Taken

I must have fallen asleep on the couch. The light from outside was beginning to fade, and I could see the stars appear in the evening skies. Always there, even when I can’t see you.

I heard loud banging noises from the hallway and realised that Robbie had returned. He regaled me with everything about the band’s practice and how they had to keep it simple, just 12 bar blues stuff to get in sync with each other, but it was “Supergreat” when they finally started locking in together. He said it felt far more fun than the ‘virtual karaoke’ they were doing before (I must admit, that was a smug ‘I told you so’ moment for me). He also said that he had talked to his mom again, and they just needed a break from each other, so if it was alright could his freeloading days continue for a little longer?

“Yeah, of course.” I felt pretty sad at hearing it would just be temporary. “Maybe I’ll get a cat or something after you go, if that’s still allowed. How have cats evolved in the last 93 years? Would I need to go on a cat psychology and ownership course?”

“No. Everyone knows it’s the cats who are the real owners. The Illu-meuw-arti, we call them! Besides, I think a cat might need counselling if it took you on! Why not…a robot goose with antlers instead?”

“Ha. No, maybe a frog with tentacles. Or a scorpicow. Or a goatasaurus rex.”

Robbie wasn’t laughing anymore – he was staring right at me. He had come back down to terra firma with a bump. “There’s something wrong. With you.”

“What? I’m okay.”

“Don’t kid a kidder.” He touched my clammy face. “You used that Sensoback, didn’t you.” He took my hand, feeling it tremble. “Of course you did. Man, I told you not to push it too hard! Pretty far out though, wasn’t it?”

I suddenly started retching. He brought the bin in from the kitchen, popped the lid and I let go.

The bin began protesting. “Hey! I am a sensitive brand of kitchen equipment, made for disposing of bioplastic and food items. This greeny-blue bioplasma you are ejecting into me just doesn’t cut it, mister, it does not! I simply refuse to have it. You’re such a waste of space. I will be calling my union in the morning –”

“– Oh, do shut up,” I hissed between vomiting. Robbie was patting my back. “Who programmed this stupid thing?”

“Stupid?? I have an IQ of 347. Totally overqualified for my rubbish job.”

Robbie removed the power cell from the side. “I guess I broke it…hopefully.”

“Get me a cheap replacement, one with an IQ less than 347. One I can spew in without regrets.”

“I see you’re gonna fully embrace the bachelor life…”

I didn’t hear any more from Robbie. I passed out.

***

I came to, lying on my bed, on top of the duvet. In the corner, Robbie was quietly strumming my Strat.

“Hey, you’re awake. Had me worried there.”

“How long…was I out for?”

“Just about an hour. You weren’t sick again. You’re such an eejit.”

I sat up, cradling my head, which was spinning.

“I think I’ll be okay. Thanks to your wonderful bedside manner.”

“Take your time. Look, I know you’re still not entirely well. I watched the programs that said about the readjusting, from the medical and psych side of what you went through.”

Was nothing off-limits when it came to me?

“I know you want to get on with things…bud I really don’t want to baby you, but there’s nothing wrong with you just resting and chilling out and letting the world do its thing, without you, for a while.”

I nodded. But then – I remembered what the Sensoback had shown me. And then, the holocall: the pale masked face with the horizontal red line…

The pieces came together in my head. I just knew it: something bad had happened.

I tried to relay the events of the past few hours back to Robbie as best as I could. Then, I stared into Robbie’s eyes. “I want to see Blue. And I want to see her now.”

Robbie nodded seriously, and immediately called an autotaxi firm up. The journey was quick but seemed to last an eternity in my troubled mind.

We touched down at the Floor 54 entrance. The guards saw me undisguised, and I demanded to see Dr Fisher immediately. Being me had some perks – they just let me straight in, after I vouched for Robbie, with the proviso of one of them coming with me. They patted us down for weapons. “Sorry, but we’ve been told to be more vigilant in this last hour, we’ve been put on amber alert. Perhaps it’s just a test.” I looked at Robbie and he looked back at me, sharing my concern.

As we had no access to the medical staff computer terminals, we went to the main hospital reception on Floor 25 first – that’s where the staff management and rotas would be processed. A supervisor said that Blue was indeed off suspension but wasn’t timetabled up there today; it could have been a rare day off for her – or she could have been on duty at the facility.

We proceeded down to the facility. I had activated my holomask by then, but people were as friendly as ever and I was thankful that Robbie dealt with that side of things for me: I was barely keeping it together.

What I quickly noticed as we entered the facility area was there was an almost complete lack of guards. I asked our chaperone about that, and he told me that since I left not so many were needed due to reduced activity. Many had been redeployed back to the appropriate branches of the Military Police.

Perched by a water fountain was Daniel, sipping from a nanoglass cleverly generated by the fountain itself. “Adem – good to see you. What brings you here? Come for a check-up?”

“I’ve come to see Blue.” I said urgently.

“Ah, you’ve come to your senses. Well, Belinda Blue hasn’t turned in today. She was supposed to be here this morning,” it was about 4pm, “So maybe she got transferred to the hospital?” Robbie shook his head, knocking that train of thought from the tracks. “We’ve come from there.” “Oh, well, unwell then?”

People very rarely got sick in this day and age. Plus, medicine was so good and so rapid, nothing short of something serious would stop most people.

I saw the figure of Dr Frank coming up the corridor. Usually he was poised, but he was walking very rapidly, looking down. Straight away, I saw his worry.

He stopped right in front of me, took a deep breath and sighed it out.

“Young man. Come with me.”

He put his hand on my back, steering me a short way down the corridor into an unused office, devoid of anything save for a table and a few chairs.

He motioned for me to sit. I saw in his grave face that he was going to confirm my deepest fear.

“The Sect have taken Blue.”