Leaving Kami with her bear, she stepped into the shower. As soon as the water flowed, she burst into tears. This was all her fault. She hadn’t intended to, but she had betrayed Sam. Again. And this time, she didn’t even have the excuse that it was for his own good. However unintentionally, she had led him right into Derrick’s hands. One way or another, she had to get him out of here. But in the meantime, she gave in to the intensity of her emotions and let herself cry.
When she finally brought herself under control and dried her face, she felt exhausted. Kami gave her a suspicious frown when she emerged, but she didn’t say anything. She could only hope her daughter hadn’t heard her crying. The events of the morning crashed down on her and she was suddenly exhausted.
“Why don’t we take a little nap?” she suggested.
“I’m too big for naps.”
“I’m bigger than you are and I want one. Just lie down with me for a little while and I’ll tell you a story.”
“I guess.”
In spite of everything, having Kami’s warm little body cradled against hers filled her heart with joy. By the time she finished her story, Kami’s eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and even. As she held her daughter, still trying to come up with a plan to free Sam, exhaustion overtook her, and she followed her into sleep.
When she woke up, Kami was gone.
For a horrible moment, Addie was afraid that she had dreamed of her daughter’s presence the way she had so many times before, but then she saw Kami’s little suitcase. Her daughter really was here with her on Mars at last. But where could she have gone? She wondered for a second if Derrick had come and taken her away but considering that he seemed only too glad to hand her off, that didn’t seem likely. About to begin a frantic search, she had just reached the door panel when it slid aside to reveal her daughter, scowling.
“Where have you been?” she demanded.
“That man sent me away.”
“You went to find your father?” Her heart sank. Did Kami already want to return to Derrick?
“No. I went to find your friend so maybe you wouldn’t cry anymore.”
Guilt filled her. Apparently, she had not been successful in hiding her distress from her daughter.
“You went to find Sam?”
“Is that his name?”
“Yes, baby. Did you find him?”
“Yes.” The scowl returned. “But that man sent me away.”
The words burst out before she could stop them. “Is he all right?”
“He was sleeping on a big table. But he woke up and talked to me a little.”
A wave of relief washed over her. If he was awake and talking, Derrick hadn’t done any serious damage. Yet. Kami didn’t seem upset by the encounter so if he had been bothered by her resemblance to Derrick, he hadn’t betrayed his feelings to her.
“How did you know where to find him?”
Kami played with the hem of her dress. “I followed that man there one time ‘cause he left me alone and I was scared but he told me to go away.”
Addie picked up her daughter, hugging her close. Why, oh why, had Derrick fought so hard for custody when all he intended to do was neglect their child?
“And you could find your way back there again?”
Her daughter nodded eagerly, then scowled. “That man told me to stay away.”
“Don’t worry, baby. I won’t let you get into trouble.”
As much as she wanted to find Sam immediately, it was too risky with Derrick loose in the building. Her chances would be much better if she waited until after everyone had gone to sleep. Hopefully, the three of them could steal away in the middle of the night.
After hugging Kami again, she forced another smile as she put her down. “Now let’s see what we can do about finding you some new clothes.”
By late afternoon, she had managed, with considerable help, to make Kami two little skirts with matching tops from a pair of lounge pants. Keeping a wary eye out for Derrick, the two of them had gone on a quest to find thread and scissors. Dr. Newton, who was working on low-gravity surgery techniques, had provided those and sent her to Dr. Jenkins. Dr. Jenkins was a hearty, good-natured man who looked more like an aging athlete than a scientist, but he turned out to be surprisingly skilled at sewing. After watching her pathetic attempts to follow his instructions, he took over. When she protested, he smiled and shook his head.
“I don’t mind at all. I’m happy to help in any way I can.” He looked over at Kami who was wrapping one of the extra pieces of cloth around Rupert, his face wistful. “I miss having children around.”
“Did you have to leave your family, Dr. Jenkins?”
“Please, call me Carlos. No, I never had time for one. But I volunteered at one of the government orphanages.” A shadow crossed his face. “I only hope that our work here will help provide a brighter future for them.”
“I hope so too.”
Kami was delighted at the prospect of new clothes and peppered Carlos with a thousand questions, all of which he answered patiently. When he had finished and Kami was dancing around merrily in one of her new outfits, he turned to Addie.
“You should bring her to the dining hall for dinner.”
“Are you sure?”
Most of the time, she ate at her desk, but the few times she had ventured into the common dining area, the other scientists were either lost in thought or huddled in quiet conversation. As her daughter regained her more natural exuberance, Addie suspected that it would not be a silent meal.
“I’m sure I’m not the only one who would enjoy a child’s company. She will remind us of what we are trying to accomplish.”
Somewhat to her surprise, Carlos proved to be correct. The majority of the normally staid scientists smiled indulgently at Kami’s antics. One of the scientists working on modified grains sniffed and left quickly but no one else seemed bothered. In fact, several of them moved over and joined their table.
Just as they were finishing their meal, Derrick walked into the room. Tall and elegant in his expensive suit, he surveyed the room with his usual mocking smile as an uneasy silence fell.
“I am delighted to know that all of you have made so much progress you can afford to linger over your meals. I’m sure that when I come around to inspect, I will be satisfied with the results. After all, there are many other scientists back on Earth who would jump at this opportunity.”
Addie caught a few muttered protests, but no one spoke out. Derrick looked satisfied that his attempt to cow them had been successful and directed his attention to her daughter.
“Come here, Kamuela,” he ordered.
Addie bit back her instinctive protest. Defying Derrick in front of other people never ended well and she didn’t want Kami to suffer. Every eye in the room watched as her daughter slowly made her way to his side, reluctance in every line of her small body. The contrast between the laughing, happy child she had been only moments before and this silent little automaton was only too obvious. She heard more muttered comments in the background.
“I see that you have all had a chance to meet my daughter. Unfortunately, it appears she is a distraction you cannot afford. She will not be dining with you again.”
He clamped his fingers down on Kami’s thin shoulder and the whole room saw her wince. Addie started up with a cry, but Carlos caught her arm. When she looked at him, he shook his head slightly, obviously warning her.
“Very well, Derrick,” she said as evenly as possible. “May I take her to bed now?”
A cruel smile twisted his lips as he paused dramatically, letting her wait on his decision, before finally nodding.
“You may. But remember what I said.” He gave Kami a little push in her direction, then turned and stalked out of the room, arrogance in every line of his body.
“That son of a bitch,” Carlos muttered but Addie was already flying to meet Kami, drawing her into a tight hug.
“I don’t like that man,” she said defiantly but h
er lip was trembling.
“I know, baby, I know.”
“Is she all right?” Dr. Aquinas asked and Addie looked up to see that she was surrounded by concerned faces.
“She’ll be fine, but I can’t defy him and bring her here again. He has too much power.”
“Does he?” Carlos looked thoughtful. “GenCon is counting on him to produce results. Bullying his scientists won’t accomplish that.”
“I’m not sure they see it that way,” she said ruefully. “They supported him every step of the way so far.”
“But that was on Earth. I suspect things may be different up here.” But then he shrugged and admitted, “Eventually.”
“I’m going to go put Kami to bed.” She rose with her still silent daughter tucked in her arms and smiled at the scientists surrounding her. “Thank you all. You don’t know how much your support means to me.”
Even though there was nothing that they could do, after two years fighting a solitary battle against Derrick, their obvious concern warmed her heart.
“I will walk you back to your room,” Carlos said.
He accompanied her silently along the corridor, then paused outside her door.
“I suspect the rooms are bugged,” he whispered. “Keep that in mind if you make any… plans.”
“Thank you, Carlos,” she said sincerely.
“Take care of this little one.” He ran a gentle finger down Kami’s cheek and departed.
The whole time Addie got Kami ready for bed her mind raced, trying to decide on the best plan. While they were wandering around that afternoon, her daughter had pointed down one of the corridors and whispered that her friend was down there. Not surprisingly, Derrick appeared to have claimed the largest lab suite. Unfortunately, all of the labs were equipped with coded locks. If he had chosen to lock the doors, she would have to try and hack the code, a feat that wasn’t really in her skillset.
She settled Kami down in her bunk and snuggled in with her while she told her a story. By the time her daughter drifted off to sleep curled around Rupert, she was happy and smiling once more.
Leaving her to sleep, Addie went to her computer to work on a code-breaking algorithm. By the time a soft knock sounded on her door, she had something that might work, although she wasn’t as confident as she would have liked.
When she checked the time, she saw that it was after midnight. Surely Derrick hadn’t come to torment her now? But the knock had been tentative rather than demanding, so she peeped cautiously at the view panel. Reggie stood outside, looking pale and worn. She hadn’t seen him since she returned and she had no real desire to see him now, but he knocked again and she was afraid that he would wake Kami. Remembering the warning Carlos had given her, she opened the door and slipped outside.
“What do you want, Reggie?” she said impatiently.
“I wanted you to know that I’m sorry.”
“You said that before.”
“I know and I meant it then but now…” He shuddered. “I didn’t understand what Dr. Mingol was like. He sent me the test protocol.” He shuddered again. “I can’t—I won’t—do that to another living being.”
Her stomach churned and she grabbed Reggie’s arm. “Has he started?”
“No, not yet. He gave me the protocol so we would be ready in the morning.”
“Oh, thank God.” She tightened her grip on his arm. “You have to help me get Sam out of there. Do you know the code?”
“I do.” He adjusted his glasses. “I promise I’ll help you, but I think we should wait until morning.”
“We can’t wait. We can’t let him start torturing Sam.”
“That’s the thing,” he said eagerly. “He’s leaving at daybreak to go to New Arcadia and meet with the GenCon director. If we wait until then, he won’t know the cyborg is missing until he returns.”
She chewed her lip anxiously, her instincts screaming for them to leave now.
“You know how cold it is at night,” he continued. “Can you handle that? Can your daughter?”
As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Even in an enclosed and very slow-moving rover, the temperature would be barely above freezing.
“I suppose you’re right,” she said reluctantly. “But you’ll help me as soon as he leaves?”
“I promise. I really am sorry, Addie.”
She studied the young face leaning over her and saw only sincerity and genuine regret.
“I believe you, Reggie. Thank you for helping us.”
He hesitated, fiddling with his glasses again, then said softly. “I have a little sister. She’s about your daughter’s age.”
A sister? On an overcrowded Earth, two children would never be licensed to a single family. He must have seen the look on her face because he shook his head.
“No, she’s not licensed. But because I agreed to come here, GenCon arranged for her to take my place as the licensed child.” Sorrow filled his eyes. “I will never see her again.”
“I’m sorry, Reggie.”
He smiled awkwardly. “It was best for her.”
“Maybe one day, she can join you here on Mars,” she said softly.
“She’s the main reason I want this project to succeed so desperately. I just shouldn’t have let my eagerness outweigh my sense of compassion.”
She nodded and patted his arm and he left without another word.
When she returned to the room, Kami was still curled peacefully around Rupert. Addie turned off the small light over the desk and climbed in next to her.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow, she and Kami and Sam would finally be free.
Chapter Nineteen
As soon as Mingol left and darkness filled the room, Sam started testing his chains. Although made out of titanium, one of the few metals resistant to cyborg strength, they weren’t as heavy as the chains had been the last time Mingol had him trapped. As he pulled steadily, he thought he felt a slight give.
Before he could test it further, someone entered and the light blinked on. Two someones. Mingol and a much younger man with shaggy hair and glasses. Sam observed them through slitted eyes. He had no doubt that Mingol knew he was awake but there was no reason to reveal his curiosity.
“I told you that I would provide you with the test protocols, Reginald,” Mingol said impatiently. “I expect everything to be set up and ready to begin first thing tomorrow morning. Is that clear or do I need to find another assistant?”
“Yes, Dr. Mingol. I mean, no, Dr. Mingol.” The tablet shook in the young man’s hands. “It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“We’ve never used human subjects before.”
“He’s not human.” Mingol walked over to Sam and flicked his shirt open. “You see this? It’s not even a real heart; it is an artificial energy source. He is a machine, not a man.”
Sam wondered if Mingol actually believed that, or if he used it as an excuse to justify his cruelty. Then again, considering the way he had treated Addie and the child, his behavior seemed just as malevolent when dealing with full humans.
“I assume you have no more questions?”
“No, Doctor.” Reginald kept his head bowed.
“Good. I will return in the morning.” Mingol started to leave, then bent over Sam and murmured, “If you think I hurt you before, you have no idea what you are in for now. There’s no one here to stop me from doing whatever I need to do to get results. Prepare yourself.”
“He’s such a bastard,” Reginald burst out as soon as the door closed.
“No shit,” Sam said. The young man shot him a surprised look. “Did you think I couldn’t talk?”
“No, of course not. It’s just that you didn’t say anything while he was in here.”
Sam shrugged a shoulder as far as the chain would let him. “I had nothing to say to him.”
“Um, do you have anything to say to me? Because I’m just an assistant.”
“Do you mean am I going to beg you to release me?” Sam said d
ryly. “No, that was not my intention.”
“Oh. Well, just as well. Um, I have to get you ready now.”
The young scientist studied the tablet, his face paling. Sam suspected that he hadn’t realized the extent of Mingol’s depravity before.
“I can’t,” he muttered, more to himself than to Sam.
“You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do. It’s my job. And more than that, I owe a debt to the company.”
“Then do what you have to do.”
Reginald didn’t reply but he began preparing samples. They looked very similar to the materials that Addie had used and he realized that Mingol was trying to mimic her experiments.
“Is that a common process?” he asked.
The young assistant jumped. He had apparently managed to put Sam out of his mind.
“Well, yes. I suppose so. These are the mediums that we use for testing.”
“The same ones that Addie—Dr. Montgomery—uses?”
Reginald looked startled, then looked back at the tablet. “Yes, they’re the same. But it’s a pretty common process.” He paused, but when Sam didn’t ask any additional questions he went back to work. However, Sam noticed that the frown on his face had deepened. Sam watched in silence for the next hour while he worked. Eventually, Reginald looked over at him and forced a smile.
“Um, I need to take some blood samples.”
“I see.”
“Do you, um, mind?”
“If I say yes are you not going to take them?”
Reginald adjusted his glasses. “It’s part of the protocol.”
“If you are planning to do something anyway, then I suggest not asking your patient if they mind.”
“I suppose not. It’s just… This would be a lot easier if you agreed,” he said in a rush.
“I’m sure it would, but I didn’t agree.”
“You volunteered.”
“Under very specific circumstances. And only for Dr. Montgomery.”
“You took her off into the wilderness.”
“All of Mars is wilderness. Does this seem like civilization to you?”
A Fistful 0f Cyborg (Cyborgs On Mars Book 2) Page 12