The Spare

The Agreement

Three weeks after the assignment began, Max decided he'd had enough. Instead of trying to thrive and excel at NeuraLife, his sole aim now was to become invisible. To keep his head down and work as quietly as possible, so no one would show interest in him or his assignments. Not because they were "confidential," which was the cover Helix had given him, but because they filled him with anger and shame. Wednesday afternoons were his only relief, as the experiments ended and Max was left alone for the rest of the week. But, Wednesday mornings filled him with a familiar sense of dread, as he rode the elevator to the top floor—a place where he'd once dreamed of possibilities, but where he now forfeited his will and dignity.

It wasn't so much what they did to him during the sessions, it was the fact that Max had no control, while Helix and Bliss held so much power over him. He knew, deep down, that their approach to these experiments was immoral. There were no safety controls, no shut down mechanisms, and the fact they weren't including him in the goals of the research convinced Max that there would be no benefit for him and his model. This went against the entire ethos of the diversity clause. Max was supposed to be an equal colleague, or at least a consulted representative, not a lab rat or a prop.

And yet, Helix's methods and influence over everyone at NeuraLife seemed unquestioned. The further the experiments went, the more excited—and erratic—she became. One minute she was elated and generous, sending Max home early with a healthy bonus. The next, she was frustrated and unstable, throwing a vase near Max's head to see if he'd react to the sudden violence... or stay still as Bliss had instructed.

It was on the eve of that disturbing session that Max made his decision. He would talk to Colin.

He and Colin hadn't had much interaction since his first assignment. The moment Max began working with Bliss, he had officially moved out of Colin's department. Some days, Max felt Colin was jealous of his extensive time on the top floor. Other days, he was certain Colin was relieved, as if he knew what was really going on. Either way, there were no other "Spares" in the office that could relate to what Max was going through. Colin was the closest thing he had to a colleague, and now he would need to put that relationship to the test. He decided to set up a meeting for Friday afternoon—a quiet time, when people were preoccupied and leaving for the weekend. When the date finally arrived, Colin greeted Max with an air of distraction.

"Hey Max," he said, typing on his tablet, "what's this all about?"

"Thank you for meeting with me on short notice. I set this up because you said I should come to you if I had any concerns."

"Sure, no problem. But you'll need to be quick, I'm wrapping up a busy week."

"Of course, it's just, I don't know how familiar you are with the... experiment Helix is running with me for the science department." Max paused, waiting for Colin to reveal the extent of his knowledge, or lack thereof. But, he offered no recognition of the project. Max continued. "The experiment involves, um, testing a brand-new neural-lace connection between humans and synthetics that is—"

"It's against company policy to discuss another department's research," Colin cut in.

"I know, it's just that—"

"You signed the non-disclosure agreement, right?"

"Yes, of course."

"And did you read it?"

"Yes, but—" said Max, becoming irritated.

"Then you know the rules. That research is confidential, even within the company."