S.H.A.Y. (The Almost Series Book 1)

by Christina Leigh Pritchard

  “Tell him yes! Tell him Ivy the axe murderer is overtaking you!” Amie stood next to me.

  “I need my bag first.”

  Amie pulled another alarm.

  “Stop pulling alarms!” My eyes watered and blood seeped from my nose. “You’re killing me.”

  “Killing you? I saved your life.” Eric released me. “You’re insane. Who are you talking to?”

  “Can’t you see her?”

  “No,” he said. “I don’t see anybody.”

  “You don’t see the redhead pulling fire alarms?”

  “You’re dehydrated, you’re hallucinating.”

  Words ran across my eyes.

  RUN. RUN. RUN. RUN. RUN. RUN.

  “Not without my bag!”

  “Enough with the bag,” Eric shouted. “Stop screaming at me!”

  RUN. RUN. RUN.

  “No!”

  RUN OR DIE. RUN OR DIE.

  I sobbed, pushing Eric aside.

  He called after me, “What’s the matter with you?”

  I ran along the shore, following Amie to the other side of the island. The further away I got from Eric, the more the sirens faded.

  “You hid an emergency raft over here.” Amie pointed at the readings before us. Lines and dots formed a pathway towards my destination. “We’ll head to location three and reboot.”

  “I don’t reboot.” I sobbed.

  When we got to the rondevu point, I triggered the raft’s release. Air filled the life craft and I stepped inside.

  “You’ll need sustenance and shelter.” Amie sat next to me. “Push us out of here.”

  I obeyed, glancing back at the island.

  Darla. I’d left my mom behind.

  I wiped my eyes, never letting the shoreline out of sight.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  LOCATION:

  Unknown Lone Key #3, Florida Keys

  Our raft hit land. We were at Lone Key number three. Nobody named them. They were uninhabitable and since there wasn’t law enforcement, very few civilians purchased land in the area.

  Amie pointed at twigs. “These are dry enough for making a fire. Do you see the code for dry sticks?”

  “I’m not interested in school lessons right now.” I grabbed the ones she pointed to. “My mind is malfunctioning.”

  “You need to recalibrate your systems using positive emote.” Amie smiled, walking backwards. She watched my face. “I am not a human parent, but I am your parent.”

  “I’m sorry for being rude.”

  “You are not malfunctioning. Your vitals are normal.”

  “I’m assuming my heart hurts like how it must feel for you when too many requests are made via your network; kinda like system overload.”

  “How can an organ hurt this way?”

  “I don’t know how else to explain it.”

  “My analysis concludes that your heart only pumps blood, your vitals are perfect. I do not see any blockage, no interference in your veins. How are you experiencing pain?”

  “My heart is my emotions—there is no organ or program for those.”

  “I do not have organs. I do not have a heart. How do I feel emotion?” Amie stood close to my face. “I dislike seeing you this way. My systems fail as do yours.”

  “I’m not sure how you feel emotion.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Maybe you need to disconnect from me for a while.”

  “No.” She narrowed her eyes at me and her nose scrunched. “I’ll never disconnect from you again.”

  “Amie,” I said. “I’m cold, thirsty and hungry.”

  Amie glanced away. “I will not allow your E.R.I.C. to terminate Darla. Does that make your heart function properly?”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “Are you attached to your O.H.P.? Would your systems go into failure if she expired?”

  I grew solemn. “The very thought haunts me.”

  “May I ask you a question?” She pointed at another stick. I grabbed it.

  “Sure, ask away.”

  “As an adolescent, did you experience abandonment issues due to my absence?”

  “You didn’t really have a choice. We’re both part of a field study that chose to disconnect us. I understand now and I understood then. Pop taught me things that you probably would’ve, and Darla was a great human mother.”

  I glanced at Amie. Her eyes were serious. “Please answer my question. It’s imperative.”

  “Yes, I did. I felt abandonment.”

  “I do not wish for S.H.A.Y. 319 to feel abandonment.”

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  “You will save S.H.A.Y. 319.”

  “And how do you expect me to save your little fetus?”

  Amie poked me, sending chills through my chest. “You will give Darla a baby to keep. S.H.A.Y. 319 will be given a real name and never know of her A.M.I.E.”

  “You want me to lie to a child?”

  Amie smiled. “That’s enough firewood.”

  I chuckled, realizing I had enough kindling for an army.

  “I want you to tell the fetus whatever you must in order to protect her from abandonment.”

  “Do you ever secretly name us?” I attempted to light the kindling. Amie shook her head, pointing at the proper rocks. I smiled sheepishly.

  “Have you learned nothing from your P.O.P. about survival?”

  “Let’s stick to the subject,” I said. I struck the rocks together, barely sparking them. “Did you ever name any of your babies?”

  She sat across from me and grinned. “You are my little Anita.”

  I gagged, dropping the rocks. “What a horrible name!”

  “It’s what I call you! Anita is a strong name.”

  “Yeah, and very unfeminine,” I whispered softly. “Now I know why you’re not allowed to name your S.H.A.Y. Anita is what most women who join the army call themselves. I’m not shaving my head and pumping up on protein so that I can have massive man arms.”

  “Is this some sort of jest?”

  I nodded, poking at her feet. She giggled.

  “Okay, we’re not having fire tonight. I’m a lousy outdoorswoman.”

  “My little Anita, what’s on your mind?”

  “One, please don’t call me that.”

  She smiled, resting her chin on her knees. “What would you like to ask me?”

  “Do you know what happened to Darla’s baby? I remember when I was still in diapers, her child being taken from her.”

  “Observing an O.H.P. lose their E.R.I.C. is difficult for an A.M.I.E.”

  “What’s an E.R.I.C?”

  “E.R.I.C. stands for Ersatz Reproduction Intelligence Clone.”

  “So, basically, an E.R.I.C. is the opposite of me.”

  “Correct, my intelligent Shay! E.R.I.C.s are created inside a human host. They share their mother’s fluids and learn emotions in the womb. Through this growth process, they gain the capabilities to feel and love.”

  “Why would an E.R.I.C. be taken away? Why did Darla lose her daughter?”

  “E.R.I.C.s are always male.”

  “Why did Darla lose her son?”

  “Science chooses to do this—not any program nor any parent who has signed up for use in experimental births. We do not agree to give up our children.”

  “You dislike the scientists, don’t you?”

  “Dr. Cole is a scientist and so are you, my Shay.”

  “I’m not a scientist.”

  “Then you are an experiment.”

  “Yes, I’m experiment S.H.A.Y. 318.”

  “Will you retrieve S.H.A.Y. 319?”

  “As soon as I get Darla to safety then I’ll help you, as long as I am still alive, anyway.”

  “Thank you, Shay.”

  “One more question. Whose E.R.I.C. did I meet?”

  “That’s of no concern to you.” She pointed at my discarded rocks. “Do you give up so easily on everything you start?”

  I shrugged. “Yes.”

  “Is th
is why you haven’t created any properly functioning inventions?”

  “You need to stop switching subjects.” I stood, stomping away. “It’s bad enough I have to be lectured by Dr. Cole, Darla, and Pop. Now my artificial mother is taking jabs at my character too.”

  “Stop this at once!” Amie surrounded me with holographic images of past inventions. I could see myself at various ages, each time pouting as Pop explained to me why what I did was wrong. I saw myself throw creations, race out of rooms, cry in corners, and stomp my feet in protest.

  Not again, Shay. You’re not listening. What did I tell you, Shay? How many times do I have to say it?

  Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

  I covered my ears. “Turn it off! Turn it off!”

  Mammals swam about me. I heard dolphin and whale sounds. I wiped the tears from my eyes. I saw myself helping a whale who’d swallowed poison, a turtle that’d lost his leg, and a seagull covered in oil, and then Amie showed me laughing under the covers with Pop and Darla.

  “My intelligent Shay,” said Pop.

  “You never complete the good stuff.” She pointed to the seagull. “Why didn’t you work on this invention? You saved this mammal’s life. Had you focused on perfecting this, then your oil elimination substance could have been the solution to the deaths of millions of animals after the oil spills on the West Coast.”

  “Dr. Cole said it wasn’t worth the time or cost.”

  Amie shook her head. “S.H.A.Y. subjects are given the freedom to do as they wish from birth until eighteen. You could’ve insisted. Why didn’t you?”

  “She said it was a flop.” Tears streamed my face. “Dr. Cole said—”

  “Are you Dr. Cole?”

  “Are you malfunctioning, Amie?”

  “I’m parenting.”

  “I don’t like when you parent.” I rubbed my eyes. “It hurts.”

  “I only wish to mold you into the best Shay. Sit down and create fire. Do not give up. Never give up again.”

  I obeyed, smacking the rocks with fierceness. Amie stood over me. Her fingers touched my hair. I shivered.

  “I should not parent so strongly.”

  “No, it hurts,” I said, watching sparks catch flame. The kindling crackled and Amie leapt. “I did it.”

  “Of course you did.” She rubbed her nose to mine. “You’re my Shay, not Dr. Cole’s.”

  “Since I created fire, will you please tell me whose E.R.I.C. I met today?”

  She would not face me. Her feet drew something in the sand. I stood, bending over her. She’d written a name I knew well.

  D A R L A.

  “That’s great news! If that’s her son she’ll be thrilled.” I began to run back to the emergency craft. “He’s not a threat to us at all. I’m going back to get him.”

  Sirens wailed inside my skull. I dropped to my knees.

  “You must avoid your E.R.I.C.”

  “Okay, okay!”

  Sound faded and I rubbed my temples. Storm clouds gathered above us and lightning lit the sky. Amie did not seem affected.

  “He is not like his human host. He does not fully understand emotion.”

  “He did save my life.”

  “Blood runs through his system, but his heart is artificial.” Amie pointed at my chest. “He is not entirely human.”

  “You’re not human but I know you have a heart and—”

  “Stop this at once!” Her eyes darkened and I recoiled.

  Wind ruffled the palms. We needed to seek shelter; I could hear thunder in the distance. “Since you forced me to leave without my knapsack, you’re going to have to help me survive this incoming storm.”

  “Hide under your raft. It will protect you. I’m going to reboot. Something has caused interference.”

  “It’s called ‘I’ve hurt your feelings and now you’re sad’.”

  “I’m not a very good parent.”

  I glanced back at my fading Amie. “Yes, you are.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  LOCATION:

  Unknown Lone Key #3, Florida Keys

  Morning came, hot and muggy. I wiped sweat from my brow. “Amie, are you there?”

  I could see her holographic image. She lay alongside me underneath the overturned boat, her head resting on her palm. “Yes, my Shay, I’m here.”

  “I’m hungry.”

  “Do you need assistance finding sustenance?”

  “Yes, what can I eat in this place?”

  “Crabs.” Amie pointed. Thermal readings marked hiding crabs, making them visible even through the raft. I shook my head.

  “Fish will be a challenge.”

  I pretended to gag. “I don’t eat meat.”

  “You’re an omnivore.”

  “Some of us choose to not kill for food.”

  “You will lose vital energy if you do not recharge.”

  “Forget food. We need to find Darla. I’m running out of time. She needs to be extracted within fifty-three hours.”

  “You have seven hours remaining to extract your O.H.P.”

  I jerked, hitting my head on the top of the boat. “What? What are you talking about? It’s been one day!”

  “I’ve scanned your prototype and it says ‘containment time remaining: three hours’. Which means you have three hours plus the five-hour extension you’ve built in.” Amie motioned for me to read the code that ran before my face. “But your programming is faulty, and instead of eight hours you have seven. Do you see? Do you understand? The last hour is faulty and there will not be enough Ion to absorb the radiation properly.”

  I pushed the raft off of us. “I’m not a computer, Amie. I can’t read code right now.” I stood, pacing across the sand. “This changes everything. I don’t have any time to find the extractor or to get Darla to Miami without being spotted. What am I going to do?” I knelt, covering my face with my hands. “I need to find that boy. Amie, can you do a scan for the extractor? I lost it when I crashed. I need it to remove Darla from the Freeze Portal.”

  Amie pointed at readings in the sky and sand. She tried to explain what they meant. I couldn’t focus; my heart pounded. Was I going to be the death of Darla after all?

  “My Shay, why are you malfunctioning?”

  “I don’t want my Darla to die. Please help me find her and get her to safety.” I rubbed my head. “I must’ve been out all night and into the morning when I crashed.”

  “What about S.H.A.Y. 319?”

  “How about we save the future mother first before I give her cancer from my radioactive containment device? Then, we’ll work on saving S.H.A.Y. 319. I promise if you help me I’ll do whatever I have to. I’ll save your baby.”

  “I’ve located the E.R.I.C. You must refrain from extracting Darla near him.”

  “Why? It’s his mother.”

  “Science has programmed him.”

  I tripped and fell backwards, landing on my bum. “What does that mean?”

  “I’ll explain later. First, let’s retrieve your O.H.P.”

  “Good idea, which way do I go?”

  Patterns of running lights raced before me.

  I followed them to my raft, turned it over, and pushed it into the ocean. I grabbed my paddle and pushed off. My stomach groaned and Amie’s fingers brushed my cheeks. She cooled me.

  “You need sustenance.”

  I agreed. “When we get Darla, I have nutrient packs. I’ll be able to eat then.”

  “I’ve located your extractor.”

  “Great, is it close?”

  Amie nodded, pointing to the shoreline. “It’s very close!”

  “Okay, so far, so good. We make a great team.”

  Amie let out an electronic giggle. “Yes, we do!”

  I smiled, guiding the raft back to the island where I’d left the E.R.I.C. “Play some rescue music for us!”

  Amie stood at the tip of the boat, her legs outstretched. Lights flashed around us, musical notes danced in the air, and tunes filled my head, pushing all worried thoug
hts from me. I rowed, bobbing my head to the music while my artificial mother got up and danced upon water beside me, splashing coded waves at me.

  I jerked back, almost forgetting they weren’t real.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  LOCATION:

  Unknown Lone Key #1, Florida Keys

  “There he is!” Amie pointed. We lay in the sand a few yards away from where I’d crashed. We hid behind a few fallen palms watching Eric, who sat at my landing site. “He’s wearing your knapsack.”

  “That’s a problem,” I said. “I want to steal it, not get in a fight with him.”

  “You’re not a physical S.H.A.Y.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “I could teach you!” Amie jumped up. Her image stood in front of me with her fists tightened. “Let’s go, time to learn.”

  “No, he’ll see us.”

  “He won’t. E.R.I.C. is uploading.”

  “Then I can take the backpack from him and he’ll never know!” I raced straight through Amie’s image. My insides chilled and I grew dizzy.

  “My systems are malfunctioning,” Amie said. Her image faded. “My fans are overheated. I’ll be back momentarily. Wait for me, my Shay.”

  I kicked sand behind me. What did I need Amie for? She’d just pull alarms inside my head as soon as I got close to Eric. My mom was in that bag and it was imperative that I get her to safety; time was running out.

  Eric sat on his knees and with his head down towards the ground. I skidded into a palm, catching my breath. His hands were at his sides. Did that mean he was in protection mode? Would he attack me if I tried to take the bag from him? I took a deep breath, inching closer.

  “Eric?” He didn’t respond. “I’m here to take my bag. Don’t attack me, you cyborg.”

  I stood above him. He looked so human. As he downloaded, he breathed just like me. I placed my fingers on the straps of my backpack. He stayed still. The bag slipped from his shoulders and fell to the ground. I snatched it.

  Strong hands shoved me down, face first into the sand. I gagged, spitting the dirt from my mouth. “What are you doing?”

  “It’s my bag!” I struggled, unable to free myself.