Sam grimaced and opened his eyes. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m more worried about you.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Sam shook his head. “What about your brother?”
“He’s alive, for now.” Gage glanced back at Steel, who was coming around. He despised him for what he’d done to Adam and Iris.
“Listen to me, this is all my fault. Not his and not yours. I made the call to take you with me and leave Steel here.” Sam coughed and some blood sputtered from his mouth.
Gage’s chest tightened. He was in worse shape than Gage had realized. “Don’t try to talk.”
“No, there are things I need to tell you. It may be my only chance.”
Gage didn’t like the way he was talking. He couldn’t die. He just couldn’t.
“Steel is right. Bio-Core is where you should be.”
“What?” Surely he didn’t mean…
“No, not like that. I’m the majority owner. I want you to take my place and regain control of the company. Bio-Core needs a strong ethical leader. I know you’re only eighteen, but that’s always been the plan, son.”
“There’s no way I can do that. Besides, you’re going to be okay.”
Sam laughed, but it turned to a coughing fit with more blood. Gage supported his granddad’s head until it passed.
“My heart is too weak.” He reached into his pocket and handed Gage a folded piece of paper. “Here is a list of people that are loyal to me and will help you.”
“The only thing I care about right now is getting you to a hospital.” Gage looked down at the folded piece of paper and stuffed it in his pocket. He didn’t care at this point. He started to get up.
But Sam pulled him back. “I need to speak to your brother.”
Steel was sitting up now, his arms crossed atop his knees, his expression unreadable.
“Granddad wants to speak with you,” Gage said.
Steel got up and walked over to them. He knelt down on the other side of Sam and asked coldly, “What is it?”
“You have every right to hate me. I deserve and accept that. Please understand that it was an impossible choice.” Sam looked up at Gage. “I hope that someday you two will reconcile.”
Gage looked at Steel, who returned the same unyielding stare. Unlikely.
Sam looked back at Steel. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you more. Use your trust fund to explore the world. Leave Ashwater and Bio-Core behind. It will be good for your soul.”
Steel remained silent, there was a clear emotional battle going on his head.
“Your mother—” Sam coughed again, his breathing growing more and more ragged. “Don’t—” He gasped a few times and let out a final breath.
“Granddad?” Gage shook him, tears springing to his eyes.
“He’s gone.” Steel got up.
“Are you really that heartless?” Gage looked up at his brother, whose expression was a stoic as they come.
“Goodbye, grandfather.” Steel turned and walked out of the office.
Gage stared after him. Then another thought occurred to him—Iris and Adam.
He released his granddad’s hand and rested it on his chest. He bolted from the room, headed toward the elevator. They had to be all right. They just had to.
Gage reached the opened exit door to SIM and peered inside the outer room. There was a trail of blood, but Adam and Iris were nowhere to be seen. At least one of them had gotten out alive. He prayed it was both. He turned back around.
Where could they be? He looked back down at the blood. If one of them were hurt, they’d go to Naomi’s. He ran back to the elevator.
When he emerged into the main lobby of Bio-Core, he was amazed at how normal everyone was acting, going about their day, oblivious to what had transpired both below and above them. He should alert someone about his granddad, but the urgency to find Iris and Adam was too great.
He walked swiftly to the hallway that led to Naomi’s office. When he opened the door to her waiting area, her assistant got up from her desk and stood in front of the door to the lab as if she were instructed to do so.
“Dr. Rice is busy,” she said.
He didn’t have time for this. Get away from that door.
“Oh.” She swallowed hard and walked back to her desk and sat.
“Thank you.” He didn’t want to be rude. He strode over to the door and entered.
Adam was in the hallway that led to the lab.
Relief washed over Gage, and he grabbed Adam by the shoulders and hugged him. “Thank God. You’re okay.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Adam patted him back.
Gage released him, his heart pounding. “Where’s Iris?”
Adam frowned and looked back toward Naomi’s lab.
Gage made to push past Adam, but he stopped him.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What do you mean? I need to see her.” Gage pushed his hand away and glared at his friend.
Adam sighed and dropped his hand. “I understand.”
Gage walked to the lab entrance and opened the door. A loud whining filled the room. He located the source of it as CPR paddles. Naomi was leaning over Iris while an assistant performed CPR.
“Clear.” Naomi pressed the paddles to Iris’s chest, and her body jolted.
His heart jumped into his throat. This couldn’t be happening. She had to be okay. The deafening whine turned into a series of beeps.
“She’s back.” Naomi put the paddles down and sighed.
“What happened?” Gage rushed to Iris. She looked so pale. He grasped her hand in his and squeezed.
Naomi looked past him. “I thought I told you to make him wait outside.”
“I tried,” Adam said.
“Clearly not hard enough.”
Gage didn’t care though. All that mattered was Iris. He pushed her hair back from her face and kissed her. “Please come back to me.”
“Okay, I don’t mean to be insensitive, but I’d like to finish removing the bullet from her back before she codes again,” Naomi said.
Bullet? Gage stared up at her, eyes wide. “She was shot?”
Naomi exhaled loudly. “Yes. Now, please wait outside.”
“I’ll be waiting right outside. Be strong.” Gage kissed her again. He left, but his heart stayed with her.
31
Connections
Iris
Iris opened her eyes. She squinted against the harsh lighting in the room, acclimating to her surroundings. She was in Naomi’s lab at Bio-Core. She tried to sit up, but a dull ache in her back forced her back down. The telltale clicking of two-inch pumps headed toward her.
“You’re awake.” Naomi put her glasses on and looked at the monitors next to the bed Iris was lying in. “Looking much better.” She took her glasses off and looked down at Iris. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was shot in the back.” Her voice was froggy. Iris cleared her throat.
“Well, your memory files are intact. That’s good news.”
“Where’s Adam? Is he—” Iris tried to sit up again, wincing.
“He’s fine.” Naomi pushed her back down. “He was the one who brought you here.”
Iris relaxed. He must have pulled her into the alcove before the droid had a chance to finish the job. Her mind drifted to Gage. Was he angry with her for knocking him out again? She sighed. She really wanted to see him.
“I can tell by the look on your face that you’re wondering where Mr. Strickland is.” Naomi smirked.
“Yeah. He’s probably super pissed at me.”
Naomi chuckled. “Well, you’ve come a long way with your teenage vernacular.” She pointed over her shoulder toward the door. “As far as I can tell, he didn’t look pissed when he saw you lying here coding.”
“He was here?” Iris’s heart fluttered.
“Honey, he never left. He’s been waiting outside. I told him that I’d get him when you woke up.”<
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“I look a mess, don’t I?” Iris felt her face and then her hair.
“You look like you just kicked a few hundred androids’ asses and took a bullet in the process. So, yeah, a mess is appropriate.”
Before Iris could object, Gage walked into the lab, followed by Adam. His perfect hair was jostled like he’d been running his hands through it, and his brow was furrowed with worry.
“I’m so sorry I knocked you out again.” Tears formed in her eyes.
He was by her side in 2.3 seconds, according to her calculations. He cupped her face with his hand, his hazel eyes intent on hers. “It’s okay, I know why you did it.” He looked her up and down. “How are you? I was so worried.”
“I’m okay besides the fact that I look a mess.” She held his wrist and smiled.
“You look perfect to me.”
“I doubt that but thanks. Did you find your grandfather?”
Gage sat back and sighed.
Something was wrong. “Tell me. What’s happened?”
“He didn’t make it.” He swallowed hard, his eyes glassy.
“What? How?”
“It was my fault. Steel had my granddad up in his office. We fought, and I lost control again. Granddad’s heart was already weak, and it was too much for him.”
“I’m so sorry.” She pulled his hand into hers. “What can I do?”
“I’m still processing.” He took a deep breath and attempted a smile. He encircled a lock of her hair with his finger and swept it behind her ear. She leaned into his caress, enjoying the feel of him. “The only thing I want right now is for you to get better. Can you do that for me?”
Her heart felt fuller than she ever imagined. She could do that and so much more. She recorded every inch of his face in her CPU so she could recall this exact moment forever. “I love you.”
He pressed his lips to hers and whispered, “I love you too.”
When they separated, Iris caught Adam in her peripheral vision. She had some questions for him. “Do you mind if I talk to Adam?”
“Sure.” Gage rose and held out his hand to Naomi. “Dr. Rice. Thank you for saving her.”
“Of course.” Naomi shook his hand and nodded. She glanced at the others. “Now that she’s stable, I need to leave for a bit. I have something important to attend to.”
Iris nodded. “Okay, see you later?”
“Yes. I’ll have my assistant check back in with you.” Naomi hurried over to a chair to pick up her coat. “You should be able to go home in a few days. You and your friends should work on a story for your absence.”
“Thanks,” Iris said.
“I’ll see you in a bit. Can I get you anything?” Gage grazed Iris’s shoulder with his fingertips.
Her stomach rumbled. Hmm, I guess killing a few hundred androids works up an appetite. “I’d love some pie from Dixon’s.”
“Just not peanut butter.” Gage chuckled.
“Thanks.”
After he left, Adam pulled up a chair and sat next to Iris. “What do you recall?”
“I was hit from behind on my way to you in a central alcove. I killed two of them and forgot about the third. It was my fault. It was one of my line, wasn’t it?”
He nodded. “Yes. But what’s interesting is the placement of the bullet. Everything happened so fast, it was difficult to compute. I reviewed the incident after I got you here. You should watch.”
His eye twitched and shifted. A three-dimensional projection illuminated before them.
Iris watched herself in the SIM. She ran toward Adam, but another Iris emerged from the door she had first attacked. She was late and looked slightly different than the others. She caught up with Iris and took aim. Then, oddly, she shifted her target to the right and fired. Iris fell to the ground.
Instead of finishing her off, the enemy Iris looked at Adam. She turned and ran back out the same door she entered. The images ceased.
“What does it mean?”
Adam shook his head. “I don’t know. Clearly, she didn’t intend to kill you.”
“The way she looked at you. Why didn’t you take her out?”
“I don’t know. I can’t explain it, but my programming didn’t detect her as a threat.” He looked away, his expression distant.
Was this other Iris different? Was she like her? Like Adam? Iris closed her eyes and pressed her head back into the pillow. The weight of the revelation made her weary.
“You need rest. Let’s keep this between us for now, okay?”
Iris nodded without opening her eyes. Exhaustion was setting in, and she started to doze offline.
“Sleep well.”
Gage
Gage was still dazed from the day. After he reported his granddad’s heart attack, he left the facility on a mission. Mazy had texted him a dozen times to find out what was going on. He sent her a simple text that Adam and Iris were okay but Iris would need an alibi for being away for a few days. He also told her about his granddad and that he didn’t feel like talking. She sent him back some heart emojis and said she and their friends were here for him when he was ready. Adam also texted that Iris had fallen asleep and would likely sleep through the night. He wanted to go back, even if it was only to watch over her, but there was something else he needed to do, something he should have done a while ago.
Arcadia. From the front, it looked like an old school. He’d never actually been inside, even though his granddad owned the facility.
Had owned. He swallowed hard.
He wasn’t sure what would become of the place now. He walked through the automatic front doors and headed to a counter where a man and woman with headsets on were deep in conversation. They glanced up at Gage. The woman covered her mouth while the man’s eyes grew even larger than they were when he was animatedly talking to his colleague.
Gage put his hands on the counter. “I was hoping that I could see my mother. Her name is—”
The man stood. “Dr. Ryssa Strickland. You’re Gage.” He pressed his hand to his heart and glanced down at his colleague. “We just heard about your grandfather. We’re very sorry for your loss. He was a good man.”
“Uh, thanks. Can I see my mother?”
“Oh.” The man looked at his colleague. “She’s not supposed to have visitors.”
He could force him to do what he wanted, but after what happened earlier, he didn’t know if he was up to keeping his cool. Besides, he was a Strickland. Best to handle this without his ability. “My grandfather instructed you to keep me away from her, didn’t he?”
The pair exchanged more looks.
“Um—” the woman started.
“Save it. You two are terrible liars. As you pointed out, my grandfather is gone. Since I’m eighteen and the sole heir to all of Strickland’s holdings, who do you think is going to be signing your checks now?”
“What about your brother?”
You didn’t just say that, did you? Gage narrowed his eyes. Steel was the last person he wanted to think about right now.
The woman stood and pushed in front of her colleague. She whispered out of the side of her mouth, “That was rude of you, Brad.” She smiled at Gage. “My name is Vanessa, and I’d be happy to help you, Mr. Strickland. Brad, please call back to Ms. Strickland’s wing and let them know she has a visitor.”
Brad rolled his eyes at Vanessa’s back but picked up the phone to make the call. Gage nodded, approvingly. It was obvious that Vanessa understood the gravity of the situation. He’d remember her thoughtful insight.
A few minutes later, he was walking down a hallway with her.
“You look just like her, by the way,” she said.
“I’ve seen pictures,” he said.
“She isn’t responsive, you know.”
He nodded and wiped his moist palms on his jeans.
Vanessa stopped in front of a door. “Here we are.” She smiled at Gage. “Are you—do you want me to come with you?”
Gage stared at the white door stand
ing between him and his mom. His stomach turned over, and he inhaled and let out a shaky breath. The word yes was on the tip of his tongue, but he needed to do this on his own. “Thank you but no.”
“Well, then, I’ll leave you to it. If you have any problems, you can pick up the courtesy phone inside the room.” She turned to leave but stopped. “Again, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”
Vanessa left, her heels clicking back down the hallway.
Gage reached for the handle and opened the door. The scent of lavender welcomed him into the room. He’d prepared for a sterile environment, but the room was anything but. Ryssa Strickland lay in a bed, hooked up to monitors and tubes that ran from under the blankets to bags hanging from stands. Pictures didn’t capture her features quite like they did in person. He took a few steps toward her bed. Her hair was the same color as his, and the way her mouth turned up was familiar too. Vanessa was right. He did look like her.
He sat down in a chair next to a table with a bouquet of tiny, purple flowers. Lavender. They appeared to be fresh, and he wondered who brought them and if they visited regularly. His heart ached. What if it was his grandfather? He scooched closer to the bed. She looked peaceful, like she was having a nice dream.
Gage cleared his throat. “Hi, Mom. I don’t know if you can hear me. It’s your son, Gage.” He reached for her hand, which was warm. He squeezed a few times and then released her, as she made no response. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here before now. I didn’t know you were here for a long time. When I found out, granddad asked me not to come.”
He rubbed his hands together. Maybe his granddad was right. He didn’t like seeing her this way. Every fiber in his being screamed for him to leave, but he had something to tell her.
“I’m not sure how to say this, but Granddad passed away today.” His voice shook, and tears came to his eyes. “I’m sorry. It was my fault. Just like it was my fault you’re like this.” Tears slipped down his cheeks. “But I want you to know that I’m going to make things right.”
Gage reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper his granddad had given him. He opened it and read the list of names. Halfway down the list there was a name that seemed out of place.
Perfection Page 21