If only I could save them all.
“It’s dead,” he said as he motioned me to join him at the door the bot had been guarding.
“What did you do?” I asked, rushing to his side.
“SECs have an internal L-Band at their wrists. Sever that connection, and the bot becomes useless.”
“But that bot’s not going to be our only problem. The girls are two years old. There might be somebody with them, and it won’t be a bot.”
I pulled the laser pistol from my waist band, and Michael inspected the point of his spear, noting its splintered end and burned areas.
I gulped, and for the first time, I was actually anxious to see our daughters. Before this moment it had all seemed like a dream. “Let’s do it,” I said as the key in my pocket unlocked the door.
The scene before us was so familiar. A woman was asleep in an oversize reclining chair, but the woman thankfully wasn’t Kale. And next to her, lying in a small bed was a tiny girl with brown hair to her shoulders. Was she our daughter? But there was only one? Where was her sister? Her lips were pink and full and eyebrows thin and arched exactly like mine. My heart melted.
Michael’s spear smacked the side of the woman’s head before I realized what happened. Her arms shot to her sides as a second blow tore the skin at her temple releasing a jet of blood.
“Her L-Band,” he whispered. “Stop her.”
And with that, I pulled the laser pistol from my waist band and aimed it at the woman’s chest. But I was too close, and before I could dodge to the left, her foot met my hand with a heavy kick, knocking the gun to the floor. It scooted to the other side of the room.
“Quickly,” he urged as he gave her head another blow with his spear.
I ran to the dazed woman and grabbed her banded wrist, wrenching it away from her grasp, preventing her from sending a signal for help. A crack came first, followed by a muffled snap, as I bent back her arm like a crowbar, making it bend in a direction in which the human body wasn’t designed.
Michael was at her throat, the bend of his arm pressed into her neck. “We can’t let her speak,” he grunted, “especially if her band has been expanded, and she’s being monitored at all times.”
The woman, stout like Kale but pale with blond hair and light blue eyes, reached out to me, and her chest heaved as his grip grew tighter. With an open mouth, she continued to plead for mercy through her eyes, which blinked and watered as her eyelids opened and closed.
As her lips went from pink to purple and then blue, a vein in the center of Michael’s forehead became visible, and his lips peeled open to reveal his teeth. I dashed to the other side of the room, picked up the pistol, and aimed it at the woman’s chest. But there was no need for me to engage the trigger. In the next moment, she became limp, falling forward. She slumped back into the chair as he let her go.
The tiny girl tossed in her bed, awakened by the commotion. I took her delicate hand in mine, pulled the inhibitor from my tunic pocket, and wedged it under her red, Region Three L-Band, making it as inert as a twenty-first-century wristwatch. The girl sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“Hi, what’s your name?” I asked her.
“VW2,” she said, and I gasped as tears developed on my lower lids and spilled to my cheeks with a blink. They didn’t give her a real name? Like me, she was just a number to them, a baby-making machine as soon as she hit menses.
“You’re coming with me. You need to be quiet though, okay? We don’t want to wake anyone up.” Her plump rosy cheeks rose with a smile, and her lips puckered like a delicate rose bud.
“I’m not allowed to go outside,” she said as I lifted her from the bed, held her against me, and turned so VW2 couldn’t see Michael’s victim. The caretaker released her last breath, and a pang of sickness elevated from my gut.
“It’s done,” he said. He took a deep breath and his whole body shook. How he’d changed from the once innocent geneticist whose only sight of blood used to be an incision he made at the expense of saving a life.
“It’s okay. You’re allowed to go outside with us,” I told VW2.
“Hi,” said Michael. His eyes softened and his bottom lip trembled. VW2 lifted her chin from the top of my shoulder, and he took her tiny hand in his.
“Where’s VW3?” he whispered to me.
“I don’t know. You’d think they’d be together.”
“Sweety,” I asked my daughter, “is there another girl who lives here? Maybe a girl named VW3.”
“No. She doesn’t live here anymore. They took her away.”
“Who took her away?”
“A man. Nana said he took her to a special place like this one.”
“When did they take her?”
“I don’t know,” she said groggily. “Ask Nana. She knows.”
“Nana’s asleep,” said Michael, “and we don’t want to wake her up.” He rubbed her hand between his fingers, helping me block VW2’s view of her dead Nana.
“We better go.” He moved toward the door, and I followed in what again seemed like slow motion. VW2’s face crumpled like she was about to cry, but as our eyes locked, her expression decompressed, and she smiled at me.
“But I’m not supposed to go anywhere without Nana,” she said.
“You can this time. Nana said that it’s okay. Now, remember, you need to be quiet. No more talking until I tell you it’s okay.”
I took one last look at the caretaker. The nanny’s dead eyes grew dull in the dry air of the nursery, and I hated myself for breaking the woman’s arm.
“VW3 might still be here. ‘Another special place’ could mean the next ward. Let’s find her,” said Michael, pursing his lips.
Remembering to duck as we passed an embedded obscura, we raced out the door and back into the hall. As Michael’s pace quickened, mine slowed with the weight of VW2 in my arms.
“Let me take her,” he whispered.
“What about your knee?”
“I can do it.”
Michael took VW2 from my arms, and just as she was about to say something, I held my finger to my lips to remind her not to talk. She nodded and held on to him.
“There you go,” he said to her and kissed the top of her head. “Let’s find, VW3,” he whispered to our daughter in a tone like he was making a game of it. “Let’s see who will find her first. You’re on my team!” he said to VW2. “We’ll take this side.” He nodded to the right, so I stepped to the left side of the hall and stole a peek through the window in the door of the room next to me.
Someone was asleep in the closest bed. It was Travel’s reclone. He was lying on his side with the sheet kicked to his heels. When I stepped closer, my key unlocked the door, and it slid open.
Could it be the real Travel? If I left now, I’d always wonder, and the unknown would forever gnaw at me, making me want to kick myself every time I thought about it. I couldn’t leave without knowing for sure, could I?
With light steps, I crept to the side of the clone’s bed and stopped. “Travel,” I whispered. The guy rolled onto its side. “Travel.” He changed positions, rolling back toward me. I shook his shoulder. “Travel.” His eyes opened. “Is that your name? Do you know who I am?” I whispered louder. “Look at me! Do you know me?”
The reclone jerked upward into a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes with his fists and dragged his palm across his lips. “Cassie, is it really you?”
Chapter Sixteen
“Don’t say another word,” I said. “Not yet.” My hands shook as I grasped his banded wrist and wedged the inhibitor meant for VW3 under Travel’s black band. “Now you’re free.” I sighed as he clasped my hand. A rush of emotion made me lightheaded. “I thought you were dead. I didn’t know you were here. I came here to find my daughters.”
“Daughters? Where’s Victoria?” he asked. His jaw clenched.
“Magnum has her. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you everything later.”
“Cassie, what the hell are you doing? We have
to get out of here.” Michael stood in the doorway, his nostrils flaring as he held VW2, her face buried against his shoulder.
“It’s Travel. This is the real Travel.”
“It can’t be,” he said, shaking his head.
“It is. We’ll explain later. He’s coming with us.”
While Travel yanked on his shirt and shoes, I stroked VW2’s hair and kissed her forehead. She was half asleep, and Michael rocked her, bracing her body with his lower arm, but his breathing was heavy and his eyes were full of jealousy when he looked at Travel.
“Follow us,” I said when Travel was dressed. “We know where the obscuras are located.”
As the door slid open, one of the patients awoke and sat up in bed. “Please, Damian Four, not a word,” whispered Travel. Damian Four nodded.
Slipping along the wall, we entered the common room, and I turned toward the door, expecting Michael to follow me. “No, we can’t leave yet,” he said. “We need to check the other wing. I’m not leaving without VW3. She is my daughter, too, and I have to find her.”
“We don’t even know if she’s here. We need to go—now.”
“Have you seen another little girl here?” I asked, turning to Travel.
“No, I’ve never seen this girl until now. I didn’t know there were any children here.”
“She went up in the sky,” said VW2, and clapped her hand over her mouth.
“It’s okay. You can talk just for right now. We need you to answer some more questions. What do you mean ‘went up in the sky?’”
“In a flyer. A big one with a white line on it.”
“That was days ago,” said Travel. “During roll call. I saw it. I didn’t see who was on it, but it left, and I haven’t seen it since.”
Michael sighed. “She probably isn’t here, but I still want to check the other wing of this ward, just in case.”
“It’s too risky for the three of us to be wondering around in here, especially with VW2. We should all leave now.”
“You’re right. I’ll do it alone.”
I pulled on his arm. “No, please come with us. It’s not worth the risk. We need to get her out of here as soon as possible.”
“Then go back to the supply room with VW2 and wait for me.”
“No.”
“I’m not going to go until I check. Shen-Lung could be here, too.”
I reluctantly took VW2 from Michael and she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
“Fine, but if you’re not back at the supply room within fifteen minutes, we’re leaving the compound without you. We need to get out of here before daylight.”
“Fair enough,” he said.
VW2 drew against me when we entered the rain. The warm drops obscured my vision as we ran, and with the weight of my daughter throwing off my balance, I slipped on the slick concrete twice. On both occasions, Travel caught me by the arm and steadied me.
“Against the wall. Quick,” I said above the pounding of the rain. A SEC marched across the yard toward our basecamp—the storage room. “It won’t recognize you as long as there’s an inhibitor under your band. VW2 has one, too.” I lifted her banded wrist and kissed the top of her plump hand.
When the bot disappeared between two buildings, we continued our sprint through the rain and entered our hiding place. The cool air of the room hit my wet skin, and I shivered. VW2 started to cry.
“It’s okay sweetie. Everything is fine.”
“Where’s Nana?”
“She’s sleeping, remember?”
“I’m cold,” she said, and when she cuddled against my blood-stained shirt, I felt sick to my stomach.
Travel brought me some paper towels from the bathroom, and I sat down with VW2 in my lap. I dried her arms and legs and dabbed some of the moisture from her nightgown. She was absolutely adorable, robust and healthy though her skin was very pale as if it had never been touched by the sun. It was hard to believe she was mine, and that Michael was her father.
Did I love her the minute I saw her, like I thought I would? Yes, I did. But even though we were biologically connected, we were still strangers. I loved her simply because she was my daughter.
“I want to go back to Nana,” she said and yawned. “I’m tired.”
Travel sat down next to me. “I’m Travel,” he said.
VW2 smiled weakly and closed her eyes. A minute later, her breathing became soft and rhythmic, and she was asleep in my arms.
“And you have another one?” asked Travel
“Yeah, her twin.”
“Who’s the father?”
“Michael.”
“But how? What are they two, three years old?”
“Two. I was inseminated and gave birth to them before I was awakened. Michael volunteered to be the donor. I found out about them last week.” I shook my head. “Crazy, isn’t it? Three kids by two different men. I’m a class act,” I said sarcastically.
“It’s not your fault,” he said and set his hand on my knee.
A family—that’s what Michael wanted to be with me, and in doing so, be not only VW2 and VW3’s father but also Victoria’s. Travel’s dream had been to raise Victoria with me under our strong friendship. But now I had a boyfriend who was the father of two of my children. Surely that would complicate things.
And how would VW2 react when Michael and I told her she was our daughter? Did she even know the word “daughter” let alone “mother” or “father?” After living in such a controlled environment and being cared for by someone called “Nana,” simply telling her we were her parents might not be enough for her to accept us.
“It’s been fifteen minutes,” said Travel with sympathy in his brown eyes.
“I know, but I can’t leave without him, just like I couldn’t leave here without you. Maybe he found her, and he needs our help.”
“Then let’s find him,” said Travel, a response I hadn’t expected.
VW2 hardly stirred from her slumber when we met the moist, night air for the second time.
“If something happens,” I said to Travel, taking his wrist, “your band will open the gate of trees. Run along the inside of the fence until you find it.” I paused. “And if something happens to me, take VW2 with you and find our mover.”
A high-pitched screech sliced through Area Four, followed by a barrage of intense red lights that spiraled atop each obscura post.
“They must have found Michael!” Where was Thomas Three when we needed him? Michael needed a distraction.
“If they did, then it’s too late. We can’t help him now. Where’s the gate?” Travel screamed above the sirens.
But my legs wouldn’t move. Everything felt heavier—my arms, my legs, the bag I was carrying, even VW2—as fear and the knowledge of Michael’s capture ripped at my heart, making me weak. “I can’t leave him. Take VW2 and go.”
“No. I’m not leaving you here by yourself. You have no idea what this place is all about. If they find you—”
“If they do, they won’t hurt me. They need me.”
“VW2 needs you. Victoria needs you.”
He was right. When Travel grabbed my arm, the heaviness subsided, and the tightness in my muscles eased. I didn’t stop to check my surroundings until we were hidden by the shadow of false trees. And to my surprise, there wasn’t a bot or security officer to be seen on our side of the compound.
All activity took place at the north end. I could just make out Residences One and Two and the fancier building behind them. A security team broke into pairs and made their way to each of the three buildings while a parade of SECs jogged in tempo toward what I could only guess was the president’s temporary quarters.
Travel tugged on my shoulder, but before I turned to face him, a dark figure crossed the yard unnoticed and took cover under an overhang and the shadow of Lab One. A moment later, the person sprinted to the next building, paused, and sprinted again. The height and square of shoulders was undeniable.
“Wait, Travel. It’s Michae
l. He made it.” Maybe Thomas Three had helped, broke another flower pot to lead the security team away from us.
Michael jogged to our position in the shadows, looking over his shoulder twice. “I couldn’t find her,” he gasped. “I checked all four wards. Shen-Lung’s not here either.”
Under the flash of red lights and pulse of sirens, the three of us turned our backs to the chaos behind us and walked quickly toward the back gate.
“Wait.”
We spun on our heels. It was a man in uniform, a security guard, and his laser pistol was pointed in our direction. I re-adjusted my hold on VW2 and thrust my free hand in my pocket.
“Don’t,” he said. “Wait. Tell me. You two are?” he asked, looking back and forth between Michael and me.
“Newlyweds,” I said quickly.
The guard lowered his gun and retreated to the shadows.
So there were two of them? Two society members had infiltrated Area Four, and still Magnum may not have known about this place? But there was no time to think about this.
The gate opened slowly. Mud oozed up the sides of my shoes as I stepped through the fence, and as it closed behind us, we ran at full speed and didn’t stop until we hit the shelter of the jungle. Michael turned on his infinity light.
“Hold on to me, honey. Hold on tight,” I said to VW2.
“No. I want Nana.” VW2 had woken and kicked against my thighs.
“Just a little longer, and we’ll be out of the rain soon.”
“I want Nana,” she cried again and tried to wiggle from my grip.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Nana wants you to come with us.”
VW2 stopped wrestling with me, and we penetrated the snarl of jungle ahead of us. The volume of the sirens increased, and the wall of trees lit with hundreds of tiny lights, turning the band of cleared area around the compound from night into day.
“Wait. Stop. Did you hear that?” I said.
We froze and listened. The rub of coarse uniforms against tree limbs and vines echoed behind us, followed by the shouting of orders.
Ascendancy Page 21