Walking in, Sarah sighed as the face she was met with was much angrier now than it had been when she last saw it.

“What the fuck, Sez?” he started.

“Can I have a rest,” Sarah took a deep breath, “and can we do this later?” She made her way to a chair in the corner of AJs room.

Jackson followed her, his brown eyes ablaze with fury. “Oh yeah sure, let’s just park this conversation for a week, okay?” He was being a jerk, which he knew he shouldn’t be - it wouldn’t make the situation any better - but he couldn’t help it; sarcasm was an easy outlet for his frustration.

“We are sorting this out now. I need the goods so I can sell them, and give Keeley his share. I searched your jacket, your room, I couldn’t find them. Are they in your jeans?” He gestured to the string bag Sarah had over her shoulder, where her jeans were. In their place, Sarah was wearing a pair of loose, cotton trousers that Maureen had given her.

She shook her head.

Jax let out an angry grunt. “Sez, don’t. I really can’t afford this, can we save your pious mothering and lecturing for later and can you just tell me where they are?” Jax slammed his hand on the wall as he spoke the lsat few words, highlighting his growing anger.

During the exchange, AJ was standing silently by his workstation. Sarah knew he would have been uncomfortable luring her here, to this situation that was all-but a trap for Jax to confront her. But, AJ was Jax’s best friend. Despite that, she knew that AJ would have fixed her LENS for her too, and that it wasn’t only a trap. Sure enough, her gaze travelled over to the desk and landed on her LENS, impressed that it looked more clean than it had been since leaving the factory.

“Hello, Earth to Sarah?” Jax obnoxiously clicked his fingers, stepping forward so he was close to her, demanding her attention back to him. His brown eyes were narrowed and his thick brow was creased in an scowl that was beyond angry.

Sarah painfully angled her body away from her brother, not really worried that he would lash out at her, but more eager for some breathing space. “Jackson,” she said in reply, using his full name as he had used hers. “I’m serious,” she reiterated, “I don’t know where they’ve gone.”

“How the fuck did you lose 100 Strip-tech™?” He was pacing now.

“A hundred?”

“Yes Sarah, there were 100 Strip-tech™.” He paused his movement, ignored AJ who was trying to get him to calm down, and infiltrated Sarah’s personal space again. “Which we both know you took.”

Sarah’s voice caught in her throat, there definitely had not been 100 Strip-tech™ in the envelope she had taken from Jax’s room. Cursing herself for not counting, she quickly thought back over the packet, trying to estimate how many there were. Maybe only 20 - give or take.

“Jackson, look,” she said, raising her hands palm out, in a placating manner, “I definitely took some, I’ll admit to that. I was trying to help you, but I didn’t take a hundred of them.”

“There were five envelopes. One had maybe just under 20 left in them, the other four had bang-on 20. All five envelopes were gone.”

Shaking her head, Sarah couldn’t give him a verbal response. Knowing Jackson, and the irateness dripping from his words, anything she said now would be deemed a lie, and he wouldn’t believe her.

Jackson felt the sarcasm return “Ohhh, right, of course Sarah. You didn’t take them - the fucking Strip-tech™ fairy did! How silly of me!”

“Jackson, chill bro.” AJ stepped in front of his friend, trying to push him away from Sarah who was now visibly uncomfortable. She was using one of the crutches to create a barrier between them.

Jax sidestepped AJ’s raised hand, and went to move towards Sarah again, but thought better of it as the metal from the crutch was cool against his leg, almost as a threat.

A snarl curled from his lips, incensed by Sarah’s lack of communication.”Sarah, fuck! Do you know what Keeley’s going to do to me?”

Sarah stood, using the crutches to bring herself back up to Jackson’s height, in an attempt to try and even the discussion. She schooled her face as her leg roared at the movement, she needed to keep her footing in this fight.

“That’s why I took them, Jax, I wanted to get you out of another mess.”

“Sarah,” Jax came to me, his eyes begging me, his face a mixture of sadness, fright and anger. “I didn’t need your help. Stop trying to help me.” He was beyond exasperated. “You’re not my parent, you never have been, and you never will be. Just stop getting involved in everything” He walked towards the door, shot one last, disgusted look at Sarah, before slamming it behind him as he stalked out.

An awkward silence settled in the room and Sarah started a hobbled walk, the clacking of the crutches a monotonous drone as her mind whirred.

AJ knew Jax well, knew how prone he was to being unreasonable. Even if Sarah wasn’t so sure Jax was the unreasonable one right now, she was relieved when AJ cleared his throat and broke the silence.

“... anyway. Your LENS.” He drew Sarah’s attention to him, and away from the door, which she had been throwing glances at since Jax left, almost willing her stubborn, strong willed brother to come back and talk to her, so they could sort this out together.

But he didn’t come back.

Sighing, Sarah stopped the painful shuffle as she looked at AJ. Her leg was screaming at her, and despite that she just wanted to find Jax and get a solution sorted. But that would have to wait for later, now she needed her LENS back. Sarah motioned to AJ’s bed, she needed to put her leg up to reduce the pain and swelling, “can I lie down?”

“Oh yeah, sure.” AJ hurried over, pushing the clothes that took up most of the space to the side, making room for her to lay. “Sorry,” he added as he stepped back and flicked his hair away from his face, trying to hide his sheepish grin.

“Thanks AJ.” Sarah wanted to tell him that she hadn’t taken the full 100 that Jax thought she had. That she had only taken 20, maybe fewer if it had been the smaller envelope she had taken - and that there had only been ONE envelope when she went into Jackson’s room that morning. But, it didn’t matter. Whether or not AJ believed her wasn’t important right now, as she suspected AJ had probably already decided his truth.

“Ah, so, your LENS!” he said, again, breaking Sarah out of her wallowing.

“How’s it looking?”

“Well,” he shoved a hand to the back of his neck and awkwardly walked towards his desk. “It’s not great. I think that when you went for your… “ he paused looking for the word “swim… Something happened to the circuits. I’ve tried the best I can, and I think it’ll work, but it’s a bit weird. It kept screwing up all my diagnostic equipment, so I couldn’t get a solid read.”

“Do I need a new one?”

AJ held up his hands, uncertain. “Maybe?” He must have seen her crestfallen face, because he continued “- but even if you get a State one I can definitely work on the specs, make it better for you.”

The government provided basic LENS units to everyone. A human right was a LENS, a Life Enhancement Neural System. Basically a way to access everything through the seemingly simple (though it was anything but) technology that was connected to the node that was affixed to the side of your head.

They were usually implanted on peoples fifth birthdays, though some users had theirs almost from birth; intelligence and wealth dependent. Sarah couldn’t figure out who would want to give this much power to a literal baby, but it was the way their society was beginning to function - more and more dependence on technology to function and - really - babysit.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Sarah’s current LENS wasn’t government issued, but it wasn’t the newest trick around. Though she had already had it for three years, the upgrade from the government State LENS to this one had been incredible. When Jax had come home with two brand new LENS units, one for each of them, Sarah purposefully remained ignorant to their origin. Sometimes not knowing was okay, and when it came to a superior functioning LENS, Sarah didn’t mind being left in the dark.

Sarah looked at her LENS, sitting forlorn on AJs desk. She sighed, and held up a hand as AJ dutifully passed it to her. She’d better find out now how bad it was.

Clicking the LENS into the node, she felt the familiar brain-zing as it connected ]and powered on her access to, well, everything. Each LENS was typically set up for an individual, there were rare occasions when one could be used by more than one person, but generally speaking a LENS was a hugely private item and wasn’t one that was shared around, so she was surprised when her LENS had a different welcome message than she was used to.

Sarah’s LENS flashed the prompt across the display, and it triggered her memory - she had seen this when she woke up on the riverbank. She looked at the display in front of her eyes quizzically, then dismissed it, assuming that whatever had happened to it in the river must have some sort of prolonged effect. AJ did say he hadn’t fixed it entirely - how could he when he didn’t know what was wrong with it?

What enhancements?

Sarah must have looked confused, because AJ asked what was wrong. She unfurrowed her eyebrows as she looked at him.

“Did you put enhancements in my LENS?”

“Wh-what? No.” AJ replied, confused.

“It’s telling me I have enhancements to view. And it’s the second time I’ve had a message about being ‘Awakened.’” Sarah used air quotes to convey the weirdness to AJ.

“Awakened? I’ve never heard of a LENS mentioning that before, I…” AJ’s eyes glazed over as his own neural display popped up, and I could see he was doing his own research.

“There’s nothing here that might suggest…”

The prompt flashed on my screen again.

No, I really don’t.

Reading her thoughts, the display changed, and disappeared. Sarah didn’t know what was happening, but she was tired, she needed to rest, and she needed to go back to my room.

“AJ, thanks for fixing my LENS. I really appreciate it.”

“That’s okay Sez,” he said, smiling at her. “But I really don’t think I did anything…”

“You did more than I could have ever done.” Sarah stood from the bed, heaving herself forward with the crutches. “I’m gonna head back to my room now, I’m really tired and my leg is killing me.”

“Oh yeah, of course. I guess I should find Jax too…”

They walked out of his room together, and straight into the path of the Morrisey brothers.

Oh for fuck’s sake.

Parker Morrisey, the asshole brother with one ear, laughed as he saw Sarah leave AJs room, nudging the other asshole brother, this one two-eared, Oscar Morrisey, to “take a look at this.”

“Damn AJ,” Oscar said, placing one hand on his brother’s shoulder in a jestful manner, “We all know you’ve got the hots for Sez, but you shouldn’t try your move while she’s injured and drugged.”

News really had spread fast through New Haven that something happened, if these douchebags knew, everyone likely did by now. Sarah wasn’t thrilled by that realisation.

“Shut up Oscar.” Sarah said.

“Are you okay Sez?” Parker asked, jokingly, going up to her and putting his arm around her shoulder. “Can I help you too?” his hand dropped from Sarah’s shoulder and landed on her ass.

In swift retaliation, Sarah’s crutch found his crotch and he doubled-over groaning as Oscar hurried to his side.

“What the hell Sez, it’s called a joke?” He spat in my direction, as he kneeled next to his wounded brother.

Sarah wasn’t sure how that happened - she hadn’t meant to do that - it was almost like her body just did it. She wasn’t mad about it, though.

Ignoring the prompt, Sarah replied to Oscar. “It’s called sexual harassment Oscar, and you better back the fuck off me and AJ before you lose a ball to match your brothers ears.”

The LENS display flashed up, distracting Sarah immediately from her surroundings. She fell off balance and into AJ, who easily caught her. Thankfully he wasn’t a small guy, even if he was shy and refused to stand up for himself. With AJ’s help, Sarah righted herself quickly, leaning back onto her crutch.

Parker was cradling his wounded male pride, while Oscar leaned over him, offering words of comfort.

Ignoring the whimpering, Sarah began a distracted hobble down the hallway, trying not to look at the tacky patterned carpet that threatened to bring back the dizziness she felt before AJ caught her. AJ, now by Sarah’s side, was chewing his lip in consternation.

“Are you okay?” he finally asked.

“Yeah,” Sarah said. “My LENS did something weird though, after I got Parker…”

“I thought something happened, you kind of glazed over once…”

“I got him in the sack.” She completed for him, the thought of the impact clearly causing him discomfort.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe I should take it back, have another go at looking at it?” AJ motioned for Sarah’s LENS.

“Not today,” she said, shaking her head and sighing. “I really need that rest.”

___

In the quiet comfort of his room, Jax was slowly putting everything back where it belonged. He used the time to focus on calm breathing, trying to channel some sort of inner peace. He knew he didn’t have any inner peace, from the bullshit upbringing he and Sarah had, he was lucky to be able to stop himself from being a complete jackass to most of those around him.

He’d run into the Morrisey brothers once he’d left AJ’s room, and ignored their yells at him for any new hook-ups he had, wanting to be away from anything else that may antagonise him.

Being able to leave a situation that was escalating him was one of the only things the reform school had taught him. That, and cleanliness and order. Oh, maybe self regulation too… kind of. Then there was the fast talking to get out of bad situations, and of course, his excellent push-up form and endurance from all the physical corrections he was made to do when the latter talking skill failed.

Jax was methodical as he placed his items back in their rightful spots, mindful to ensure the paraphernalia that needed to be hidden, remained so. Before long he had found what he had been looking for before AJ had disturbed him, and he picked up the bit of paper. Paper was an oddity these days, he mused, enjoying the stiff and dry feeling on his fingertips. Most people used their LENS and other networks to convey information, not bits of dead tree. He sniffed the paper, and let out a small, mirthy chuckle to himself.

There was an ache of fondness associated with the smell of paper, a comfort. Though it wasn’t a resource in use much now, it did remind him of the area near an old printing factory he and Sarah used to sleep near while their junkie mother was turning a trick for her next hit. They had managed to shimmy open a window, just small enough for their malnourished frames to slip in, so they could hide from whatever monster their mother had on the hook. The smell of printing and paper had signalled a safeness for Jax once upon a time, but now it triggered a memory of longing. A longing for when it was just he and Sarah, when they were younger and they knew they had each other to rely on. But that memory was also tempered by the fact that their next meal, and future, were more uncertain.

Now, the smell of the paper in his hands lit a spark of hope into Jax. The hope that maybe this would somehow solve the huge pile of shit he had found himself in, because of those damned Strip-tech™. He sat on the bed, and opened the paper to read it. Ignoring the large ‘PROTOTYPE’ stamped on the paper, Jax’s eyes skimmed information about the Strip-tech™. But the information was too technical for him. Frustrated that this useless piece of tree was worth nothing to him, he scrunched up the paper and threw it against the wall opposite him. Jax felt a tear fall down his face.

His brown eyes were welling with worry, sadness. This was meant to be what he needed to help him and Sarah, to get out of this shit hole. But instead, it was going to end it all for him at the very least, if not his sister too. The smell of the paper had brought back a repressed feeling, and now it was warring on the inside - fighting to stay shown so he could try to reach a state of happiness again.

Think Jackson, think. What else can you do?

The tech had come in a black courier case. He’d brought it back briefly to New Haven before a comment made by Keeley, over a previous deal they’d had, made him realise bringing hot property to his place of residence was just asking for GPS tracking and a visitor from the original owner. So, he had left the hospital and quickly thrown the case in the way of a TrashBot, which had quickly devoured the discarded debris. He wasn’t sure where the TrashBot went to unload, but he knew the area the easily recognisable TrashBot normally toured.

Usually, Jaxson considered himself above dumpster diving. He had food here, he made money, mostly through selling stolen or illegal shit, but he tried to keep himself as clean as he could - literally obviously, rather than figuratively. But, desperate times… So, Jackson sorted out his backpack with a few muesli bars, a water bottle and a couple of his regular Strip-tech™. He locked the door to his room the best he could - ensured the alarm was set to alert his LENS if anyone tried to fuck with his shit (a security measure he decided to begin using once again) and went to find the TrashBot with the big red dick sprayed on it, with the bright blue ballsack, and BLUBALZ written affectionately beneath it.