First Shot

by Bokerah Brumley

  A reporter recites the audio headline...

  Jin and Tonick on Pentian 16.

  Today is a day that will die in the dark of secrets and be buried in an unmarked grave, though the results will be felt for years to come.

  If we can get the newswire to dole out the truth...

  Once we dump GenCor’s privates out in public, I’ll beg Dyad to drag Tonick away. Once he’s gone, I’m going to end my mother. Even if it kills me.

  GenCor Invisi-Communique

  ***Begin***

  RE: Decoy Status

  Unknown.

  Launch new search.

  ***End***

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  LOCUS: ALTER EARTH

  Bostgo Sector

  UnderCity

  Date: 16 Pentian

  Time: 1100

  A PATROL WARBLES BEHIND us. We’ve seen three on this road alone. There’s something here that GenCor doesn’t want anyone finding. Jin’s heart pounds against my back.

  Why aren’t there more? There should be more of them. They’re just welcoming us in. I drum my fingers on the handlebar. What are they playing at? Maybe Wiskee didn’t tell them she found us.

  I shake my head. Wiskee would have completed her programming.

  Jin tugs on me. “Are they gone?”

  “Gone enough.” I plant one foot on the ground and lean over. We’re at the top of a small rise. Ahead of us, the road leads down into the darker parts of the UnderCity. Even the smog gets thicker. Underground tunnels belch yellow clouds of stench into the UnderCity. We’re off to see whatever GenCor cooks in their basement.

  Jin glances around and takes off the necklace. “Give me some light.” Dyad’s headlight comes on, and Jin moves to the front of the bike. She holds the pendant between two fingers, positioning it so the light strikes the crystal in the middle of the five-pointed shape. She rotates the pendant until it lines up over the pavement. A star winks in the upper-right corner.

  “I compared this to the encrypted maps in your “Brave New Day” files, Tonick,” the smartbike says. “I’ll take a picture and mark our progress on my display.”

  “Why didn’t you do it before?” I ask. “You could have done that out at the cabin.”

  “In the past few days, you and I have both been hacked.” Dyad’s avatar frowns at me. “It didn’t seem like a good idea to have it in our memory until we needed it.”

  “Good point.” Strictly need to know.

  Jin drops the necklace back in place. “What did she mean, ‘Brave New Day’ files?”

  I clear my throat. “It’s something that I found—”

  Down the tunnel, a clatter interrupts me. Something squeaks, and another thing growls. A refugee hunting rats maybe. We wait for the Corp patrols to converge behind us, or a stampede of night creatures in front of us. Nothing comes.

  Without more ado, we ease into the tunnel. As easy as a GenCor knife through flesh. Our progress is slow, but we keep to the roads. Dyad highlights each inch as we go.

  At the second turn, a body pops up on Dyad’s screen. It has minimal heat but shows positrons similar to my own.

  “I’ll take care of it.” Easing from the seat, I study an infrared Jin. She can’t see in the dark. I drop a kiss on her cheek. “Run if you have to. Promise you won’t save me.”

  “I can’t.” She presses her lips to my earlobe. “They can’t have you, Tonick. We die together or not at all. See you in a flash.” She drops something metal in my hand.

  It takes a minute, but I realize it’s a cone from her cuff. “What is this?” I ask.

  “Giving you my scatter stud. You might need it,” she whispers back.

  “You might need it.”

  She shushes me.

  I bite my tongue. Doesn’t she get it? We want her to stay alive. The woman is getting to be as frustrating as Dyad. Then I grin. It might make me love her more. Easy is boring.

  I creep forward until I reach the edge where the two walls meet. I toss the stud down the hallway. The guard turns toward the sound. I leap for him; his neck is broken before he hits the ground. He’s easy to move, more portable than I imagine myself to be. As I round the corner, his positronic reading dissipates.

  “Let me see his face,” Jin whispers.

  “No,” Dyad says. “I won’t let you do that to yourself.”

  “Let me see him,” she bites out. “I want to see who died for me today.”

  Instead of climbing onto the seat in front of her, I scoot Jin to the front of Dyad and climb on behind her. “Not today.” When she tries to move my arm, I hold fast.

  Dyad moves ahead, making quick work of the remaining length. It shouldn’t be so easy, but we can’t turn back. We come to a rest in front of a thick concrete barrier. “The star is on the other side,” Dyad whispers.

  Starting at one side of the impasse, I drag my hands over each row of blocks, but nothing happens. Nothing stands out. Row after row. The impediment doesn’t budge. So I start over. Again.

  On the fifth pass, Dyad flips her lights on. “There should be cameras down here.”

  There’s a catch. It’s too easy.

  As I pass in front of her, Jin catches me. “Let me help.” She places her hands beneath mine, following the same path I’ve already used. We start over.

  On the third row, halfway down, there’s a click. Mechanisms turn. A seal hisses, and dust shoots out from beneath the wall, floating like the UnderCity smog.

  Jin falls back. “What’s happening?”

  I step in front of her. “You’re the key.”

  “The key to what, Tonick? What did we just open?”

  A narrow opening forms in the middle of the wall. I sigh. Dyad is too wide. She can’t come along. We won’t have her incendiaries, her sensors, or any of the tech I worked so long on.

  “I’ve enjoyed every inch of the journey, Jin.”

  Jin turns to Dyad. “You’re not coming?”

  “This is as far as I can go.” Lights roll across her in a playful pattern. “I’ll be waiting for you on the other side of tomorrow.”

  Jin presses her hands over her mouth. “I can’t leave you here.”

  “You have to,” Dyad tells her. “You have to know what comes next.”

  Jin throws her arms around Dyad, weeping on her alloy. “I’ll find you after.”

  It’s up to you now. Her voice is soft in my mind.

  Wait for us at Cheers.

  Affirmative. She rolls back. Keep her safe, Tonick.

  If it’s the last thing I do.

  I enter the passageway first with Jin close behind. Dyad won’t head toward the surface until we’re through to the star. I’m sure she’s watching us on her sensors. Ten steps in, Dyad disappears from my mind. They’re blocking transmissions in and out.

  Hands on either side of the corridor, we stumble ahead, twisting first one way and then the other. My chronometer counts thirteen minutes, and then the stone floor gives way and the walls disappear. I tumble out, landing face-first on a surface as smooth as glass. The temperature drops fifteen degrees.

  “Look out,” I call back to Jin, but it’s too late. She lands on top of me. If they didn’t before, whoever’s waiting for us knows we’re here. There’s a whir all around. I help Jin to her feet.

  Fluorescent lights flicker, and a holo appears in the center of the room.

  “My name is AVA.” She smiles. “Welcome, Jin.”

  GenCor Invisi-Communique

  ***Begin***

  RE: AI - 06042000, AKA “Tonick”

  Whereabouts unknown.

  RE: Test Subject, Jin

  Anomaly detected in Research Level.

  ***End***

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  LOCUS: ALTER EARTH

  Bostgo Sector

  UnderCity

  Date: 16 Pentian

  Time: 1500

  WE’RE DEAD. The holo knows my name.

  I flinch, waiting for the inevitable. Yet alarms don’t blare
, warnings don’t screech, and we’re left standing in the middle of GenCor’s basement. It feels like cold storage. All around us, illumination brightens the room.

  The floor has been buffed to a mirror shine. I spin slowly. Rows of naked Wiskees fill the bay. In various stages of development, hundreds of them—maybe thousands of them—are suspended from the ceiling, umbilical cords plugged into their necks.

  The holo clasps her hands together as though it’s the most exciting thing in the world. “An army.”

  “An army?” I don’t want it to be true. “Are they alive?” I scan the warehouse, filled with hanging bodies. “What are they waiting on?”

  “You, Jin. Your genes will turn all of these”—she lifts a hand—“into a self-healing army.”

  “Why aren’t they coming to get me?”

  She beams. “I am the brainchild of your late father.”

  “Late?”

  “He died after Maria Stella discovered him on the Mag Mile while searching for you.”

  “How did she know I was there?”

  “A chemical dealer named Raina reported it.” She holds up one finger. “However, I was able to salvage a small part of his consciousness.”

  His face appears next to the holo. “Jin.” The gravelly voice brings a rush of tears.

  “He’s in there?” I study the face of the man who gave me stars. Death rot doesn’t mar his digital features. His eyes remind me of Tonick’s.

  “Oh, something like that,” he answers. He turns toward Tonick. “You got her here.”

  “Yes, I did.” Tonick scratches his head.

  “A bit early, though.”

  “I didn’t expect to find you here. Either one of you.”

  “Stars lead the way to a brave new day.” The older man chuckles.

  “Indeed,” AVA says. “We did not expect to see either of you so soon. We are still preparing.” She glances to the side. “I’m afraid our visit is going to be cut short. The security systems have detected residual traces of Jin at your entrance point. They are logging the anomaly. We don’t have much time.”

  Another holo materializes nearby. It matches the first. “Please come this way.”

  “Where are we going?” I don’t know whether to go or stay.

  “Out,” she says. “We are not ready for you to play your part.”

  “We’ve come all this way, and you expect us to leave?” I plant my hands on my hips. “Just like that?” I came for revenge. I’m not leaving yet.

  “You’re safe at the cabin. I’ve been monitoring GenCor’s invisi-communiques. We’ve successfully sabotaged each Wiskee unit.” AVA waves me after her as she glides over the floor.

  “We came to destroy them.” I still don’t follow.

  “That is the plan,” AVA says, but her gaze darts upward. “Oh dear, they’re headed down. Once they arrive, we cannot assist.”

  “Tonick, listen to me.” My father materializes next to Tonick, and Tonick leans toward him as though they’re deep in conversation. AVA hovers nearby. She’s wringing her hands.

  “Oh.” Tonick steps away from my father. He rushes to my side and grabs my elbow. “I know what they’re trying to do. Let’s get out of here.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  Tonick drags me with him; my boot heels squeak as I scramble against the polished surface.

  “I need a reason to leave.”

  “I said so.” He bites out the words. “I’ll show you the file when we get back to the cabin. We have to get out of here.”

  My father disappears and then AVA does. Nearby, five naked Wiskees raise their heads. Their eyeballs are eerily blank, but then they shudder and pupils form. Their hair follicles turn dark. Clamps disengage from their heads and arms. They fall to the floor in a crouching position, but they do nothing.

  As though they’ve been given no commands.

  We hurry toward the exit on the other side of the growing chamber. The door whooshes open, and a white-coated Maria Stella steps into our path. “Well, well, well, fancy finding you in my basement.”

  A horde of Tonicks glares at me from over her shoulder, and I shrink against the only Tonick I love. My mouth dries. We’re one hack away from disaster.

  I lock my knees and straighten my spine. “Mother.” I hope the title offends her. She never wanted it. Groveling isn’t in my future.

  “I have a surprise for you, too,” Maria answers. She snaps her finger, and a pink-haired someone steps from between the Tonicks.

  My knees weaken, and my Tonick has to keep me from hitting the ground. “Oh my god.”

  Teq.

  “That’s right.” Maria smirks. “Now you be a good girl and let Mommy take you to the surgical theater so I don’t have to tell the pseudo Pinks to kill all your friends.”

  I spit at the older woman, and Maria takes a step back—out of my range. My defiance makes Teq laugh. Maria retrieves a weapon from her pocket. She waves it at me.

  She winks at Tonick. And then winks again. “I’ve missed you,” she mouths at me.

  Tonick leans up on his toes. “Real bullets?”

  Maria nods. “Nothing less.”

  “You’re the one that shot her.” He looks thoughtful and then nods. “Seems about right.” Teq shifts slightly to her right. Tonick jerks his head toward me. “Took you long enough to catch her.” Teq moves again, her eyes gleaming.

  That’s when I notice the pointed metal blade in Teq’s hand. I try to cover my reaction with a cough. Teq is going to try to kill Maria. And Tonick knows.

  Don’t do it. Don’t do it, Teq. Stay alive.

  Teq dives at Maria, and Maria points the weapon at Teq’s chest.

  Boom.

  The bullet leaves the barrel, lodging itself in Teq’s chest. As Teq falls, she drags the blade across Maria’s neck. Blood spills from the wound, staining the white coat bright red. They both land at the same time. The door behind the madwoman closes, sealing the Tonicks out. Something buzzes on the other side. Multiple Tonicks scream. The sound twists my insides.

  I dash to Teq’s side, and Tonick rounds on Maria. He kicks Maria’s weapon out of her grasp and stands over her as she bleeds out. She’s dead before he can question her.

  Gasping, Teq clutches her middle. I try to help her to her feet, but she shakes her head. “No use, sister,” she says. She spits at Maria. “I’ve been waiting to do that for the longest time.”

  I help Teq lay her head in my lap.

  AVA materializes beside me. “These artificials no longer function.” The door slides open. “Please deposit the bodies in the incinerator. Thank you.”

  Tonick moves the twitching android bodies inside the warehouse and stacks them on top of one another. They remind me of garbage waiting to be collected.

  AVA disappears and seals the door. As though it’s just another day at the GenCor office. I swallow back a round of bile.

  Teq is quiet. Finally, she says, “Ask me. Maybe I know.”

  “How many are there?”

  “As many as it takes. That’s all she ever said.”

  “Why does the Corp want them?”

  She coughs, and a trickle of blood leaks from the corner of her mouth. “For the same reason any government wants any army.”

  “They already own Bostgo.”

  “Bostgo isn’t the only city on Alter Earth,” Teq says.

  I fall silent and sit back. In all my life, I’ve never heard of any place beyond Bostgo. Until last week, I hadn’t known the Barren that surrounds Bostgo or the forest beyond it. Or the stars.

  GenCor means to overtake the world with a Wiskee invasion.

  Chapter Thirty

  LOCUS: ALTER EARTH

  Bostgo Sector

  UnderCity

  Date: 16 Pentian

  Time: 1600

  I CRADLE TEQ AGAINST me. “Does it hurt?”

  Her face pales. “Not anymore.”

  “Hold on, Teq. They did it once. We can save you again.” I move a stray dread f
rom her cheek and hold her as she coughs.

  She laughs, her voice thinned by the blood loss. “Don’t be silly. You aren’t GenCor.” She sighs. “Besides, I think it’s time for me to go.”

  I choke on a sob. “Tonick. Come here.”

  He stiffens but keeps his back to me. “I can’t watch it happen again.” He goes back to removing the evidence of our visit to the floor.

  “Don’t make him.” Teq gives me a weak smile. Her pink dreads cascade over my forearm. Her lips are pale, and red spreads across her chest. “He did everything he could the first time. Don’t make him live through this, sis.” She’s always loved him. “Now you have your chance to give me a last goodbye.” She makes a face.

  I laugh but wipe another flood of tears from my cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you more,” she whispers. “Did you see the stars? I heard the bitch mother talking about the cabin in the forest.”

  I nod and weep at the same time. “They’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I wish you could see them.”

  “Anything is better than that dump we lived in.”

  Tonick tries to make a joke, but his voice cracks. “I heard that.” He snaps the neck of another motionless Wiskee droid. Why didn’t they do anything?

  She licks her lips. “I think I’ll see them soon.” Death is in the air. “Love him good, sister.” She runs her hand over my face. “He loves you back.” A convulsion rolls through her. “You were always the one he wanted.” Teq takes a deep, shuddering breath.

  She doesn’t breathe again.

  Tonick watches me ease Teq to the floor. He’s crying, but I’m not sure he knows it.

  I move my hands over her eyes, closing them as gently as I can manage. I reach for his hand, borrowing his strength. “I want to take her home.”

  He nods. “I think she’d like that.”

  “We can bury her in the clearing.”

  “She’ll be safe there.” He drags a white sheet across the floor and helps me wrap Teq. When he hoists her to his shoulder, AVA appears beside us.