Code Name Viridian Book 1: Hunt for The Life Spark

The hope of a better future is sometimes the only motivation needed to keep going.

Hunt for the Lifespark – 

Nomi Orcano

God, it was hot.

There was something to be said about the splendor of a nice, cloudy day. They didn’t get them often on the desert side of Mars. Clouds were few and far between, and rain was considered an anomaly. She imagined it was what the deserts of Arizona felt like back on Earth. It wasn’t humid. Only relentlessly hot.

The sweat dried on her skin before it could cool her down properly. Twenty-foot walls of metal scrap only worked to raise the ambient temperature. The sun’s position meant all the shade was on the other side of the wall, and so were most of the other scrappers.

That was how Nomi liked it.

Following the shade and fighting over scraps didn’t interest her. If she were as big as Ralph, the thought of a fight wouldn’t have bothered her one bit. Yet at five foot five and a hundred and twenty pounds, no one took her seriously. At least not in a physical altercation. She could be scrappy when she had to be, but mostly, Nomi liked to think her way out of problems. When violence ensued, it meant all thinking had failed. There was only one thing violence led to.

More violence.

She reached up and adjusted her bucket hat. Not the most attractive piece of clothing she owned, but it kept the sun off her neck and ears. It wasn’t like she was out in the scrap looking for suitors.

She couldn’t imagine starting a relationship with someone. Until she had a work permit and a way out of the slums, any normal life was off the table. Kids and a family were out until her life was more stable. The most selfish thing she could do was bring a child into this world when she could hardly scrape enough food together for herself and the big guy.

 Kids. The thought was almost laughable.

Nomi shook her head and returned to the pile in front of her. Scrap was reliable. The heap always provided. Maybe not enough to earn her a way out, but enough to keep her belly full. Think about the positives. That was what the self-help app on her Digi would say. Tonight, she’d have a full belly and a place to sleep. If she could get rid of the relentless heat, everything would be fine.

The heat was making her cranky today. When Nomi felt moody, her mind tended to turn dark. She was working on it. Like her long-sleeved shirt was doing its best to retain some of the sweat she was leaking. Salty white patches spread across the fabric already. It was that kind of day. Might as well make the most of it. With enough effort, she might not have to come back for weeks. Then, she could spend her time studying on her Digi.

“Instead of wasting it in this heap.” Nomi kicked a piece of scrap and bent down quickly to see what was underneath.

That’s actually not half bad. Nomi picked up a spent CS6 aviation box. The unit was still in working condition. After a little TLC, it would fetch a decent price. It was exactly the part she needed to buy herself some free time out of the heap, reading interesting articles.

The latest story she was following was about the newest application of transmogrifying machines and the implications of nanotech. Nomi could really sink her teeth into those subjects. She might not have much practical experience, but she studied relentlessly. One of the benefits of not having any money and access to unlimited knowledge on her Digi was she could learn about anything. She’d already modified her salvaged Digi well beyond factory specs. It shouldn’t have been possible, yet it worked flawlessly.

Her mind was like that when it came to machines. Or puzzles. Somehow, the pieces seemed to fit together in her head. It wasn’t so much like she had to think about it. More like she felt it. Nomi knew her mind worked differently. It was a blessing and a curse. Picking through the scrap gave her a lot of time to think. On lucky days, she could pick up the signal from the university and listen to the lectures live. All she had to do was hack into their remote class auditing software.

They really should have a stronger firewall.

It was amazing how much she could learn for free on her Digi. She might not be able to afford to attend the university, and she’d never have a degree, but she could learn from those who did. Sitting in the virtual classes made her feel like she belonged.

Attending four hundred and thirty-two hours of credited courses was how Nomi enjoyed spending her free time. She passed every test with flying colors. Not that the online training tests were good for anything but self-improvement. For a degree, she needed money, the one thing she could never get her hands on. That was why she lived with Ralph.

Part of the reason.

The other part was she was too damned stubborn to conform. Nomi wanted to win her way. She needed someone like Ralph in her life. The big, burly dockworker was a great guy. His brown curly hair and easygoing smile made him handsome enough. Working at the docks gave his arms a definition that would have most women swooning. Nomi didn’t see any of that. What she saw in Ralph was a man more people should emulate. Selfless, loyal, and willing to make the right choice, even when it was hard. Living with him made her a better person.

It was his gift. Ralph touched everyone around him with kindness. As an unregistered worker, his job at the docks paid him a quarter of the rate of a registered employee. Instead of health insurance and a generous salary, he earned one free meal a day and a hundred-square-foot apartment at the edge of the slums. If he couldn’t work or something happened to him, it all disappeared. Poof.

Like it never existed.

Plenty of times, Nomi thought about biting the bullet and joining him at the docks. Combined, they would have been able to get a place with two beds and a little more breathing room. All she had to do was sell herself to a corporation for less than she was worth so some rich asshole could tell their investors how well they did this quarter. She refused to be part of the sham.

Equal pay for equal work. What a novel idea. She refused to play the game until she could make as much as a registered worker. Life was about more than paying bills and dying. She wanted to live. Wanted to thrive. Like a flower growing through a crack in the concrete, all she wanted was her moment. One chance to prove them all wrong. Just because she had nothing didn’t mean she was worthless.

Nomi proved her worth daily. She’d never give in to the broken system. All her life, she felt destined for something more. One day, she would be someone. Use her influence to change things. She would change the world.

First, she had to earn enough for dinner.

Sifting through the scrap might not have been glorious, but at least she worked for herself. No one would micromanage her time. Ralph was taking care of her now. When she found something good enough to buy her permit, it would be her chance to return the favor. If one person on the planet deserved a little time off, it was Ralph.

He worked all day at the docks. Twelve-hour shifts. Six days a week. He never complained or asked her to contribute more than she could. His one rule for the house was not to have male company over. The man might as well have been a saint. That was it. No tit for tat. Nothing. Ralph was as genuine as they came. Salt of the earth. She never had to guess what he was thinking. It was written all over his face. Reading the man was as easy as opening a book.

It was nice to have one reliable thing in her life.

Without him, she’d be drifting like all the other lost ones. The people the system forgot. It wasn’t Nomi’s fault her parents died, and her aunt cared more about the government’s stipend check than enrolling her in school. By the time Nomi realized her life wasn’t normal, it was too late to correct it. If she hadn’t found the Digi, she would already be on the docks with Ralph. Instead, she’d expanded her mind far enough to know how bad her position in life was. No one would listen to her ideas on how to fix things.

People often overlooked the wisdom of women picking through scrap.

Nomi released a bitter snort and let the feeling go. Resenting the system wouldn’t help her. She had to find a way to bend it to her will. If anyone could do it, it was her. She already knew how to customize machinery in a way no one else could. While the money to purchase new tech to experiment with eluded her, Nomi could make the old tech sing with purpose. The machines spoke to her, and she liked to think she spoke back.

Nomi stood to her full height and looked up at the sun. A grunt escaped her lips as she stretched her back. Nineteen was too young to spend the day stooped over the scrap like she was older than dirt. She twisted to the other side and stretched again. Something popped. The discomfort in her lower back vanished. The momentary relief was all the motivation she needed to get back to work.

A few more finds. Then she could enjoy the cool air in Ralph’s apartment. The system might have only dropped the room temperature to eighty degrees, but after spending the day in the scrap, eighty degrees would feel like walking in the snow. She could almost imagine herself sitting there now. Glass of water in hand, feet up on the table. The little comforts in life brought her the most joy. Only a few more hours and the dream would be hers.

Before Nomi could enjoy the cold air, she’d have to deal with Maurice.

He was the worst part about scrapping. Absurdly fat with the moral compass of a rabid hyena. Compassion, respect. These were words Maurice didn’t know existed. He preyed upon the scrappers because he could. There was no one to stop him. They all knew the other fences were worse. Not having a proper permit limited her options. The world felt crazy. Nomi couldn’t even sell trash without the correct documentation.

Triple Triglycerides Maurice was willing to look beyond such trivial things as a permit, provided he received his cut. The amount he kept for himself was normally around two-thirds of the value. Two-thirds for sitting on his fat ass all day. However, no Maurice meant no food. At the end of the day, her calculations were that simple. Nomi hoped he was in a good mood today.

After looking over the endless sea of scrap, Nomi returned to work. The little treasures buried in the heap wouldn’t find themselves.

She’d spent most of the morning looking for the easy finds closer to the ground. Now, she was on top of a ten-foot mound of scrap. The soles of her boots were doing all they could to keep from melting. The sun was trying to blister her skin through the thick UV shirt. Even her gloves were sizzling as she sifted through the pile. She was determined to make this trip to the yard count. Every hour she spent here was a day she didn’t have to come back.

Her backpack was already brimming with gear.

She’d stashed enough stuff in there to buy them rations for the week, but Nomi wanted more. Like any prospector, she was looking for the big one. It always felt like hope was hidden under the next piece of scrap. Today, she’d come close. With slightly less damage on the circuit board of that Gx90, she would have been set for months. Instead, she continued sifting through the scrap, eyes peeled. Searching for something special.

The right piece might even give her enough for a work permit. Hell, if she was reaching for the stars, Nomi might as well wish for something huge. What she really wanted was to be a citizen. To enjoy the benefits of the planet she lived on. That dream felt a million miles away. The dream of a work permit, though? She only had to find the right piece.

She kept searching.

Fear kept her moving. She was scared all the time. Scared that Ralph would come to his senses and kick her out. Worried that she wouldn’t find enough scrap to buy food. Terrified that she might never have the chance to reach her true potential. Things were good now, but she’d been through that before. Good things didn’t last. At least not for her.

“Not yet, anyway.” Nomi paused and smiled.

She was starting to show some real personal growth thanks to her Digi. If she could speak it into being and was willing to work hard enough, she could manifest her own destiny. Getting her hands on a work permit was only the start. It might not happen today. It might not happen this year, but it would happen. She would get her hands on a permit, and that little digital permission slip would change her life instantly.

Nomi was so close she could taste it.

Find out if Nomi finds anything good in the scrap heap on December 22nd when Code Name Viridian: Hunt for The Life Spark is released.