by Kory Shen
Garvek nodded. "Yes! I can't wait!" He stepped toward me but Staccato held a hand up to the ten-foot-tall robot's chest.
"I think you can wait. What about me and the Second Strain? You promised us both Chimeria and Earth."
Earth? They were already calling dibs on planets? This was the first we had heard about the Second Strain in a while.
"Well, yes, as I was telling your pupil here, minds change."
Staccato was at my side in an instant, his hand on my throat, squeezing. "I could kill him. Right now." Staccato looked down at me. "It would be for your own good, a mercy killing, if you can't handle what's waiting for you."
"Whoa, whoa," I coughed out. "Staccato, hold on. Maybe it won't be so bad." Who was I kidding? I was screwed.
Garvek didn't move. "Very good, Dustin! See, minds do change! As for you, Staccato, you can still play emperor on this blue world. But I'll need a steady supply of humans and higher Chimerics if this works. Lots and lots of them."
"Staccato, you can't let him do this!" Staccato's grasp weakened, and I jerked my neck free. "I know they used you, bled you dry, but he's going to do the same thing to who knows how many people. Garvek was working with Dr. Preston this whole time. Staccato!"
I held my breath, praying for Staccato to help me. He had to. He had to!
"I know," Staccato finally said. "They took so much from me. But they also gave me a second chance. A chance to save two worlds."
Second chance? Two worlds? Staccato still thought he was a fucking hero or something? "What?"
"Hunter, don't you get it? The Mekanics were going to wipe us out. We made sure they didn't view us humans as a threat. We stopped the arrival of the Chimerics."
"Staccato, no, what did you do?" I strained to look at Staccato, but he wasn't facing me.
"Don't you get it, Hunter? We created the Second Strain. Preston did, over a year ago."
The Second Strain? That was our own doing? Fuck! We had doomed ourselves. "You…you gave us over to the Mekanics? You betrayed our whole world?"
Staccato whirled, snarling. "I sacrificed myself, everything I had, to save us! We didn't stand a chance!"
"You sold us out! To set yourself up as the one in charge!"
"So what? Better to reign in hell than to burn in it." Staccato leaned closer to me. "I found a way to survive. If you're strong enough, you will, too." He patted my chest, then moved away from the table. "See you in hell, kid."
"Staccato! Staccato!" I screamed, but he was gone. "Vikki, are you still there?"
"Yes!" Vikki piped up. "I'm here."
"Can't you stop Garvek?"
Garvek laughed. "My daughter? Don't be silly. She'll never help you."
"Father? Please. I'll…I'll report you to the others."
"Report me? Once they see what's possible, they'll vote in my favor." I couldn't see what was happening, but there was the clink of metal on metal. "Step away, daughter! Let go of me!"
"I can't let you do this." Vikki's voice trembled.
Garvek shouted angrily. "I'll shut you down! Reboot you! You know I will. You've accessed the records. You know what happened last time."
Vikki voice was barely above a whisper. "You said we would end the War, but…this isn't right. If Dustin is an equal—"
Garvek shouted. "Right? Wrong? What kind of obsolete algorithm are you stuck on? And this will end the War. We'll have complete dominion, as we should."
"I'm sorry, Father."
"Don't you dare—"
There was a loud crashing sound, then more metallic creaking and tearing sounds.
Garvek's voice was softer, fading. "Forget rebooting. I'm going to delete you…"
Vikki rushed to my side. She was sobbing. "I…I had to. What did I do? What did I do? He's going to delete me!"
"Vikki!" I shook my arms and legs. "Can you get me out of here? And Zoe?"
She pulled apart my shackles with her hands. She stepped toward Zoe's cage. Metal creaked.
Dustin! Zoe bounded up to land on top of me.
Oof! You're heavy, you know. I sat up and looked around.
Garvek was on the floor, dismembered limbs and head lying around him. His black eye had been smashed as well.
The girls!
I pried open Garvek's torso, and it swung open easily. To my relief, Julie and Mia were both inside, sleeping or knocked out. I scooped them out, gingerly laying them on the floor.
Julie's spider was in a very tiny cage, but the cage's door slid open, and it scampered over to Julie.
"Vikki—" I stared. Her perfect, smooth silver skin was marred now. Her hands and arms were warped, covered in scratches. One finger was missing from her right hand. "Thank you, Vikki. I'm so sorry what happened to you."
She looked at the girls on the floor, then back at me. "He's going to delete me," she whispered.
"No one's deleting anyone." Shit. We had to move fast, before Garvek came back with another body. "Do you know what's wrong with them?" I pointed at the girls. Zoe?
Zoe nudged their unconscious forms. They stirred.
"Vikki?" I glanced over at her. She still hadn't moved.
Damn it. There was so much happening, it was hard for me to focus on anyone. But Vikki had just saved us, risking everything. I walked over to her, holding her close to me. "Vikki, are you okay?"
"I don't know. Why did I do that?"
"Because you knew it was the right thing. Vikki." I swallowed. "Come with us."
No! She's a Mekanic!
She saved us, Zoe!
I…I know, but it's not just that. They'll tear her apart. You saw what they did to Staccato and Cody. What do you think the humans will do to a robot?
Zoe was worried about a Mekanic? Shit, the world really was ending, wasn't it?
"Vikki, I'll try to keep you safe, but I can't guarantee anything. Do you want to join us?"
"You care about them, don't you?" Vikki asked. "I can tell, when you look at them."
"Huh?" Did she mean Julie and Mia? "Of course, I do. We're a team. We take care of each other."
"And especially her."
"Zoe? Yeah, she and me are tight. That's what bonding does."
Vikki nodded, slowly at first, then faster. "Yes. Yes, I'll go with you."
"Great—"
"Damn, my head hurts," someone said.
I spun. Julie was awake. "Where am I?" Julie asked.
I tried not to look at Mia's still unconscious naked form, but we were running out of time. "We have to get out of here. Can you wake Mia?"
She's not waking up.
Julie checked Mia. "Pulse and breathing are fine." She turned to me. "Your eye—"
"We don't have time." I bent to scoop up Mia but Julie stopped me.
"I'll carry her. You lead the way." Julie slung Mia over her shoulder. "Hand me Koopie."
I reached inside Garvek's torso, taking out the unmoving turtle. The collar around its shell came off when I pulled. Julie tucked the turtle under her free arm.
"What's metal girl doing?" Julie asked.
"She's helping us. She freed you."
Julie raised an eyebrow.
"She's coming with us," I added.
"Whatever. How do we get off this place?"
"I think I sent a message to headquarters. But I don't know if anyone even responded…" I dug inside Garvek's torso. Mia's phone was there. Finally, something was going right for once. "Hold on." I tried calling headquarters.
Even if you get through, they won't reach us in time unless the first message went through.
"It doesn't matter," I said. "I can't get a signal." I slipped the phone down the front of my combat uniform.
Vikki. Ask Vikki.
Right.
"Vikki," I said. "Can you get us off this airbase?"
"The ship that brought us here," Julie said. "Where is it? Can you fly it?"
Vikki nodded. "I can do that. Follow me."
She stepped outside the room into the large tunnel. Julie set Mia a
nd Koopie on the floor of the tunnel, melded, then picked them up again.
I tried to meld, but nothing happened. "Fuck!" I yelled.
"What's wrong?" Julie asked, her Beastform crouching to examine me.
We zeroed. We can't meld until our energy regenerates.
How long will that take?
At least several hours, if not more.
Shit. "I can't meld. I zeroed," I said to Julie. Julie picked me up and set me down on her back. In any other situation, I would have been scared of riding a giant spider. Except I was more terrified of Garvek taking over my mind.
There were arms-sized spider hairs on Julie's back. I grabbed two clumps to steady myself.
Zoe climbed up one of Julie's arms on her own, landing besides me.
"Get up here," I said to Vikki. She jumped onto Julie's back with one smooth leap, sliding into position behind me.
"Go right," Vikki said.
Julie immediately sprinted down the tunnel. A whining sound grew louder from the distance behind us.
"Hurry!" Vikki cried. "They're coming!"
CHAPTER 22
Julie sprayed webbing across the width of the tunnel as she ran, sticky nets spanning the entire diameter.
I doubted they would slow down Garvek, but anything to buy us time would help.
"Up!" Vikki shouted.
I clung tightly to the spider hairs on Julie's back as she crawled up another branch that was almost completely vertical. We continued until the tunnel leveled out.
The noise behind us grew louder.
I see it. One of the flyers from before!
"It's one of those flying Mekanics, the angel kind!" I shouted.
"Shit," Julie muttered as she skittered further along the tunnel, spraying more webbing behind her. I doubted even Nikki could outrun the flyers, and Julie wasn't exactly one of the faster Beastforms.
There was a tearing sound. The Mekanic had broken through the webbing.
"What about Garvek? What's he doing?" I asked.
"That is Father!" Vikki cried from behind me. "He's controlling them!"
The Mekanic fired a series of laser bolts at Julie. The explosions sent her tumbling. She caught us with her arms, drawing us inward toward her midbody as she bounced hard off the tunnel walls.
"I'll slow it down," Julie said, setting us down and turning to face the Mekanic. "Go."
It was suicide. There was no way Julie could face one of the flyers alone. None of us could. I tried to meld again, but nothing happened. Fuck!
"No," Vikki stepped forward. "Father, stop it!" she screamed.
"Vikki, watch out!" I yelled as the Mekanic peppered her with laser blasts. Julie shoved me backward, firmly, with one of her spider legs.
Vikki danced lightly on her toes to evade the attack, whirling like a ballerina. She ran up the curved wall of the tunnel halfway before launching herself at the hovering Mekanic.
"Foolish daughter!" the Mekanic, or rather, Garvek, roared.
Laser bolts blasted Vikki's torso, ripping her in half. Her upper half landed on the Mekanic, hugging it tightly.
"No!" Garvek screamed.
Arcs of electricity blazed around the two robots. Then, they fell, smashing into the ground.
Julie ran forward and stabbed her legs into Garvek's form, but it didn't move.
"Vikki!" I ran towards the pile of metal. I coughed, waving away the acrid smoke. Then, I saw Vikki.
She only had one arm remaining, her chest sheared in half, machinery and wires jutting out of the remains of her single metallic breast. Her face was marred but relatively intact. Her eyes were open but not moving. I pulled her away from the Garvek's wreckage.
"Leave her," Julie said. "We don't have time."
"No!" Vikki had just sacrificed herself for us. There was no fucking way I was leaving her behind. "We still need her to get off the airbase."
Dustin. She might be gone.
"Vikki!" I slapped her face. Her remaining hand grabbed my wrist sharply. "Ow!"
Vikki immediately let go. Her eyes moved. Then, her lips. "Sorry. That was quite a…shock."
"A Mekanic!" Mia was awake now, standing next to me, naked. She melded, then lunged with her beaked mouth.
I waved frantically, shielding Vikki with my own body. "Mia, stop it!"
"What?" Mia unmelded, then fell over, unconscious. Her head hit the metal floor, hard. I winced, hoping her armor ability was still working.
"Julie!"
Julie scooped us up with her legs. I clung to her back again with Zoe and what was left of Vikki, while Julie carried Mia and Koopie.
"Straight," Vikki said softly. "The vessel's up ahead."
"Go straight!" I shouted more loudly to Julie.
Julie responded by skittering forward down the long tunnel.
"Your recovery charges," Julie said. "I had to use mine already. Can you use them to recover and meld?"
I should have thought of that. Zoe?
I can sense them, but I can't access them unless we meld.
"No, we can't use it without melding." If Julie had already used her recovery charges, she must have been low on energy. We needed more help, desperately. "Send me Mia. I'll try to wake her."
Julie reached around with her legs, placing Mia and Koopie in front of me.
Zoe! Grab Vikki. I don't have eight arms like Julie. I pushed Vikki behind me to Zoe, who bit Vikki's arm.
Got her.
I wrapped one arm around Koopie, the other around Mia's torso, trying to still hold the spider hairs with my hands. I shifted, pinning Mia's body with my own to keep it in place. I had to lean forward awkwardly, pressing into her bare chest.
"Mia!" I shouted. "Mia!"
Her eyelids fluttered. Mia opened her eyes slowly. Then, they widened sharply. "Dustin! What are you doing?"
She must have realized she was naked at that point because she tried to cover herself with her arms.
"Don't, Mia. We're on Julie."
I felt Mia's body tense underneath me, then relax. She moved her arms, holding onto me instead. "Koopie?"
"Here. In my hand." Mia reached for her turtle. I wedged Koopie in between our two bodies.
"What's our situation?" Mia asked, now calm, despite our awkward situation.
"You were captured by the Mekanics. Julie's here, too. Um, we're trying to get away, but we need a way off an airbase that's floating in the sky."
"Next right," Vikki said from behind me.
"Next right!" I shouted more loudly. Julie shifted directions.
"Who's that?" Mia asked. She strained to see past me. I felt her body tense again. "A Mekanic!"
"No! I mean, yes, but she's helping us! We need her."
Mia gasped. It was as if she had seen me for the first time. "Your eye! You're…you're one of them now?"
"What? No, of course not. I'm still me."
Mia pursed her lips. "And not to be rude, but there's something hard pressing into my stomach. That's not you…?"
"No! It's your phone. Take it!"
Mia reached deep down the front of my uniform, grabbing the phone with her free hand.
We turned, and the tunnel opened up into an enormous chamber. In the center was a disc-shaped ship. A goddamn flying saucer.
Julie ran up to the ship, then set us down. "How do we run this thing?" She pointed a leg at Vikki.
Mia's long hair was artfully flowing down the front of her body now, hiding most of the important bits. She had something in her hand. The phone. Her expression was strange. Determined.
"Mia?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, Dustin. I have my orders."
"Orders?" I stared as Mia opened her phone. She tapped on it quickly.
Dustin, move it! Zoe rushed past me, knocking the phone out of Mia's hands.
Mia melded, easily kicking Zoe out of the way. Zoe shrieked as she flew through the air, but she landed on her feet.
"What the hell? Mia?" What's wrong with her? Did the Mekanics brainwash her?
Julie moved in front of Mia. "Mia! What's going on? We need to get out of here before more of them show up."
Mia unmelded and picked up the phone. Julie swatted at her lightly with a spider leg, but Mia rolled away, still clutching the phone.
Julie unmelded. She tackled Mia, but Mia immediately melded. Julie leaped away, but she threw something at me. The phone. I caught it.
Julie melded and wrapped herself around Mia. "Mia, cut it out."
"Mia, can't we talk about this? What's going on?" I asked.
"She was sending a transmission to…you," Vikki said. "It went inside…oh, I see."
Julie clicked her pincers. "What is it talking about?"
"She has a name," I said. "Vikki. Mia, please?"
Mia unmelded. "See. You're one of them now."
"What, no I'm not!"
Mia pointed at Vikki. "Fraternizing with the enemy." She pointed at my eye. "You've been compromised."
Julie unmelded. She approached Mia cautiously. "You had orders."
Mia nodded. "Our original orders were to prevent the Mekanics from obtaining Dustin. At all costs." She shook her head sadly. "We failed."
"But we'll get him out of here," Julie said.
"No." Mia looked me in my remaining human eye. "If he turned into one of them like…like Staccato. Or worse. I had orders to kill him."
"What?" Julie whirled to look at me, then back at Mia. "Fuck orders. It's Dustin. It's obvious he's on our side."
I stared at Mia. "Who gave you those orders." But I already knew.
"Dr. Hill. Back at the Academy."
Fuck me.
Mia's eyes were red. A tear trickled down one of them. "I'm sorry, Dustin. I had to do this. I had to follow orders."
Something wasn't right. Why was Mia acting like she had killed me already?
Dustin. I have a bad feeling about this.
"She's armed the bomb," Vikki said. "I can sense it."
"Bomb?" I looked around. "Where?"
"Your belly," Vikki said, pointing at me with a broken finger.
Dr. Hill's tracker.
Shit. She lied to me. It wasn't a tracker. It was her insurance.
"Fuck!" I groped at my belly. "Get this out of me!"
"I don't believe it." Julie rushed Mia, sending her to the ground. "The fuck, Mia? How do we stop it? How much time does he have?"