“How does Addison get all the places she gets?” Lexi asked. “Who knows?”
Bree looked on, chewing on a cuticle. Worry swam in the trenches of her forehead. “All I know is that I’m limited to altering what people see or don’t see.”
“Have you tried to make yourself invisible?” I asked.
She was slow to answer.
“Bree, honey,” Lexi prompted. “Have you?”
“I’ve been trying to do some different things. Like, I can make something disappear right in front of someone’s eyes. But I can’t hold it very long. Like I said, I’m limited.”
“What do you mean by limited?” I asked.
“Like, I can make you think you’re not seeing…” She looked around the room. “… That coffeepot, but I can’t prevent you from seeing it for long.”
“Have you only tried it on objects, or have you tried to make yourself disappear, too?” Jack asked. “Sometimes it just take practice to focus your powers.”
Bree cocked her head. “Don’t feed me this practice-makes-perfect crap, Jack. I’ve been trying ever since I discovered there was more to my abilities. I’m just not as strong as the rest of you.” She squeezed the bridge of her nose.
Lexi touched Bree’s arm, and I knew she was using her powers to elevate Bree’s bad mood. She turned back to me. “So you’re going back to Palmyra?”
I nodded. Bree looked past me to the hotel window, refusing to look directly at me.
“Bree’s going to investigate her dad’s labs?” Lexi continued. “And search for a group of clone kids that look like her dead brother? Including one little punk that’s running around loose in Portland choking people?”
“While she also evades the police, who think she’s involved in some creeper scientist’s murder,” Jack added.
“Don’t forget the IIA,” Lexi said. “She’ll have to watch her back for them, too.”
“Stop,” Bree said. “I know what I’m doing. I’ll be fine.”
“You keep saying that.” Lexi stood with her arms crossed. “But I don’t buy it. You need help.”
“I don’t need help.”
“You do, and I’m going to give it to you.” Lexi took out her phone and began typing.
“And just how are you going to help?”
Lexi typed for another thirty seconds before answering. “Jack and I are going to Palmyra. Coach Williams is meeting us there with an FBI agent. We’ll take care of Dr. Sallee.”
“But—” I started to protest, but Lexi raised a hand to silence me as only Lexi Matthews could. And to think, if she had tried to pull that kind of move a year ago I’d have shoved her up against the nearest wall.
“Mom is coming too. She, Jack, and I haven’t been there in a while. We’ll make sure the last of the clones still in incubators are progressing, and we’ll check in on the other clones—give them all full checkups. And before you accuse me of overstepping… I know you’ve done an amazing job of seeing to the development of the children on Palmyra. It wouldn’t hurt to have my and Jack’s healing eyes on them as well.”
I hated that she was right. I’d grown so attached to the clones, and so hellbent on keeping Bree from getting involved, that I’d missed the tumors along Tamati’s and Tane’s spines. If it hadn’t been for Bree…
I didn’t want to think about the “what if.” By finding those tumors, Bree had been able to discover Addison, which had ultimately led to us being here together in Portland.
I observed the dark shadows under Bree’s eyes. I knew her well enough to know she hadn’t slept much. She looked sad, not like the feisty redhead I’d first met when I arrived at Wellington Boarding School. And by the way she continuously massaged her temples, I could see she was battling another headache. She wasn’t going to ask for my help, but she needed it nonetheless. “I appreciate your help,” I said to Lexi.
I watched Bree for a reaction. I wasn’t surprised when her eyes narrowed in my direction. Don’t fight me, I mindspoke. Someone needs to go to Palmyra. Lexi and Jack can handle that. You need me here.
I don’t—
“That settles that.” Jack clapped his hands together, unknowingly cutting Bree off. The silence grew between us. “Is it just me, or did it just get colder in here?” He shivered.
Lexi chuckled. “Come on, DeWeese. Let’s let them get some rest. Bree’s starting a new job tomorrow.”
Jack draped an arm around Lexi’s shoulders, leaned in, and kissed her temple. Bree followed them to the door.
Don’t leave, I mindspoke to her.
She said goodbye to Jack and Lexi. When the door was closed, she spun around and walked back toward me. “I—”
“Before you say anything, hear me out.”
Her mouth closed. She stopped on the other side of the bed from me and stood very still.
“I know you don’t need my help. You can take care of yourself. I’ve seen you do it. But I want to help you.” When she still didn’t say anything, I swallowed my pride and added, “Please, Red, let me stay and help you.”
Those luscious dark pink lips parted a couple of times before she finally spoke. “I was simply going to say, ‘Thank you.’”
I grinned. “You’re welcome.”
Suddenly the air grew thick and awkward between us. It had never been like that last year when we were just getting to know each other. We were much more comfortable around each other then, always able to joke and keep things light and casual. What had changed?
I was too tired to figure it out now. I needed sleep, and so did she.
“Look, Red, I don’t know what we have between us, exactly, but I know I won’t get any sleep with you in the next room. I want to hold you, and I want us both to get some needed rest. And maybe with both of us in the same room, you can protect me from getting killed in my sleep by some rogue clone.” It was almost humorous to talk about the clone attack out loud. I would have laughed if I couldn’t still feel the kid’s hands around my neck.
She nodded, and for the first time since she’d come to my rescue, I noticed she only had on a T-shirt and silky pajama shorts. I crawled under the covers, and when she sat on the edge of the bed, I tugged on her arm. When she finally gave in and lay down beside me, I folded her warm body into mine. And we slept.
~~~~~
I woke to the sound of knocking. Light poured into the room through the open hotel curtains. A soft moan came from Bree beside me, but she continued to sleep.
I crawled from bed and got to the door as quickly as I could, hoping to let her sleep a little longer. A man in a dark suit stood on the other side.
He held out a manila envelope. “You and Miss Howard are expected at Howard BioTech by eight thirty this morning. This is everything you need to get through the gate. Proceed to the third floor, where you’ll be greeted by Mr. Howard.”
I took the envelope, then closed the door gently in the man’s face. I returned to the bed and dumped the contents on the bed—two ID badges and parking instructions.
Bree stirred beside me. She pushed herself to a sitting position.
“How did he know where we were?” I asked, surveying the documents, surprised by the fact that he had included a badge for me.
“No idea. Maybe when we didn’t check in at the Hotel Sterling he did some checking around? It’s not easy hiding things from my dad.”
“Well, he wants us there by eight thirty.” I glanced at the hotel clock. “That doesn’t give us much time.”
“We’ll get there when we get there,” she said in defiance.
I slipped the items back inside the envelope. “You think it’s wise to make him angry on the first day of school?”
She chuckled. “No, probably not.”
Her red hair hung in an unruly mess, covering half her face, and it took everything in me not to reach out and run my fingers through it. I wanted to push her back into the pile of hotel pillows and kiss her the way a woman should be kissed by a guy who thought she hung the moon. To make
her feel cherished.
She pushed the covers back and swung her bare legs around, letting her feet find the ground. “I’ll go shower. I’m going to need coffee before we face him.”
I stood in front of her, blocking her exit, and pushed her tousled hair from her face. “Thank you for staying with me last night.” I continued to let her think that I had asked her to stay with me for my own safety, instead of the real reason: I couldn’t stomach the thought that it could just as easily have happened to her instead of me. Not wanting to push my luck, I leaned in and kissed her forehead. “See you soon.”
chapter seventeen
Briana
On the third floor of Howard BioTech, we were greeted by a robot that recognized us and called us by name. “Briana Howard and Jonas Whitmeyer, right this way, please,” the machine said in a smooth female voice. “My name is Minerva 3.0, but please call me Minerva.” She had a round head with electronic eyes, a round middle with skinny arms, and a round base atop motorized wheels. Basically, she looked like a metal snowman with lots of fancy buttons.
Jonas raised an eyebrow. “Now this is my kind of greeter.”
“Right,” I said with a sardonic eye roll. “Who needs actual people anymore?”
“People have attitudes, and they pass judgment way too easily. Look how many people have tried to kill us before they’ve gotten to know us. I walk into a place like this…” He gestured to nothing really—just the modern décor of my dad’s high-tech building. “… and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. I begin watching every move a person makes, wondering if they’ll be the next person to want us dead for what we are.”
“At least we can get into the heads of people—most of them, anyway. What do we do if this robot wants us dead?”
Jonas quirked a brow. “And I thought I was the paranoid one.”
“Paranoia could save your life,” Minerva said.
“See?” I said and smiled at Jonas.
We followed Minerva across the white tile floor into a conference room. One side of the room was lined with nothing but glass, offering an amazing view of downtown Portland. I walked toward it, admiring the beauty of the city where I’d spent my early childhood. It had grown so much in the years I was in Kentucky.
“Please make yourself comfortable,” Minerva said. When I turned away from the windows, she lifted a metal arm toward the glass table. “There are folders for each of you with the necessary paperwork for your employment with our company. Dr. Howard will be with you momentarily.”
“Wait a second. My employment?” Jonas asked.
“Yes, Mr. Whitmeyer. Positions of employment have been offered to you both.”
Jonas and I traded looks, then sat and began sorting the paperwork.
“I’m not filling out this crap,” I announced after I had flipped through the papers.
“I can’t complete these,” Jonas said. “I don’t even know if I have a social security number. Or a permanent address.”
“You could always jot down Palmyra.”
He smiled at my sarcasm. “Just Palmyra. No street or zip code.”
“There’d be no need,” I mused with a smile. “Thank you for coming here with me.” I swallowed, realizing I had changed the subject abruptly. “I know you’d rather return to the island.” And probably should, I added silently to myself.
“Red,” he said, but before he could continue, Minerva reentered.
“I’m afraid we have a bit of a problem,” she said as she glided into the room, not stopping until she was at the windows, looking out as if her robotic eyes saw things the same way we did.
I went to the windows and stared at the parking lot below. Two police cars were parked along the sidewalk beside the main entrance. “The authorities are here.”
“They’re not the only ones,” Jonas said behind me.
When I looked at him, he lifted his chin. I followed his line of vision to the gated entrance, where three black SUVs were entering the campus.
“IIA,” I whispered.
“That’s correct.” Minerva said.
An elevator dinged outside the conference room. A few seconds later, my dad was at the door. He swept in and hugged me. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Dad, why is the IIA here?”
“Someone told the police that Vance was here yesterday after the time of his death. And thanks to your shenanigans, and the fact that you injected at least two of my employees with who-knows-what, the IIA now believes I’m hiding you and your friends.”
“Who told the IIA? I thought you trusted your security team.”
“I do. But apparently my team wasn’t able to stop my third floor lab tech—the one you temporarily paralyzed—before he ran straight to the police, who then called in the IIA.”
I felt Jonas tense at my back.
Dad continued. “According to the agent I spoke to earlier, some of you have powers to disappear or change your outward appearance…” He looked to Jonas. “… Or to control the actions of someone else.” It was like he knew, or at the very least suspected, these things to be true about each of us. And the way he looked at us, he knew which abilities each of us had.
“Dad,” I laughed. “That’s just silly. Mind control?”
“Don’t patronize me, darling. I had a hand in creating you and your friends. I know the powers are real. I just didn’t know until now how powerful your abilities had become or exactly what they entailed.” He smiled. “I really hope you’ll tell me everything about how these powers work.”
I angled my head. He was serious. He also looked excited, just like I remembered when I was a little kid and he would come home after some big breakthrough in the laboratory. I knew Sandra Whitmeyer and John DeWeese had been surprised at Lexi’s and Jack’s ability to speak telepathically, and at Lexi’s ability to control other people’s actions—but still, it was strange to think that none of them had expected this. “So the doctors who cloned us… you thought we would eventually be able to heal, but you had no idea that we could do these other things?”
“No. It’s really an incredible side effect, don’t you think?”
Jonas stepped around me. “Sir, I’m sure Bree would love to share with you the intricate details of our abilities, but with all due respect, the IIA has tried to kill us.”
“Multiple times,” I said with emphasis.
“I thought all the rogue IIA agents were put away when you took over Palmyra.” He stared hard at Jonas in what looked like a battle of testosterone. “If that’s not the case, why would you allow my daughter to come to Portland with no protection?”
“Dad.” I rotated my shoulders back and stood taller. “I go where I want to go. And I’m fully capable of taking care of myself. Jonas is not here to protect me.”
“Is that so? Then why is Jonas here?”
“Is that really what you want to know, sir?” Jonas said. “I think the more important issue is that you don’t really believe that all the crooked IIA agents were put away after Palmyra. As a matter of fact, I just returned from Costa Rica, where a number of agents announced that they no longer cared if the original clones lived or died.” Jonas glanced at me apologetically before continuing. “Now, you obviously knew about your daughter—you helped create her—yet you kept her in the dark her whole life. I gotta say that so far, the adults in our lives haven’t been especially helpful about ensuring our survival. Bree wants to trust you. I hope she’s making the right choice. But know this: I don’t trust you. And I’m prepared to use everything I’ve got to get us away from here safely, if it comes to that.”
I fought the urge to smile.
“Right,” Dad said, clapping his hands together as if we were moving on to the next task. “Looks like I have my work cut out for me to win trust from both of you. For now, I will ask my attorneys and security team to escort the police off my property until they have proper search warrants. This will make the IIA angry, of course, and they’ll be back quickly. But it will buy us
a little time.”
“I was going to argue that I should go ahead and talk to the police,” I said. “But the IIA is a different story.”
Jonas touched the small of my back. There’s no way in hell you’re talking to anyone until we know more. “Dr. Howard, do you have enough pull with the authorities to find out what they think they have on Bree? We need to know what we’re up against.”
“My attorneys and I will find out. Meanwhile, Minerva will give you a tour of the facility.” When he cast his eyes on me again, he didn’t look like a man who wanted to hurt me. He looked like my dad, whom I loved. “Give me a chance, Bree. I’m ready to show you that you have a place at my side using your talents.”
~~~~~
While Dad went off to oversee the police and IIA being escorted away from Howard BioTech and to meet with his attorneys and security team, Minerva treated Jonas and me to a VIP tour of the main laboratories. Our shoes squeaked lightly on pristine, white tile while Minerva whirred along almost silently beside us down a long hallway. It was basically a tunnel of glass, with laboratories on either side of us, and it glowed blue from special accent lighting. People barely glanced up from their metal stools inside the labs.
Minerva lifted her robotic arm and twisted it to point to a lab on the right. “This is where Howard BioTech is creating the brains of robots like me.”
“Brains?” I asked.
“That’s right. I am the third generation of artificially intelligent personal assistants inside Howard BioTech. I am always learning new data, and the people in this lab are constantly working on ways to make sure my brain doesn’t malfunction the way 1.0 and 2.0 did.” Minerva’s mechanical eyes blinked and part of her “cheeks” drooped, such that she almost looked sad. Though she was one hundred percent machine, her parts moved in uniquely human ways.
“Minerva, why are you so machine-like?” Jonas asked. “Why not make you look more human? I thought that was the new trend in artificial intelligence.”
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