I used to be impressed with how far man had come. Between medical and technological advances, we were well on our way to ending disease and making information transfer easier than ever. It's funny how the best of mankind can also be his worst.
      My name is Jeanette. I was a carrier. And I longed for freedom.

      "If you say one word, I'll kill you." Gabriel was never a man of many words, so when he did say something, he made it count. One of the few things about him I knew for certain.
      "I swear, Jette, this is no joke. This is the real deal. It's important. More important than you are, so don't go trying to test my resolve on the matter. I won't stand for it again." Gabriel was my dealer. He hated it when I called him that, but I always lived to anger him. It was the only joy I had in life. There weren't many joys in my line of work, despite the reputation, so I treasured this one. Besides, he was so easy to anger.
      "Come on, Gabe. This time will go just like the rest of them. It's no big deal. We'll go in, put on a good show, they'll see the goods, and we're out before the clock strikes twelve. Just like the rest of them, I promise. I've done this many times over, more than you have. I know how it works."
      He apparently didn't like my tone. He never did like it when I talked casually to him. I guess I pushed it. I must have poked at his precious ego. He grabbed my collar and just about lifted me off the ground with one hand.
      "If I hadn't paid so much money for you, you'd be dead by now. Don't forget who owns who. I won't be talked down to by a whore."
      He knew how much I hated that label. I daily cursed the man who began calling us that.
      He let me drop. I stayed on the ground for a minute, silent. I had no intention of angering him again. He reached his limit early that evening.
      He said nothing more and went to the kitchen to finish dinner. It never ceased to amaze me, the way he acted. No matter how many times he threatened me, he always ended up letting me sleep in the bed, he cooked for us, he made sure I had everything I needed to stay relatively comfortable. He didn't have to. I've seen enough dealers in my time to know that he didn't have to. But he did. I respected him, in a odd way. He did get rough at times, but he never hit me. I think in a way, he respected me too. Not as a 'whore', as he liked to call me, but as a woman. A lady. I secretly thanked his mother, wherever she was.
      He must have seen that I was a little cautious after our last conversation. He came over and gave me my food instead of calling me over to the table.
      "Thank you."
      "Whatever. I'm just doing my part to keep you alive. I don't want to damage my property." In Gabe's mind, that meant, "You're welcome."
      I began eating, and he watched me. He always watched me when I had a knife. It was uncomfortable, but I wasn't about to lose my much appreciated steak by complaining about his staring. I felt sorry for him. He was always on his guard when I was around. Sometimes I wish he would just relax, but he didn't always see me as a woman, or even a person. Mostly, he saw me as a piece of meat, a thing, something to use whenever he needed or felt like it. You'd think after all this time, he would trust me just a little bit. He should know by now that I wouldn't hurt him. He'd been the best dealer so far, I didn't want to give him up. Rough treatment and all.
      I finished eating, and he took my plate for me. The only time he was ever this polite. I knew what was coming next.
      "Do you need any help with the dishes?" He snorted at my question.
      "That's what housekeeping is for. For as much as this room cost, they shouldn't mind doing a few dishes."
      I was only stalling. I didn't want to go through with it. It had only been a couple of days since our last deal, and Gabriel was always so rough.
      "Having doubts?" I hated it when he knew what I was thinking. Sometimes I thought that something had been implanted in my head as well as my shoulder. Something broadcasting my thoughts to whomever wanted to listen.
      "Always. I'm not thrilled about doing this so soon." I hesitated. He saw it, and gave me an unconvinced look. "And...I'm a little sore."
      "We still have a couple hours before we have to be anywhere." He came over and sat next to me. "Take off your shirt."
      There was no arguing with him. He'd want me at my best for the deal. It wasn't so bad, anyway.
      I did as I was told. I unbuttoned my long sleeve shirt and tossed it over the back of the couch. I turned my back to him and waited.
      He started with my left shoulder, focused only on it for a moment. No matter how rough he was, his massages were always so gentle. I'd never understand him.
      "Gabe, I need to ask you a favor." He proceeded to lay his hands on both my shoulders.
      "I'm listening."
      "Can you be gentle with me this time?" He hands stopped their ministrations for a moment.
      "What?"
      "Can you be gentle with me, please? You are always so rough..."
      "I am being gentle.You think I'd be careless when we're like this?"
      "I don't mean now. You're always fine like this. Later, when we make the deal. Can you promise me you'll be gentle?"
      "You must be joking." He resumed massaging, a little more firm than before, trying to counteract my new tension.
      "Please, it would mean a lot to me."
      "And what exactly would I get out of it?"
      "Things would go smoothly if you were." I didn't want to tell him the truth.
      "Things always go smoothly, as long as you deliver, and you always do." He pushed on my shoulders a little. "Lie down."
      I complied. I leaned forward and stretched out on my stomach. He proceeded to straddle me, and I tried to get comfortable as I pleaded with him. I always felt so helpless when he tried to relax me before a deal. I guess because I was helpless.
      "What is all this about? You're so tense. What's going on? I don't want you like this when the deal goes down. You'll make me look bad, and that cannot happen today." He began soothing the ache in my shoulder. I decided just to let it out.
      "It hurts. When you're so rough, it hurts me." He stopped again. There was silence for a little while before he started on my sides. It tickled a little.
      "Were your other dealers gentle?"
      "I never told them when they were being rough. I've never told anyone before."
      "And is this suppose to induce me to comply with your request?"
      "I'm just trying to be honest with you, Gabe. It takes longer for me to recover. It would be better for both of us if you took another minute to be just a little gentler." He worked his way down to my waist and slowed.
      "I don't see how you can have such trouble with this. It's what you exist for."
      "What, for you to man-handle?"
      "Not for me, for this. For the life. You're a carrier. You're built for it. You wouldn't want this to go to waste, would you?" He grasped my left shoulder as he spoke.
      "It's where your heart used to be, you know. It's a done deal, you can't go back. You might as well get used to it. It's more important than you are at this point, but hey, it keeps you alive and well. You signed on for this job, so why are you complaining?" Who said that having no heart meant I was no longer human?
      "Yes, I wanted this job, you as a dealer, but I mean in the beginning. I never consented to this life. I had no idea what I was getting into. It was a huge payday, and I had no way of knowing what they would do to me."
      "Maybe that time, you should have looked the gift horse in the mouth."
      "Oh, ha. I'd laugh if you weren't sitting on my lungs." He backed up and sat on my legs. He strong hands were outlining my spine, and I was finally beginning to relax.
      "Look, I don't know what happened to you before now. It's not my concern. All I care about is how you are doing now. That should be all you care about too. You can't do anything about the past. As long as the cargo is safe and stays that way, you're going to be fine. I won't let anything happen to you." I wanted to believe he was talking about me, but he meant his precious cargo. The cargo I would soon be carrying. Maybe in some recess of his mind, he meant he would take care of me as a person, and not just as his carrier. His property. "You wanted a payday? Well today, is the motherload. This will be the last one for months. If all goes well..."
      "What do you mean, if all goes well?" My voice sounded more shaky than I would have liked.
      "They want to extract right there in the lobby. They'll have it cleared of any onlookers, but they want it done out in the open."
      "What?! Are you crazy? I'm not going to make a deal in public! Why would they want that? Have you all lost your minds?" He kept up his firm grip on my shoulders, trying to keep me calm.
      "If things get complicated, they want an easy out. The lobby of the Drake is nice and open, windows and doors all over the place. We'll be hidden in plain sight. It will be fine."
      "How can they be sure no one will be around? That's impossible. You've all gone mad. There is no way this is going down." He worked on my neck and collarbone.
      "They'll have it cleared. It's not a problem."
      "Gabe, just who are these people?" He was silent. His hands moved back to my left shoulder.
      "Remember what you said about looking the gift horse in the mouth? Are you sure this payday is worth it?" He just continued massaging. I knew he wouldn't say anymore, and there was no use trying to continue. We were just going to have to be careful. I wasn't unfamiliar with their kind of people. Getting in and getting out fast was the only way to insure survival. He was going to be rough. At least now, for the time being, he was being gentle. "Are you finished?" He had that cold, unemotional tone in his voice. I had lost him again.
      "I am."
      "Then turn over."
      Another part of the insertion I hated. Being a woman, I had more to hide. What little clothing I did wear during this procedure wasn't as much as I would have liked. I didn't know whether to be embarrassed or anxious. Both, perhaps. He began working on my left shoulder again and concentrated on that area.
      "You still seem pretty tense."
      It was true. Soothing my muscles always made it immensely easier, but I still couldn't help but feel awkward about it.
      "I know you don't like this very much, but it has to be done." He began to smirk at me. I was left wondering what he was thinking. He never smirked. He hardly even smiled. I knew I wasn't going to like this.
      "Maybe you could pretend things were different. Get your mind off of the insertion." He moved lower and leaned over me; he forced me to look into his eyes. "Think of us as just a man and a woman."
      He moved past my face and breathed on my ear. His body was now covering mine, and his hands were stroking my arms. If only he had meant it, if only he wasn't thinking soley of his property, I might not have been so upset. But I was.
      "I never thought you'd be one to mix business with pleasure." I was a little out of breath.
      He immediately shot up and took his hands off me.
      "Really, I never thought you'd have a taste for a 'whore', even if she is just one in the information world. Is this what you paid extra for?"
      "I didn't mean it like--"
      "Just finish, please."
      That time, he had lost me. I knew he was just trying to relax me. I wasn't that kind of girl, and he wasn't the type of man who'd use me, but the fact that my relaxation was the only reason for his actions was enough to anger me.
      He began massaging my left shoulder, slowing until I was almost completely relaxed. I closed my eyes for a moment, only to open them a moment later due to a sharp pain in my shoulder.
      "What was that?!"
      "A muscle relaxant, and a local anesthesic. Just something to help the process a little bit."
      "We've never used drugs before. What's going on?" I could see him getting the device ready, and it suddenly became hard to move my left side, and there was an added sound to our voices, like a quieting symbol. The drugs were working quickly.
      "This one is a bit bigger than usual. It's...not going to be pretty."
      Not even the relaxants could hide the worry in my eyes. He smiled and placed his free hand on my forehead.
      "Don't worry, Jette. I'm doing it myself. I've never harmed you before, no more than was necessary. You'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you." To Jette the woman, or Jette the carrier...
      I didn't have time to think of an answer. He began the insertion almost immediately. He purposely distracted me. I would have thought of a colorful expletive, but my thoughts were interrupted by what felt like a glowing hot dagger breaking my skin. The pain was not only felt in the skin the injector touched, it spread through out my entire chest and left arm. I cleched my teeth so hard I almost bit my tongue. Whatever it was had a large, round shape. I could have sworn he was injected the sun itself.
      He was still straddling me, and my right hand grabbed onto his leg for dear life. I dug my nails into his jeans as far as I could push them. I wished it were my own leg. Perhaps it would have distracted me from the torture in my left shoulder. After an eternity, he finally began twisting. The first twist felt as though it was lined with spikes striking out and lining my heart with tiniy quills. If I had still had my heart. The second twist felt like a cleaner cut, but the accompanying blood loss was unwanted. By the third twist, my mind disconnected from my body and I felt bliss.
      It was over soon after it began. When I opened my eyes again, he was wiping the blood from my shoulder. I was right. Despite the size of the injection, the pain was subsiding. He had been gentle. I would be fine in under an hour.

      The ride to the Drake was a long and silent one. The few words that were uttered were not very encouraging, either.
      "So, what am I carrying anyway?" He looked surprised.
      "Why do you want to know now? You've never asked before."
      "My life has never been on the line for a deal before." I was scared, and I wanted him to know it.
      "What makes you think it is now?"
      I gave him an unapproving look.
      "It's not like you to be so secretive, Gabriel."
      "It's not like you to be inquisitive, Jeanette. Besides, trust me when I say not only doesn't it matter, you don't want to know. It will just be better for all of us when we get this to the buyers." Yeah, that made me feel a lot better.

      When we arrived, there were no busboys, no concierge, no customers, not a soul. It seems they were good on their word. That scared me even more. Gabriel straighten his jacket and kept his sunglasses on. He always tried to look like he knew what he was doing, but I knew he was sweating bullets over this deal.
      A large man in a suit came over and took the keys from Gabriel. He got in the car and drove off without a word, with us just watching. Valet parking. Nice.
      We walked inside and over to the far corner and saw a group of them sitting at a couch and a couple of lounge chairs. They were older men, all in expensive suits, and carried briefcases. There was one young man. His hair was a mess. He wore sunglasses, and was smoking a crooked cigarette. He had no suit, only a black shirt and slacks. He looked like a dealer. He had several tools sitting on the table in front of him. I could see he had his own extractor. Gabriel's was in the car. I was getting worried again.
      One man, obviously the one who would be doing most of the talking, stood up to greet us.
      "Gabriel. Just the man I wanted to see. And who is this beautiful lady you have brought with you?"
      At the mention of my presence, the rest of the men looked over and stood accordingly. At least they seemed cordial.
      "This is Jeanette." The older man smiled. He motioned to shake my hand, but instead, he took my hand and kissed it. Gabriel cleared his throat.
      "She is my carrier." The man looked shocked at first, but shrugged it off as best he could.
      He motioned me to sit next to the younger man, the one closest to the extractor. I looked over at Gabriel nervously, but he was still talking.
      "I take it you have what we want." Gabriel motioned to me, and I nodded at the man. I wanted this to be over as soon as humanly possible.
      "That's fine. Troy, begin extraction."
      "Wait!" Gabriel was obviously confused. "I'm the one who should be doing this."
      "I assure you, Gabriel, Troy has had extensive experience with carriers. He is highly qualified in high-priority extraction. Especially deals of this size. With all due respect, he has seen many more than you have."
      "I think I can handle my own carrier."
      "Please, let us not make this harder than it has to be." We both caught his meaning, and Gabe stopped his protests. The nameless leader turned to me and smiled the most contrived smile I've ever seen. "You will be fine in no time, my dear."
      Troy was another story. No matter how skilled he was with the extractor, he had no grace when it came to prepping me. He took a white coat from his briefcase and put it on. He didn't even take the cigarette out of his mouth or take off his sunglasses. He immediately pushed me on the floor below him. He proceeded to straddle my waist. He tugged at my shirt so hard it ripped. I gasped audibly.
      "I am terribly sorry for Troy's assertiveness, my lady, but it can't be helped. I do apologize for any unwanted alterations to your attire, but we are indeed pressed for time. In any case, the payment you are receiving for this deal will more than cover the cost of new clothing."
      Gabriel was not convinced, and eyed the man hovering with a watchful eye. I was glad for his presence.
      "Be careful with her. I don't want you damaging my property."
      "I beg your pardon, Gabriel, but this young lady is not property. What she carries is property, our property, and we want it extracted as soon as possible. So will you kindly take your seat." I could see what must have been the butt of a handgun in his suit. I'm sure Gabriel saw it as well. "I assume you are upset because I have not shown you what you will receive. Well, allow me to remedy that." He snapped and another suited elder pulled out a silver case and handed it to his leader. He opened it with a combination and showed its contents to Gabriel. He took one look at the briefcase and slowly sat down. "Very good. Troy, you may proceed."
      Troy, as he was called, never spoke a word. He only hummed a tune while he cut the rest of my shirt open and prepped my shoulder for extraction. He jammed a needle into my shoulder, most likely more local anesthesia. He didn't wait long after the injection to begin. He proceeded to take a knife from his pocket to cut my scar open. It hurt, as I knew it would, but I suppose it was better than the extractor breaking the skin. After he had discarded the broken flesh, he proceeded to take out the device. He did not ease it in. He stabbed me with it. Some bedside manner. Surprisingly, the pain was less than during the insertion, and I stayed awake while he began twisting his precious cargo out of my shoulder as if he were opening a bottle of wine with a corkscrew.
      I faintly heard glass breaking. Everyone looked up, except Troy. He never broke stride, he just kept up the extraction. He looked as though he was in a trance. I tried telling him that his comrades were rushing to get out of their seats, but my voice was weak. He seemed like a determined sort of man. It was ironic that his devotion to his work would cost him his life. I didn't know what was going on, why everyone was stuffing their briefcases and running away from us. Not until I saw a bullet make it's new home between Troy's eyes. Blood splattered on his face as well as on mine. He paused in his movements for a moment before his lifeless body came crashing down onto mine.
      I cried out quite loudly. Troy's post-humous actions had put the extractor at such an awkward angle that I thought I would pass out from the pain. I could hear Gabriel screaming my name off in the distance.
      "...Jette, don't move....been discovered....must extract, now..."
      His voice sounded more like a whisper as I tried to cope with the new onslaught of drugs and pain. I didn't know what had happened to Gabe, why he wasn't here helping me. I didn't know who was shooting at us. I didn't even know what was in my shoulder that was causing this mess. I did, however, know what I had to do to survive.
      Troy's body was so heavy. I had never had that much dead weight on top of me before, and it was making it difficult to breathe. He was my first obstacle. My left side was quickly losing the ability to do anything, so I did my best to push him off of me while I still could. Amazingly enough, it took less effort that I thought it would. Adrenaline, perhaps. Onto my next obstacle.
      The device was sticking out of my shoulder. It truly looked like I had been stabbed through the heart, the way it jutted out of my shoulder with blood dripping all over it and me. Perhaps if I still had my heart, it would have ended then. I could have died and been done with this life of servitude, with being owned by anyone who had something to hide, and chose to hide it through me, using my implant. I remember there was a time that I was excited about technological advances, about the rate of information exchange, and how far mankind had come. But none of it mattered to me anymore. Technology was the reason for my state, for my circumstance, and I was no longer excited by it. Everything was about money, and it would always be so.
      But that was not the time to be thinking of regrets. I had to get out of there, and fast. I knew what the authorities did with carriers. They didn't want to get rid of the information, they wanted to extract it themselves. There would be no dealers, no specialized equipment, and no way out. They would use whatever means they could to get the information out, and their methods usually resulted in the carriers death. I had no intention of dying at the hands of torturous enforcers.
      Before I could change my mind, I grabbed the extractor myself and began twisting. It was still too far inside to get out now, so I proceeded to keep the cargo for the time being. Gabriel would be able to extract it later. Granted that I got out of the mess alive. I do believe that my mind had practically shut off at that point, because I could hardly feel a thing. That, or the drugs were the best I had ever felt. I couldn't hear too much either, only muffled pops and distant screams. If Troy were still alive, I would have asked him what he had injected me with.
      With great effort, I dislodged the extractor. I kept low, took Troy's white medical coat, and looked around to find Gabriel. The firing had died down but only because most of the men in their suits had left. I saw Gabriel lying on the floor, clutching his own shoulder. I could see the blood on his hand and the floor. I knew he was going to die. I crawled over to him, and I could hear footsteps gradually gaining volume. The enforcers were getting close.
      His eyes were burning, focused, determined. They reminded me of an animal. They reminded me of Troy.
      "Jette, listen to me. You have to get this thing extracted right away. Get it out--"
      He was cut off by gunfire. I jumped away and began running for the side door. I could see more enforcers on their to the same door, so I did the only thing I could do. I turned right and ran. Again, I think my brain shut down and ran solely on instinct. I kept running until I could no longer stand. I had small pieces of glass in my arm. I must have jumped through a window.
      I was finally free, and yet still a prisoner. I no longer had a dealer, I owned myself again, but I had yet to finish the extraction. It was going to be tricky getting an extractor and performing it myself. If I had a dealer do it, I would fall victim to the life of a carrier again. No, I wouldn't let that happen.
      My third obstacle, removing that which stole my heart.

      My name is Jeanette. I am no longer a carrier, and freedom has never tasted so sweet.



Epilogue

      "Sir, what are we going to do now? We still don't have it, and she could be anywhere."
      "It's been taken care of. We know where she is, and we know it hasn't been damaged."
      "But sir, it's on a timer. What good will it do us to know where she is if we can't extract the device?"
      "Steps have been taken to insure she will be there."
      "Sir?"
      "If we can't get it out of her, then we will simply continue to use her services until we can. One way or another."
      "What if she learns what she is carrying?"
      "In 18 hours, it won't matter what she knows."