This is an early preview of Broken Chapter 14. Changes will be made between this version and the final version. Thanks for reading <3
CHAPTER 14
DiSt®aCtioℕ
ISA Gran Costa Camp #18
08/11/4172
“It’s not like this was my choice,” Sebby said. That was true. Ezra had pawned him off on Kaye for the night for no reason that he could discern. His only guess was that he somehow triggered some lingering resentment leftover from their conflict three days earlier. Sebby had done his best to be more attentive. He’d avoided talking about mice while she was around, and had re-organized a pile of maps, logbooks and forms in Ezra’s office that she’d left unsorted for months. That had gone smoothly and had been positively received as far as he could tell. The sudden banishment that followed had taken him completely by surprise.
“Don’t stress, Seb. It’s fine. Takes me back to when I’d get stuck with watching one of my little brothers,” Kaye said while taking obnoxiously long, confident strides down the unevenly lit trail to camp. Sebby was doing his best to keep up, but Kaye had to stop every so often and wait.
Dusk was still over an hour away, but the jagged mountain skyline to the west made sunset a variable experience around Camp #18. At Ezra’s house, which was tucked away between two ridges, it arrived on average an hour early. In the camp, sunset came around 30 minutes before the sky would start darkening in earnest.
“I was kind of made to be a younger brother.” That felt honest from one angle and like an obvious lie from another.
“That explains a lot, really,” Kaye said with a lopsided grin. It was an expression Sebby had seen them adopt when joking with Ezra and Red, but not as frequently with him. It gave Sebby some hope that they liked him, but he was never sure how much of that was because he was their boss’s prized possession. He still gave a hopeful little laugh in response to the joke.
The pair continued on in cooperative silence until the camp slowly crawled into view, appearing as a collage of lights, sound and motion masked behind rows of trees. The small trail from Ezra’s shifted and merged into a larger path that the camp maintained, allowing Sebby to relax and spend less time carefully selecting each step he took. He pushed away the fact that he’d have to climb it again in the pitch black.
“Where are we going?” It was a question Sebby probably should have asked earlier. He knew they were headed to wherever Kaye went three out of seven nights a week, and that Cary – who he now knew was Kaye’s intimate partner – would be there.
“Cary’s place. They have a res in Cluster C. I told you that, didn’t I?”
Sebby was almost sure they hadn’t. He thought about querying EDGAR, but decided against it. “Probably.” He fell in directly behind Kaye as they entered the camp proper, a habit he’d picked up with Ezra on their daily trips.
The ISA residence clusters were all just behind Mess, but Sebby hadn’t yet visited them on his few short camp expeditions. He’d been trying to learn the layout of the other crew camps which, barring Rada’s and Ezra’s, were all on the opposite side of the small settlement, just across a tiny stream that had gone mostly dry during summer. When he’d first shown up, it had been a mess of noise and spray – now it was a single line of moisture cutting through the cracked earth.
Each residence cluster had five small hex-shaped dwellings gathered around a shared courtyard. The residents of Cluster C had constructed a fire pit out of scavenged stone and concrete chunks in the center of theirs, with paths made of similarly scavenged rock leading around to each dwelling. There was a sprinkling of path lights that looked like skinny mushrooms, colors shifting slowly across the spectrum. Some part of Sebby recognized them, but the rest of him didn’t care enough to want to pinpoint where he recognized them from. He had grown accustomed to encounters like that – ghosts from a remembered existence that was losing its coherence.
Cary’s residence rose a half-unit higher than its neighbors. The extra area housed a ladder-accessible sleeping loft, which Sebby had learned about when Kaye came limping home after a hasty exit. Kaye stopped in front of the unit’s door and knocked twice, then tilted their head towards it. Sebby couldn’t hear a response, but saw Kaye smile as they pushed the door open.
The inside was more inviting and cozily decorated than Sebby had expected, the only large furniture being four chairs and a single small table that had been pushed off against a wall. The central area was dimly lit and strewn with pillows and cushions, layered over with a melange of blankets and throws. They were a mish-mash of obviously standard-issue ISA kit – in garnet, silver and white – and private acquisitions in a spray of different colors and patterns.
There were already four sapiens gathered in a casual half-circle towards the center of the residence, collected loosely around a low black table that held a cadre of shallow glasses. One of the group – a short, black furred felid with a white spot over their left eye – had already begun to pull themselves up as Kaye stepped in.
“Shithead!” Kaye said while lifting their arms and taking the few short steps to where Cary – Sebby assumed it was Cary, at least, from Kaye’s enthusiasm – was waiting. The pair exuberantly wrapped themselves up in each other, though Kaye had to crouch down to do so. “And the rest of you, I guess,” Kaye said, sporting a lopsided grin yet again.
“Aww, you’re so sweet. And you don’t stink anymore, thank you. Showering is important, babe,” Cary said. “And you brought someone?”
Sebby was examining Cary’s grinning face when their eyes sprang open and caught him in the act. He’d missed his chance to smile, wave and present himself in a normal manner. Instead he awkwardly broke eye contact, gave a half wave, then tried to figure out if he was expected to wait outside.
“Oh, that’s Sebby. Looking after him for Ez tonight. Seb, stop standing there like a freak and come in,” Kaye said while moving towards the group with Cary still clinging to them. That solved that.
Sebby had been taken to gatherings before, but never so casually. Normally he’d have been there for some purpose. Whether that was to help in a negotiation, aid in political maneuvering or to merely exist as a status symbol for his family didn’t matter. It gave him something. As he was currently lacking that, Sebby moved over towards the table and chairs that had been purposefully tucked out of the way. Settling in there, he hoped, would give him the same level of import.
The group quickly returned to a conversation that Sebby assumed they’d been having before Kaye and he had shown up. He stayed passively aware of the conversation – some gossip about a new crew lead coming in – but let his attention drift. It ended up focused on a tall glass jar labeled “FREE mystery junk” that rested on the table. It was three-quarters full of various pre-collapse odds and ends that Sebby knew that Cary had confiscated during their work as a scav team inspector. Kaye had mentioned it to him during one of their stories about Cary.
Most of the items in the jar were just as mysterious to Sebby as they seemed to be to Cary, barring one. It was shaped like a large coin, with a raised button on one face. Most of them that he had seen had been a deep black, but this one was worn down to a dark grey, which made sense given its age. Sebby carefully plucked it out and flipped it over, confirming his suspicions when he saw the maker’s logo.
“Ok, I can’t do this. Hey, Sebastian! That’s his name, right?”
Sebby’s attention sprang up from the small device and over to the group. The sapien who’d spoken – a squat, pleasantly rounded orange felid – was someone Seb had seen before, at Rada’s. He was almost certain she was a general tech who was training to be a surveyor, but that was all information he’d picked up through overheard conversations. Either way, it made her presence less off-putting.
“I go by Sebby.”
“Ok, Sebby, yeah. I’m Bee.” Her expression was bright and welcoming, with a hint of frustration. “Do you mind coming over here? It’s weird having you all off on your own over there in the corner. Real bad vibes.”
Kaye motioned Sebby over before he had time to interject that he could wait outside. They’d have said no, anyways. He palmed the small device and took up a spot on the ground near Kaye, who sat casually cross-legged with the much smaller Cary draped partially over their lap. As Sebby sat, Cary began staring intently at Sebby in the same way he had stared at them earlier. Fair play.
“I’m Cary. Nice to finally meet ya, Sebby,” They adopted a curt, casual smile that read to Sebby as either tired or relaxed. Maybe a mix of the two. “Did you find a treasure in my jar of crap?”
Sebby held the small round device he’d found out towards Cary. “Just this. I remember these. They were popular.”
That seemed to get Cary’s attention. They crawled towards Sebby and lifted their head just enough to rest their chin on the flat of their palm, elbow perched on Kaye’s leg. “What does it do? Can you check to see if it works?”
“It turns on, but I can’t check to see if it works.” Sebby demonstrated by pressing the device, button-side in, against his temple. After three seconds it vibrated out a rejection and flashed a small red light. “No brain.” That earned an authentic snort-laugh from Kaye.
“Ok, but what does it do? Can I use it?” Cary’s energy had risen quickly, Sebby noted. He offered the device up as requested.
“Probably. It captures, translates and replays three seconds of brainstate activity. Emotions, thoughts and sometimes imagery, supposedly. Double-tap press to record, single press to play.”
“So, it could have something in it already? From like, before the collapse?” Cary said as they snatched it out of Sebby’s hand and pressed it to their temple.
“I guess that’s possible. I’d be careful, though – from what I know, sapiens used them mostly -“
Cary made a sharp, surprised screech followed by a throaty groan, then aggressively hurled the device across the room. After a second to catch their breath they broke into a fit of laughter, curling in and shoving themselves bodily against Kaye while shaking with amusement.
“Mostly for sexual stuff,” Sebby finished.
Kaye gave Sebby a look that he immediately recognized as possessiveness, then wrapped an arm around the still laugh-spasming Cary. Sebby gestured resignation in response, but held onto a half-smile.
“Yeah, that was definitely a dude cumming,” Cary said between choked laughs.
“Oh my god!!! Really! Cary, babe! That’s not just a dude. That’s a dude from like, 80 years ago! That’s an antique orgasm! I hope to shit that you didn’t break it,” Bee said as she rose and began hastily searching for the discarded device.
Cary eventually got their laughter under control and unwound themselves from Kaye, sliding closer to Sebby before gesturing over towards the two sapiens he’d not yet met.
“Sebby, forgive me for not introducing you. That brown lump over there is Clark – he works for Five as a camp medic – and the quiet little tan and white thing is Osso. You might have seen them in Mess. And you already met Bee, and me. And Kaye. I think that’s all I’ve gotta do, right? I’m not used to being a like, host-host,” Cary said, their voice much more effervescent than it had been. “And, like, super thanks for showing me that. Didn’t know I needed it today.”
Bee let out a surprised but happy shriek and came bounding back to the group. “If you broke this, Cary, I will end you.” She dropped herself bodily onto a thick cushion, then pressed the device to her temple. Three seconds later she erupted into a fit of exuberant wheezing laughter.
The relic was passed to each sapien in turn, and each one similarly succumbed to curiosity and pressed it to their temple. Each then broke into laughter – some louder than others. Kaye added an extra “Oh god, that grunt at the end,” before holding the token back out to Cary.
Cary adopted a mournful expression as the device dropped into their palm, attention turning to Sebby. “I’m not sure if it’s lucky or unlucky that you can’t use it. Either way, thanks for showing us.” Sebby nodded back and gave a smile, mostly for show.
“Poor Seb! It felt kinda like how synths describe core-syncing, I think? If you’ve ever done that,” Bee said.
“Like what?”
Kaye quickly cycled through a series of expressions that were hard for Sebby to interpret – a mix of amusement followed by a wave of seriousness, ending in a forced grin that was masking something he couldn’t determine. They didn’t look angry, at least. “C’mon, he’s too young for that stuff.”
Sebby’s expression was pointedly neutral now, though it likely came across as dour when surrounded by bemused smiles and underscored with laughter. “Technically speaking, I’m 81.” That elicited more laughs, which Sebby should have expected, but didn’t.
Kaye rolled their eyes. “That’s not your uptime, Sebs. But, fine, y’all explain it to him. I’m starving, so I’m going to go get some food before Mess closes.” There were a few requests put in before Kaye slipped up and out of the residence, leaving Sebby facing a group of mostly strangers.
Cary settled back into the warm empty spot Kaye had left them, then turned towards Sebby. “So, you’ve really never heard of core-syncing? I was sure you would know about it.”
Sebby shrugged. “I’m famously disappointing.” That got a laugh from Bee and a look of what he assumed was likely pity from Cary.
“So, like, it’s when two synths directly connect their cores and, uh. Do whatever that entails. They get real excited about it! They can both like, feel and exist in each other’s minds, from what I’ve read. Real accounts, not from like, fics or sims,” Bee said with a trilling, nervous laugh.
“The goal is to, like, feel and think the same feelings and thoughts at the same time. But, like, together.” The brown sapien – Clark, Sebby recalled – spoke in an unnatural monotone voice, hinting at the influence of some unknown intoxicant. “That’s, like, what the one I worked with told me. They were really into it.”
“Did it start after the collapse? I’ve never heard of it,” Sebby said, tone gaining a rising edge of defensiveness. The concept still didn’t make sense to him. He’d encountered plenty of other synths in his old life, and a few in his new one, barring other Nexkin. Most of them seemed to be solitary and socially diminutive, and he’d never seen two together in a way that seemed purposeful for any reason other than carrying out their assigned tasks.
“I don’t think it’s new,” Osso said. His voice was hoarse and deeper than Sebby expected from a sapien of such a small stature. “I worked with Utke on Belvy’s team. Was a smart bot, wicked fast at repairs. They learned to sync pre-collapse. Had to do with somethin about Nexline tracking motor activity but not core use during uptime. I get it, though. Urges, y’know. They’re weird but you gotta chase ’em.”
The information didn’t fit well into Sebby’s perception of the world, and especially of other synths. He’d always seen them as somewhat less sapien-like than himself, so adding an intimate, possibly sexual behavior he didn’t understand felt incongruent. If they had those urges, he should too. But he didn’t.
“Do you know any Nexkin that’ve done it?”
Cary grinned and gestured grandly at the others in the room. “We don’t know. None of us have ever met a Nexkin before you, Seb. You’re pretty rare.”
Sebby nodded and started to respond, but was cut off by a very enthusiastic Bee.
“You’re totally the first I’ve met, but I, like, definitely think you live up to the hype. I was one of those kids that, y’know, really really wanted to be a synth hunter – or a grav-drone operator – with one of the big Central reclamation projects. So of course I read a lot about Nexkin. And, by the way? Totally don’t believe the Nexkin recall collapse theory. So dumb. Oh, and I read a lot about A3s, but I also shouldn’t get talking about those too, not right now. No, Bee!” She paused for half-a-second, inhaled sharply, then continued. “But I always heard that Nexkin were like, next-level real and they were right! You’re here just like, chilling like anybody! And like, no shade but you’re also weirdly charismatic, even though you look kind of like, pissed off half the time. OH! And your eyes each cost like, eight thousand A-cred a piece! And you can cry? That’s so crazy, but like, I get it! Crying is important.”
Sebby didn’t want the confidently pattered off words to make him feel better, but they did. Yes, he was being treated like an object, but that was nothing new. This time, he was being treated like a wanted object. An object with real value. It’d been a long time since he’d felt he had any real value. That was comforting in a way that Sebby hated himself for craving.
“Bee, settle. You’re dumpin’ again,” Cary said with a snicker while nudging at her with an outstretched foot. “Forgive her, Sebby, she’s doing her best. Just really easily excited, especially about synths.”
He nodded, but stayed silent for a few beats too long. He was stuck on one small facet that didn’t make sense.
“So, you’ve heard of Nexkin? Does everyone in the camp know about us?”
Cary looked to Bee before turning back to Sebby and gently nodding. Bee added an enthusiastic “for sure” in. Osso and Clark chose to nod as well. Sebby nodded respectfully back while beginning to unpack what it all meant for him, and his hopes of an eventual liberation.
“Ok. And A3s never went to production,” Sebby added. The statement was made mostly as a reward for EDGAR, who he knew would have suggested it before Erik’s overrides. He also made it, in part, because he wanted to remain at the top of the pack.
“Oh, please Sebby do not get her started on that. It’s just – Hey, Kaye’s back!” Cary’s speech filled the space just long enough to keep Bee from letting spill the tsunami of likely questionable facts she seemed to be mentally preparing in response to Sebby’s last declaration.
“Okay, my lovely idiots, I have a ton of food. Please someone, come help,” Kaye said, much louder than necessary for the small space. Sebby assumed it was because their arms were full – if they couldn’t wildly gesture, they accommodated with pure volume.
Sebby leapt at the opportunity to be useful and exit the conversation at the same time. He had a lot to process, and needed to sink into the background to do so. As the rest of the group coalesced around the food he’d helped lay out, Sebby slipped back and rested alongside the small device he’d found earlier. Cary had set it out of the way, right in the center of a small pillow, as if it were napping. Sebby flipped it over and idly traced the logo engraved into the back.
He was valuable. And Ezra’s crew had known that from the beginning.