Datum

Chapter 1: Chloe

Forrest Hill City, 

I wonder if the man, and no doubt it was a man, who invented the 8-hour work day ever felt like he got what he wanted out of it. I bet he patted himself on the back, kissed his wife and went to bed thinking he'd saved the world. Chloe thought to herself as the hours ticked by, letting her voice bounce around inside her head like that really old video game. Pong. That was the one, slow as hell but pretty groundbreaking for the time. It was a quiet death, being surrounded by so many consoles and game gear but not being able to play any of them to take her mind off her boredom.The mall was busy as usual outside but in their electronics shop it was a slow business day. Still, just busy enough to have a needy customer walk in just as she'd begun retreating to the paradise that was her own bored thoughts and imagination. She made a note to kick herself later for complaining. This was an alright job, the store had a spacey futuristic vibe to it and weirdly it didn't play chart hits like every other shop in the mall.  Rather, progressive rock instrumentals that always made her want to find the artist later. She never remembered to after hours, she didn't need any work thoughts bleeding into her daily thoughts back home even if they had a killer soundtrack. Mr Abbas stood behind the main counter doing a stock check, leaving her to hover around the store gently nudging customers to spend on some admittedly cool piece of tech. A trio of pre-teen boys huddled around the Virtual Reality gaming corner testing the new headset. It had launched in Japan only a few days ago and wasn't even available on the American market yet but somehow the owner had a direct plug to high end electronics and cute novelty tech. One of the kids overstayed his turn on the headset and his friends started pulling and shoving him. Chloe had lived with her brother and his friends long enough to know where that was going and she wasn't about to let a $1200 headset take a bite out of her salary. As if student loans weren't enough from her brief college stint in California

"Hey!" she hollered, startling the boys. The one in the superhero fan shirt made a face like he was surprised that strong of voice came from a 5 foot tall brown girl with thick dorky lenses sitting on her face. Cute was for her life outside of work, but its tough big sis that came out in times like this.

"Put the ProView 5 down please and take whatever is going on here outside." Chloe demanded. To her surprise they complied. Sometimes it did serve her to remember that she was a grown adult now. She had flunked out of college and now lived with her parents streaming video games and movies for a living. No shame in that. She reassurd herself. She was finding she had to reassure herself a lot lately. The three boys shuffled themselves awkwardly out of the VR area. Two of them began amusing themselves at the smartphone counter near the store entrance but the one who had been hogging the headset stopped mid-gallop and turned around to look at Chloe inquisitively.

"Hey miss, I've seen you before."

"I really doubt that." she replied.

"Have too. You're that streamer KatEarsEpsilon. I see you on Free- uh I mean, my kid sister watches you a lot, on her uh.. tablet." The kid shuffled awkwardly and began blushing. Chloe relented and let her casual self come out a bit more.

"Oh, your sister huh?" she answered knowingly. "Well, tell this 'sister' of yours it's great to have a fan. Keep gaming, have fun and be yourself." Chloe continued as made a peace sign and held it horizontally to her face sporting her rehearsed wink and head tilt. A warm smile broke across the kid's face. "Cool" he said before darting off to join his friends."

"Hey no running in the shop!" she yelled in vain after him as he galloped past the exit scanners. That was a cute moment she thought to herself. Maybe she should have asked their names. Seemed like the polite thing to do. She kicked the bored thought out of her mind. She didn't need them telling their little tween friends they knew a low level influencer on a first name basis. A great way to get doxxed. Mr. Abbas wrapped up his stock in the back room and shut the plastic folder with an emphatic slap. He puffed out his cheeks sighed with relief, his bearded face rippling as he tapped the electric cargo lock back on. "That's a full count. These things are flying." 

"Sure are Mr. A." said Chloe as she danced around to behind the sales desk.

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that." he said remounting the VR headset the kids had just been abusing.

"No, you agreed to it." she jabbed back.

"Teenagers."

"I'm 21 man" she snapped. 

"Could have fooled me" Mr. A tutted. He stuck the bright orange sale stickers on the row of bluetooth smart speakers. It was weird that he was running around doing this stuff today. He'd typically send her to do it. Something was definitely happening. Chloe racked her brain and decided to test her theory. She crossed her arms leaned on the counter and started softly whistling looking cartoonishly bored. Mr. Abbas hated that. He had promised to fire her the last time. She hit the last note of Oh My Darling, Clementine and tapped her fingertips on the counter. Still nothing. Just Mr. A dusting off some of the LED ring lights on display. The pink one was her favourite. Limited edition auto dimming and auto-rotating. Chloe had been saving up for it since she moved back to the city. Knowing exactly how few were left out back, it hurt her every time she saw someone walk away with one. Even watching Mr. Abbas gently wipe it down was spiking her anxiety. He finished dusting and, arms akimbo, ran his eyes over the whole store. He clapped his hands once and loudly. The full wall TV screen beamed to life on the far side of the store and started playing F-Station news. They were covering the Mid-west mine collapse. Someone with seriously amateur handheld footage had captured the superhero Aster flying from the scene after rescuing miners from a toppling rotor excavator. She is so cool. Chloe thought to herself. 

"Superheroes. Tshh." Mr. Abbas chimed in. "Do you think they use the excuse of saving lives and fighting bad guys as an excuse to go out in public dressed like clowns?" 

"She's out there inspiring people and looking good while doing it." Chloe answered."She's exactly the kind of person I wanted to be when I was a little girl."

"Huh, that's nice. get back to work." Mr. A swung back to his usual fussy self and Chloe was glad. He was starting to spook her. "Look alive, the owner is coming by in a couple minutes."

A smile broke across her face.

"Yeah, I figured from all the spring cleaning." she laughed. "Are they cute? Maybe you have a little crush."

"Be serious ok." he said adjusting his glasses. "Besides, you're the one mostly under review right now. He hasn't met the new hire."

"Oh nice. I'll be on my best behaviour." Chloe raised her eyebrows. She now knew the owner was a guy. Her mental image was of some balding middle-aged type with piercing blue eyes and drooping jowls. Maybe that was just the memory of her dad's boss she had from when she was little. She never liked that guy. All bad jokes and condescension right until the day he laid her dad off. Whoever this owner was she'd just smile, nod and let Mr. A do the talking. He liked wearing the manager shirt anyway. It made sense to let him take all the spotlight. She felt a gentle buzz in the back pocket of her jeans and reached behind to check her smartphone. "Mr. Abbas, yeah it's my mom do you mind if I just check on her real quick?"

"Yeah, go for it. Make it quick." he motioned a thumbs up.

"You're the best, tio." She could sense his eyes rolling as she dashed out. Yeah, he really hated nicknames and she loved that for him. This place had been a clothing store before. She could tell by the corridor splitting off to where the fitting rooms had been. Swiping her tag she unlocked the room to the back office. She plonked herself down in the cushy chair behind a mound of paper work. Packing lists, shipping orders, customs documents most of them in Japanese and next to it was Mr. A's mobile translater gadget. Cute. She tapped the answer icon to greet her mom.

"Hi mami."

"Hi mija, are you working late today?" her mom asked."Can you bring that medicine for your grandmother again?" The AC in the back office whirred and Chloe got up to quietly check he was out of earshot and to be safe closed the door. "I know it's dangerous to keep going to the pharmacy but at least on that side of the lake-"

"Mom don't worry, I won't get kidnapped I promise." Chloe reassured her. "I'll get abuela's meds on the way back from work. The owner's here for a stock check so I can probably get home before the bridge is up. Do you also need anything for yourself? Dad?"

"We're ok sweet girl. I got us everything we needed at the corner store just now. You get home safe okay? I love you."

"I love you too mami. Bye." Chloe hung up. She was ready to head home already. She wanted to roll out her chair, set her tripod up to record her gameplay and stay up all night editing her footage. So what if she was tired the next morning at work? She loved every part of her process and it worked for her. So what if she had tried making it in LA with her 15 minutes of hometown fame only to move back in with her parents without a penny to her name? Setbacks happen. That setback was a 7.8 earthquake in a hastily constructed residential park - probably a sign if you're superstitious- but a good gamer doesn't stay down for long. California could still be in her future once she got her money steady again. Dad would understand this time, she would make him. She maundered her way over to the office door thinking how much Mr. A must love that office. Quiet and cool. A getaway from the nagging of customers outside and with great soundproofing. When she made it big she'd definitely ring this probably balding owner a call to ask him who his contractors were. As the door swung open Chloe heard voices down the corridor. Oh crap, he's here. She thought to herself. She straightened her pale blue employee shirt and her digital nametag wishing she had a clipboard or something to look more professional. She rounded the corner behind the check out desk and there was Mr. A talking with the owner.

                                                      *

He was not at all what Chloe was expecting. She met him feet first. Classic canvas sneakers in a devastatingly effective black and white combo. His long thin legs sported black pants folded up exposed his brown ankles. From his narrow waistband hung a silver chain wrapping around the left side of his belt, barely concealed by the red and black plaid of his flannel shirt. Her eyes kept going. This dude is tall, she thought to herself. Neat and shiny dreads fell to his shoulders framing a set of warm brown eyes and the brightest, toothiest smile Chloe had ever seen on a guy. She became suddenly self-conscious, kicking herself to remind herself to make a good impression and stay professional. The owner and Mr. Abbas paced around the sound bar table, seemingly catching up like old friends. Neither noticed Chloe slink up to them and their conversation came into focus.

"Ugh, I would love to go some day." Mr. A. lamented. "but you'll see one day when you get married. Every trip you have to take the missus and the kids, and then the grandparents to complete the set."

The owner laughed. "I see, in Africa we bring everybody out to see something new. It's an event."

"Exactly." Mr. A. chuckled. "Good to see you back in our part of town, these checkpoints can't keep us from seeing our neighbours forever."

"It helps that I don't have a car. Or take the city bus." 

"Right. I forgot you walk everywhere like a million dollar hobo."

"Says the weirdo who splurged on a high performance pogo-stick."

"Touché" he conceded. Mr. A noticed Chloe had returned to her station, awaiting instructions. And also eavesdropping. Mostly eavesdropping."Ah, there you are. Chloe I'd like you to meet Mr. Kasanje Eto-o. He's kinda the king around here. Mr. Eto-o, Chloe the new hire." 

The owner, arms crossed, nodded his head upwards in a greeting. Chloe waved innocently back. "Good to meet you...your Highness" she said playfully.

He laughed, shaking his head slightly. "Just Kasanje is fine. Great to meet you too Chloe." he said flashing that darn smile again.  Chloe found herself pushing her hair out of her face and catching herself from swaying awkwardly in place. She liked his energy. Get it together girl, you're 21. And you're at work. She screamed to herself. Mr. Abbas pulled out his e-Pad, the screen flicking on instantly to a page of shipping logs and checkpoint permits. 

"So anyways Chloe, I was just thanking Kasanje for keeping our doors open by getting our new stock through the checkpoints."

"What... no way! How'd you get the D1 tags to get them through the central district?" Chloe asked. The checkpoints through central district were unbearable. Nothing got in or out without a QR code on the mobile app for people, and an electronic "D-tag" for cargo. D1 for commercial items like electronics and furniture, then D2 for essential foodstuffs and D3 for essential medicines. D1 tags took a while to get approved by the Medical Security Forces but D3 tags were getting nearly impossible to obtain for people living in Chloe's neighbourhood. Her family was having a hard time getting meds along with most of her neighbours because of the checkpoints. Meanwhile the Security Forces enforced a harsher curfew with more frequent patrols. All this to prevent spread of a disease that no one knew with certainty whether it was contagious or not. Thinking about the Contagion X Crisis, which the news called CX, made Chloe really tense. She preferred to retreat into her gaming setup to forget about the world and be whoever she wanted to be for a short, blissful time whenever she could. The outside world would sort itself out. It would have to.

"Eh, I have my workarounds. I managed to get them diplomatic clearance via my embassy." Kasanje responded. It sounded like there was a little guilt in his voice like he knew it wasn't fair to get access most people were struggling to. Chloe noticed that guilty tone vanishing as quickly as it had crept in. "I brought in a bunch of other stuff as well. We're having a benefit concert for CX victims next Thursday at Sonic Palace,you guys should come. African sounds, bit of rock n roll, some classical performances. Something for everyone." His eyes lit up when talking about music. Chloe wondered if he made his own. She decided she already liked his music even if she hadn't heard it yet.

"Eh, I don't know... I should probably start preparing for fasting." Mr. Abbas scratched his head

"Aww Mr. Humz, don't be like that." Kasanje protested, calling Mr. A out. A nickname. They must be real friends, Chloe thought.

"Fine, fine I'll get the kids to come out and see some culture." Mr. A surrendered. Kasanje flashed a fat grin like the Cheshire Cat. Knocking his fists together Kasanje looked at Chloe, asking for her confirmation as well. 

"Um, yeah I think I can make it to Palace then. Flick me the gatepass." Chloe was beaming inside. When he flicked her his details she'd have access to his digital social media details and he, hers. 

"Don't worry about it." Kasanje said, shattering her plot. "It's free entry without pass. We're taking the proceeds from the streaming ads." 

She did her level best to not sound dejected. "Nice. Cool. That's really smart."

"Yeah it was my cousin's idea." Kasanje glanced through the store window to some mall security guards outside. They had showed up just a few minutes ago pretending to be on break getting snacks. Being in a uniform must really give some people a hard on for inconveniencing regular people in as many trivial ways as possible. Mall cops, the actual cops,the Medical Security Forces putting their fascist checkpoints everywhere - all of them itching to be as annoying as possible. Kasanje won the stare down as the rent-a-cops glanced away and kept walking. As he should. Kasanje's mood was a little dampened by that interaction and he clicked the knuckle of his pinky finger maybe to snap himself back into the moment. Chloe noticed just peaking out his right sleeve was a pretty weird-looking tattoo starting above his wrist. It didn't look like a regular tattoo. It looked in equal parts ink and very fine little organised scars. She'd make sure she'd ask him about them some day and there was no doubt in her mind that she'd see him again. She wanted that.

Kasanje tapped his knuckle against the top of the soundbar counter and announced his departure. "Alright lady and gentlebeard, I gotta get going before that curfew kicks in."

"Damn MSF." Mr. A. chimed in. Kasanje and Chloe both grunted in agreement. Kasanje gave Mr. A the handshake with the snap at the end that Chloe had always been jealous of boys for instinctively knowing how to do and then gave her a downward nod to say goodbye to her. This time with a gentler more restrained smile at the corners of his lips. Rude. 

Kasanje left the store and Mr. Abbas breathed a sigh she didn't know was out of relief or tiredness. It was going to be closing time soon. Chloe pulled out her phone and planned her route to the nearest business district pharmacy. Reality set in that if she didn't get her grandmother's meds soon they'd have to risk walking out at night to get them in their district. That was a good way to disappear without a word or a trace.