Chapter 4

Eitan and his two siblings were hunched over the outdoor table, ignoring their expensive coffee. The day was warm and lots of tourists were swarming Pikes Place Market. Eitan was showing off his freshly minted driver’s license as his latest accomplishment. Akemi already had her license, but Eitan had been unusually nervous about passing the test and getting his.

There was a protest against nano on the main street. A hundred people or so, with huge fake tumors and abscesses, held up signs and shouted slogans. “Nano will destroy humanity” and “Dr. Jekyll lives in Seattle” were the popular ones.

The three siblings had been commuting into Seattle once a week for about a year. Dr. Hobart had insisted they accelerate their education at the main campus of Hobart Nanotech. Once a week, Stefan would drive them to the campus and Camille would babysit them at a safehouse overnight. Sometimes they would have a second full day and a late commute, and other times would be a half day. Once in a great while, the three siblings would convince the powers that be to let them have the afternoon to play.

This afternoon they were playing. Stefan drove them down to the waterfront and parked. He gave them enough of a lead on their leashes to at least play like they were teenagers enjoying their freedom. They were all feeling the confinement of the village and the Hobart Foundation as more and more repressive.

“How do you do it,” Akemi said, holding the card out a bit. “No matter the clothes or the haircut, you still manage to make yourself look dorky.”

Eitan relinquished his immediate claim on his license by sitting back in his chair and resting his hand on the coffee mug. His anxiety had been ramping up for months. Nikki had pegged his apprehension as social anxiety, but Eitan suspected she was wrong. When the anxiety level rose, the pressure felt like it was coming from somewhere outside of him. He was also convinced that he should understand what this apprehensive pressure meant, that he was missing a simple, obvious clue.

Neither Sten nor Akemi experienced the same sensations. Sten’s major feeling of late was annoyance. He was treated as a bumbling child at the main facility and as a fragile vessel back in the village. He was jogging in the early morning with Joseph when no one would see him, trying to build a better physique. He was fit, he just looked scrawny.

In Eitan’s eyes, Akemi was simply a living, breathing goddess, not a cartoon or even an anime either. She was a beautiful creature with superhuman gifts of persuasion and manipulation. She was his confidante, and she was leaving him, as everyone knew she must. She chose Columbia University because it was in New York City, as in a huge urban center with great numbers of people her age. “I need human input,” she would say as she pulled her chin tight in an exaggerated pose of a mad scientist. As an only child, he had never understood the deep satisfaction of having a sister and now that he did, she was leaving.

Eitan surveyed the outside seating. They looked like three normal teenagers, good friends sitting together at a table. Each of them knew they were nano unique. Dr. Hobart would not tell them what each second series had specifically contained, but the curiosity and concern was never far from their thoughts. They had speculated too many times, having lost all sense of perspective. Dr. Whitcomb was insisting on more inane tests this past year; in fact, the two doctors were arguing a lot more. Whenever one of the three of them were within earshot, the two men always took their business to another room.

As Eitan sat contemplating the impending changes in his life, he noticed that his anxiety was rising again. As he paid attention, the apprehension began ratcheting up quickly. He tasted, scraping his tongue across his teeth to stop it, dread. An overwhelming sense of danger suffused all his senses. He stood up, looking in every direction. The sensation was strongest behind him, further down the wharf.

The first thought was that he was going crazy, that whatever was happening within his body, he was going into a full-blown seizure. The thought was swept away by realization that he was sensing something outside himself. The instant of relief was wiped by a new stab of fear. He had to move his body.

“We’re going inside,” Eitan said. “Grab your mugs and come with me. Now.”

Sten and Akemi gave him peculiar looks but stood. As they turned towards the doorway, Eitan gave Stefan a hard look two tables over, trying to communicate with him without saying anything. Stefan sat up straight.

Eitan led the way inside where plenty of tables were open. “Why?” Akemi asked, with narrowed eyes.

Eitan raised his eyebrows, but as he dropped his shoulders all three of them heard pops, like firecrackers. Looking out the entrance, they watched others darting their heads in all directions beyond the café. Eitan moved them out of the doorway towards the wall. They heard louder pops and only then they heard people screaming. Eitan observed Stefan who had left his chair to go down on one knee with his hand in his sport coat.

Eitan’s anxiety was burning his fingertips. Glancing out the window, he watched a tall man, dressed in black camo walk into view. He had a weapon on his back and a pistol with an extended grip in his right hand. He looked thick around the middle while his hoodie partly hid his face. In an instant, the gun was up and pointing at the tables.

A loud bang went off and the hoodie exploded up and then backward. The man toppled backwards as his pistol suddenly fired those distinct pops, riddling the metal on the roof of the coffeehouse. Eitan watched Stefan rise from his stance, still pointing his weapon at his target. Eitan could no longer see the man, but he could hear all the people screaming. Some of them launched themselves for the pier while others ducked at their tables.

Akemi grasped his arm. “How did you know?”

Eitan made sure no one else could hear him. “The anxiety I’ve been complaining about,” he said, “it’s not inside, it’s outside of me. I could taste it on my tongue.”

“Nano,” Sten said. Then they fell silent.

Hours later, Camille rescued them from the police designated holding area. Each of them had given their witness statement, leaving out just about everything, including knowing Stefan. By the time of their release, the mass shooting by the lone gunman was the top news story. Professional video cameras were everywhere, including hovering overhead. The three had done their best to duck away from the pointing cell phones, but they could not be sure they dodged everything. Camille handed out ball caps and hooded sweatshirts before they left.

Akemi claimed the front passenger seat. “Stefan was awesome,” Akemi said to Camille as they drove in traffic. “He saw the man, he did his thing, and then he put his gun down. He was, like, calm and cool and sleek professional.”