Perfection

by Melissa Koberlein

  Garcia chuckled. “Um, no.”

  “I’m going. He’s in this mess because of me.”

  “I’m pretty sure your grandfather was clear on one thing—I was to keep you as far away from Bio-Core as possible.”

  Gage stood and regretted the choice. His head spun, and a wave of nausea hit him like a Mack truck. He slumped back down on the bed.

  “Until we figure out what’s going on with you, I’m going to continue following your grandfather’s orders. That means that you stay put.” Garcia pressed his hand on Gage’s shoulder.

  The only thing he wanted right now was to help his granddad. But the reality was that he was in no shape to go anywhere, let alone the board room of Bio-Core. Gage groaned.

  “I’ll figure something out,” Garcia said.

  Gage didn’t know why, but for whatever reason, Garcia appeared to have his best interests at heart. A strong turnaround from a few months ago when he held one of his friends at gunpoint. “I don’t get it. You’re not a good person. Why the change of heart?”

  “I don’t know.” He walked over to the window and peered out. “It started out as a way to work my way back into Bio-Core. But then I had a major epiphany. It started when I took the contract job at Dixon’s.”

  “So?” Gage’s eyebrows knitted together.

  Garcia smiled. His grin was toothy and mirthful. “I met Athena.”

  “Okay, but…” Gage said, not sure where this was going.

  “She’s wonderful, isn’t she? Did you know she wanted to be a singer? She has the most beautiful voice.” He leaned his forehead against the window and traced a circle on the windowpane.

  “And she’s married.” He knew that Luke and Derrick’s parents were not exactly the perfect couple. Far from it, actually. There were rumors that Eric Dixon was having an affair with Celia Black. Luke would deny that because he had a crush on her. Gage didn’t know what to think about it. But Athena had always been reserved, polite, and like most people thought, devoted to her husband. Now it was obvious that Garcia had a thing for her.

  “I know that.” Garcia whipped around, glaring. “But her husband doesn’t seem to care.”

  Gage inhaled sharply. He didn’t have the strength to waste time on this. “Whatever. So, now you’re totally reformed?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.” Garcia smirked. “I’m still very much interested in getting back into Bio-Core. But this personal assignment for your grandfather has been a nice respite. Not to mention the pay.”

  “What exactly did you tell Mrs. Dixon about Bio-Core?”

  “Oh. Nothing about the escaped androids milling about town.” He pursed his lips.

  Gage sighed. Well, at least he knew how to keep his mouth shut. Even though he couldn’t stand the thought of being in Iris’s presence, he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. “Okay, so what’s the plan while we wait?”

  As if answering his question, Garcia’s phone rang, and he answered it. “Hey, Naomi. Tell me something positive.” His eyes grew large. “Well, that’s good news.” Then he frowned, glancing at Gage. “That’s not.” He paused, listening. “Oh, okay. Where should we meet them?”

  Another pause. “Got it. Yes, you have her number. See you soon.”

  He put his phone back in his pocket.

  “Was that about my grandfather?” Gage asked.

  “Yes, he’s okay. I’ll tell you about it on the way.” He scrunched up his nose. “Do you think you could shower?”

  Gage frowned but sniffed his armpit. Wow. He was ripe.

  A few hours later, a clean Gage got out of Garcia’s car. He’d borrowed some clothes from Garcia, who was close in size and stature to him. He didn’t like wearing someone else’s clothes, but Garcia thought it might not be safe to stop back at his house. They’d travelled to nearby Limbo. The town was situated between two peaks, hence its name.

  The Shanahan Ski Resort that overlooked the town had a deadly accident with a lift some years back and had since been shut down. At that time, Gage had come to visit with his granddad to see if they should buy the property and business. His granddad decided not to. He never asked why, but by the looks of things, it was in even worse condition than before. He glanced up and down the empty street next to Garcia’s parked car. Complete ghost town. Most of the windows of storefronts on the main street were boarded up or cloudy with dust. A chill ran up his spine as he imagined eyes watching them from behind those grimy windows.

  “What now?” He rubbed his arms, fighting the chill.

  “Right.” Garcia pulled out his phone. “We’re headed over there.” He nodded to a large one-story building across the street.

  The building itself was made of brick and siding that could stand to be cleaned. The large parking lot was mostly empty, save four cars. A sign stood tall in front of the building that simply said Diner. He remembered eating at the diner when he was here with his granddad. The food was greasy and stale.

  Around the back was one of the remaining streams of revenue left in town—a night club aptly named Purgatory. Popular bands from all over the state and beyond loved playing there. There was even an article written up about the club in the Denver Post.

  Gage glanced around. There was something ethereal about the town.

  They made their way across the street. Before they got to the door, a slender woman got out of a nearby car with tinted windows. She wore a long, dark coat, her black hair pulled back, causing her skin to pinch at her temples. Sam Strickland got out after her. Gage’s body relaxed at the sight of him. The two walked over to them.

  “I was worried.” Gage hugged his granddad.

  “I’m all right, son.” He patted his back a few times and then pulled back. “I want you to meet someone.”

  “Hello.” The woman pushed her round, dark-rimmed glasses up her nose and smiled. She reached her hand out to Gage.

  “Hi,” Gage said, shaking her hand.

  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  “I’m sorry, who are you?”

  “She’s a brilliant scientist,” Sam interjected. “You can call her Dr. G.”

  Gage couldn’t place her, but there was something familiar about the woman. He shrugged it off and decided to ask his granddad about the more pressing matter. “What exactly are we doing here?”

  “I’m out, Gage.” Sam sighed. “The board voted no-confidence in me.”

  “You can’t be serious. Why would they do that? You’ve been an excellent CEO.”

  “Because they want to bring you in for testing and I said no.”

  “Maybe that would be for the best.” Gage didn’t know what kind of testing they had in mind, but he’d almost killed a large group of people last night.

  “No,” Sam said, firmly. “I won’t let them do to you what they did to your brother.”

  Gage’s heart whipped up a few beats faster, his mind awhirl.

  Before he could ask, Sam added, “Now isn’t the time.”

  Fine. But he needed some answers. “So, all that stuff about me being born normal was a lie, wasn’t it?”

  Sam sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Yes.”

  “Why did you lie to me?”

  “It’s complicated.” He looked at Dr. G., who pursed her lips.

  “You may as well tell him,” she said.

  “It’s like I told you, after your mother gave birth to you, I thought you were normal.” Sam inhaled sharply, glancing at Dr. G. “But there was an incident. During a test, you and your brother emitted a psychic energy that...” He looked down at the ground. “Well, people got hurt, and a few died.”

  “That’s when mom was hurt, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes.” Sam reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He dabbed at his forehead, which was now beaded with sweat. “Rather than having a scandal on our hands, we covered it up. The two of you couldn’t stay together. So I falsified your tests to make it look like you were ordinary.”

  Gag
e rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn’t deny that when he was in the presence of Steel, bad things certainly happened. But when they were infants, they’d killed people? At least Bio-Core did one thing right and split them up.

  “With your mother in the state she was in, I decided to take you, and Steel was to stay at Bio-Core.”

  “So that’s why he hates me so much.”

  Sam nodded. “I’m afraid that was unavoidable.”

  The gravity of the past hit Gage hard. The one person he trusted the most in the world had lied to him his whole life. “That’s why Steel stayed in Ashwater. To expose me. He wants me to go to Bio-Core.”

  “Yes.”

  “So what now? Are they planning on coming after me?”

  “Probably. Which is why you’ve got to get your abilities under control.”

  “Your abilities have been dormant for most of your life. But now that your brother has awakened them, you’ll need to learn how to control them.” Dr. G. took a step closer and pulled out what looked like a forehead thermometer from her coat pocket. “May I?”

  Gage took a step back.

  “It’s okay,” Sam said.

  Gage stood still as she slid the device across his forehead.

  “I wonder…” she started.

  Gage’s breath caught in his throat. He hoped the device really was taking his temperature.

  The tool beeped, and she glanced down at it. She scanned him again. “Same. One last time to be sure.” She ran the device across his forehead again. She smiled and held it up for him to see. “Incredible. This is an extremely accurate temperature gauge. Your resting temperature is 99.5. You’re not feeling ill, are you?”

  He stared down at the screen. “No. I feel fine.”

  “That’s good.” She put the device away and looked back at Gage, her eyes steely. “So, before we get started, I’m going to need your assurance that you’ll do exactly as I tell you.”

  What was she talking about? Get started with what? “Look, I don’t know what you’re planning, but I’m not a guinea pig.”

  “I don’t have time for this.” She crossed her arms and glanced at Sam. “I’m risking a lot even being here.”

  “I know, Madi, and I appreciate it.” Sam looked at Gage. “Please listen to her. She’s going to help you get a handle on your ability. You have to trust her.”

  “Trust her?” Gage asked. “I don’t know if I can trust you. You’ve been lying to me my whole life. So why should I trust her?”

  Dr. G. laughed and then he heard her voice in his head, That’s the smartest thing you’ve said.

  “You’re like him.” Gage grabbed the sides of his head.

  “Yes and like you too. I don’t blame you for not trusting me or your grandfather. You shouldn’t.” She glanced back at her car and nodded at Garcia. “Maybe there’s someone else you can trust.”

  He opened the back door, and Iris stepped out.

  Gage’s heart plummeted into his stomach. Not her. Not now.

  21

  Dr. G

  Iris

  Gage looked at her the same way he had the night before. Was it contempt? Betrayal? Disgust? Her cheeks burned, and her heart heaved. She deserved all of that and more. She should have told him a long time ago about her previous relationship with Steel. But she didn’t, and she knew why.

  She was in love with Gage. She didn’t know the exact moment it happened, only that it had. When they were together, her heart was full. When she wasn’t with him, she felt incomplete. But with those feelings came with a price—the fear of losing him. It was beyond anything her CPU could compute, which was plenty.

  Based on his current expression, she’d lost him all the same. Don’t cry. Don’t.

  “Iris,” he said curtly.

  “Did I miss something?” Garcia glanced between the two of them. “I thought you two were a couple?”

  “A couple?” Sam stared at Gage, his eyes wide.

  Iris opened her mouth to reply, but Gage beat her to the punch. “Yeah, but we’re on a break.” His mouth was a thin, tight line.

  On a break? For how long? She swallowed hard and looked down at her new black chunky-heeled boots and researched relationships and breaks. Finding what she needed, she looked up, panic rising in her throat. This was serious.

  She took a step toward him. “I don’t want to be on a break.”

  Meanwhile, Sam put his head in his hands and muttered something into his palms that Iris couldn’t compute.

  “I’m sorry. I need some time to process,” Gage said, eyes down.

  Dr. G. scowled. “Enough of this.” She pointed at Gage. “Listen up, you pretentious, spoiled little brat. Bio-Core wants to turn that brain of yours into Swiss cheese. I’m here to help you avoid that miserable existence. So you better get your shit together and fast. Now, do you want my help controlling your abilities or not?”

  Iris glanced between Dr. G. and Gage. He looked unsure, ready to bolt. She didn’t necessarily trust Dr. G. either, but she also knew that the woman was a member of the board of directors for Bio-Core and a brilliant scientist. She was fully capable of helping him. She’d done it before.

  “She can help you.” Iris sighed and crossed her arms. Please don’t ask how I know. Please.

  “Give me one good reason why I should believe that.” Gage stared at Iris.

  She groaned inwardly and accessed a memory file from her time at Bio-Core. She exhaled loudly and stared at his chest. “Because she helped Steel gain control.”

  A breeze swept over them, or rather swirled around them as if out of nowhere. Garcia, Sam, and Dr. G. doubled over as if the wind had been taken from their lungs.

  Iris looked up at Gage, her eyes widening. Even mentioning his brother’s name was toxic in his mind. A golden aurora surrounded him. His eyes were unfocused and intense, his jaw set.

  Gage, no.

  Unaffected by his power, she launched into action. She ran and vaulted herself behind him, grasping his head in a sleeper-hold. “I’m sorry.”

  He struggled against her as she lowered him to the ground. When he lost consciousness, she cradled his head in her lap, stroking wisps of hair off his sweat-laden forehead. He felt like fire in her arms.

  The others stood back up, breathing hard.

  Dr. G. rubbed her throat. “Jesus Christ, he’s powerful.”

  “I’ll say,” Garcia added, through labored breaths. He asked Sam, “You all right, sir?”

  Sam nodded, walked over to Iris, and cleared his throat. “When this is all done, you will leave him alone. Do you understand me?”

  Her cheeks burned. She’d been programmed to obey the board at Bio-Core. A small part of her still did, and she knew that if Sam Strickland didn’t want her around his grandson, he could make her disappear. “Yes, sir.”

  “For now, she stays with us,” Dr. G. said. “I wasn’t sure if you were the right pick for this assignment, but now I see that you’re perfect—unaffected and fuel for his fire.”

  It wasn’t Iris’s intention, but the doctor was right. She’d pushed him to this.

  “She was my idea.” Garcia grinned.

  Iris, Sam, and Dr. G. all narrowed their eyes at Garcia.

  “What?” he asked.

  Dr. G. looked back at Iris, who still had Gage’s head in her lap. “Here.” She handed Iris a set of Bluetooth earbuds. “Make sure he’s wearing these when he wakes up. I’ll connect to you shortly.”

  Iris nodded. She didn’t like forcing Gage to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with, but at this point, there wasn’t much choice. He was too powerful and out of control. The most important thing now was for him to get his abilities under control. Deep in the recesses of her CPU, she knew Steel was waiting for a rematch. If they fought again in his current state, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

  People would die…again.

  Gage

  Gage came to with a start. He’d had the same dream again. Lifeless bodies everywhere. Steel’
s hand on his shoulder. He shook his head and focused on his surroundings. He was in the backseat of a car. He sat up, head swimming, putting the pieces together about how he’d gotten there. He remembered coming to Limbo with Garcia. There, he met up with his granddad, Dr. G., and…Iris. That’s when he lost control. The last thing he remembered was rage, chaos, and then nothing.

  He tried the door handle and stepped out into daylight, shielding his eyes with his hand. Iris sat on a bench by the street, a few yards away. She had her legs crossed, hands folded in her lap, her gaze cast on the mountains in the distance. His heart clenched. He wished he could forget everything that had happened and go to her, hold her in his arms, and never let her go. But the visions Steel had burned into his brain were still there, dragging him into his own personal hell.

  “Iris?”

  She glanced up at him. “I’m sorry.”

  He wasn’t ready for this conversation. He was barely able to look at her. “I’m not ready to talk about it.”

  “Oh,” she said. “No, I meant for putting you to sleep. You were hurting the others.”

  “Oh.” He sat down next to her and stared into the street. A beat-up silver Toyota Corolla sped by. “I guess I should thank you.”

  Iris turned toward him. “I know we’re on a break, but I still want to help you. You believe that, right?”

  He did. Even though he couldn’t deal with his feelings about her and Steel, he knew she didn’t want to harm him. “I do, but you shouldn’t be around me right now. I’m…dangerous.”

  Gage hated how out of control he felt, his body and mind betraying his will. The last thing he wanted was to hurt anyone.

  She smiled. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me.” She knocked on the side of her head and made a clicking sound with her tongue that sounded eerily like a tin can drum. “I’m immune.”

  His lips twitched. If he wasn’t worried that he might cause a mass genocide, he’d have laughed. “Okay, fair enough. So, what now?”

  Iris reached into her coat pocket. She dropped the earbuds into his hand. “Here, put these on. Dr. G. is on the other end.”