secure.
âExcellent.â Allenâs fingers fly across his slate before he passes it to me. My breath catches as I recognise James and Alice staring up at me, looking young and happy. Theyâre both wearing white lab coats and are smiling for the camera. Thereâs an article below and I skim it. James Ryder was a technopath, able to telekinetically manipulate machinery through touch. Teamed with his wife, Alice Ryder, a talented threader, they worked as a team for Nanogen.
Allen sits silent as I read about the work my parents did, from making great nanotechnology advancements, to making scientific breakthroughs that won them awards. When I finish, I pass back the slate, bewildered as to why James would have never told me about his past. Iâd known Alice was a talent, after all, Iâd inherited mine from her. But James had never confessed to being one and Iâd never suspected. I start to wonder if Bobby knew all of this and never told me. Betrayal floats the surface of my thoughts in an oily film.
Allen closes the slateâs screen and snaps the slim control-handle back around his wrist. âBy all accounts, your parents were much more than their talents. They were also brilliant theoretical physicists.â He stops with a puzzled expression. âAre you certain your father never mentioned anything about their time here?â
âNo,â I choke out. âNothing.â
Allen frowns. âIâm sure he had his reasons.â
âWhat did they do here?â I ask. âWhat did they work on at Helios?â
âExtraordinary projects, Iâve heard. With your fatherâs knowledge of nanorobotics and your motherâs skill at threading, they made an unstoppable team. My understanding is after a time, their threading became a permanent fixture, their talents securely locked with each other. With this solid foundation, they were able to achieve the ability of complex brain-machine interfacing.â
I try not to frown as I listen, because I donât want him to stop and ask me whatâs wrong. But I just donât recognise the people heâs talking about as my parents and it feels more than a little disconcerting.
I blink and try to focus on Allenâs face as he talks, big teeth flashing.
âThe potential was there for great advancements in the manipulation of cybermerging of biology and nanotechnology,â he says. âAs well as the development of advanced generation artificial intelligence systems. Your parents were revolutionary in their thinking.â
My curiosity doubles, but before I can pepper him with questions, he raises his hand once again. âI know you want answers, but you will have to wait.â
âFor what?â
âFor one thing, you donât have the authorisation.â He clears his throat. âBut I can assure you, if you were to join Helios, there would be plenty of opportunities for you to find out more.â
âSo ⦠this is for real? Iâm being offered a cadetship with Helios?â I ask, daring to hope that my opportunity is here at last.
Allen nods. âThe academic year here at Helios has already begun. Normally we wouldnât accept anyone into the cadet program at this late time, but the director of Helios has decided to make an exception in your case.â His big smile comes back. âCan I assume your answer will be yes?â
Overwhelmed, I donât say a thing for a moment. Allenâs smile dims and I realise he thinks Iâm unsure.
âJosie, here at the Helios Academy, we can offer you a tremendous amount of support with your skill. I understand your uncle had a heart attack last year. If you were to enter our program, you would be eligible for a Citizenship once you graduate into a commercial division within Galloway Industries. That means a better place of residence and access to better medicine.â He pauses, one corner of his lips quirking up. âNo
Learning to Kill: Stories