Page 111 of Sparktopia
This must be one of those. A jolt or a jump. And Tyse must’ve been saving it up for something, that’s why it was in the box.
Shit, I hope I didn’t just use it all up. Rodge said it’s all very pricey. That’s all I need, more debt to Tyse. It’s already gonna take me forever to pay him back if I’m only getting one coin a day.
I need to put it back and pretend I never found this box or his secret hiding place. That way, he’ll never know it was me who used his jolt.
Stepping away from the footstool, I eyeball the disc cautiously. How do I pick it up without shocking myself again? This is when I realize the edges must be insulated. Because it didn’t shock me when I held it on edge between my fingertips. Only when I pressed the pads of them on the flat sides to put it away.
Is that the secret to holding a jolt? Touch it only on the edges?
Should I go down to Rodge and ask?
But Prisha said the day was over so he’s probably gone. And even though I wouldn’t admit it to Tyse, I am a little bit scared of the people in the tower. Especially that guy down the hall. I would not want to run into him again without Tyse or Rodge with me.
The thing is the size of a button. Surely I can handle it.
But I eyeball it as I walk towards the kitchen, picturing in my mind’s eye how I will grasp it just along the edges and place it back under the lid of the box, put the box away, and pretend this never happened.
When the little disc is at my feet, I let out a breath and bend down, hesitantly reaching for it. The shock it gave me wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t pleasant, either. And I’m not eager to experience it again.
I position my fingers, lower them down, and pinch the edges.
Immediately, I’m shocked again, but the shock is already gone by the time I realize it’s happened, and a burst of animated light takes its place.
I let go and the light disappears.
Then I just sit there on the kitchen floor, mouth open and eyes blinking, trying to make sense of what I just saw. “What was that?” These words come out in a whisper.
Light. I know that much. But it was more than light. There were… people in that light. And they were moving.
I stare at the little button of trouble, wondering what to do now. Just leave it there and wait for Tyse to come home? Is it some kind of jump or jolt? And did I use it all up?
Definitely not. I did not use it up, but I also don’t think it’s a jump or a jolt. It’s something else. Something…
I reach for it again before I talk myself out of it. And the moment my fingers touch the edges, the light springs out again. This time, there is no shock at all, confirming that this is not a hit of energy for spark addicts.
Then I hear voices and they are coming right out of the light.
Without dropping it, I scramble to stand up. And as I move, the… image—that’s the only word I have for this light, because that’s what it is—the image moves with me, but maintains a certain proportion. Which is not exactly true to life. Bits of the image are stretched out in some places and squashed in others.
“Attention,” someone in the light says. “Discharge number A-14-7-TJ, Captain Tymothy Jarvinen.”
Then Tyse’s face appears. Big too. So there’s no mistaking that this is him. It’s just a head, and it’s not real, just another light image. I know this because it rotates in a circle and the numbers just recited by the person in charge, I guess, are floating across his forehead.
“Did your advisors explain the proceedings, Capt. Jarvinen?”
When his mouth opens and answers with a curt, “Yes, sir,” I am so shocked, I almost drop the disc.
“You are being discharged from the Sweep Army for high crimes against your own team. Was this explained to you?”
What? I lean in. Did I hear that correctly? High crimes?
“Yes, sir.”
“This is your official record to be presented to any future employers.”
Tyse lets out an incredulous scoff here. “Futureemployers? That’s almost fuckin’ funny.”
The officiator looks displeased at the interruption, but seems to be in a hurry—or maybe it’s not his job to correct Tyse—so he just skips over the outburst. “The stipulations of your discharge are very strict and I will recite them now to make sure you understand.”
