine. You dizzy?"
"No."
"Follow my hand and say that," Hafidha says.
"Don't the doctors have to do this?" Donatta asks, and tracks Hafidha's fingers. "Okay, now I'm dizzy."
"I'll get a nurse. Probably you need to sleep more."
"No. Stay. I want to watch you spin. Had a dream," Donatta says. "A weird dream. I was riding a horse inside a long hallway."
Hafidha draws the silk out fine as frog hair. "No river?"
"No river. No underground. Will I dream about it again?"
"Probably. I dream about Erik still. But when you wake up, the chip will activate, and it'll calm you down."
"So I won't be scared any more."
"Only normal scared," Hafidha says, and sends Dr. Allison an email about monitoring fear responses in Donatta's exams.
"And I'll go live upstairs?"
"You'll go live upstairs," Hafs says. "And I'll visit you."
"You said there was a girl my age up there."
"There is. And she knows that you're going upstairs, and she wants to meet you," Hafidha says, and lets the spindle fly. Drafting gives her something to do, so she can be patient.
"What if she..."
"Doesn't like you? You'll get a lot of chances to talk to each other. And she could be worrying exactly the same thing."
"So I should be nice."
"So you should be you, Donna. But I'll give you a tip. Let her show you all her favorite shows. She's really into TV. And I only got fifteen minutes, kid. Try to close your eyes for a bit."
Donna nods, but she's watching Hafidha leave when she looks back.
*
When your lunch break comes, you deliberately take your tray of lasagna to the women's locker room and eat it in a bathroom stall, where no one can see you eat two pounds of ground chicken, pasta, and three kinds of cheese in a creamy tomato sauce. When you finish you put the knife and fork in the dishwasher and take the path to the electrical room. You'll have to turn the generators off first, and then you have about two minutes to shut down two power junctions on the grounds. You have to move fast.
You have to stop her.
You're nearly at the exit door when you have a better idea. You turn around and head for the supermax wing.
*
Dyson Ciesclewicz is getting his ass handed to him.
"Think of the positions," Eddie says. "Look at each piece, see its paths. What do you see?"
"That I'm screwed," Dice says.
"Not quite yet," Eddie laughs. "You've actually set up a really good defense. You could play me to a stalemate, I bet."
"Maybe," Dice says. "Think you're just being nice."
"I mean it.
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