The Power of Forgetting (38 page)

'Yes;' Janey
gestured with a pen still clutched between her fingers as she
checked the clipboard, 'I have to go to a meeting… but I intend to
be "sick"; so that we will have chance to get into access the
files. I have a small lab near the main block. The bigger lab is
next to the place with the computer bank. There may be a window of
opportunity that is quite short; say only twenty minutes. In order
to download the information, we need without detection we will have
to bypass the main grid. In other words, get in directly to the
memory blocks without going through the main frame. Every login is
recorded and checked. Security is tight at the front end of things.
But the hardware is protected by a steel case. It's held down with
about eight four inch bolts. They will have to be unscrewed
individually, also manually. Anything electrical will trigger an
alarm. The memory blocks inside can be read. But we would need to
move them about fifty feet to another room to do it.'

'So let me get
this straight,' said Oliver, 'You're going to go into a top
security area; undo the casing on their computer memory after
bypassing the alarm system; remove the memory blocks, take it round
the corner, download it, bring it back, put everything back how you
found it….and get out of the place all in about twenty
minutes?'

'Yes.' said
Davey.

'Then you are
going to need my help.' said Oliver firmly.

After a pause
Marcia said; 'Okay. Give Davey the briefing at the end of this one.
Hanson; Jared will be with you instead.'

'What?' I said.
I wasn't happy with this arrangement at all.

'We need to
keep it tight, and this is the best way to do so.' She looked at me
pointedly. I didn't dare contradict her; especially not with Hanson
stood right there. Lorraine was a handful at the best of times. And
perhaps this was the time to face my fear on that front. Suddenly I
felt sorry for Hanson. He hadn't deceived with the matter of
Lorraine; we had both been her willing playthings once. He was not
about to give up on her this time. She wasn't a bad person. Just a
very egocentric one; I suppose they were well suited in a way. In
her, Hanson really had met his match. They only problem would be
when we had to leave. If he really was in love with her, could he
be persuaded to go with us? I was convinced that Lorraine wouldn't
risk breaking with the Bank Collective while there was a chance of
backing the winning side. God help him! He really was in a pickle
this time.

I looked
towards Davey, but he was preoccupied with Oliver's new plan on how
to get in the mainframe.

'You Okay?' It
was Janey.

'Shouldn't you
and Davey both confab with Reece?'

'Not really. I
don't want to intrude on the boys. They've got their own ideas.
I'll just do my bit…. They've got everything I can reasonably give
already.'

'Oh…'

'You're
wondering why I did it; aren't you?' Janey clicked the pen in a
rhythm.

I frowned,
'Please don't do that.'

'Sorry. But you
must be curious.' She stared at me waiting.

I shook my head
slightly, 'I have a really bad feeling about all of this…. Not what
you did; that actually made a lot of sense. It still does. The
question is… do they know that you are with us now?'

'I always was.
What do you mean?' She clipped the biro into her front jacket
pocket.

'There is
something so obvious we are missing it,' I paused, trying to
summarise the fragmented nature of this disquiet, 'we are all part
of the problem…. We are all in the system. And this just feels like
were about to cut of the branch we are sitting on.'

'Have you said
anything to Marcia?' Janey glanced over to where Joe and Marcia
stood deep in a low voiced conversation.

'No…. I mean
what could I say? It's just a feeling.'

'You and your
feelings…. they always drive you, don't they?'

'Yes….is that a
criticism?'

'Not at all.'
She knelt down and adjusted her pack straps, 'I mean that I have
that feeling too. But there is only this that I can give; only this
that I can do. That's what it is; we beat against the darkness with
our fists; and hope to be released….'

I crouched down
next to her, 'Why are you telling me this Janey? And why are you so
ready to sacrifice yourself?'

'You know that
huh?' she grinned suddenly, 'I wanted to find out what was out
there Jared; and I did! Yes…. I know now. There is something…. like
music. Or poetry. My science found your art brother. I know what I
see now. Karis showed me how. That is why I took the risk…. Because
I had to try to change what was happening. Even Mr Charles doesn't
realise what he has done. The ripples of the experiments have
travelled outwards… further and further. Far beyond what we thought
possible. And then suddenly there it was… perfect. Like poetry. Or
the discovery of the Atom; or the speed of light.'

'What?' I
leaned towards her and whispered again, 'What did you find?'

'I found a
doorway. Not an ordinary one either. Not even a wormhole in
space-time. This was different. A door to the other…. the
unimagined. Another world entirely…'

'A Parallel
world?'

'Yes…. Yes! Not
an alternative to this one. Not another version. But another
universe…. it’s been my holy grail…'

'But Janey…' I
said taking her arm, 'does that mean that Mr Charles has it too: A
means to reach… this other place?'

'No.' she
smiled and leaned closer to me as we sat on the banking together,
'I have it in here. What is a lock without a key?'

'I don't know.
Still locked?' I asked. Her eyes were enormous as she regarded me
with a feverish intensity.

'I have given
it to Davey. The key. And I'll give it to you; the piece of the
maths that makes it perfect.' She rested her cheek against mine and
whispered in my ear: 'It's the only safe place to keep it….'

'Don't tell me
Janey.' I said, and felt her shift slightly with discomfort as I
refused her, 'I must not know. There is something I think I can
tell you that might explain.'

'Don't' she
said, 'Please don't.' She bent her head into my neck. I could felt
her tears damply staining her face.

'I'm the one
they want.' I said, 'Janey? Do you understand? They need you or me.
I would give it up without any resistance, because that is what
they have made me do. And they used you to do it. Don't you see?
You have a method for determining the equation. But they would know
that will be incomplete. So they fooled me. I was dead Janey. But I
could still hear your voice. I know that you offered yourself for
me…. Dear sister I know. It's alright. You can cry now. He has us,
this Mr Charles, and there is nothing we can do. With a blood trace
he has it. The equation is in there….in my blood. He could not use
yours….so he needed mine. Your double took the sample right before
she tried to dispatch me: even if that wasn't what she intended to
do. I think there may be a reason why we are still here.'

She drew back
slightly blinking, 'that's the longest speech you've given me. I
think that being dead has changed your perspective brother. And
anyway…. the discovery is still mine…. He can't take that from me….
I err…. oh!' Her voice faded out to a horrified gasp.

'Not yet.'

'Why does he
need another universe anyway?' she said.

'Why does
anyone want power? I guess that there is something he is trying to
escape from; or something or somewhere he wants to get to.'

'Yes.' she
said; then abruptly let go of me, 'have a care brother dear. We are
still open to the conditioning.'

'The halls that
smell like old orchestras?'

'Yes. The scent
of resin and bows. The sounds of a chord that had just died.'

'How is it
broken? The conditioning I mean.'

'A key.' She
said.

'A word?'

'A phrase.'
Janey glanced over her shoulder, the others had moved round the
side of the buggy to where Marcia was now making tea. Half an hour
to setting out now.

'You are going
to make a deal.' I said

'Yes. My key in
exchange for his.'

'Will it
work?'

'The key or the
plan?'

'The key.' I
said.

'Yes.'

'How can you be
sure?'

'Because if he
doesn't let us go. I'll scramble the entire mainframe.'

'How? There
isn't much time when you get in there.'

She laughed
suddenly, 'Dear Jared! You are such a child sometimes! It's already
done. He needs a second key to stop what is happening. Or else at a
prearranged time my little bomb goes off.'

'What?'

'A computer
virus. And it takes everything with it. Totally
indiscriminate.'

'Where does
that leave us?'

She stood up
and was silent for some moments looking down at me. She held out
her hand to me. I stood up again.

'We'll be
alive.' She said.

Davey walked
with me, as we entered the narrow channel. Big leafy bushes, like
giant tufts of salad leaves swayed above our heads. Hanson was with
Joe at the front: the latter having taken to scouting ahead and
peering through the binoculars with increasing regularity. Janey
and Marcia walked together. At one point they linked arms and
seemed for all the world to be enjoying a girly chat…. Marcia might
not be so impressed if I told her that though. They were probably
putting the finishing touches on the various backup plans. I
frowned at the thought of them both going into danger, while I was
saddled with Hanson and the inestimable Lorraine. The thought of
her had settled uncomfortably in my mind since Marcia informed me
of her changes to the grouping. I suppose I hadn't thought to ask
myself why.

I glanced back
for a moment. Oliver was taking the back position in our little
troupe. He was being very quiet and very serious… rather like Joe.
They both seemed to be wrestling with some inner indecision. Oliver
was however, quite literally; watching my back, just as he had
promised.

'I'm glad
Oliver's on the case with me and Janey, and the monster computer.'
Davey looked at me waiting for a reply. Oliver gave a satisfied
grunt from behind at the compliment.

'Oh…. yes.' I
was startled. There didn't seem much point in conversation now the
whole thing was decided. Perhaps it was nerves, or disappointment.
I did understand the reason however….

'Do you want to
avoid her that badly?' asked Davey.

'Yes. No…. I
don't know.' I said.

'That would be
a Yes.' said Oliver from behind me, 'Absolutely, definitely!' the
uplifted lilt of his accent gave the words and emphasis that made
Davey stare at me hard.

'Are you scared
of her? Lorraine, I mean.' asked Davey.

'No.' I
said.

'Yes.' said
Oliver.

'But really,
what is she like?' Davey's insistence was not reassuring me that
the reunion with the real Lorraine would go smoothly. I was glad
Hanson was not in ear shot.

'She's a witch,
just like I said. She's very pretty, very charming; very sweet, and
likable at first; until you get to know her, that is.' I breathed
out rather heavily after that.

'Sounds weird,'
said Davey, 'You mean like actually a real witch, don't you?'

'That was the
impression I was trying to convey.' I said.

'Wow…' Davey
seemed to be having trouble digesting this, 'what did she do to
you? Was it like a spell? Or does she use real frog's legs or
stuff.' He saw my face and he blushed furiously with embarrassment.
I was frowning in an effort to not get too freaky about it.

'No,' I sighed,
'it might have been better if she had put a spell on me. Spells can
be broken. But I really was captivated by her; in the normal sense
of the word, just like you are with my Janey.'

'Oh.'

'She two-timed
me.'

'Ah…'

'More than
once.'

'I'm
sorry.'

'Don't be. That
wasn't the worst bit.'

'Go on.'
Davey's curiosity was as fresh and without guile as he was, so I
decided to answer him.

'She started
seeing two other guys.'

'Really?!'

'At least two
other men.'

'Crumbs!'

'Yes. The
situation did develop a certain crumbly texture to it eventually.
But not before she made a complete idiot of me.'

'That's
rotten!'

'Yeah…. well
what are you going to do? I just bowed out gracefully. I gave up
dating girl's, women, or any thought of finding anything sane in a
romantic relationship for quite a while.'

'But Lorraine?
How did she take it?'

'Not well.' I
said, 'there is a certain satisfaction, I'll admit in having a
woman beg you to reconsider….'

'Wow!'

'Yes…I wasn't
unmoved by her declarations of undying love. But I just knew I
couldn't trust her. And I couldn't trust me either.'

'So she did but
a spell on you?'

'Not as far as
I'm aware.' I said, 'but there were none that worked anyway…'

Davey was about
to pursue the subject of Lorraine further since I was in such a
divulgatory mood, but we had stopped.

Just ahead was
a very large rock. We circled round it carefully, and then down a
grassy banking to the damp slippery edges of a salty tidal channel,
now drying in the sun. We trod carefully then over weedy rocks. The
salty vegetably scent was quite overpowering. I could feel the
sweat starting to trickle between my shoulder blades as we reached
the middle of this giant's step. The way across was firm and fairly
safe. I could see the waves swirling and bounding off a deeper turn
of the channel as the tide went out. It seemed that each part was
roughly about ten feet high. The water would run and cover the area
of this giant step and then rise until it met the next stair, and
then run across and cover it and carry on, and so on. About fifty
yards further up, the banking on either side rose far too steeply
to climb up or down. Below our position the unknown jungle gave way
to sheer cliffs beyond towards the sea. I could see now our path. A
little shaded cliff path that climbed to a saddle of the hill. Then
presumably would meander down the other side to the beach
eventually. As we began to scramble up the other side I turned and
saw no sign of the little space that we had emerged from, it was
completely shrouded in trees and strange leafy plants.