Chapter 2: Identities

Chapter 2: Identities

Seeli smoothed back Dahgri’s long hair, tucking it behind her ears. “Now remember, you’re going to a new place, with new people, you must be on your best behavior,” he murmured, bending over so only she could hear.

Dahgri bit her lip. “But why can’t I go with you – to where you’re going?” she asked. She knew he had talked with all the children, but she liked to think she was his favorite. It wasn’t that he spent any more time with her than any of the other orphans but the way his eyes always seemed to sparkle when he looked at her or talked with her.

“No, no. It’s too dangerous for a child like you. But don’t worry, you’ll make new friends, and you’ll be well looked after.”

It was their turn next. The attendant came forward and nodded in greeting to Seeli. “Short and simple I think would be best,” Seeli said to the woman as he helped Dahgri into the chair. “Don’t want to stand out now do we?” He smiled at Dahgri in the mirror.

She didn’t understand why she had to get her hair cut, but they did it anyways. Everyone always did what Seeli said.
***

The Records Keeper stared down at her for a moment before turning his attention to Seeli. “Papers.”

Seeli opened the portfolio he carried with him and thumbed through the tabs once, then twice. His eyes went to Dahgri and he gave half a smile. His eyes flickered back to the Records Keeper. “I seem to have misplaced them. Maybe they got placed with one of the other children… so many to re-assign you know.”

“You can’t just leave the child. I will need papers to process.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Seeli stepped closer to the man and lowered his voice, but Dahgri could still hear his murmuring. “I’ve already dropped off thirty children today, sir. Perhaps if I could retrace my steps … or return to my facility and check there; maybe the papers were left on my desk. So much to do with the facility closing you know. I’ll return with them by the end of the week – I promise. Have I ever done you wrong before?”

Dag woke with a start, the dream still vivid in her mind. But Seeli never did return. I became a number - a nobody; worth only a cubit a day. It had been a sore point with her once. The government subsidized all orphanages the same. Children were counted and the facility given one hundred a year per head for clothing and schooling along with a cubit a day for meals. But children with IDs were worth five cubits a day while those with no IDs were worth only one. It was based on what the facility could get back on the child when they came of age. Children with ID’s could get respectable jobs, and a small portion of their wages went back to the orphanage for the first year. Children without IDs could not, or when they did, the pay was so low that the government would not remove extra funds to send back to the facility. It all became a matter of numbers – who brought in the money in the long run. What did it matter that she could scan data and dissect it faster than anyone else at the orphanage?

Dag’s eyes scanned the room. Nothing had changed since she and Coco had gone to sleep the previous night except that the Farren was now gone. A normal occurrence considering he was usually up long before the light of dawn. Dag crawled to a blackened window and peeked out through one of the small peepholes. Morning was well on its way, the sky a bright azure with wispy, purple clouds. No troopers were in sight on the busy street below. They must have given up, Dag concluded, or were pulled onto something more important that someone trying to scoff cubits from a café. Besides, she figured she had dropped more than enough cubits to make up for her VR usage. The owner should be thanking her for his extra earnings rather than trying to throw her in a detention block.

Another day down, another day done. It was the only way she could look at things. She smiled at the thought that she had not only managed to survive another day, but had cubits to spare. Granted it wasn't a lot, but she wasn't greedy, she could make them last the week if need be. A whole week without going hungry. As if in response to her thoughts, her stomach grumbled. She laughed as she patted it. "None for you now, we have work to do," she commanded, before making her way across to the ventilation shaft that she had used to enter the abandoned building.

Sliding down the shaft, she slowed her decent with her boots well before reaching the bottom. It wasn't wise to make too much noise when troopers might still be around. Dropping out of the bottom of the shaft, she landed on her feet and sank down to the ground behind the trash dispenser that now hid her from view. She listened for a few moments but heard nothing out of the ordinary, so she stood slowly and looked around. The side road was nearly deserted and the people walking by its entrance didn't pay any attention to what might be going on in the shadows of the desolate building. Dahgri walked to the entrance and merged with the transient crowd as they moved on their way. She kept her eyes open for troopers but never saw any. When she had walked nearly two blocks away, she relaxed. Everything was calm and no one was going to jump her. She knew she couldn't return to the same district she had been using the day before. The café attendant would be on the lookout for her. So she headed for another part of the immense city that she called home.

She entered the white-collar district and stopped to watch a news-feed on an information screen outside one of the stores. She knew she couldn't hang around there long or someone would point her out to the troopers who always patrolled this district. Derelicts weren't allowed, and without an id, she didn't want to see where that would land her.

Someone shoved her but she had seen enough. Not bothering to look behind at the person, she quickened her step and continued down the street. She would have loved to find an information café here. Only the big rollers lived and worked here, but with her current clothes she'd stick out like a Drex. She made her way to the Faralax district. It wasn't the best choice, having gangs on every street corner, but it had lots of places she could hide. It was also teaming with Farrens, and if there were Farrens, there was Coco. Turning a corner, she smiled as she spotted her friend talking with a bunch of thugs.

"Can get you a good deal on id cards..." she heard Coco telling the five other Farrens as she walked up behind him.

"Who's the slag?" one of the larger Farrens asked. All five Farrens had darkened their colors as she approached and she knew they were agitated. Only Coco's coloring had remained unchanged.

Dahgri ignored the derogatory term they used. "Name's Dag," she told them, trying to relieve their anxiety.

"He's cool," Coco added, his arm shrugging her off as unimportant.

Two of the Farrens continued to eye her, but the leader returned to negotiating with Coco. "How much?"

"Ten cubits."

"Pheph, ten – you gotta be kidding me, Coco. We can do better with Skor."

"Yeah, but Skor's not here….think about it – deal expires at noon. You know where to find me." Coco turned around, hooking Dag's arm in the process. He pulled her around the corner, pushing her into another alleyway.

Dag heard the other Farrens walking away, their heated discussion of the price slowly fading from earshot. Her eyes went to Coco and she realized he had changed to brick red. "Oh come on, you're not mad at me for that are you? They woulda never given you ten."

"They mighta – if they thought it was only for me!" Coco growled. "But seein' you, they assumed I'd up'd the price to cover not just my ass but yours as well."

"Fine – I won't tell you want I saw then," Dag grumbled. "And I'll just take my cubits and find a new pad."

Coco laughed. Planting his hands on either of her shoulders, he shoved her back into the wall before she could move. "Yeah, and I might just decide I wanta bang a slag."

Dahgri glared at him, surprised by his sudden violence.

As suddenly as his anger came, it left, his coloring fading to grey-blue. "I'm sorry, man. You know I didn't mean it."

"Yeah," Dahgri mumbled, but it still left her rattled.

"So what'd you see?" Coco asked, pulling out two ostrin strips from his jacket and handing her one.

She took the offered snack and bit off a piece of the leathery meat. Its spicy flavor invaded her as the meat softened in her mouth. She loved ostrin strips and Coco knew it. The expensive treat was something she usually couldn't afford. "Vartan cruiser landed yesterday. Says they're looking for a Drex defector, someone who knows the codes to Dohr-Rhu Max."

Coco whistled and planted himself against the wall beside her. "No wonder Dament wants to get outta here, his ship is Drex made." At Dahgri's look he shrugged. "Ran into him just outsida' the port. Said he's got some cargo he's gotta get outta here fast but he's in need of some repairs and is a little short on cash. Offered to split any ID's I could sell sixty-forty."

"Good deal – too bad you weren't gonna cut me in."

"What do ya mean?" Coco asked, his voice filled with hurt.

"You were gonna butter me up with these." Dag slapped him across the chest with the remaining half of dried meat before stepping away from him.

"Okay – yeah! But it's not like ya think," Coco said, reaching out to grab her shoulder before she could walk away.

"What'd he really offer you?"

A sigh escaped Coco and his hand slid from her shoulder. "A shot off this rock if I can bring in a hundred cubits by the end of the day."

"And I just cost you half that." Dahgri frowned and shook her head. She knew how much Coco wanted off Zalani Four. "I'm sorry, Coco."

"Ah, it's okay. What would I do without you anyways, Dag. Who else would be able to put up with me and my moods? I doubt anyone this side of Vara Prime would be able to."

Dag snorted. She seriously doubted that. She was an easy meal ticket for the Farren, nothing more. She could bring in the cubits if she hit things right, it was something she had never been able to teach him. However, it wasn't as if he was helpless, he was a heavyweight -- all Farrens were. They were someone you'd rather have on your side than against you in a fight, and Coco had stood by her enough times to earn his keep in her eyes. "I'll really miss you, Coco – who's gonna cover my back when you're gone?"

"Oh come on, Dag, I'm not going nowhere."

"Yes, you are. Don't want the stars saying I held anyone back who had a chance to get off this rock. Now get outta those clothes. I gotta look presentable if I'm gonna get you that ticket."

Coco blushed, it was something Dag had never seen a Farren do. His whole body turned first pale pink and then intensified until it was so dark a shade he almost glowed. Dahgri laughed. It was quiet a sight to see against azure skies and purple clouds. "I guess you should give me a fix too. Troopers have probably put out a rec for my blue haired ass. Won't be able to walk into any respectable place with it like it is now. Damn, I so loved it this color." She flipped a quirky smile at Coco and the Farren laughed.

~.~.~

Dressed in Coco's pants and jacket, Dahgri slicked back her hair the best she could. His clothes were big on her since the Farren naturally had more bulk than she did. Coco was lucky Dag's clothes stretched some or he would have never been able to put them on. As it was, his arms stuck out making the jacket she normally wore look ridiculous on him. He opted to go without the jacket and tucked it into a corner behind some boxes in the alley where they changed. They could come back and pick it up later.

"What color you want this time?" Coco asked as he rubbed his webbed hands together, trying to collect some of the oils that coated his skin.

"Green?"

"Nah, it's too close. It'll still probably catch the eye of any trooper who's seen the rec."

"Well I don't want red, pink, or purple; I'll be a walking prick. It'll make everyone want to jump me."

"Deep red wouldn't," Coco offered. "Would make you look tougher." He held out his cupped hands, showing her the shade he had in mind. A small pool of crimson swam between his webbed fingers.

"Yeah, so everyone will want to pick a fight." Dahgri rolled her eyes but stepped forward to let the Farren run his hands through her hair and deposit the oils. When he finished, she walked out of the alleyway to inspect his work in one of the windows of a nearby building. Her hair was tinged crimson on the ends and streaks of crimson ran down her black locks at odd intervals. "Come on. Remember to keep an eye out, and make lots of noise if you see anyone coming."

Dahgri backtracked toward the white-collar district, trying to find an information café that was full but not too crowded. They finally found one just on the outskirts of the district. Standing outside a short distance away, Dahgri waited for just the right moment. She saw two people step away from their units at the same time and walk toward the attendant. With a quick nod to Coco, she opened the door and walked toward the closest unit. She stepped onto the unit just as it clicked off. Her eyes shot to the attendant as she slipped toward the second unit. She heard it click one. Reaching out her hand, she touched the id pad and then stepped into the plate. The unit hummed for a moment and she wondered if she was too late. Clicking her fingers across the keypad, in desperation, the screen finally lit up.

Dahgri let out a soft sigh and glanced back at the attendant. The two prior customers had walked out the door and the man returned to whatever he had been doing, never bothering to take a headcount. Dialing up the accounts, Dahgri licked her lips. There were several different options. She read down the assignments. She had to choose something before the system would let her change to direct pay.

This was going to be more difficult than she thought. She didn't recognize anything and she knew that if she took too long, someone at the main office of wherever this was to go might become suspicious. Opening several frames at once, Dag tried to relax. She opened two different info screens and then the first four assignments. The first two were for ten cubits. She selected the first and dialed up payment, changing it to direct. A code sheet filled the holo-frame and Dahgri bit her lip. It wasn't anything she recognized.

Hoping to find a common thread, she opened more frames that connected to the current assignment. Her eyes scanned the pages endlessly until she found an outside link. Quickly she popped it open and a smile crossed her lips. The link went to a help desk. Scrolling through all the accessed links, she opened several and began to read. She heard a beep and her eyes flickered across the other frames until finding the one that was blinking. She activated the frame, pulling it to the forefront.

**URGENT MESSAGE **
Priority One – Codex upgrade needed. Bonus waver available to first coder to complete.


Dahgri smiled and locked the frame. Selecting the help desk again, she dialed up Codex and began reading. It wasn't so different from the stuff she'd hacked into at the orphanage. It seemed like ages ago now that she thought about it. True the code was more complex and the commands were different, but the logic was the same. Splitting the message screen, she activated the block in need of upgrade and looked to see who was working on it. Two other coders had also activated the block. With a frown, Dag used the other half of her split screen to open a parallel link to one of the coders. She quickly copied his work and locked his terminal before linking to the other user. She breathed a sigh of relief, they had been working on different parts of the code block. She locked the second terminal and pulled the work of the second coder, splicing them together on another frame. That left one small section for her to figure out. Still not sure what she was doing, she ran her two portions of stolen code through the compiler. She watched it tick down to complete.

A hand clamped down on her shoulder and her screen went blank. Now she was in for it.