Read Online Synthetica by Rachel Pattinson - Free Book Online Page B

She
deserved it,” Anais said, annoyed. “You heard the way she spoke
about the people in the factories.”
    “ And
you,” Dalla rounded on Marcus, who flinched back at the look on
her face. “Why on earth were you giving that poor woman the third
degree about the break-in? There's no evidence the damn thing even
happened!”
    Marcus snorted.
    “ Poor?
Do you realise how much the management here make a year? Besides,
she was clearly lying. No one gets that defensive if they've got
nothing to hide.”
    Dalla closed her eyes as though praying from patience. When she
opened them again, she seemed to have calmed down, although there
was still a trace of annoyance on her features.
    “ I'm
going to a HelixPod for a pick-me-up. God knows I need it after that
fiasco. Thanks for getting us the passes, Xander. Anais, I'll
message you later about meeting up tomorrow, okay?”
    Anais nodded. Dalla's face softened slightly as she hugged her.
    “ We
can see about those SLPs, and maybe do a bit of shopping,” she
said as they broke apart.
    “ What's
that?” Xander glanced at them both. Anais deliberately avoided his
gaze, choosing to stare at a spot on the granite floor instead.
    Dalla nodded towards Marcus.
    “ Marcus
says someone's selling pirated SLPs for cheap. We thought we'd check
it out.”
    Xander's face told Anais exactly what he thought of this plan. He
didn't say anything but goodbye as Dalla took her leave. Marcus
followed her out, after a quick nod towards Anais, jabbering away in
her ear. It was obvious from Dalla's stiff posture that he wouldn't
be welcome for much longer.
    There was an uncomfortable silence. As Dalla and Marcus marched out
of the glass doors, Xander finally turned back to Anais, his smile
frozen on his face.
    “ So,”
he said lightly. “Pirated SLPs?”
    Anais gulped. As she opened her mouth to reply, Xander cut across
her.
    “ I
think we should talk about this outside,” he said, with an edgy
glance around the now empty atrium. Anais nodded. Their footsteps
echoed across the vast space as the pair walked towards the exit. As
the doors slid open, they were greeted by a blast of warm evening
air. Although it was the beginning of autumn, the days remained hot
and sunny while the nights grew ever colder. The golden evening sun
still gave out some heat, but a cool wind was beginning to pick up,
making the temperature outside somewhat more bearable.
    Anais checked the time on her RetCom, startled to see it was almost
five. She should've been home ages ago. Her parents would be
swapping shifts soon, and then it would be her mum sending her
messages asking where she was.
    “ Anais,”
Xander stopped walking and Anais turned to face him. His indigo eyes
searched her face for a long moment before he spoke again. “I know
what you're thinking. I know it's tempting to take what seems like
the easy way out. But you don't know who's made these SLPs, or what
their purpose is. How well do you know that Marcus guy? Don't you
think you should at least do some more research into them yourself,
first?”
    A sense of indignation rose in Anais' chest. Xander knew nothing
about taking the easy way out. He'd gotten the job he wanted, he was
set for life. Yet he was gazing at her with such concern, that Anais
felt guilty for even thinking about the pirated SLPs. But this was
important to her. No matter how much she tried to put a positive
spin on it, she just couldn't bear the thought of working in the
factory, not for the rest of her life. It was her future. It was her
choice.
    “ I
wasn't expecting that reaction, I thought you'd tell me not to buy
tech from the black market, ” she said, choosing to ignore his
questions.
    “ I'd
never tell you what you can or can't do. It's your choice.”
    Anais had no reply to that. Xander sighed.
    “ Look,
you can do what you like. If you're worried about me telling someone
at Civitas about the pirated SLPs, I won't; not if you don't want me
to. They probably should