The Wired Man

18

Personal Entry: The Wired Man

Dim silhouettes of the coffee table and couch cast themselves on the inner wall and a sterile white luminescence spilled from the light in the kitchen. All the apartments in the upper portion were furnished with high-efficiency fluorescents. That meant at night it was like living inside a hospital if you turned on more than one light.

I stared into the kitchen at the tiny, spherical bulb. My grandmother's hospital room used to light up just like that. I could still picture her frail hands gripping my mother's arm, the scars covering her entire body. She had a hard life, but at least she could spend as much time with my grandfather as she wanted without worrying about what some stupid machine would deem unsafe behavior. Then again, neither did I.

I went into the kitchen to make myself a cocktail. Seventeen connections in all for a grand total of fifty-eight points. I was now higher than everyone at my company except for the senior executive branch. Come tomorrow morning, Carissa and I would both be sitting on promotions. As I poured the liquor into a glass, the ice made a soft popping noise and a message appeared in my communication log.

You've been compromised. Get out.

The message blinked in the bottom corner of my display before fading away. I took a drink and opened up my inbox. I read the words the second time. Compromised? Message Sender: Unknown. What the hell was this? Some kind of joke? I put the glass to my lips and rolled my eyes.

I went to sit down, but as I passed by the front door, I noticed whispered voices coming from the hallway. I stopped and the hair on my arms tingled. I leaned to the door and peered out the view-hole. At least three men in full assault gear were crouched down, ready to strike. I knew who they were and why they were there. It was the SPA, and they had come to make me disappear.

I dropped the glass and ran into the kitchen. I scanned desperately for a way out, but the only option I saw was the closet. I opened it, pushed the broom and mop to the side, and nestled myself behind the thick layer of coats.

I heard my front door open and what sounded like a stone being thrown onto my carpet. I sealed the closet door and held my breath. A bright flash of light punched through the cracks in the doorframe and a massive rush of sound hit me in my chest.

"SPA!"

"On the ground! On the ground now!"

I sank down on top of the cleaning bucket and tried to quiet my gasping. Boots stomped through my apartment in waves, and almost immediately, there were a pair in the kitchen. I was screwed.

The methodical marching approached the closet door. I held my breath. The closet would be the first place they would look. I waited for someone to rip open the door, but the sound of boots veered off into the breakfast nook.

"All clear, ma'am," I heard a man say.

I inhaled some air. Maybe...

"Thank you for that assessment, Captain. Now check again," a woman said.

I parted the coats blocking my vision. There was a sliver of daylight on the hinge side where the molding was raised up, and I could see someone approaching the closet. I leaned back. It was no use. There was barely enough room for the bucket I was sitting on, let alone a full-grown man. The cheap brass clicked as it was turned, and I shut my eyes waiting for the worst.

I heard an unintelligible shout from the living room, and the handle was released. The sound of boots emptied out of the apartment and faded down the hall. What the hell could have spooked them?