Evelyn looked at Ollie, who was giving her a grin and a look that said every bit of “oh damn!” She couldn’t help herself and started to laugh too, looking down at her hands and stretching out her fingers, which she had only then realized had been balled into fists. Feeling the blood flow back into her fingertips, she looked up, still smirking and enjoying the laughter around her.
The older man stepped closer to the truck to top off the gas and then pulled the pump handle free, placing it back in the pump. Coming around the side of the truck again, Evelyn watched him as he squared his shoulders to her, apparently so he could look her in the eye.
“My son sure as hell deserved every bit a what ya served ’im up, miss, but I’ll ask ya to forgive him anyway. We don’t see many girls like you ’round here,” he added, tipping his hat brim to her. “An’ I’ll beg your pardon for lookin’ a little too close myself, but I can’t shake the feelin’ that I’ve seen ya somewhere before.”
Evelyn smiled, realizing that he was probably thinking of Jane. Evelyn had Jane’s genes and looked very much like a younger version of her. Because of her father’s celebrity as a businessman, Jane had grown up in the public view. It had been years since they left, and most people probably didn’t care about rich people or their problems, but still, Jane was beautiful and she stood out and people recognized her. Evelyn didn’t need that kind of attention, though. She just wanted to find Tate and hide.
“That’s okay, I get that a lot,” she said, and a moment later the man shrugged his shoulders, apparently satisfied that he was going to know all he was about the matter.
“I gave ya an extra gallon,” he said, walking around to the driver’s window. “It’s all I can spare, but I think you’re gonna need it. Noticed your passenger in the back looks like she’s doin’ none too well. Y’all are lookin’ fer the Healer, ain’t ya?”
“That’s right,” Tanner said. “Know where we can find ’im?”
“No,” the man said, crinkling his brow, “but I heard talk he’s down by the mission where the river crosses into town. Jus’ follow this road til ya get ta pavement, an’ then turn south on county road nineteen. If your tank wasn’t too dry when ya rolled up, I think four gallons will just about get ya there. Just make sure ya coast a little on the downhills. Sorry I can’t do more.”
“You done enough,” Tanner said. “Thanks.”
The older man stepped back from the truck, and Evelyn heard Tanner grind the transmission into gear. Slowly the truck pulled away from the pump, and as it did, the old man, not having taken his eyes off Evelyn since they started to pull away, tipped his hat to her and smiled.
Evelyn couldn’t help but smile, and in a completely unexpected gesture, she lifted her fingers to her lips and blew the man a kiss. It wasn’t often she was flattered by men, and despite his roughness, he had at least shown her the courtesy of being respectful.
“Damn, now I have two girls I’m gonna have to fight for.”
Evelyn looked at Ollie and saw the smile on his face. Letting the smile grow across hers, she blew him a kiss too.
VISITOR
Evelyn couldn’t believe her luck. Not only had she caught a ride with Ollie, which had saved her days in the desert and a lot of aches and pains, but now it also seemed the Healer was in the general vicinity of where she knew her brother had been just a day before. If he hadn’t left, which would create a whole new set of problems for her, she figured she may not have to stray too far from her newly acquainted benefactor to find Tate.
Feeling good about where things were going, Evelyn leaned against the wall of the truck bed and let the breeze cool her face.
“I keep thinking about what you said … and all the questions you were asking about the treatments for Tillie.”
Evelyn turned to look at Ollie. His face was relaxed, but his eyes told her he was worrying about something.
“You seem to know a lot about things like that, and I don’t get the sense you think the Healer is for real.”
Evelyn looked down at Tillie quickly. She seemed to be asleep again, but a more pained expression was on her face, like she was deep in a nightmare, struggling to make her way through it.
“I don’t know what to think, Ollie,” she said, and she knew she really didn’t. Everything she knew told her that when it came to things like this, most men were selling nothing but snake oil. She had a suspicion that this healer was no different and that there was little he was going to do to help Tillie. Without proper medical treatment, Evelyn knew it was going to take nothing short of a miracle for her to live, and even if she did, there was probably so much damage done by the radiation, she may forever be battling sickness. Her mind was not telling her anything she wanted to relay to Ollie, or Tillie for that matter, but then she remembered something Joseph told her about Tate.
As a child, Tate had suffered a horrible sickness—one that had nearly killed him and left him completely debilitated. The nanites Mr. Philips’s research team had injected into Tate’s spinal fluid had repaired most of the damage, though, carving their way through scar tissue in his brain and reconnecting neural pathways so his body and mind worked perfectly again.
Years later, when Tate was working in the orphanage, Joseph had come to him on the playground, unable to keep up with his friends because of his own nerve problems, which made it hard for him to walk. He was apparently feeling very down in the moment about it, and he asked Tate if he thought he might ever be able to walk normally, just like the other boys. What Tate told Joseph then had impacted him enough that he never forgot it.
Evelyn glanced back up at Ollie. “My brother says that all healing comes from God. I can’t say if the Healer is for real or not, but you said you were taking it on faith that he could help. I’d say that gives your sister as good a chance as any.”
Ollie sat quietly for a moment, and then Evelyn watched as the smile returned to his eyes, clearly appreciative that she hadn’t told him something that would have caused him to lose all hope.
“What are you going to do when you find your brother?”
Evelyn wasn’t exactly sure, and she still hadn’t given the matter enough thought. Thoughts began to swirl in her mind.
Tate had never seen her in person, other than for the few moments they were running from the orphanage in Ironhead six years ago. And he probably didn’t even know that the ten-year-old blond he saw then was her, as he had only known her to be artificial intelligence up until that moment. So before she even got to the horrible news of her being responsible for Jane’s death in a fiery explosion, she was certain she was going to have to work through the shock of him realizing that she was actually flesh and blood.
Six years’ worth of memories flooded her brain, and she felt her pulse quicken at the thought of all she had to share with Tate, and then she shook her head, trying to snap herself back into the moment. Putting her hands up to her forehead, she rested her elbows on her knees, and then she remembered Tate was a priest. If anyone will forgive me for what I have done, maybe he will.
“I really don’t know,” she said. “I’ve been gone a long time. He’s not expecting me, and he’s not going to recognize me, and I have some things I have to tell him that are going to hurt him.” Evelyn felt a tear start in her eye.
Ollie was quiet for a moment. “That may be, but he’s your brother. If it’s one thing I know, family takes care of family. He won’t let you down.”
“Honestly, I’m more worried I’m going to let him down.”
“That’s how I know you’re gonna be fine … Like I said, family takes care of family.”
Evelyn looked up from her hands and gave Ollie a half-hearted smile. She appreciated his sentiments, but she wasn’t so sure he was right.
The truck had been rolling into the outskirts of an industrial district for about ten minutes, and Evelyn knew they were getting close. She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating on activating her nanites to receive signals. She wasn’t going to let them conn
ect to anything electronic, but she figured if Tate was close by, her nanites might pick up on the beacon emitting from his, and she might find him faster. It was a long shot, she figured, as she would have to be within a hundred yards of him to feel him, and in the meantime, her senses were going to be on overload, filtering though the radio frequencies around her. It was a small price to pay, though, and if it gave her even the slightest edge in finding Tate, she was going to take it.
As soon as she activated her nanites, she felt an immediate surge, the itch running up her spine as the nanites quickly filtered and disregarded the frequencies around her. Her muscles tensed, and thoughts and images from deep in her mind swirled around, agitating her brain and making her body feel restless, crampy, and sick. Evelyn forced her mind to race to catch up and dominate the scattered fragments of noise that overwhelmed her, and then she pushed the hum out of her head. She didn’t know how long she could go on like this—maybe a few hours at best—but she hoped she wouldn’t have to, that her luck would hold out and she would find Tate sooner than later.
“Hey, you okay?”
Evelyn opened her eyes to see Ollie looking at her strangely, the way someone looks at someone else when they think they’re about to be sick. She fidgeted in her spot for a second, forcing the grimace from her face.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she answered with a weak smile betraying the way she really felt.
Ollie raised his eyebrows in apparent disbelief.
“Well, I will be fine, just give me a minute,” she added.
The truck bumbled along the dirt road into town, and Evelyn noticed the adobe buildings looked no worse for wear. Again she wondered if the war had really taken a toll on any of the cities, because the buildings, while old, looked strong enough to stand—for the most part. The people who were out also didn’t seem to be noticeably shaken, but they were clearly in poverty, wearing well-worn and sometimes threadbare clothes. It was as if the Texas she had seen in pictures had devolved to a time three hundred years earlier and had become a third-world version of what it had been.
Ollie, apparently still a little edgy, maybe not ready to accept that life in the borderlands may be simple but not all that dangerous, sat forward, his eyes darting across the buildings and people, looking for something to set off his alarms. After a few minutes of looking, though, Evelyn watched as even he seemed to relax a little.
“I stand by what I said, Evie. It doesn’t look too sketchy around here, but don’t go wandering off at night or down any of these alleyways … and you better keep your head down if you see any of those NCG thugs.”
“NCG?”
“Damn, Evie, you have been gone a while. NCG. National Civilian Guard. President Coleson, that sonofabitch, recruited thousands of them a few years back, right at the start of the war. Not sure what kind of mind-smash they went through in their training, but they’re tough bastards and they’re all kinds of violent. If you cross paths with them, you have serious problems. They may not be down here anymore, given the war’s over, but they’re all over up north. Just promise me you won’t mess with them. They’re known to just shoot people for kicks, especially if they get the impression you’re an insurgent or pissed off at the government.”
Evelyn felt her eyes widen, and she nodded. “Oh damn.”
Ollie smirked. “Oh damn is right.”
Not a second later, Evelyn felt a different kind of tingle, like the start of a sizzle in her brain, and then it settled down to a soft purr in the back of her mind. Evelyn held her breath and looked around. It had to be Tate.
Evelyn whipped her head around. “Ollie, I have to get out here. This is the place.”
“What? Did you see your brother?”
“No, but I recognize the area from the pictures I saw,” she lied, not feeling like she had time to explain. “He’s around here. I know it.”
Ollie slapped his hand on the side of the bed. “Hey, Tanner, hold up … Evie’s getting out here.”
Tanner pulled the truck to the side of the street. Evelyn grabbed her pack, stood, and started to swing a leg over the back of the truck.
“Just hold here. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Ollie added, clearly still talking to Tanner.
Evelyn looked at him, surprised, and then hopped down to the dusty asphalt. “You can’t go with me. You have your sister to take care of.”
“Well, I can’t just let you wander off alone, especially after all we’ve been through,” he said, grinning.
Evelyn laughed. “Look, Ollie, I appreciate it. Really … it’s an incredibly nice gesture, but you should go.”
Ollie furrowed his brow. “I just don’t feel right about it, leaving you here.”
Evelyn looked around and realized it probably wasn’t a great idea for her to be wandering around alone in a strange town, which was no longer America, when she hadn’t spent more than twenty-four hours on Earth in the past six years.
“Okay,” she said after thinking for a moment. “We’re probably not too far from the mission. I bet it’s just a few miles from here, and from what the man at the gas station said, it should be on this road. I’ll look around for my brother for a while, and whether I find him or not, I’ll come down to the mission before it gets dark.”
A mischievous grin crept across Ollie’s face. “I just knew you wanted to see me again.”
Evelyn couldn’t help her smile from growing.
Ollie spun around and sat back down in the bed, slapping the side. “We’re good, Tanner. Let’s go,” he said, only glancing halfway at the cab, not fully taking his eyes off Evelyn. As the truck started to pull away, he looked back at Evelyn, his expression getting more serious.
“If I don’t see you before it gets dark, I’m coming to look for you.”
As the truck growled off, Evelyn gave him a half wave, letting the smile slowly fade, and she stepped onto the broken concrete sidewalk. The street was lined with older buildings, most of which still had the glass in the windows, and there were people wandering about, though Evelyn suspected the heat had already chased most people indoors.
The hum was still in the back of her head, and her first instinct was to close her eyes and concentrate on the sensation, as if that might help her to feel the direction it was coming from better. Quickly she knocked the idea out of her mind. A young woman who stood out like she did—pale and blond—would only be inviting trouble by drawing more attention to herself.
Evelyn pulled her cap down a little further and started walking. She figured she would just walk, and if the feeling got stronger, she’d know she was heading in the right direction.
Evelyn hiked her pack higher on her shoulders. It was still heavy, as she hadn’t had time to drink much of her water or eat anything yet, and then she realized how hungry she had grown. As if to remind her further of her failure to take care of the essentials, her stomach growled. Not a second later, she smelled the salty sizzle of meat and the sweet smell of corn as it teased her nostrils. There wasn’t any question about where the smell was coming from. Just a few storefronts down, she could see occasional billows of steam and smoke rising from an alley.
As she approached and got a better look, she realized the alley was actually only an alley for about ten yards before it opened up into a large courtyard full of vendors selling everything from scraps of cloth and clothing to eggs and fresh produce. Toward the back, she could see the source of the smoke was a group of tents in the corner with tables and chairs covered by a pale-pink-and-gray awning. Maybe it was a restaurant, but given the makeshift nature of the whole marketplace, Evelyn doubted it was anything extravagant. Even so, the smell of fresh corn and roasting chilies was enough to make her feel dizzy. Without thinking another second about it, she found her legs were bravely carrying her into the commotion.
With so few people out on the street, Evelyn was a little surprised at how many people were in the market, but she figured it might have something to do with the awnings and the welcome relief of shade they
gave from the midday sun, which was directly overhead.
Evelyn kept to the shadows, more out of a desire to keep cool than because she was worried about the crowd, and as she made her way back to the grill, she didn’t get the feeling anyone even noticed her.
Ducking under the last awning and stepping closer to the grill, Evelyn was completely unprepared, overwhelmed by her senses. The sizzle of searing meat. The waves of heat coaxing beads of sweat from her brow. The billowing pungent sweetness of chilies and corn, and the chaos of the men dancing behind the grill as they threw all of the amazing things in front of her onto tortillas, handing them across the glass partition to the gathering crowd. Having spent her whole life on Vista, Evelyn’s experience with food had been tame, predictable, boring. This was like nothing she had ever experienced before, and as she stood in front of the glass, staring in awe at the wonders before her, two things occurred to her. First, she could spend the rest of her life on Earth and never come close to experiencing all of the wonders the planet had to offer. Second, she was probably going to let the wonder of the street taco pass her by as she knew she didn’t have even a dollar to buy one.
“Jane?”
In hearing her sister’s name, Evelyn froze, holding her breath. Letting a few seconds pass, she turned slowly on her heels to see who had said it.
About ten feet away from her, a man stood, leaning a little at the hip, with a confused or curious expression on his face, Evelyn couldn’t discern which. He was tall and thin, his short hair was starting to turn gray at the temples, and as was the case with the majority of the people she had seen so far, his skin was weathered and sun-damaged, making him look a little older than he was.
Evelyn immediately recognized him. It was Tate.
In her ravenous search for food, Evelyn had completely tuned out the hum of Tate’s beacon in her head, which she now realized was so profound it was drowning out her ability to think. Evelyn’s mouth wouldn’t work, and even if she could figure out how to open it, she had completely lost her train of thought. She had no idea what to say.
Doppelganger Girl Page 15