Chapter 5; Clarity

Crystal Santiago was there by lunchtime, sitting across from Roland at the round, small, transparent table where he ate before stepping outside.

Everything about her was well tended, and her mind was as sharp and bright as her gleaming nails.

“Robotic forensics? What is that, exactly.”

“The short version is combing through rebellion sites and collecting viable parts that can be recycled. Like everything else, parts cost.”

Roland sat back. “Cost money?”

She looked at him, surprised. “No. Favors, access to connections, secret assignments for top code writers, then hackers to test its validity.”

Roland cursed. They’d shut him in, and at the same time kept him out. He had more questions, but they were running out of time.

“So what’s your part in this?” he said.

“I salvage, sort, tag, and find a match. The parts you see with two serial numbers is our work. For reasons unknown, they won’t let us remove the first one. My guess is, if the part fails again, they’ll throw it out.”

“I didn’t know. I thought all this time they just pressed metal in the factories for long hours and low pay.”

Crystal chuckled. “Oh, they absolutely do. Prison labor for rebel leaders, punishment for insubordination and the like. They’ve gotten better at not having everyone executed when they could be utilized. But to your point, no resource has an infinite supply.’

Smiling at the implied condescension, he mentally slapped himself for making her state the obvious. He sat back.

“I wonder if that’s due to my work?”

“Which is?”

He told her about NIQ, the code for Sustainer, then what came afterward. “I’m to teach it to you, so you can work on it if, or when, I can’t. NIQ told me you were first in your class?”

She finished her salad. “I was. I actually wanted to be.”

“Why?”

“Why does anyone do their best? Success, financial security….” she looked at him with a secret in her eyes. “Survival.”

Neither face gave anything away, but the casual way she said it, with the slightest undertone only human speech conveyed, he knew her for a kindred spirit, and placed hope in his good fortune.

She’s looking to wreck things as well.  “Understood.”

He rose from the table and offered his hand. She took it and helped herself up.

Drones entered to clear the table and sterilize the room.

“Thank you, Dr. Bernard.”

“You’re welcome. For this afternoon, I’ll walk you through the start of Sustainer.”

“All right. “