Two Tribes, page 27
part #1 of Young Atlanteans Series
Her mother hugged her tightly and Paige looked at him with awe from her mother’s arms. ‘That’s so brilliant.’ Her eyes seemed to glass over and for a moment he thought she would cry. The warm glow swelled in his chest. He never knew he could feel so good from making another person happy – scratch that, Paige happy. ‘Are you stopping for tea?’ she said, breaking away from her mother’s arms.
He’d been in South London long enough to know that she meant supper and not the drink, so he shook his head. ‘No, I have stuff to do, but I’ll call you later, before you go to sleep.’ He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
Linda looked on a little bleary-eyed.
‘Don’t forget to let me know of anyone you know, otherwise I’ll call you early in the morning with a sitter’s name. She’ll be here for eight o’clock.’ Then he left with one last penetrating look.
* * *
JJ sat down at the impressive bank of monitors he’d had installed in his part of the loft. Xavier was out, as planned, when he dialled into the video call scheduled with one of the tech experts his fathers had on permanent retainer. It hadn’t been easy. He couldn’t exactly go through the front door with guys like these. Not only because he didn’t want his father to know, but these guys were ghosts. He’d had to go through several forums, text communications called relay chats and dropping key words in certain places that would act like a call sign to make them get in touch. Then eventually, when they’d checked out who he was, he was able to make real contact through a safe server somewhere in Northern California. Not that he would ever know who they really were. ‘Chris!’ JJ said when the handsome, tanned face filled his screen. He didn’t exactly fit the geek cliché. That was the life: surfer by day, mysterious hacker by night. A lifestyle that totally appealed to him.
‘Hey, JJ, how’s it goin’?’ Chris said in his lazy laid-back way that gave away nothing of the dangerous clandestine life he and his little band of tech warriors led. They were totally bad ass.
JJ had always wondered what they did for his fathers, exactly. Anything, he guessed. Social media. Election strategy. Re-routing money to offshore accounts. Absolutely anything a secret, powerful king would want to fly under the radar. ‘I’m fine thanks, Chris. Thanks for getting up so early to speak to me. It means a lot.’
‘No problem. Tell me what I can do for you?’
‘Social media,’ JJ said, watching the micro expression of confusion flash across Chris’s brows. ‘Not just any old social media. I want a platform designed from scratch. Just for us, down here in my area. It needs to generate money and it needs to start fast.’
A slow grin was spreading over Chris’s face as he spoke, which was incredibly infectious.
‘How long do I have?’
‘As soon as you can. I’d like to be up and testing by Christmas.’
Chris let out a single blast of laughter that totally said he didn’t want much, and bobbed his head. ‘Can I bring on board my team?’
JJ hesitated. He would have liked Chris to have worked alone. They were less likely to get leaks to his fathers that way. ‘I want it dark though, separate from my fathers. OK, Chris? I’m going lone wolf on this one.’
Chris tipped his head as if it was a given. He would understand. His father, Jay, had told him the story once of how a small group of hackers brought down a corporation, plummeting shares that rocked the world’s financial markets in response to a pension scandal. It was the last in a string of daring Robin Hood-like hacks that inevitably led to their arrest. It was typical that his fathers saw an opportunity and rather than see them rotting in some American jail, he, alongside Dante, the king, had bartered with the authorities to release them onto their payroll. With the prospect of facing over a hundred years of jail time and realizing the scope and the funds available to them, Chris and his little band had jumped at the chance.
It was a masterstroke, on his fathers’ part and wouldn’t have come cheaply. Now the hackers worked for them and still kept their anonymity. Something JJ found exciting and fascinating and could only look up to with awe. They went by the name of Wolfpack and had a wolf’s head as their logo. He had no idea if they had Atlantean blood. He didn’t care. Everything about them was cool. With a simple click of their fingers, they could affect elections and even bring down governments, if they wanted. The average Joe was oblivious to every advert, every news item and story being completely tailored to their interests and views. Through something as simple as their news feed, anyone can affect opinion. People like these guys were the real influencers. So they could easily help him to bring in a revenue stream to help one small South London school.
‘No problem. The guys do stuff like this for entertainment. I take it we’re not just doing the usual teen, crap-chat type platform?’
That made JJ laugh. Then he laid it all out on the line. It did have to be kind of like that, but with a little extra. Something he could totally control. The kids of Camberwell had to feel it was theirs and yet exclusive. Like a society not everyone could join. A place where you felt at home, but where anyone who was anyone was on there. An ‘it’ place for keeping in touch, but for meeting people as well.
‘Kind of a cool dating app for kids,’ Chris said, following perfectly.
‘Yeah,’ JJ said, thoughtfully. ‘But more. I want the algorithm designed to drive opinion, to sell products and drive aspirations. You name it and I want to control it.’ It was a big ask for someone his age. But Chris took it all in as just another job.
‘Meta-heaven it is, then,’ Chris said, making them both laugh again.
JJ guessed it was kind of reinventing the wheel and maybe Chris might have been hoping for something a little more taxing. The difference was it was never in the hands of a seventeen-year-old boy before, let alone one with designs on south London domination.
‘I get you,’ Chris said, getting suddenly serious. ‘Small scale that only you can control,’ Chris repeated. ‘But tell me, is Xavier in on this with you?’
It was a good question and no surprise that Chris was up to speed. They were together in most things, but it was an eye-opener that even in the furthest reaches of their father’s kingdom, their people knew how things would have to go. That despite their closeness, they would be opponents one day. JJ smiled wanly and nodded. ‘Don’t worry. It’s my baby but we’re together on this.’
Chris didn’t hide his obvious relief. He guessed no one had any idea whose side they’d ultimately have to come down on. ‘And the king?’
JJ scratched his head and laughed a little nervously. ‘Er, not so much.’
Chris laughed. ‘Well, OK then. I’m on it. I’ll have some ideas for you by the end of the week. That just leaves the name. Any idea what you want to call it?’
JJ had thought about that a lot. It couldn’t point too much to its origins. It had to be cool but at the same time blend in. ‘I was thinking B2H.’
Chris nodded, looking genuinely impressed. ‘Business To Human. Nice. Great tech term. I like it.’
‘But with the logo having triple Xs in a row, with a line through the middle, above it—’
‘Like a crown,’ Chris finished for him cautiously, seeming unsure about the last part.
JJ wasn’t surprised. XXX were the symbols for the elite or highest class of Atlanteans in the old language.
‘Don’t you think it’s kind of an arrow pointed at your head?’ Chris said.
JJ had thought of that, but there was also plausible deniability in that XXX could also mean the obvious, explicit, three kisses, or even just street slang for clean or a straight edge. ‘I think we can take that chance.’
Neither of his fathers were going to like it, but after cheekily using his father’s resources to get going, he’d soon be on his own. They were seventeen, which ruled out banks and they weren’t about to go to the local crime lord for it. It wasn’t ideal, but south London was just the start. This was his stake in the ground for the battle everyone knew was coming.
Chris drew in a deep breath as if he knew it too, and wasn’t so sure of the shitstorm he’d be helping create. ‘Well, OK then. If you’re sure?’
JJ was. He really was.
* * *
Xavier had been busy too. Except his contact had been a cousin of the water-breathing Borge family. He figured why mess around with production when you could simply go for the best out there. The human world lagged far behind Atlanteans in this kind of thing.
Using his brother Roman as a go-between, he’d already ordered a trial batch of what he needed to be couriered from the underwater city of Murrtaine. Secrecy was paramount, so his father didn’t get wind of what he’d be exporting. Now he strode purposely with Paige, who’d done as promised, and scheduled an after-school meeting with her Advanced Science Club. Her geekiness proved sexier by the day.
There were six students assembled, waiting for them in a cluster of high stools at one of the long wooden benches. The air smelled of gas and chemicals, not surprising with valves of burning Bunsen burners arranged every six feet or so. Their animated chatter died as soon as he followed Paige into the room. He felt as in place as a prize fighter at a tea party for old ladies.
Paige introduced him awkwardly, pausing at the word ‘boy’ before friend, to wide eyes; as if the group had just witnessed something truly outlandish. He guessed it was. Beautiful people like him rarely mixed with geeks unless they absolutely needed to. They generally had little need for anyone else. It made him feel a pang of sad detachment that he hadn’t felt before.
He allowed Paige to speak for him, explaining that he had a proposition for them and making them laugh with some geeky in-joke about how they wouldn’t be disturbed as absolutely no one ever came anywhere near the science block.
When she finally nodded for him to take centre stage, he looked each of them in the face, one by one. There was one girl and five boys and they all looked younger than their years. If he passed them in the street, he’d assume they were about thirteen or fourteen, not in their last year of school. They had poor dress sense, hair that ruled itself and particularly bad skin. What was it with nerds and spots? And specs? Four out of the six wore glasses. The group made Paige look like a cheerleader in comparison.
She did make brief introductions, but Xavier forgot their names as soon as she said them.
‘What’s he doing here?’ Dark, curly-haired, spotty boy number one said.
Xavier would have spoken up if he hadn’t been so affronted at the assumption that he must be thick, looking the way he did. Atlanteans almost always had both looks and intelligence. But hadn’t he been guilty of doing the exact same thing? He relaxed a little and decided to play the one card they wouldn’t be able to resist: flattery to their own vanity – their brains. ‘I’m not sure if you know me yet from around school, but my name is Xavier. I haven’t been here for that long. My brother and I are seeking to improve the school by making it self-funding.’
The group were looking at him as if he was a Martian speaking in a foreign language. He looked at Paige as if he’d said the wrong thing, then one of them spoke up.
‘Won’t that need initial capital?’ A surprisingly well-spoken, scruffy, ginger boy said.
Xavier appreciated the intelligent question to kick off the conversation. He tipped his head at him. ‘You’re right. We will be supplying the initial funding.’
‘How will it benefit us? Something like this almost always means a new gym or something showy to make the school popular.’
Xavier bobbed his head again. Athletes did always win out in these kinds of things. ‘And, outwardly, that will still be the case. But if you don’t mind not being in the forefront, I’m looking for a think tank of ministers, who could work behind the scenes to help me with more, shall we say, radical money-generating ideas.’
Bingo. Their eyes glinted with excitement as they looked at each other to gauge they were thinking the same thing. Then the dark curly-haired one looked over at Paige hovering at the edge of the room, ‘And you know and are OK with this?’
She stepped forward. ‘Mostly. Yes. We’re waiting for your ideas, but we want to begin with some clinical trials.’
There seemed to be a collective intake of breath as if it was the last thing they were expecting. ‘What kind of clinical trials?’ the girl with long, lank, mousy-brown hair said, looking a little appalled.
Xavier let them have it straight; both barrels. He hoped their analytical brains won out. ‘First in human – or, more accurately, first in teenager.’
‘Drugs,’ Ginger said, flatly.
‘Yes and no. One is an odourless, undetectable gas that relaxes and heightens the senses.’
‘Like Entonox,’ the height challenged Asian boy said.
Xavier pointed at him, ‘Exactly, but this is something different. It’s new to the world. We call it Breathe and it’s harmless to humans.’
‘If it’s harmless, what do you need the clinical trials for?’ Mousy girl said.
Xavier conceded a nod her way. It was a good question and one he was expecting from kids as sharp as this. He looked at Paige and she nodded a little to urge him on. The faith she showed him then, so clearly in her eyes, was the exact moment he fell for her completely. He knew he wanted her to always look at him like that. A look he’d never had in his whole life before. Not from his parents or any of his siblings and not even from any of his many cousins. Only her and he loved her for it. She knew without any shadow of doubt that what he was trying to do was for the good of the school. ‘Word of mouth,’ he said, facing back to his little gallery of faces. ‘We will hand-pick the subjects most likely to want it.’
‘The stoners,’ Ginger said, dryly.
‘The connoisseurs, yes,’ Xavier said, nodding in his direction. ‘They will be the ones to try it and they will tell their friends. When word gets around, more and more people will want it and we will be well on our way to funding bigger projects in the school.’ When he finished, Paige’s eyes shone with admiration. A look that he would keep with him for ever.
The rest of the kids looked at each other, a little in shock. They weren’t as unworldly not to know just how close they’d be flying to the wind legally on this one, but they still couldn’t hide their excitement at the possibilities of it. ‘And we can study the effects?’ the taller, Nigerian boy said.
‘Of course. I insist on it.’
‘And what about the other drug?’ Dark and curly said.
Xavier paused to take a breath because he knew this one would be a little harder to pitch. ‘That one is a little more serious. It’s something called Focus and I suppose its nearest comparable drug would be Adderall.’
‘An ADHD drug?’ Dark and curly said, frowning and looking worried at Mouse, next to him.
Xavier wobbled for an instant, until Paige urged him to continue with her eyes. This was always going to be the sticking point. ‘Only in that it can be used as a study drug. It actually comes from a type of seaweed and works by building connections between neurons, making the recipient more efficient in cognitive function, concentration and even building higher IQ.’
All their eyes widened at that, as they imagined how it could benefit an already sharp mind, like their own.
‘So it’s completely natural, then,’ Ginger said. ‘How does it affect a person physically?’
Xavier tipped his head at another very good question. ‘That’s what we’re not so sure about and where an arm of your clinical trials should go. I suggest we take five small samples, of say, five groups. Starting with super boffiny like you, then athletic, midrange nondescript, introvert and maybe even popular underachiever.’
‘Six, with a control group of some of each,’ Ginger added.
Xavier grinned, knowing they were already onboard. ‘Yes, exactly,’ he said, pointing at him. Then he added the clincher. ‘That includes yourselves,’ he said, watching the doubt and indecision spreading over their faces, knowing they were absolutely dying to try it. ‘You can’t all be on the drug. Half must be part of the control group. As for the others, the whole bloody school is your control, but I’ll leave that up to you.’
As he watched them turn and squabble between themselves, he knew he had them. The chance to study and be part of something that could possibly improve their superior brains was too much to say no to. He pulled Paige into his arms and she grinned into a kiss. ‘Putty in your hands,’ she whispered.
Xavier gazed intensely into her eyes, already imagining what he would do when he was alone with her, but he turned to face the heated debate before he got too carried away. ‘So, are we clear on our objectives?’ he said loudly over their chatter.
He caught the eye of the girl he now called Mouse. ‘If you can guarantee it’s not going to kill anyone, we’re in,’ she said, nodding.
Xavier smiled and nodded once in thanks. ‘It’s not going to kill anyone.’ He picked up Paige’s hand and led her towards the door, knowing that his work there was done. Their geeky, excited little minds were already talking trial arms and activities to test when they closed the door behind them.
He kissed Paige in a corridor that smelled remotely of farts because of some chemical or other. She melded straight into him as if she’d always been his. His mind whirred onto the shiny silver cylinders that could be sold discreetly for the Breathe gas and maybe capsules of the ground powder for Focus. He’d get straight onto his Murr supplier when he was alone. He smoothed back Paige’s hair from her face and decided, wherever life took him, he would never let her go.
CHAPTER 30
Alexia wasn’t really any happier after her encounter with Yaro. Even with their assignation still buzzing in her memory and his perfect gift of a golden fern pendant, tucked beneath the neckline of her clothes. Whatever JJ had done to Latitia had changed and infected their friendship and Dwayne and Richie now acted like she didn’t exist. Valarie was polite, of course, but most of the time, if she wasn’t working, she was exhausted. That left her completely alone. A social pariah.
