The Significant (36 page)

      
Isa stared up at Kailynn, watching the
fear and pain cross her eyes. She turned her head and looked at her shoulder,
seeing the way Kailynn’s fingers rested ever-so-slightly on the edge of the
bandages.

      
She reached up and took Kailynn’s hand,
bringing it down her chest to rest under her left breast, pressing into her
ribcage.

      
Kailynn felt the warmth of Isa’s body,
but the strong beat of the Elite’s heart seemed to calm the Significant’s heart
as well. Her body relaxed and let out a shuddered breath.

      
Her eyes went to Isa’s before she leaned
down and kissed the Elite gently.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

      
“Jacyleen, can you hear me?”

      
Kailynn took a deep, nervous breath and
slowly let it out, nodding.

      
“Yes, Rayal, I can hear you.”

      
“Good,” his voice said in her ear. “I am
connecting with the Syndicate now. Elite Isa?”

      
“I’m here,” Isa said. “The video feed is
fuzzy.”

      
“Jacyleen, can you lift your head and
blink a few times. I think the contact is out of focus.”

      
Kailynn suppressed her angry muttering as
she lifted her head and blinked a few times, trying to ignore the discomfort
from the contact.

      
“It focused,” Rayal said. “I know it’s
uncomfortable, but try to endure it.”

      
“We are connected entirely on our end,”
Isa said.

      
Kailynn tried not to let the statement
unsettle her. They had been planning this for nearly two months. Isa had
discussed the plan with her over and over again. She knew it very well. But it
was still terrifying to realize that Venus was currently connected to the
camera in her eye and the communication chip in her ear.

      
“Very good, we’ll start then, Jacyleen,”
Rayal said, breaking her out of her stupor.

      
Kailynn took a deep breath and turned,
getting out of the car and walking through the alleys of the Walking District.

      
“First, we want to see the areas in the
Walking District where the most thefts happen,” Rayal explained. “You said that
they were closer to the south end of the street?”

      
“Yes,” Kailynn said. She did not actually
know which end of the street was south, but she knew where the thefts happened.
She began walking through the ramshackle buildings to get to the Walking
District. “It’s too early in the day, though, for any activity.”

      
“Jacyleen, do the different gangs of Trid
have arrangements with the different facilities in the Walking District?”

      
“…what do you mean?” Kailynn asked,
confused by Isa’s question.

      
“For instance, do some gangs have claim
over the goods from a particular club or bar? Only one gang can steal from a
certain bar?”

      
“No,” Kailynn said, continuing to walk.
“When it comes to food, we don’t care about territories. The gangs never fight
over ration packs.”

      
There was a shrill beeping in Kailynn’s
ear and she quickly flinched away from the sound, except that it was in her ear
and she could not back away from it. She closed her eyes and fell against the
side of the nearest building, gritting her teeth.

      
“I am so sorry,” Isa said quickly.

      
“I still have feedback on my end,” Rayal
said.

      
Kailynn opened her eyes and blinked,
confused and shocked by the noise.

      
“Remus, can you redirect?” Isa’s voice
said.

      
“Working on it.”

      
“What was that?” Kailynn asked, her ear
ringing.

      
“My sincerest apologies,” Isa said. “That
was V.E.R., Venus’ language.”

      
“What?”

      
“That was Venus talking,” Rayal
clarified. “Elite Isa, can you translate?”

      
“She asked what the gangs
do
fight over, but stay where you are
for now, Jacyleen,” Isa said. “Remus is redirecting the audio feed through her
translator. It will be a moment.”

      
“You can understand that beeping?”
Kailynn said, her eyes wide. Isa did not answer.

      
“Venus, can you direct communication
through Syndicate Port Seven?” Isa asked. A moment later, there was a new voice
in Kailynn’s ear.

      
“I lowered the decibels,” the mechanical
female voice said.

      
“Jacyleen, is that volume alright for
you?” Rayal asked.

      
“Y-yes…” Kailynn murmured.

      
Even knowing that she was connected to
Venus, hearing the voice of the machine, realizing that the computer that ran
the entire planet was focused on what she was seeing, there was an instinctive
fear in her belly.

      
“To repeat,” Venus said, the grainy voice
sharp and harsh, “what is it that the gangs of Trid fight over if not food?”

      
Kailynn swallowed hard and started
walking again.

      
“Money, drugs, territory, protection…”
Kailynn made her way into the Walking District. “Protection is the reason the
gangs form.”

      
“The statistics of personal safety do
show an increase when an individual is in a group of those with similar goals,”
Venus said.

      
“Isa, are you alright?” Remus asked
suddenly.

      
“Fine,” Isa said, though there was strain
in her voice.

      
“A-C89072,” Venus said, “your blood
pressure has risen.”

      
There was a hesitation before Isa spoke.

      
“The translation is delayed,” she
explained vaguely. “The feedback is interfering with your other processes,
Venus.”

      
Kailynn stopped again, confused and
worried about the pain in Isa’s voice.

      
“Isa?” Rayal pressed.

      
“Venus, with your permission,” Remus
started, “I will terminate your audio connection and Isa can translate for
you.”

      
“Permission not granted.”

      
“I’ll be fine,” Isa assured, “please
continue, Jacyleen.”

      
Confused and worried about Isa, Kailynn
hesitated. However, with Venus looming over all of them, she decided it was
best to obey the commands.

      
She peered around the back alleys of the
shops, all of which were closed. The dirty alley was littered with trash, but
deserted.

      
“This is where most of the thefts take
place. Most gangs take enough to feed their members only. One gang did try to
get all the food and sell it to the Trids, but the other gangs quickly killed
them. Food is for everyone here, even if you are expected to get it for
yourself.”

      
“By that logic, every Trid is a member of
a gang,” Venus said.

      
“Yes,” Kailynn agreed.

      
“And how many gangs exist?”

      
“I don’t know.”

      
“What is this illness that you spoke of,
A-C89072?” Venus said.

      
“It’s a…Rayal? Please explain.” Isa said,
her voice now revealing her pain. Kailynn’s heart constricted in her chest.

      
“Uh…it…it was something that Jacyleen
told me about. It causes severe dehydration, vomiting, bleeding ulcers,
blisters over the skin…it is unclear how it is passed. However, it has killed
many Trids. The bodies have not been properly dispose of, either,” Rayal
explained.

      
“Take me to one, Significant,” Venus
ordered.

      
“E-Elite Isa, are you alright?”

      
“Her blood pressure is still at a safe
level,” Venus assured. “Take me to an ill Trid.”

      
Kailynn swallowed hard, but obeyed,
walking to the area where she knew the sick Trids to be. When she began to turn
down a set of streets she knew to lead to the junkyard at the lake, Isa’s voice
stopped her.

      
“Wait,” she said quickly, “turn to that
building.”

      
Trying to ignore how strained Isa’s voice
was, Kailynn turned, trying to figure out what Isa was looking at.

      
“Beyond it, the faded red building,” Isa
said. “Is that a Keeper?”

      
Kailynn tried not to let the nausea wash
over her, though it was difficult not to with the orphanage where she grew up
in front of her.

      
“Yes.”

      
“Can we get closer?”

      
Kailynn knew that seeing Trid children
was part of their plan to show Venus how horrible the conditions in Trid were,
but Kailynn was hoping that they would see the young gang children, not those
in possession of a Keeper.

      
“A-C89072,” Venus said, “is this not the
same Keeper from which you obtained your caretaker?”

      
Kailynn’s step faltered and a gasp
managed to escape her. If the others heard the sound, they did not acknowledge
it.

      
“Yes.”

      
“Significant,” Venus said suddenly, “were
you ever in care of this Keeper?”

      
“Yes.”

      
“Were you ever prostituted at that time?”

      
“
What
?
No!” Kailynn gasped.

      
“But you were aware of the prostitution
of orphans that was occurring at this Keeper?” Venus pushed.

      
“Venus,” Isa said strongly, “she was a
child.”

      
“I am gathering information.”

      
Kailynn’s brain was racing. Her feet
continued to carry her to the Keeper from muscle memory. She had long pushed
away the few years she had remained in the care of the Keeper. The only Keeper
in Trid at that time was a man they called “Sir.” He was a thin, tall man with
small, beady black eyes and thin, stringy hair that fell over his face and
ears. He always left the stench of cheap alcohol in his wake as he stumbled
around the halls, grumbling about taking care of all the children and not being
paid enough.

      
The children knew never to go near Sir
alone. They always traveled in groups and stayed out of his way.

      
But one day, a newcomer had appeared at
the Keeper. A small, starved girl with bandages around her body. Her father
dropped her off without so much as a second glance, walking off with his
hundred credits and leaving his daughter at the mercy of Sir. Kailynn never
learned the little girl’s name. She had been ostracized by the other children,
who called her horrible names and threw dirt and garbage at her whenever the
saw her.

      
Kailynn’s stomach flipped over as she
connected the pieces.

      
One day, that little girl disappeared, as
well. Everyone assumed she had died. Kailynn now understood that she had found
her way into the home of the Golden Elite.

      
“Jacyleen,” Rayal said, bringing her back
to the present, “are you alright?”

      
“Significant, answer,” Venus ordered.

      
“Y-yes, I knew…”

      
“Jacyleen,” Isa’s voice said gently, “are
you alright to continue?”

      
“I…Elite Isa…” Kailynn wanted to ask a
million questions, but she knew she could not with Venus looming over her.

      
“Look up,” Venus commanded. “Let me see
the children.”

      
Kailynn was feeling weaker by the moment.
She wanted to go somewhere quiet and gather her thoughts. However, she obeyed
the order and lifted her head. There were some children of Trid sitting on the
steps of the front of the building, talking to one another and playing a
courage game where they would try to smack the other child’s hands as hard as
they could before their opponent pulled away.

      
“I do not understand,” Venus said.

      
“They’re just playing,” Kailynn murmured.

      
“Social interaction is common within
Trid,” Rayal added.

      
“Then unity is a possibility,” Venus
deduced.

      
“Venus, I must implore you to disconnect
your translator,” Remus said strongly. “Isa is struggling.”

      
“I’m fine,” Isa assured quietly.

      
“Her blood pressure is still safe, and
she is still conscious,” Venus said. “I will not cause her permanent harm.”