wide-eyed. “Decode thinks that may be the database used by the bar code. You actually saw it?”
She nodded. “Everything about him was in there.”
He sat down and began punching the keyboard. “I’m a pretty fair hacker,” he said. “Let me have a crack at this.”
Kayla had the file on her mind as she walked across the parking lot to Artie’s Art Supply an hour later. Zekeal had gotten in, but for only a minute. It was long enough, though, for him to see the file. “That’s it,” he had said. “This is the big secret, the thing they don’t want us to know.”
“The genetic code?” she guessed.
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “Your whole genetic code is in there. They know everything about you. Everything.”
She rattled the glass door to Artie’s. The sign on the front door read CLOSED . The store was dark although she always worked on Thursdays at four. “Artie!” she shouted, banging on the glass. “It’s me! Open up!”
Artie, his wife, and their two kids lived on the second floor. Walking around back and up thesteps to the porch on the second floor, she peered in the window. The furniture was still there, but the apartment was dark.
In the distance a siren screamed and Kayla tucked her fingers around the end of her jacket sleeve, hiding her wrist. Where was Artie? Why hadn’t he opened the store?
Kayla walked back to the street and got on a bulletbus headed for Zekeal’s apartment down in Peekskill. Zekeal lived in a run-down apartment near the GlobalTrac station. Now boarded shut, Victor’s Tattoo Parlor had once operated on the bottom floor.
Kayla climbed the wooden back stairs and banged on the door. “It’s open,” he shouted.
She stepped inside and found him sitting in the one main room at a table in front of his large, old-style computer. Instead of looking at the screen, he was reading a thick book, a manual. He looked up at her and grinned. “Hey! I thought you were working,” he said.
“Artie’s was closed. I don’t know why,” she explained.
“That’s weird,” he replied, turning toward her in his seat.
“What are you reading?” she asked. Without waiting for his reply, she flipped the open book to its cover.
TATTOO GENERATION:
A MANUAL OF PRIDE
She questioned him with her eyes.
“A friend got this to me so I could see what we’re up against,” he explained. “It’s banged-out stuff. These people are totally convinced that the bar code is the way to an exciting new future.”
Kayla opened to the middle of the manual and scanned the page.
You influence by example, of course. Proudly sporting your tattoo is the best assurance that it will gain prestige in the eyes of the undecided. But direct influence is also an effective way to persuade your family and friends that there is nothing to fear from the tattoo. The resistant person will often have an unwarranted suspicion of direct persuasion. That is why it is best to take an indirect approach. Do not reveal your mission, but rather — in a friendly way — point out the futility of remaining untattooed. Those who can neither buy nor sell face a future of certain failure. By pointing this out, you plant the seeds of productive thought among those resistant to the tattoo. Also, point out that going against the wishes of the United States Senate is unpatriotic. It isevery citizen’s duty to comply with the wishes of its government. Complying is not only patriotic, it’s also an attractive trait. The untattooed person risks social ostracism. He or she openly demonstrates that he or she is not a team player.
This will be enough to persuade most people that remaining untattooed is a liability they do not wish to incur. Special operatives may be permitted to remain untattooed for the express purpose of winning the confidence of the uncoded. Their records will remain on file at Tattoo Generation headquarters for a period of no more than one year. After that time, the agent is expected to become tattooed
She nodded. “Everything about him was in there.”
He sat down and began punching the keyboard. “I’m a pretty fair hacker,” he said. “Let me have a crack at this.”
Kayla had the file on her mind as she walked across the parking lot to Artie’s Art Supply an hour later. Zekeal had gotten in, but for only a minute. It was long enough, though, for him to see the file. “That’s it,” he had said. “This is the big secret, the thing they don’t want us to know.”
“The genetic code?” she guessed.
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “Your whole genetic code is in there. They know everything about you. Everything.”
She rattled the glass door to Artie’s. The sign on the front door read CLOSED . The store was dark although she always worked on Thursdays at four. “Artie!” she shouted, banging on the glass. “It’s me! Open up!”
Artie, his wife, and their two kids lived on the second floor. Walking around back and up thesteps to the porch on the second floor, she peered in the window. The furniture was still there, but the apartment was dark.
In the distance a siren screamed and Kayla tucked her fingers around the end of her jacket sleeve, hiding her wrist. Where was Artie? Why hadn’t he opened the store?
Kayla walked back to the street and got on a bulletbus headed for Zekeal’s apartment down in Peekskill. Zekeal lived in a run-down apartment near the GlobalTrac station. Now boarded shut, Victor’s Tattoo Parlor had once operated on the bottom floor.
Kayla climbed the wooden back stairs and banged on the door. “It’s open,” he shouted.
She stepped inside and found him sitting in the one main room at a table in front of his large, old-style computer. Instead of looking at the screen, he was reading a thick book, a manual. He looked up at her and grinned. “Hey! I thought you were working,” he said.
“Artie’s was closed. I don’t know why,” she explained.
“That’s weird,” he replied, turning toward her in his seat.
“What are you reading?” she asked. Without waiting for his reply, she flipped the open book to its cover.
TATTOO GENERATION:
A MANUAL OF PRIDE
She questioned him with her eyes.
“A friend got this to me so I could see what we’re up against,” he explained. “It’s banged-out stuff. These people are totally convinced that the bar code is the way to an exciting new future.”
Kayla opened to the middle of the manual and scanned the page.
You influence by example, of course. Proudly sporting your tattoo is the best assurance that it will gain prestige in the eyes of the undecided. But direct influence is also an effective way to persuade your family and friends that there is nothing to fear from the tattoo. The resistant person will often have an unwarranted suspicion of direct persuasion. That is why it is best to take an indirect approach. Do not reveal your mission, but rather — in a friendly way — point out the futility of remaining untattooed. Those who can neither buy nor sell face a future of certain failure. By pointing this out, you plant the seeds of productive thought among those resistant to the tattoo. Also, point out that going against the wishes of the United States Senate is unpatriotic. It isevery citizen’s duty to comply with the wishes of its government. Complying is not only patriotic, it’s also an attractive trait. The untattooed person risks social ostracism. He or she openly demonstrates that he or she is not a team player.
This will be enough to persuade most people that remaining untattooed is a liability they do not wish to incur. Special operatives may be permitted to remain untattooed for the express purpose of winning the confidence of the uncoded. Their records will remain on file at Tattoo Generation headquarters for a period of no more than one year. After that time, the agent is expected to become tattooed
Similar Books
