Kline sat at the too-narrow desk in his too-small office—a severe downgrade from the suite he’d had in the Phoenix facility—and frowned at the report his PAI had generated. “This all happened after I left?”

Ruby’s voice carried a note of droll clinical detachment, “It all happened in the space of ninety minutes when Harriet brought in the dinner service.”

“Get her in here, will you?”

“It’s early, Kline—”

“Now, Ruby.” Kline sighed and stared at the blank walls in his cubicle-sized personal space. He felt like being an asshole, but was that just the lingering effect of his meeting with Montclair? Talk about an asshole! Ever since he’d taken a swing at the exec, Kline had been on his back foot. Why hadn’t the son of a bitch written it up? Now, it was like an axe hanging over his neck every time they met. He wondered if the old lady knew.

“Of course she does,” he muttered. He was due for his first debrief with her that afternoon, and Kline wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Harriet is on her way.” Ruby again showed how smart she was and ignored his other comment, recognizing he was speaking for his own benefit.

Kline drummed his fingers on the desk, trying to keep his mind blank while he waited, and only seven minutes later, a tentative, tapping knock sounded. “Come in and sit down, Harriet.” The door opened, and the mousy lab-tech entered, ducking her head nervously as she chose the chair on the left.

“Good morning, Mr. Kline.”

“Harriet, can you explain to me why you were giggling and carrying on like a schoolgirl with our client yesterday evening? Honestly, if we weren’t taking daily samples and if the security AI didn’t scrutinize your every move, I’d be afraid you were on drugs.” Helpful, as always, Ruby had the little holoprojector at his desk play the portion of the conversation between Harriet and Juliet when Harriet giggled about how surprised she’d been to see that Kline was “handsome.”

“Oh, um. I’m sorry, Mr. Kline.” Harriet looked away, her pale cheeks flushed crimson. “I really don’t know what came over me. She’s just so personable and nice. She, well, she drew something out of me that I didn’t realize was there. I’m so sorry, Mr. Kline! I wanted to make her comfortable and help with the process by giving her a good impression and—”

“Take a breath, Harriet. You’re not in trouble, not yet. However, this is something we need to monitor. It’s possible that Juliet is simply good at connecting with people; she may be highly empathic, but there could be more at work here. If she’s trying to manipulate you, that’s something we need to keep an eye on. Would you say your reaction to her was uncharacteristic of your usual demeanor?”

“Yes! Very much so, but she didn’t say anything manipulative; she mostly just listened to me. I don’t know—when I returned to my quarters last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about her and everything she’s been through. To lose your memories and wake up in a strange place like this,” Harriet waved her hand around, “and still remain kind and upbeat? I really want things to work out for her!”

Kline nodded and scratched his chin, frowning when he felt a spot of stubble he’d missed. He regarded Harriet for several seconds, watching her eyes dart toward him, then quickly away. She was waiting to see what he’d say, waiting to hear his reaction. He inhaled deeply through his nose and slowly exhaled the same way, drumming his fingers. After a moment, he subvocalized, “Did you check to see if we have the Empathanil in stock?”

“In stock, and Doctor Rivers confirmed her lab is capable of fabricating more.”

Kline nodded, clearing his throat. “My PAI is setting up a self-assessment for you. You’ll need to complete it daily. The lab AI will prompt you with a few questions, and if you answer them honestly, you won’t get into any trouble. We’re also setting up a protocol so that if you find you’re feeling influenced by the client, you can get the help you need to remain objective. I want this posting to work out for you, Harriet; I don’t want one of the new synth models to get this position. I believe Juliet needs a human touch, and I want her to want to work with us. So, be honest with us and yourself; if you need adjusting, we can help. Wouldn’t that be better than if they replaced you?” Kline indicated the ceiling with his eyes and hoped Harriet would get the hint.

“Yes.” She nodded rapidly. “Um, what sort of ‘protocol,’ though?”

“It’s an injection that will help you remain objective.” Kline waved his hand dismissively as Harriet’s eyes widened. “It’s completely temporary. If we have to use it, we’ll slowly taper you off it when the project is complete. Trust me, it’s better to be objective and on the job, than to be too empathic and replaced by a synth. You don’t want that, and neither do I.”

“I . . . understand, Mr. Kline.” Harriet nodded, pressing her lips together, and Kline had to smile; she was putting on a brave face.

“Come on, you can watch while I give Juliet some good news.” Kline stood and picked up the plastic crate sitting on the floor beside his desk. “I have some of the things she requested.”

#

When Juliet awoke the next day, she was wrapped in a blanket with her face buried in the crook of the couch, two pillows atop her head. She lay still for several heartbeats, trying to remember where she was, and when it all clicked into place, she realized she had new memories vying for her attention. She remembered the raid, and, worse, she remembered the people she’d been with. “What happened to Barns and the others?” she subvocalized, acutely aware that there were sensors pointed her way that would hear even the tiniest of whispers.

I don’t know! My memories of that night mirror yours. My . . . existence in this state is more susceptible to your body’s chemistry than when I was housed in my chip. When you lost consciousness, I couldn’t easily access your implants. It didn’t help that they kept you inside a jamming field for the duration of your transit between Colorado and wherever this is. The whole experience is strangely blurry to me, and I think that’s due to me being so entwined with your physiology.

“I hope they’re okay. I hope whatever team took me just left them. I remember Barns, though—a vague memory of his thoughts. He wasn’t out, and you know he wouldn’t go down easily. Still, maybe they just incapacitated him.” Despite her hopeful words, Juliet knew she was lying to herself. She imagined she had two selves, that there were two mirrored halves of Juliet. One was a dark shadow standing over the other, wearing a grim expression, wanting her to acknowledge what she really believed: WBD wouldn’t leave witnesses behind.

Before she moved, Juliet tried to take stock of her other memories and found that she felt almost normal. As she retraced the days leading up to her capture, she thought of Ghoul, and her eyes opened wide, and she nearly yelped. “Oh my God,” she subvocalized. “Angel, I just remembered Ghoul. What must she think?”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

The attack on us couldn’t have gone unnoticed. Ghoul’s not stupid; she’ll put two and two together and realize you didn’t leave willingly.

“I just hope she stays safe and doesn’t try to do anything. I mean, what could she do? WBD wouldn’t have left clues, right?”

I agree. Besides, Ghoul herself told you that she can’t leave. She’s very invested in the commune and the work they’re doing, not to mention her newfound relationship with her sister and niece.

“Right.” Juliet sighed, feeling a little knot loosen in her chest. She did not want Ghoul dragged into this mess. She threw her blanket off and went to the bathroom, where she showered and cleaned up before eating a protein bar and drinking a cup of coffee. She was folding her blanket and stowing it under the couch when the door beeped. Juliet looked at the display panel and saw Kline’s face. “Come in,” she called as if she had a choice in the matter.

The door made its unlocking noises, then swung wide, revealing a grinning Kline and the gray plastic crate he held before him. “Good morning, Juliet.”

Images of violence flashed through Juliet’s mind. She thought about darting forward, striking Kline in the throat with her cybernetic arm, sweeping his legs as he tumbled backward, and then charging out into the facility, hell-bent on killing anyone who got in her way. If she could just take out the first pair of corpo-sec, get their gear—

Juliet! Angel’s voice interrupted her imagined red rampage.

She smiled. “Good morning, Mister, er, uh, I mean, good morning, Kline.”

He stepped in, hefting the crate slightly so the contents rattled. “I come bearing gifts.”

Juliet moved to the side and sat down, leaving the center of the couch open. “You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Well, it’s a big day! After I show you your presents, I’m going to walk you over to meet Doctor Chen. I think you’ll enjoy talking with her, and, if I’m not mistaken, today she’s going to give you some exercises that might start you on the road to recovering your memories. How does that sound?”

“It sounds good, really, um, Kline, it does. Will I get a chance to exercise? I’m feeling awfully cooped up.”

“Oh yes, absolutely. Harriet will accompany us, and after you meet with Doctor Chen, she’ll escort you to the exercise room. How are you holding up on clean clothes? If I’m not mistaken, your laundered items should be cleaned and returned to you this afternoon.”

“I still have a few of these, uh, bodysuits that are clean. I was looking forward to swimming; will I get a swimsuit?”

Kline chuckled and reached out to grab the thin, flexible material of Juliet’s sleeve. It was so close-fitting that he almost had to pinch her to grasp the fabric. She fought to keep a straight face and resisted pulling her arm back. “I know it seems weird, but this suit is designed to be worn in any environment, even the pool. It’ll dry faster than your skin would.”

“Really?”

“Yep. It’s good stuff. Wish I didn’t have a dress code, or I’d wear one.” Kline sighed, reaching up to adjust the knot of his tie.

“Well, I think your suit looks nice.” Juliet wasn’t sure if she was trying to be friendly or if she was trying to put him off guard.

He smirked a little but didn’t look her in the eyes as he lifted the lid off the plastic crate. “Okay, first, the good news.” He lifted out a slim, matte-black data deck about ten centimeters by five and only a few millimeters thick. “They’re going to give you this data deck, but it’s nothing special. You can plug into it, though. The techs had to write a program to make it interface with your optics since you don’t have a PAI to manage the connection, but they’ve promised me it’ll work. It's totally offline, so I had to upload a small library of vids. If you hate what I picked or have specific requests, let me or Harriet know, and we can probably get whatever you want downloaded.”

Juliet took the tiny deck in her hands and beamed. “Thank you, Kline!”

This will help immensely, Juliet. I can write scripts to manage all of your cybernetics when you plug into the device. Don’t worry about their software; I’ll wall it off.

“Well, I thought you’d be disappointed, to be honest. It’s got a few games one of the techs installed, but it’s still a pretty low-end device.”

Juliet laughed. “This is way nicer than any deck I’ve ever used, Mister Kline! It’s so compact! I love it.” Kline’s eyes flickered with understanding, and he nodded.

“Yeah. You know, I’d almost forgotten about your missing memories. I still have an image in my mind that I built up while trying to find you. Let’s just say high-end electronics were part of that image.” He dug around in the crate and lifted out a plastic caddy containing several small jars of paint. “You hate the white walls, right? Here’s some paint. I didn’t know what colors to get, so I asked for a variety. If you tell me which ones you like, I can get you more.” He also took a three-pack of paintbrushes of varying sizes from the box.

“This is perfect!” Juliet gushed, grabbing the paints and lifting out the little jars one by one, reading the labels. “For starters, I’m going to need a bigger jar of black and more sky blue.”

“Heh. All right, Juliet. I’ll make it happen. Here.” He reached into the box and took out a thick book with a polymer binding—a more modern version of a paperback, but still not popular; everyone wanted to use their PAIs to read. “Last present for the day. I asked around but was only able to come up with one book. Everyone gave me grief, saying I should just download some books to your deck there. I did, of course; you’ll find a few thousand popular titles on it. Anyway, you asked for physical books, so I wanted to do what I could. One of my team members, a tech you haven’t met, had this lying around in a box and said you could have it.”

Juliet took the book, suddenly feeling a little guilty. She loved books, and it was sobering to think that one of the people she was enemies with, one of the people she might end up hurting, had given her one. She gently fanned the pages with her thumb while reading the title aloud, “The Hobbit?”

“I guess it was a pretty famous book. You said you liked fantasy, right?”

Juliet! That’s by J.R.R. Tolkien! Many credit him with laying the foundations for the fantasy genre!

“This is great, Kline. Thank you so much.”

Kline smiled and leaned back. “You’re happy with it?”

“Yes!” Juliet hugged the book to her chest.

“It’s funny. We did a lot of research on you. I mean, when you went missing with the prototype. You know, hoping to learn about you and your habits. The idea was that knowing you better might allow us to find and help you more quickly. There weren’t any notes about you reading books like that.”

Juliet almost let her face betray her guilt. She hadn’t been into reading before Angel. Even so, she couldn’t imagine Kline’s people could know everything about her. She plowed ahead with the first plausible lie she could think of, and while she did it, she pushed confidence. “Well, whoever did your research wasn’t so great. When I was younger, I had a few dozen books I got from my grandpa. Whenever I was sick or home alone, worried about my mom or sister, I’d curl up with one. They give me comfort, Kline.”

“Nice.” He nodded, inhaling deeply through his nose, then stood up. “Well? Shall we? Let’s meet Doctor Chen, then you can exercise, and then it’ll be lunchtime.” He gestured to the items on the couch. “You can mess with this stuff this afternoon—your schedule is clear. Sound good?”

Juliet nodded and stood, following Kline out. In the lab space outside her room, she saw Harriet sitting at the only desk. She smiled at Juliet and even offered a quick wave before looking away as though she didn’t want Kline to see the gesture. Juliet didn’t have to fake the smile she shot back. At that moment, she resolved not to let any harm come to Harriet when it came time to make her move. Kline didn’t seem to notice; he was moving quickly, and Juliet followed him out past two corpo-sec goons. She tried to predict each of his turns, ensuring she knew the floor's layout. It wasn’t hard—there were only two short corridors before they stepped into the large “counseling” area with the couches.

Things were a little different from the previous day. The lights were already on, soft pop music played in the background, and a woman sat at the center-most couch with her legs crossed, flipping through something on her AUI. When Juliet and Kline stepped in, the woman stood and strode over, holding out a hand. She was short, with shoulder-length, straight black hair, and wore clothes typical for a doctor: stylish gray slacks, sensible dress shoes, a tucked-in, button-up blouse, and, over it all, a lab coat much like Harriet’s.

“Hello, Juliet. It’s a pleasure finally to meet you. I’m Doctor Chen.” Her handshake was firm and warm, and she held it for just the right amount of time. Juliet felt like it was the most clinically perfect handshake she’d ever had.

“Nice to meet you,” she replied. Doctor Chen motioned toward the couch, and Juliet moved to sit.

“Mister Kline, would you please return for her in forty minutes? That should be enough time for us to get to know each other.”

Kline nodded and turned to the door. “It’ll be Harriet who picks you up, Juliet. I’ll see you this afternoon unless my schedule gets away from me. If so, we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Okay. Um, thanks for the, you know, book and stuff.” As she spoke, Juliet wondered why it was so easy for her to play the innocent victim, the woman who was bewildered, lost, and thankful. Had she felt that way so often in her life that it came naturally?

Kline smiled and stepped out. When the door slid shut, Doctor Chen turned to regard Juliet. When she smiled and stepped closer, Juliet saw something—a subtle change in her demeanor. She still smiled, but it was a hard smile, and her eyes didn’t reflect the emotion. They shone darkly, and it was very apparent to Juliet that this woman was restraining her emotions, forcing herself to appear civil. There was a dark, mean spirit behind those eyes. She grinned at Juliet, and the expression sent a shiver down her spine. “Well, Juliet. What a time you’ve had, hmm? Don’t you worry; we’re going to get to the bottom of those missing memories.”

“Yeah?” Juliet shifted, trying not to be obvious about her instinctual urge to get up and drop into a fighting stance. On a primal level, she felt this woman was a threat. There was something off about her.

“Oh yes. We’ll uproot all the lies. What an ordeal!” She sat beside Juliet, turning toward her, opening those big, dark-brown eyes, staring into Juliet’s. It was almost effortless for Juliet to reach out. She didn’t even think about it; she just inhaled and willed Chen’s thoughts to come her way. The ease with which she pulled was at odds with the result—nothing came to her. Chen’s mind was as quiet as a grave as she continued to speak, “I know what it’s like to be brainwashed. I’m an expert in the field. I know how difficult it is to face the idea that you’re a victim of lies and deceit, especially when you thought you could trust the person who manipulated you.”

Juliet was still reeling from the emptiness behind those eyes when she licked her lips and asked, “Person?”

“Angel, Juliet. She’s really done a number on you, but we’ll straighten things out. We’ll separate fact from fiction.”