Unplugged: The New World (#1, Unplugged Trilogy)

Chapter Eighteen

"Grandma... wh-what are you doing here? And Mark? What happened--?"

"I didn't come all this way just to hear you splutter nonsense." Her familiar snappy tone comforts me and I almost feel like crying again. "Just wait 'till we get there." I don't know where "there" is, but I fall silent and let my grandmother guide me. Finally, we stop in front of a door so dirt-stained that I can only make out faint outlines of numbers on it. She opens the door and ushers me inside the adjacent room, quickly closing it behind us.

"Incredible," she whispers, looking around the small room inside. It is only slightly larger than my mother's.

"What?" I ask, surveying the unremarkable room.

"It seems like only yesterday I had to leave this place." Tears well up in her eyes and I realize that this must have been her apartment when she lived here. Slowly, I make my way to the bed that dominates most of the space and I sit on it, resting.

"What happened?" I ask. She sits next to me on the bed, her fingers feeling the soft quilt covering. My eyes scan her tight curls, thin-rimmed glasses, and nimble hands: all the same as I remember.

"I will start at the beginning, assuming that your mother filled you in on a few things. Feel free to stop me if I confuse you." I nod. "Now, your mother had sent me another letter, letting me know that you had safely arrived at the Depot. And also that your brother had been plugged in." She sighs.

"I was so ready to leave that infernal mouse-trap that I could hardly stand it! But I knew I'd made a promise to my daughter that I couldn't afford to break. Both yours and Mark's experience were desperately needed in the Training Facility. Since your Graduation Ceremony, I've been wandering the streets, searching for Mark even though I had no idea what occupation he chose. Talk about impossible tasks!"

"But you found him, right?" I prompt her.

"Obviously. And he almost got away, too."

"How did you find him? Where was he?"

"Apparently he 'chose' to work at a coffee shop." She scrunches up her face, and I wince, dumbfounded. People are supposed to have the freedom to choose their occupations, but job preference, I realize, must also be programmed into the RScreens. The government throws away bucket-loads of human potential, just so they can make sure that they have a say in every aspect of every life; it's disgusting! The way Mark excelled in all of the subjects at school gave me reason to believe he would fill an important role in society someday. But a coffee shop worker? It's almost as though only a chosen few are destined to be successful in life at all.

"I grabbed him and told him that I worked for Them and was asked to take him to the Pillar." The Pillar is a tall, dark building that used to be called the Empire State Building. Rumor has it that "They" work and control every aspect of the city from there. Most people try to avoid walking past it. I nod and my grandmother continues. "He started going with me peacefully at first, but when I walked past the Pillar, he realized that I had been lying. He tried to attack me, but..." She gulps. "I found a large stone on the ground and I used it to knock him out."

My eyes widen but I don't say anything. The things Sam taught us are true: RScreened people really can't think clearly. When feeling threatened, they will do whatever it takes to defend themselves. Like robots.

"Enna, you have to believe me. I never wanted to hurt him. I picked him up and carried him all the way here." She begs me with her eyes and I cover her hand with my own. My grandmother may be harsh and quick to ignite, but I know that she would never purposefully harm another person; even my brother.