Program 13 (The Emile Reed Chronicles)

by Nicole Sobon

  “I think I managed to gather everything from the room.” He was carrying the NetBooks and my standby supplies in his arms as he made his way into the living room. “Do you have the backpacks?”

  I grabbed the bags and slid them over to where he was standing. “Maybe you should grab some of her food,” I joked. The ride wouldn’t be too long, but I knew he had to be starving. He grinned and ran to the kitchen, dumping all sorts of snacks into his bag: potato chips, crackers, protein bars, and various fruits among his selection.

  “Emile?” Suddenly his voice became serious. “Do you think he’s changed them yet?”

  I didn’t need to ask who, I knew he was referring to my family – Hayden and my parents. “I don’t think so.” I pulled my backpack on, the straps getting stuck on my elbows, and took a seat on the couch. “I think he’s waiting for me to arrive. He wants me to watch them suffer before he destroys me. That’ll be when the transformations take place, after I’m taken care of.”

  Charles McVeigh was a vile man, plain and simple. Everything he did was full of malice. I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew there was a chance that even upon my arrival he’d kill them. Why not? He was already holding them hostage. But I couldn’t let that happen. I needed to stop him before it was too late.

  “We need to go now.” I stood up and walked towards the front door.

  “I’ll go find the keys for the car. I’ll be right out,” Colton responded.

  I opened the door and proceeded to wait outside for him. The sun was shining, and there was not a single rain cloud in sight; it was absolutely perfect out. This was the calm before the storm. Soon everything would fall apart. Soon the rain would come and wash away the quiet, leaving scattered pieces behind of what once was.

  “Found ‘em.” He came running outside with the keys in his hand. “Should I bother to close the door? It’s not like anyone is really going to come searching for them once we arrive back in town.”

  “No, it’s fine.” I turned to peek at him and smirked, forcing myself to hide the pain lurking in the background. “Let’s get going.”

  We walked down the trail, a walk that seemed much shorter going down than it did coming up, avoiding conversation the entire way. What was there to say? Good luck? There was no good luck. McVeigh would win either way. He wanted me, and he was going to get me, but not without taking every piece of me first. And Colton was a piece of me now.

  The car ride into Seattle was just as quiet.

  We took Nadine’s car since she had no use for it. I didn’t know if the car had a tracker, or if they were able to hear inside of the vehicle. None of that mattered to me now. I was going back to McVeigh, I was forfeiting.

  All I wanted to do was jump out of the car and run until I reached Vesta Corp. I needed to get there faster. I needed to see that my family was still alive. But I knew they would be, at least Hayden would be. He was McVeigh’s leverage over me. The one person in the world I loved more than anything. He’d want me to watch as he killed Hayden and turned him into one of us. He’d want to see my reaction, my pain, my weakness – the human inside me.

  McVeigh wanted me to break, because he wanted Thirteen to resurface. The mistake he claimed had a greater purpose. The mistake he refused to admit was just that – a mistake.

  We were approaching downtown Seattle. The streets were crowded with people. I watched as families passed by. They had everything I wanted. They had the chance to build a life full of memories with their families. That was taken from me months ago. Their hearts could break from loss. Their eyes could cry from pain. I couldn’t do any of that. All I wanted was to truly feel again, to allow my emotions to show. But they never would.

  “Are you okay?” his voice cut through the silence. “You don’t seem like yourself.”

  His words stung a bit. “But I’m not myself, Colton. I never was myself. She’s still inside of me. Her presence is still lingering somewhere inside of me.”

  Colton sighed and pulled into a parking garage. Peering into the rearview mirror, I could see Vesta Corp’s building sitting behind u. The building was white in color and two guards, dressed in black suits, stood on both sides to the door. It was surrounded by apartment buildings, which hovered above the building. This place was my worst nightmare, nestled neatly in my home – the city I grew up in and loved dearly. The unsuspecting people in the apartments lived right next door to hell without even the slightest clue.

  “I’m not going to bother paying for parking. What’s the point? We can’t even be sure we’ll be alive in an hour.” He was trying to mask his concern, but it didn’t work.

  “We’re going to make it out of there, Colton. I promise.” He didn’t need to know that I had no intention of leaving Vesta Corp. There was no way McVeigh would let me be free. But I had every intention of making sure Colton made it to safety. His life still mattered. He still had a future to live.

  We swung open the car doors and grabbed our belongings. Colton left the keys in the ignition; we’d no longer need them. When he got out, he’d need to travel by foot, a car would be easier to trace. Especially Nadine’s.

  “Are you ready?” he asked, reaching for my hand.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  35 THIRTEEN LIVES

  Colton and I walked across the street to Vesta Corp. There were people filling the sidewalks, paying no mind to us as we crossed the street. McVeigh already had his men waiting outside, ready to bring us in upon our arrival. There was no turning back now. I looked at Colton who was sweating, fear overtaking every bit of his strength.

  McVeigh’s men smiled when we reached them, their hands reaching out for ours. The one man placed a cuff around my left hand, chaining me to Colton’s right hand. “Colton.” I took my free hand and brushed it against his cheek. “In case I don’t make it out of here, I need you to promise me that you’ll never give up on life again. I need you to promise me that you’ll keep fighting until you have nothing left inside of you. I need you to promise to fight.”

  Taking in the meaning behind my words, Colton nodded as to avoid alerting the guards.

  “Are you two lovebirds finished?” one of the men mumbled.

  “Yes,” I snarled.

  “Good, then let’s get going. He’s been waiting all day for the two of you. I’m pretty sure his patience is beginning to wane.” The men yanked our hands apart, the cuffs breaking instantly, and dragged us inside the building. Standing in front of the reception desk was Charles McVeigh.

  He was wearing a black suit with a turquoise tie. His greasy hair was illuminated by the bright white room. “Emile, or do you prefer Program Thirteen?” He chuckled, adjusting his cuff links. “I’ve been waiting all day for you, child.”

  McVeigh walked forward and wrapped his hand around my neck. “And we all know I don’t like waiting.” When he released me, he turned his attention to Colton. “And you, why the hell are you here? She’s a Program. She’s dead! She’s nothing worth dying for!”

  “You don’t know a damn thing about her,” Colton said through clenched teeth.

  “See that is where you are wrong, my friend.” McVeigh laughed. “I know everything about her. I created her. I’m the reason she’s alive.”

  “You are the reason I am what I am, correct?” I lowered my head, refusing to make eye contact with him. “So then I suppose it’s your fault that I’m a mistake? Is that why you’re desperate to get rid of me? Vesta Corp isn’t supposed to allow mistakes.”

  I knew I had angered him, but quite frankly I didn’t care.

  Charles McVeigh destroyed everything I once was, and now he was trying to destroy the only thing I had left – my family. I wasn’t going to allow him to walk all over me. Not without a fight.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Perhaps you’re experiencing another false memory. Say, how were those anyway? I worked rather hard on them. I needed them to be lifelike.” He smirked. “Anyway, enough with the chit-chat. We have business to a
ttend to.”

  McVeigh turned around, clapping his hands for his men to follow. I watched as they dragged Colton off in a separate direction. No. Not him, I wanted to shout.

  One of the guards followed my eyes and whispered in my ear, “Don’t worry. He’ll be just like you soon.” Hostility rang in every word.

  Neither of us would be leaving here. McVeigh was getting exactly what he wanted and then some. He was getting another teenage Program to test out. He was getting Colton. Because I was naïve enough to bring him with me.

  We stopped at room 305. The lights were off, but I could hear screams from inside. Hayden’s screams. You can’t do this to me, please. I wanted to argue with him, but I didn’t want to entice McVeigh anymore. I knew what he was capable of. It wasn’t worth risking.

  “Throw her inside and then meet me back at my office.” He turned to smile at me. He grabbed my hand, and pressed his lips gently against my knuckles. Then without a word, McVeigh took off, strutting towards the other side of the building.

  “In you go!” They unlocked the door and threw me inside. “You might as well make yourself comfortable. You’re going to be here for a while.” The man laughed before slamming the door shut. I could hear the key being inserted into the knob and the click as it locked. He was right. I’d be here for a while.

  There were cries coming from behind me.

  “Hayden,” I wailed. I searched for him in the dark. “I’m here, Hayden. It’s okay!”

  “Emile,” I heard him whisper. But the room was too dark for me to see him. I closed my eyes and listened for something – anything – that would help me find him. When I heard his heart beat racing with fear, I ran towards it. “Hayden.” I extended my hand out for him to grab hold of.

  “I’m alright.” His voice was low. “Have you seen mom and dad?”

  “No.” I pulled myself closer to him. “McVeigh threw me in here shortly after I arrived.” He didn’t say anything, but I could hear him choking back tears.

  I was too late.

  Our parents were already gone.

  “I need you to do something, Emile.” His breathing was uneven. “I need you to get them out of here. None of you deserve this - life inside here.” But I couldn’t do that. I did deserve this. I deserved much worse than this. McVeigh was doing all of this because of me.

  Hayden waited for an answer, but I wouldn’t give him one. “You think it’s too late for them,” he whispered. “You’re probably right, but what about Colton? It’s not too late to help him. If it’s me that you’re worried about, stop. I can take care of myself.”

  “I’m not leaving you here. He’ll kill you, Hayden.” The words stung as they left my lips. The thought of them killing Hayden scared me. I couldn’t lose him, too. Not when he’d gone through so much to protect me. But part of me knew that my real reason for not wanting to lose him was because I didn’t want to lose a part of myself. I needed Hayden more than I cared to admit, losing him would destroy me.

  “Look, there’s a vent at the back of the room. I’m pretty sure I know where they are taking Colton. If I’m right, the vent should lead you straight to him.” I could feel his body cringe in pain. “Help him first. If I’m still alive, then you can come rescue me. Deal?”

  I tore my hand away from his and sat back on the ground. “You can’t do this to me, Hayden.”

  “You don’t understand, Emile, I have to do this. I did everything I could to protect you. I’m not going to give up now.”

  “Fine, I’ll do it, but you can’t give up either. I need you to keep fighting. I’m coming back for you.” I took to my feet, brushing my hand against Hayden’s as I made my way to the vent. “Promise me.”

  “I promise.” His voice was sincere. Hayden wrapped his hand inside of mine and pressed it to his lips. “Be safe, Emile.”

  “You, too.” I broke from his hold, taking off in search of the vent.

  I pressed my hands against the wall to feel for the vent door. It took a few minutes, but I eventually found it. The vent was on the lower left hand corner on the back wall. As I pulled the cover off, I remembered I was still wearing my backpack. Crap. I couldn’t ditch it because I was sure I’d need it again, but what was I supposed to do with it? There was no way I’d be able to make it through the vent with it on.

  I removed it before crawling inside the vent, pulling the bag in after me. I decided leaving it here would be the best option. McVeigh’s men wouldn’t check the vents for me, let alone a backpack.

  I could hear Colton’s cries echoing through the vent. But where were they coming from? If I’m right, the vent should lead you straight to him. I repeated his words in my mind, trying to understand what he could have meant. Hayden was telling me to go straight.

  Lying on my stomach, I pushed myself forward, following the cries until I was right above them. I peered down through the vent’s folds and saw that his face was covered in blood. They had beaten him pretty badly. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and there was blood running down his cheek, dripping past his chin. If I didn’t get him out soon, they’d kill him.

  Making sure the room was empty I punched the vent’s cover off, grabbing it before it fell to the ground. The last thing I needed was for them to come running in.

  Colton looked up and stared at me for a brief second, unsure as to how to react. “Emile,” he whispered. His arms were tied behind the chair, chains binding his ankles.

  I propelled my body forward and crashed into the tile below. I knew they’d hear me. They’d be coming to check on the noise soon enough. I needed to move quickly. I took to my feet and ran over to Colton. I reached for the chains binding his ankles, kicking them with my foot. They shattered almost instantly. Kicking the chains out of the way, I untied the ropes binding his wrists. As soon as he was free, I pulled him up from the chair.

  “You need to go,” I whispered, making sure to keep my eyes on the door.

  Colton stared at me in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about? Where am I supposed to go?”

  “The vent.” I turned to look at him quickly. “All of the vents here lead to an exit. That’s the only way out.” I could hear footsteps approaching. I needed to get him out of here now. “You need to go, Colton. Please.” Before he could argue, I lifted him into the vent and shoved the cover back on.

  “Colton, they’re coming. Try to be quiet” I whispered and pressed my hand against the vent. “And, please, be careful.”

  His eyes met mine before he took off through the vent.

  He’s safe, I repeated to myself. But even I knew it wasn’t the truth. For now, he was safe, but they’d find him. Eventually they’d find him. They always did. I was supposed to protect him. I was supposed to keep him alive. Instead, I’d brought him directly into the lion’s den.

  The door to the room opened. In came McVeigh with two of his men, their eyes focused intently on me. “Well, well, what do we have here?” His menacing smile was an indication that he was on to me. “It seems as though our lovely Thirteen has managed to break her little friend out of here. What a shame, I was hoping to see what potential he had.”

  “Did you think I would give up that easily?” I responded.

  “No,” he replied. “That is precisely why I made sure to bring reinforcements with me this time, because I’m not going to let you get away again. You belong to me.”

  McVeigh’s men stepped forward and threw my body against the wall, my back facing them. No, she began to scream, her voice echoing throughout my mind.

  “I always win, Emile, hasn’t anyone explained that to you yet?” He smirked before yanking out my hard drive.

  Everything went black for a few seconds.

  The voice inside my head faded to silence.

  And with the sudden force of a hand pressing against my back, I could feel my body powering back up. My eyes flew open. Everything around me was different – the way I viewed McVeigh and his men, the way the colors popped out, the smallest of details rev
ealing themselves upon first glance. It was as if I had been born again.

  “Hello, Thirteen.” Charles McVeigh was standing before me. What was going on? Why was I in an evaluation room? “It’s nice of you to join us again.”

  No, a voice inside my head screamed.

  A voice that belonged to me.

  I, Emile Reed, had become Program Thirteen.

  Also by Nicole Sobon:

  The Emile Reed Chronicles:

  Program 12 (Short Story)

  Program 13 (Book One)

  Allegiance (Novella) (December 2012)

  Deprogrammed (Book Two) (May 2013)

  Standby (Novella) (September 2013)

  Rebooted (Book Three) (December 2013)

  New Beginnings (Colton’s Novella) (December 2013)

  Capture:

  Capture (Book One)

  Release (Book Two) (Fall 2013)

  Is Love Novelette Series:

  Volume One (December 2012)

  Volume Two (March 2013)

  Volume Three (July 2013)

  Stand Alone Titles:

  No Place Like Home (YA Novella)

  Collide (March 2013)

  Short Stories:

  The Yearning

  Connect with Nicole:

  Twitter: @NicoleSometimes

  Wattpad: NicoleSometimes

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Sobon-YA-AuthorBlogger/197509476970921

  Blog: http://www.NicoleSobon.blogspot.com