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Authors: Suzanne Weyn
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they both worked for a biotech lab. Dad burned out of every job he had, kept getting fired. Mom started thinking of him as a real loser. They fought about money all the time. Pretty soon they broke up.”
Another family wrecked by the bar code. “That’s banged out,” Kayla said. “Which one of them do you live with?”
“It got so I couldn’t stand either one of them, so I just cut out. The place I have now is a real dump, but at least it’s quiet. My parents aren’t there screaming at each other day and night.”
“That must be hard for you,” she said, “being all on your own.”
He grinned, though no light came to his eyes. “I get a little hungry sometimes.”
“I know what you mean,” she said with a bitter laugh, remembering her own often-empty refrigerator. “Good thing my dad prepaid my cafeteria fee at the beginning of the year or some days I wouldn’t get any food at all. God, the beginning of the year feels like it was a long time ago. In September, the bar code didn’t seem like a big deal. I didn’t think it would have any effect on my life.”
“That’s because we’ve all gotten used to being tracked through the Internet. It really started in the 1970s when credit cards were first linked to computers,” he said. “By the 1990s somebody knew every move you made with that card.”
“If this has been going on for over thirty-five years, why does the tattoo seem so horrible? And why is it turning people’s lives upside down?” she asked.
“There’s something more in that code,” Zekeal said, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. She got the idea from his quick reply that this was a question he’d considered many times before.
“What do you think it is?” she asked.
“I wish I knew. I feel like there’s a missing piece to this puzzle. Once we know what it is, a lot of things will make sense.” His eyes brightened with an idea. “Listen, when I met you tonight I wasn’t really coming here. I was going to a meeting. Come with me.”
She hesitated. What kind of meeting? It didn’t really matter, though. There was no way she would willingly part from him. They’d connected and she needed someone to be connected to, especially an attractive, exciting somebody like Zekeal. “Okay.”
She followed him out of the club and back to the dark end of the warehouse section, where she’d met up with him that night. They walked quickly to the last warehouse; she jogged at times to keep up with him.
Nothing more than black woods stood beyond that last low warehouse. Even the reactors’ lights weren’t pointed in that direction, leaving the area in shadow. Zekeal pulled hard on the metal door. When they stepped inside, Kayla folded her arms against the cold air.
“Where have you been?” an annoyed voice demanded. “And what’s she doing here?”
Kayla turned toward the voice and spied a circle of light at the far end of the darkness. Four figures sat around the light.
Zekeal took Kayla’s hand and, again, his touch ran through her like a jolt of electric current. He led her through the black middle area toward the group. “I’m here now,” he replied calmly.
“This is a secret meeting,” the same voice reminded him reproachfully. Kayla was close enough to recognize the four figures — Mfumbe, Allyson, August, and Nedra. Nedra was the sharp-voiced one, obviously angered by Kayla’s presence. When they were in the lighted circle thrown by a bare-bulb lamp set on the floor, Zekeal took hold of Kayla’s wrist and pushed up her sleeve, presenting it to the group. “She’s okay. Seventeen. Not coded.”
Mfumbe smiled at her. “Final level,” he said with an approving grin. It was good to see him there. She was always calmed by his friendliness. From the very first day they’d met, she’d felt comfortable with him.
Nedra, August, and Allyson eyed her warily.
“Where did she come from?” Nedra asked.
“I ran into her and saw she had no bar code,” Zekeal
Another family wrecked by the bar code. “That’s banged out,” Kayla said. “Which one of them do you live with?”
“It got so I couldn’t stand either one of them, so I just cut out. The place I have now is a real dump, but at least it’s quiet. My parents aren’t there screaming at each other day and night.”
“That must be hard for you,” she said, “being all on your own.”
He grinned, though no light came to his eyes. “I get a little hungry sometimes.”
“I know what you mean,” she said with a bitter laugh, remembering her own often-empty refrigerator. “Good thing my dad prepaid my cafeteria fee at the beginning of the year or some days I wouldn’t get any food at all. God, the beginning of the year feels like it was a long time ago. In September, the bar code didn’t seem like a big deal. I didn’t think it would have any effect on my life.”
“That’s because we’ve all gotten used to being tracked through the Internet. It really started in the 1970s when credit cards were first linked to computers,” he said. “By the 1990s somebody knew every move you made with that card.”
“If this has been going on for over thirty-five years, why does the tattoo seem so horrible? And why is it turning people’s lives upside down?” she asked.
“There’s something more in that code,” Zekeal said, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. She got the idea from his quick reply that this was a question he’d considered many times before.
“What do you think it is?” she asked.
“I wish I knew. I feel like there’s a missing piece to this puzzle. Once we know what it is, a lot of things will make sense.” His eyes brightened with an idea. “Listen, when I met you tonight I wasn’t really coming here. I was going to a meeting. Come with me.”
She hesitated. What kind of meeting? It didn’t really matter, though. There was no way she would willingly part from him. They’d connected and she needed someone to be connected to, especially an attractive, exciting somebody like Zekeal. “Okay.”
She followed him out of the club and back to the dark end of the warehouse section, where she’d met up with him that night. They walked quickly to the last warehouse; she jogged at times to keep up with him.
Nothing more than black woods stood beyond that last low warehouse. Even the reactors’ lights weren’t pointed in that direction, leaving the area in shadow. Zekeal pulled hard on the metal door. When they stepped inside, Kayla folded her arms against the cold air.
“Where have you been?” an annoyed voice demanded. “And what’s she doing here?”
Kayla turned toward the voice and spied a circle of light at the far end of the darkness. Four figures sat around the light.
Zekeal took Kayla’s hand and, again, his touch ran through her like a jolt of electric current. He led her through the black middle area toward the group. “I’m here now,” he replied calmly.
“This is a secret meeting,” the same voice reminded him reproachfully. Kayla was close enough to recognize the four figures — Mfumbe, Allyson, August, and Nedra. Nedra was the sharp-voiced one, obviously angered by Kayla’s presence. When they were in the lighted circle thrown by a bare-bulb lamp set on the floor, Zekeal took hold of Kayla’s wrist and pushed up her sleeve, presenting it to the group. “She’s okay. Seventeen. Not coded.”
Mfumbe smiled at her. “Final level,” he said with an approving grin. It was good to see him there. She was always calmed by his friendliness. From the very first day they’d met, she’d felt comfortable with him.
Nedra, August, and Allyson eyed her warily.
“Where did she come from?” Nedra asked.
“I ran into her and saw she had no bar code,” Zekeal
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