Freedom Club Read Free Page B

ago.”
    Hugo squinted his eyes and became rigid. “Denver? I remember. Simple hardware failure was the cause. Christ! That retail riot was worse than the blackout of ‘72. Are you telling me it’s the same problem? On a non-stop board?”
    That was what he was looking for. Two non-stop boards going down were virtually impossible. Hugo’s instincts were to treat this more seriously now.
    “I’m not the one to make that call,” Flip went on. “The Sentient probably suspects it. All I’m saying is that this board will be of interest.”
    Before Hugo could ask more questions, his phone rang. It was his Union commander Miguel. He gestured for time as he walked down the aisle for privacy.
    Miguel of course was a Sentient, and like all Sentient Beings he received Hugo’s full attention. Unlike the masses, Hugo didn’t mind reporting to them. He found their artificially created minds calm and collected, a great relief from the chaotic world he was tasked to control. When Hugo hit pickup, Miguel’s crisp avatar face and blond hair came into view.
    “Good evening, Hugo,” he said with expected calm. “I saw you were working, so I took the liberty to call. I hope you have a minute.”
    “Of course,” Hugo said, glancing briefly at Flip, who was back at the system. “Always happy to hear from you.”
    “Very good,” Miguel said, eyeing a document briefly. “I was looking at the Q4 budget and...well, I am a little concerned because you haven’t been moving the caseload along, at least not as planned.”
    “Understood,” Hugo replied.
    There was a brief pause. Here it comes, Hugo thought.
    “I am not trying to put undue pressure on you, but I am unable to approve the next budgeting round unless you advance or close some of your cases. Tell me, have you made any progress?” Miguel pulled up a list and ran his virtual hand down the color-coded lines. “For instance, I see you still have a disproportionate number pended here.”
    There was no reason to fight back. These sessions were systematic: every week, every quarter, one status session after another. It wasn’t servitude; it was how life was structured.
    “Your concern is quite valid,” Hugo replied. “I’m not ready to change anything in my case-management list, but I’ve just got something of great interest.”
    “Really?” Miguel said with curiosity. “What have you found?”
    “At the retail riot in Tempe...two non-stops went down. I need to investigate more, but it feels like LS.”
    “Feels?”
    “And what’s interesting is that it may be linked to Denver,” Hugo continued.
    “There’s solid evidence of this?” Miguel asked with raised eyebrows.
    Hugo glanced at Flip again from the corner of his eye. “Well, not yet. I’m here in the machine room now with the technician. I’ll push the analysis in the morning and ensure that we have enough to update status.”
    There were a few seconds of silence as the Sentient nodded with understanding. Clearly, this wasn’t good enough. Sentients only respected facts and certainty. Hugo understood this well.
    He continued: “You know how tricky this is. These guys don’t normally leave us a calling card.”
    “Yes, the nature of LS is rather unique,” Miguel agreed sympathetically. “I know you are working hard. All right, I will review things as soon as your changes trigger an updated workflow. We can discuss this matter and the budget from that point.”
    Miguel’s face melted away and left Hugo staring at a long row of flexi display logs. He then looked back toward Flip, who cursed while yanking what looked like pink mucous from the inside of a damaged system rack. Hugo sighed, and walked over with somewhat elevated blood pressure.
    “Listen, I’ll need that board. It’s evidence now,” Hugo said.
    Reaching into his pocket, Hugo unfolded a large semi-translucent polymer bag. It gleamed with a silver holographic watermark and displayed instructions under a large image of the Union