Read Online Sycamore (Near-Future Dystopia) by Craig A. Falconer - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Craig A. Falconer
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a man he enjoyed being compared with. “I don’t like him,” he said. “Just so we’re clear on that going in. He’s a snake.”
“I don’t particularly like Terrance either,” said Amos, “but we don’t have to. He’s the best in the world at what he does and that’s what counts. Civility is all I ask, Mr Jacobs. We’re a team.”
“I can be civil. By the way, does that Kate Pinewood girl work in this building?”
“Not anymore.” Amos opened the door to the meeting room and they walked in.
It was a small room dominated by a wooden table. Three of its seats were taken by the department heads. Minion was alone at one side and there was a space at each end for Kurt and Amos. The doctor stood in the corner clasping a black briefcase. He opened it after a signal from Amos and produced a short needle.
“The Seed is in that ?” said Kurt.
“Yes,” the doctor replied. “You’re not scared of needles, are you?”
Minion answered. “That’s Kurtonite you’re talking to, doc. He’s not afraid of anything.”
“No. I don’t mind needles,” said Kurt, ignoring Minion’s attempt to annoy him. “I just can’t believe it’s so small.”
The doctor took Kurt’s left hand and asked him to relax. “Please squeeze your wrist tightly with your right hand. Good. Now keep squeezing and extend your fingers.”
Kurt did as the doctor said. His left hand shook under the opposing stresses. The needle reached his palm.
“Look into my eyes,” said the doctor.
“No. I want to see.”
The doctor held the syringe at a slight angle and pressed down on the top. A sharp intake of breath signalled Kurt Jacobs becoming the first man to be seeded. He released his wrist and stared at his palm.
Time seemed to stop as everyone in the room waited for him to do or say something. Amos eventually broke the silence. “So? How does it feel?”
“You know when you get an itch under your shoulder blade and you just have to wait until it goes away? It felt like that, except inside my hand and it stopped straight away.”
“And now?” asked the doctor.
“Now it sort of feels like really intense pins and needles. That’ll stop too, though... right?”
Amos and the doctor looked at each other and collectively shrugged. “You’re the guinea pig,” said Amos.
“It’s fading. Definitely fading.”
Amos breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, now we can take care of the sound. There’s a tiny speaker for each of your ears. We’re calling them in-earphones and giving them away free with The Seed. They sit far enough inside that nobody else can hear your audio. They record sound, too, so this completes the system with no need for a headset.”
“You’re not injecting anything in my ears. No way.”
“Oh, come on. It’s just a little prick! Don’t be such a fairy,” said Amos.
“I always knew it,” Minion grinned. “He has that look about him.”
Kurt scowled at Minion then turned to the doctor. “Just do it quick, yeah?”
The doctor explained to Kurt that he wasn’t injecting anything — “it’s more like sticking them on” — and proceeded with the painless process. Kurt was surprised when the doctor said it was over and put everything back into his briefcase.
“You can go now,” Amos told the doctor. “Thank you. And remember: not a word.”
~
The door closed and Kurt sat down, still looking at his hand and now also wondering what was inside his ears.
“And now the more important question,” said Amos. “Does it work?”
“How would I know?”
“You can play with the sound later… for now I mean the OS. Double fivetap to bring it up.”
Kurt tapped his palm with all five fingers of his right hand twice in quick succession. His mouth fell open in amazement. “It works.” The operating system’s dashboard appeared in the centre of Kurt’s vision at its default 50% transparency. “Are the gestures how I wrote them?”
“Everything is how you wrote it,” Amos
“I don’t particularly like Terrance either,” said Amos, “but we don’t have to. He’s the best in the world at what he does and that’s what counts. Civility is all I ask, Mr Jacobs. We’re a team.”
“I can be civil. By the way, does that Kate Pinewood girl work in this building?”
“Not anymore.” Amos opened the door to the meeting room and they walked in.
It was a small room dominated by a wooden table. Three of its seats were taken by the department heads. Minion was alone at one side and there was a space at each end for Kurt and Amos. The doctor stood in the corner clasping a black briefcase. He opened it after a signal from Amos and produced a short needle.
“The Seed is in that ?” said Kurt.
“Yes,” the doctor replied. “You’re not scared of needles, are you?”
Minion answered. “That’s Kurtonite you’re talking to, doc. He’s not afraid of anything.”
“No. I don’t mind needles,” said Kurt, ignoring Minion’s attempt to annoy him. “I just can’t believe it’s so small.”
The doctor took Kurt’s left hand and asked him to relax. “Please squeeze your wrist tightly with your right hand. Good. Now keep squeezing and extend your fingers.”
Kurt did as the doctor said. His left hand shook under the opposing stresses. The needle reached his palm.
“Look into my eyes,” said the doctor.
“No. I want to see.”
The doctor held the syringe at a slight angle and pressed down on the top. A sharp intake of breath signalled Kurt Jacobs becoming the first man to be seeded. He released his wrist and stared at his palm.
Time seemed to stop as everyone in the room waited for him to do or say something. Amos eventually broke the silence. “So? How does it feel?”
“You know when you get an itch under your shoulder blade and you just have to wait until it goes away? It felt like that, except inside my hand and it stopped straight away.”
“And now?” asked the doctor.
“Now it sort of feels like really intense pins and needles. That’ll stop too, though... right?”
Amos and the doctor looked at each other and collectively shrugged. “You’re the guinea pig,” said Amos.
“It’s fading. Definitely fading.”
Amos breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, now we can take care of the sound. There’s a tiny speaker for each of your ears. We’re calling them in-earphones and giving them away free with The Seed. They sit far enough inside that nobody else can hear your audio. They record sound, too, so this completes the system with no need for a headset.”
“You’re not injecting anything in my ears. No way.”
“Oh, come on. It’s just a little prick! Don’t be such a fairy,” said Amos.
“I always knew it,” Minion grinned. “He has that look about him.”
Kurt scowled at Minion then turned to the doctor. “Just do it quick, yeah?”
The doctor explained to Kurt that he wasn’t injecting anything — “it’s more like sticking them on” — and proceeded with the painless process. Kurt was surprised when the doctor said it was over and put everything back into his briefcase.
“You can go now,” Amos told the doctor. “Thank you. And remember: not a word.”
~
The door closed and Kurt sat down, still looking at his hand and now also wondering what was inside his ears.
“And now the more important question,” said Amos. “Does it work?”
“How would I know?”
“You can play with the sound later… for now I mean the OS. Double fivetap to bring it up.”
Kurt tapped his palm with all five fingers of his right hand twice in quick succession. His mouth fell open in amazement. “It works.” The operating system’s dashboard appeared in the centre of Kurt’s vision at its default 50% transparency. “Are the gestures how I wrote them?”
“Everything is how you wrote it,” Amos
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