CODE: DEVOTION

CHAPTER 4

THE FIRST TEST

Mara woke before the alarm.

For several seconds, she stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.

Then she remembered where she was.

The facility.

The program.

Daniel.

Chris.

She sat up.

A soft chime sounded from the wall beside her bed.

GOOD MORNING, MARA TENDO.

She frowned.

The message disappeared.

Another appeared.

PHASE ONE BEGINS IN 60 MINUTES.

Mara reached for her notebook.

She wrote:

They are watching us.

She stared at the sentence.

Then added:

How much?

A knock came at the door.

"Mara?"

Daniel.

She quickly closed the notebook.

"Coming."

When she opened the door, Daniel was standing outside with two cups of coffee.

"I thought you might need this."

Mara smiled.

"You remembered."

"You mentioned yesterday that you can't function without coffee."

She took the cup.

"That's actually impressive."

"I listen."

Mara looked at him.

Something about Daniel was almost too perfect.

He remembered small details.

He asked the right questions.

He said the right things.

And yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.

She didn't know what.

Perhaps she was simply being difficult.

Perhaps this was what compatibility felt like.

Easy.

Predictable.

Safe.

"Ready?" Daniel asked.

Mara looked down the corridor.

"I think so."

They walked toward the testing centre.

Across the facility, Chris was having a very different morning.

Elena stood outside his room with her arms crossed.

"You've been awake for hours."

Chris looked at her.

"How do you know?"

"Because your lights have been on."

He glanced at the ceiling.

"There are cameras in the rooms?"

"I don't know."

"You just said you knew."

"I said your lights were on."

Chris narrowed his eyes.

"You're already confusing me."

Elena laughed.

"Good morning to you too."

They walked together.

Neither spoke for several moments.

Then Elena asked, "Are you nervous?"

"A little."

"Why?"

Chris thought about it.

"Because I don't know what they're testing."

Elena nodded.

"Neither do I."

Ahead of them, enormous doors opened.

A staff member stood waiting.

"Chris Luke. Elena Namusoke."

They stopped.

"Yes?"

"Your test begins now."

Chris looked at Elena.

She smiled.

"Here we go."

The testing centre was unlike anything they had seen before.

There were four separate rooms.

Each contained a table, two chairs and a large screen.

No windows.

No clocks.

No visible cameras.

Mara and Daniel were directed into the first room.

Chris and Elena were taken into another.

The doors closed.

A voice came through the speakers.

"Welcome to Phase One."

Mara sat down.

Daniel leaned forward.

The screen illuminated.

TEST ONE: KNOW YOUR PARTNER.

Mara raised an eyebrow.

Daniel smiled.

"Seems simple."

"That's what worries me."

The first question appeared.

WHAT IS YOUR PARTNER'S GREATEST FEAR?

Mara looked at Daniel.

He looked at her.

"Being trapped," he said.

Mara blinked.

"How did you know?"

"You told me yesterday."

She smiled.

"Good."

The screen displayed:

CORRECT.

Mara's eyebrows rose.

Daniel's answer had been right.

Another question appeared.

WHAT DOES YOUR PARTNER WANT MOST?

Daniel answered immediately.

"To write something that matters."

Mara stared at him.

The screen displayed:

CORRECT.

She smiled.

"Okay."

Daniel laughed.

"We're good at this."

The questions continued.

Favourite food.

Childhood memory.

Greatest regret.

Most important possession.

The two of them answered almost everything correctly.

Mara began relaxing.

Maybe the system really did understand people.

Maybe she had been suspicious for no reason.

Then the screen changed.

WHAT WOULD YOUR PARTNER SACRIFICE FOR LOVE?

Mara stared at the question.

Daniel looked at her.

"I think you'd sacrifice your career."

Mara shook her head.

"No."

The screen remained blank.

Daniel frowned.

"You wouldn't?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Mara looked at him.

"I don't know."

The screen flashed.

INCOMPLETE RESPONSE.

Mara's stomach tightened.

A second question appeared.

WOULD YOU SACRIFICE YOUR FREEDOM FOR LOVE?

Mara didn't answer.

Daniel did.

"Yes."

Mara turned toward him.

"You would?"

"If it was real love."

She looked at the screen.

For some reason, she thought about Chris.

She didn't understand why.

She barely knew him.

But she remembered his expression when the government announced their pairings.

He had looked at her.

Not Daniel.

Her.

The screen beeped.

RESPONSE REQUIRED.

Mara finally answered.

"No."

Daniel looked surprised.

"Why?"

"Because if someone loves me, they shouldn't need my freedom."

Silence.

The screen went dark.

In the room next door, Chris and Elena were facing the same test.

Their first questions were easy.

Favourite food.

Childhood memories.

Family.

Dreams.

Elena answered confidently.

Chris found himself laughing several times.

"You really do know me," he said.

She smiled.

"That's what the system wanted."

Chris looked at her.

"What?"

She pointed at the screen.

"We're supposed to know each other."

He stared at the words.

Then the next question appeared.

WHAT IS YOUR PARTNER'S GREATEST FEAR?

Chris answered.

"Being controlled."

Elena looked at him.

"That's correct."

The screen flashed.

CORRECT.

Chris frowned.

"How did you know that?"

Elena shrugged.

"You told me yesterday."

He hadn't realized he had.

The next question appeared.

WHAT DOES YOUR PARTNER VALUE MOST?

Elena answered.

"Freedom."

Chris stared at her.

The screen flashed.

CORRECT.

He smiled.

"You're good."

"So are you."

Then came the same question.

WOULD YOU SACRIFICE YOUR FREEDOM FOR LOVE?

Elena answered first.

"No."

Chris looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because then it wouldn't be love."

Chris smiled.

For some reason, the answer reminded him of someone.

Mara.

He immediately pushed the thought away.

The screen flashed.

CORRECT.

Then something strange happened.

The screen went black.

A different question appeared.

WHO IN THIS FACILITY DO YOU TRUST MOST?

Chris stared at it.

Elena looked at him.

"That's not about us."

"No."

"Who do you trust?"

Chris hesitated.

"I don't know."

The system waited.

Then the screen displayed:

PLEASE ANSWER HONESTLY.

Chris looked at Elena.

She seemed uncomfortable.

"Just say me," she whispered.

Chris shook his head.

"I don't know you well enough."

The screen flashed.

INCOMPLETE RESPONSE.

Elena's expression changed.

"Chris."

"What?"

"Look."

A small symbol had appeared in the corner of the screen.

It wasn't part of the test.

It looked like a warning.

Chris leaned closer.

Then it disappeared.

The next question appeared.

WHO DO YOU THINK IS MOST LIKELY TO BREAK THE RULES?

Chris stared at the screen.

He already knew the answer.

But he didn't say it.

Mara and Daniel were released twenty minutes later.

A researcher waited outside.

"How did we do?" Mara asked.

The researcher smiled.

"Very well."

"What's our compatibility now?"

The woman hesitated.

"Your compatibility remains strong."

"That's not what I asked."

The researcher looked at her.

"Your results are still being processed."

Mara noticed the hesitation.

She looked at Daniel.

He noticed it too.

"Can we see our scores?" Daniel asked.

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"Because the system is still learning."

Mara's attention sharpened.

"Learning what?"

The researcher smiled politely.

"People."

Then she walked away.

Mara watched her disappear down the corridor.

"That's creepy," she said.

Daniel laughed.

"Maybe."

Mara didn't laugh.

Chris and Elena emerged shortly afterward.

Mara saw them.

Chris saw her.

For a second, the four of them stood facing one another.

Daniel smiled.

"How did you two do?"

"Good," Elena replied.

Chris looked at Mara.

"How about you?"

"Good."

"Good."

Silence.

Daniel glanced between them.

"So, I guess the system got it right."

Mara smiled.

"Maybe."

Chris said nothing.

A voice interrupted them.

"All participants return to the main grounds."

They followed the instructions.

When everyone had gathered, the large screen came alive.

The same woman appeared.

"Congratulations."

The participants applauded.

"You have successfully completed the first phase."

The screen displayed results.

PAIR SATISFACTION: 87%

The crowd cheered.

Then another figure appeared.

EMOTIONAL DEVIATION: 13%

Mara frowned.

"What does that mean?"

The woman continued.

"During Phase One, our system observed unexpected emotional responses."

The room became quiet.

"These deviations are not failures."

A pause.

"They are valuable."

Mara looked at Chris.

He was already looking at her.

The woman smiled.

"Tomorrow, Phase Two will begin."

The screen changed.

THE CHOICE TEST

Mara's stomach tightened.

"What choice?" someone shouted.

The woman didn't answer.

Instead, she looked directly into the camera.

"Tomorrow, each participant will be asked to make a decision."

The screen went black.

A final message appeared.

CHOOSE YOUR DEVOTION.

The lights came back on.

Nobody spoke.

Mara slowly turned toward Daniel.

Then toward Chris.

Chris was staring at the same words.

Neither of them understood what the choice would be.

But somewhere inside the facility, behind the dark glass walls, researchers were already studying their reactions.

And one of those reactions had surprised them more than any other.

Mara had been paired with Daniel.

Chris had been paired with Elena.

Yet every time the system tested their emotions—

Mara looked for Chris.

And Chris looked for Mara.

The experiment had its first problem.

And neither of them knew they were the problem.