The day of the Spring Extravaganza finally arrived. Aiden inspected himself in the mirror, smoothing the top of his flex-tie beneath his machine-suit. It resembled the corporate suits his parents wore: segmented, armor-like, the outside almost cardboard in its rigidity.
“So Auxy, how do I look?”
“Very respectable, sir. I find the Vermilion Bird cuff links to be an artful touch.”
Aiden tilted the cuff links closer to the mirror, admiring the metal insignias of a scarlet bird swirling its feathers in a sphere of flames. “Isn’t it? That accoutresmith I found really knows their stuff. I think I’ll commission them for emblem rings in the future. I need more clothes with the family insignia on it.”
Aiden walked of his bathroom and considered the selection of colognes and neuro-scents on his dressing table, picking up a bottle vertically divided two colors: acid-green and lapis blue. “Now for the finishing touches. What do you think of giving some variety to my outfit? How about Crystal Lime at dusk and Maritime Blueberry in the evening?”
“Are you planning on escorting two dates tonight, sir?”
“Oh right, I didn’t tell you.”
Due to personal preference, Aiden had intentionally designed Auxy to be consciously present but not a conscientious passenger. It made the RA feel more like a confidante and less like a program nested in his neural chip. As a result, some information not categorized in Aiden’s mind as essential was hidden away. The last Auxy knew about the Extravaganza, Aiden had made plans with both Shelby Li and Dorothy Ramirez but had not consciously committed to entertaining both at the dance.
“I think I can manage it. With your new social predictability, I should be able to get a good few dances in with Dorothy upon arrival and then some action with Shelby after about an hour.”
“Then may I suggest midnight rose for your scent, sir? Based on the consumer profile I’ve created using Shelby Li’s posting history and outfit choices via her ReputaPortal, there is a 94.65% chance she will react favorably to this choice.”
Aiden unscrewed the lid off the two-toned neuro-scent bottle. “Thanks, Auxy. You know, even though I’m the one who designed your new sociability upgrades, I must say that I impress myself sometimes.”
“I agree with your assessment. Looking at my feedback so far, I believe you are in for a most promising night ahead.”
Aiden shook out the scented wafers from the bottle and placed it on the back of his neck. The thin, synthetic slice dissolved on the back of his neck, dispersing the scent of Crystal Lime over his skin.
Aiden checked himself in the mirror. “Shit, I look good.”
“That you do, sir.”
A net-message flashed in Aiden’s inner HUD. It was from McCourt. Transport route changed due to personnel vacancy. You’re riding with Tancy to her track meet.
Aiden took a comb from the dressing table and ran it through his hair, replying simultaneously: What? Why?
Plans have changed. Will you be ready in ten minutes?
Aiden pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He and Tancy hadn’t talked much in the last couple days since he’d helped fix her survival pack. Whenever they happened to cross paths going to and from the house, she would look away with a dirty scowl and continue on her way, bodyguards in tow.
He didn’t mind the silent treatment, per se; rather, he was afraid that in the confined space of a car, she’d want to explain why she was scowling in the first place. Tancy hated awkward silences.
Give me fifteen, McCourt.
Noted. I’ll be leaving in five.
Great, thought Aiden. Now I know who’s side he’s on.
--
McCourt was waiting in the wide-open front courtyard. Lined up in the middle of the sweeping driveway was a fleet of black SUVs with tinted windows — which, while serving as standard protection detail for the whole family, was not the norm for just two of the Huang children.
“What’s going on?” said Aiden as he walked up. “Why are Tancy and I riding together? There’s like ten cars here.”
“Security precaution,” said McCourt. “One of my men didn’t report for the shift change this morning. In the meantime, we’re going to have you and Tancy ride together to your respective events to tighten our area of control. The rest of the vehicles will serve as decoys.”
“Is that really necessary?” said Aiden. He tapped his temple and, his eye flashed a hologram of a clock in the air. “I’ll be late for my dance. Tancy’s competition is in the opposite direction of Terminary. There has to be a better option.”
“The best option would be to cancel your excursions altogether,” said McCourt. “If it weren’t for the fact that other members of my detail have admitted to being drinking buddies with this missing man on their day off yesterday, I would have done just that. As it is, his absence today is likely explained by one too many beers after happy hour.”
“Why can’t I —”
“Stay behind? Of course you may. Or, you get to your dance twenty minutes after doors open. Thirty, if you continue asking questions. Your choice, young master.”
Now it was Aiden’s turn to scowl. When it came to convenience and protocol, the guards always make concessions for Tancy. It was an unspoken truth that she was their favorite.
“Whatever.” He pushed past McCourt and slid into the car.
The SUV column moved forward, the car shuddering into motion. Across from Aiden, Tancy say with her head bowed, as if deep in concentration. She was dressed in her running tracksuit: a gray, tri-weave ziv affair with symmetrical blue lines winding down the arms and legs.
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Perfectly content to leave Tancy to whatever ritual she practiced before competing, Aiden sat back and surfed the Net via his cyberware, perusing the catalog of the accoutresmith that had manufactured his signature cuff links. Chavarre and Co. not only had a wide selection of emblem rings customizable to his family’s name and crest, but also scores of luxury watches, chromagraphic hair tips, and some of the newer fad accessories that included decorative thigh vents for athleisure (spraying mineral-laced mist over one’s legs to combat skin dehydration in Neocopy’s occasionally oppressive heat).
Aiden added a Luxor Watch to his cart and a range of emblem ring frames for future reference. After a while, he heard a loud sniff from the adjacent seat. Then another. Her nose wrinkling, Tancy opened her eyes and leaned away. “Why do you smell like sour grapes?”
“What?”
“I’ve smelled that in a museum once. Are you wearing that to your dance?”
“It’s supposed to be the best reconstruction of lime there is,” said Aiden, adding another emblem ring to his Net shopping cart. “Not like you’re an expert in neuro-scents.”
“I haven’t taken a class in residual botany, but I know for sure that is not lime. Shelby Li’s going to be swooning when she smells that, and not for the reason you think.”
Aiden deactivated his online shopping window and looked sideways at her. “How do you know I’m going with Shelby Li?”
Tancy rolled her eyes. “Her little sister is literally in my Ancient Literature class. Word gets around. Apparently Shelby became interested in you after your stupid ziv-ball game.”
“Heh, fuckin’ knew it. It’s funny that you even care, though — I thought you didn’t like them.”
“I don’t. Trinity is a dumb, gossipy fetty that thinks it’s funny to spill chroma-ziv all over my fusion farm project…especially when she sees a hot guy like Owen Nguyen show interest in scalable, sustainable energy. From what I’ve heard, Shelby’s the same way, and even she doesn’t deserve having to put up with the likes of you.”
“Whatever, I bet Dorothy will — I mean, the scent will wear off by the time I meet up with Shelby. I’m using a dual variety.”
“Then who…” Tancy looked confused for a moment, then scandalized. “You have two dates to the dance?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“You guys are all the same,” said Tancy in disgust. “Chasing after whatever whiff of attention you can get. It’s a biological trait they saw across species. In the 21st century, there were tropical birds just like you that flaunted their superficial, depreciating plumage to attract multiple mates.”
“If those birds were better at it, you’d think they wouldn’t have gone extinct.”
“You’re scummy. You’re the scummiest of scum.”
A snort of laughter came from the front of the car.
“Who was that?” demanded Aiden, glaring. Burt looked at him through the rearview mirror, stone-faced. In the same view, Aiden saw his co-passenger, a white, pony-tailed bodyguard name Susan, covering her mouth to stifle her chuckles. “Oh, never mind. I guess there’s only so many other ‘ho-ho’ possibilities besides Mr. Easter Island Head over here.”
“Just because it’s funny doesn’t mean it’s not true, “ said Tancy.
“Nobody’s getting hurt. I’m just sharing the love tonight with two lovely girls at two separate times.”
“Like a scumbag.”
“Don’t even think about contacting Shelby,” said Aiden sharply.
Tancy folded her arms and scowled out the window. “I’m no snitch.”
They sat in silence for a minute. Then Tancy said, “You better not message Owen Nguyen telling him I said he’s hot.”
Aiden grinned mischievously. “Why wouldn’t I? I’m the scummiest of scum, right?”
The car slowed, then came to an abrupt stop in the middle of a congested fairway. A man in an alcohol-stained sweater was running through the lines of traffic, smacking the hoods of cars as he passed. Almost immediately, surveillance sphere descended on the man like a swarm of hornets, knocking him off his feet. Bundles of barbed cables shot out of their sides and ensnared the man in a thorny cocoon. Electricity sparked along their lengths, and the man’s high-pitched howls filtered in through the closed windows of the Huang’s SUV.
Aiden was unimpressed by the speed of the takedown. They were in the richer quarter of the 11th Borough, approximately nine blocks from Exsupero Prep’s athletic field. The police here were well-paid to protect its residents.
Tancy watched the man struggling in the middle of the lane as the cars moved along, looking more morose than ever. “Great, now I have to start over. I probably won’t even make the top five in the two-hundred meter dash, never mind the four-by-four.”
“You’ll do fine,” said Susan encouragingly. “Didn’t you say Lady Huang sent you a net-message rooting for you? Your parents must be very proud.”
Tancy’s expression was downcast, her hands twisting in her lap. She probably thought it would have been better if their parents had actually shown up to watch, but Aiden felt neither sympathy nor the need to give further encouragement. It wasn’t like anyone had ever wished him good luck before his ziv-ball matches.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tancy slip a cobalt-blue capsule from her pocket and unscrew the top under her nose. She took three deep breaths, inhaling deeply.
Finally, their SUV column turned into the school’s driveway, paused briefly at the security gate for a quick scan, and proceeded along the lane of holographic strip lights to the drop-off area. The cars in front and behind them emptied out their security detail, and a black bodyguard named Nelson pulled open Tancy’s door.
“Good luck!” called Susan as Tancy slipped out, slinging the strings of her ziv-sack over a shoulder. Tancy flashed a quick smile back, swung the door shut, and hurried along, boxed in at a distance by three bodyguards.
As they pulled away, Aiden considered filing a motion with his parents to get Susan fired. With that man in their security detail missing on a supposed all-night bender, it should be clear that something was amiss in their hiring practices. But then he brushed the impulse away. It wasn’t like his parents would listen to him, anyway. Besides, he wasn’t that petty.
Aiden checked his inbox. Dorothy had sent him a couple net-messages asking where he was.
On my way, he sent back. Family issue, had to go a different route. Meet by the doors on the east side in twenty minutes?
Dorothy’s reply was quick in coming. All good! Don’t take too long. I’m too dressed up to wait. She sent a 3-D image of herself twirling in a sleek gown, a saturation filter emphasizing her long-lashed, hazel eyes and bronzed legs.
Aiden grinned and sent back an open-mouthed emoji, followed by two more hearts that burst into confetti. He had a feeling this would be a very eventful night.
A flash of blue caught his eye. Tancy’s capsule had fallen out her pocket and now lay on the floor of the car, the reflective metal winking like a teardrop. He reached over and examined it more closely. It was a mem-scent. By its number counter, there were one hundred uses possible, thirty uses remaining.
Unlike neuro-scents, which merely amplified the brain’s reaction to an existing smell, mem-scents specifically activated the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, creating the sensation of reliving seconds, moments, or even hours of a chosen time in someone’s past.
When Aiden sniffed it, the effect was instantaneous. Everything — from the feel of the car seat beneath him to the tasteless, air-conditioned air — fell away, and he was instantly plunged into a memory.
A sunny day on the beach, diamonds of light twinkling off the ocean. The rich, brown, perfect sand was warm enough to be comfortable and dry, but not scalding-hot. Aiden recognized the place: a small island up north, offering daytime water sports and all-intensive spas, miles away from Neocopy’s gaudy, neon-soaked shadow. Tancy had been five, and he had been eight, both of them still young enough to believe their parents would never lie to them when they said that the two of them were the most important things in the world to Mommy and Daddy.
He looked upon himself from Tancy’s eyes, squealing and splashing around with his mother, who was gleefully flinging water at him from the shallows. A pudgy finger jabbed out in the memory’s vision, and Aiden realized that Tancy was riding on his father’s shoulders, urging him on like a knight atop a horse. She and their father sloshed forward, joining the fray, and the air was filled with laughter and sun and the fresh, briny smell of the ocean.
Then the memory ended. For many minutes Aiden kept his eyes closed, trying to savor the feeling of wet sand beneath his toes, even as the mem-scent’s stimulants faded away into nothing.
The SUV slowed and came to a halt. Burt’s clipped voice came from the front seat.
“We’ve arrived at Terminary High, sir. Would you like us to escort you to the security gate?”
Aiden opened his eyes. “No thanks, Burt. I’ll be on my own from here.”