Life wasn't terrible if you were waiting at a product facility but it was certainly bland.  The Stockholders were careful to make sure we didn't have any stimulation from the outside world.  Our routines are closely monitored and heavily scheduled.  If we didn't report to our next station and scan our barcode then the whole facility would go on lockdown.  There was no way around this procedure.  I'd already tried escaping over a dozen times and hadn't gotten past the inner gates a single time.

I frowned at my barcode as I walked to my next station, the exercise room.  Everything revolved around that barcode.  It had my ID, my history, and my location programmed to download every time it scanned.  Normal people had IDs that did all of that too, but theirs came in removable patches.

What kind of sicko tattoos a barcode onto the hand of a baby?  What kind of person takes one look at a chart and decides, oh, this kid won't ever amount to anything, let's sell them to someone who will?

"Coming through!  Out of the way!"

I stepped out of the way automatically, turning to watch Mister Derpit as he rushed past me.

"Afternoon, Derpit," I said.

"Yes, yes," he replied in a rather distracted way. He stopped and looked at his watch. "Do you want something?"

"If you're taking requests, I'd like my freedom please."

Mister Derpit glanced up and frowned when he saw me. "Oh, Destiny. I'm really in a hurry. Can't help you right now. On my way to see a very important client, very rich family . . ."

He squinted, seeming to really notice me for the first time. Whatever fantasy he'd been living in where this rich client funded his dreams ground to a halt. "In fact, Destiny, why don't you go spend the rest of the day in the entertainment center?"

"Sorry, boss.  I'm due at the exercise room."  I flashed my barcode with a wide smile.  If Mister Derpit wanted me out of the way badly enough to excuse me from mandatory exercise then I definitely wanted to see what was up.

"I'll reschedule for you," he promised.  He pulled out his tablet and typed something onto it.  Then he held up his scanner.  "Barcode, please."

I let him scan me.  It's not like I had much of a choice.  At least he was polite about it.  He asked before scanning us.  Some of the other Stockholders would just grab your arm without a second thought.

The scanner chirped its report and Mister Derpit reminded me to go right to the entertainment center before he hurried away again. I followed him.

Was it my fault if he forgot the fastest way to the entertainment center was the very same direction he was going? Of course not.

The halls were much more crowded than normal. I noticed that most of the people out and about were the best-behaved or most valuable Products that the facility had to offer. Whoever this rich client was, Mister Derpit was doing everything humanly possible to persuade him to make a purchase.

By now Mister Derpit was far out of sight. I reached the door which would lead to the recreation center and frowned at the doorknob. If only I'd been able to figure out why Derpit wanted me so far from the client. He probably just wanted his most troublesome product far out of the way for this. It wouldn't do for me to be causing trouble, would it?

I hesitated, debating the consequences of forcing the facility to go on lockdown with a rich client inside. I'd make the facility look bad, and then Mister Derpit would have to hand me over to the Enforcers. Or worse. But the alternative was just being an obedient little product and doing whatever they wanted me to do.

If that was the life I wanted, I should have just stayed at the last home I was sold to.

I turned away from the door and walked briskly in the opposite direction, towards the reception area.  It was the one route I hadn't tried yet. Obvious, but if I got caught then at least I could go out with a bang.

I was only halfway to the reception when the lights of the facility tinted red. Electric fields materialized over the small windows (not that those were an escape option anyway).

"Facility lockdown initiated," the same voice from the scanner broadcasted over the intercom system.  What a strange job.  Hired to sound emotionless while you listed off instructions to people.  "Destiny Protocol activated."

They'd even named a lockdown protocol after me.  Maybe I'd left my mark after all.  I slowed to a halt in front of the reception door.  I just stared at the door for a long moment.  The facility guards were really off their game if they hadn't caught me yet.

"There she is!"  The shout came from some point further down the hall behind me.  "Stop her!"

There was the trouble I was expecting.  I didn't need any more incentive to leave.  I kicked the door, sending glass splintering across its surface.  A second kick and the door shattered.  I dove through the opening I had created and turned it into a roll.  I lifted my head to take in the fact that I wasn't alone.

He was someone I hadn't seen before.  He wasn't dressed in a suit for one thing, which meant he couldn't be a Stockholder.  In fact, an embryo wasn't embroidered anywhere on his clothes.  He wore a loose collared shirt over plain jeans.  Sunken eyes peered out of a pallid face.  He didn't look healthy at all.  And he certainly didn't look like the mysterious rich client, but there wasn't anyone else it could possibly be.

I felt myself starting to grow self-conscious. I was painfully aware of the blood dripping down my arms from the glass shards, and this was the first time I'd ever really seen a guy my age. Even if he was a sickly pale one. Guys sell a lot faster than girls since they can do a lot more heavy lifting and such.

I jumped to my feet, ready with any number of threats for if he wouldn't step aside to let me pass, but the door flew open and I was slammed violently forward and onto the ground.

"Don't resist, Product 91668!" the all too familiar voice of the guards ordered.  "We've been authorized to use force!"

"Better get all the force you can muster, because I'm sure as heck resisting!"

I writhed and tried to throw their weight off.  There was a pop and an electric smell before everything shattered into pain and darkness.