ARC: The Almost Girl

by Amalie Howard

  TRACK OR TRAP

  Father had been predictable, all right.

  Predictable enough to know that one day I’d be the one to initiate the Vector spies that had gone missing in this world. I curse myself again, reaching for my ninjatas, but there’s nothing there but bare skin. This time, I curse Era for making me leave them outside of the room that is now sealed behind a giant metal door. Scanning the space, I see another white door on the other side of the room that has a small window in the center of it. Caden’s face is peering at me from the other side. His eyes are terrified, jumping from the Vector to me. I nod reassuringly – at least he’s safe for the moment.

  “Open that door,” I shout.

  “We can’t; standard security protocol,” Era says from behind me. Her voice is controlled and calm. She’s holding two electro-rods in each hand, and one of them is pointed right at me. “They’ll stay closed until the situation is resolved. Who are you? How did you activate them?”

  “I didn’t–”

  “What the hell did you do?” Philip says angrily. “And why is it just standing there?”

  Philip is right. The Vector across from us is not moving, even though its eyes are open and staring at the three of us. Something’s not right. Vectors don’t hesitate – they follow a program, a very specific program. This one is waiting for a reason.

  “Era,” I say urgently. “There were two of them, right?” She nods, the electro-rod dropping slowly downward. “Two. Where’s the other one?”

  In slow motion, we both turn to the white door in the center of the wall at the same time that a bright swath of blood splashes across the window. My heart leaps into my throat, but neither of us can get to the door, as the one in our room darts to stand between us and the computer panel. I’ve never seen a Vector move that quickly. This one is different. For a second, I wonder if the other one in Caden’s room is as quick. Shae will protect Caden, I tell myself. She has to. That thought is the only thing keeping me together.

  The Vector moves again, this time delivering a blow to Philip’s head and spinning behind Era. Her cry is loud even as she lunges toward it, but it’s too fast, darting out of her way with incredible speed. I skid over to Philip. He’s still breathing, and I shove him under the console in the middle of the room. “Stay here,” I tell him, and he nods woozily.

  Era has gotten in a couple good hits. I can see the charred skin from where she’s shocked the Vector, but he’s too quick for her to strike where it will disable him.

  “Why isn’t it fighting back?” Era shouts, edging back to where I’m standing next to Philip. “Do you see that? It’s toying with us. What’s it waiting for?”

  Its movements seem vaguely familiar to me. I’ve seen one of these kinds of Vectors before. They’re wiry and fast, and aren’t programmed to fight. They’re programmed for other things.

  I think back to the moment when Murek had planned the coup and killed his brother. He’d been with a Vector like this one. I remember thinking at the time that it didn’t seem like much protection, but Murek had insisted that the creature accompany them. Then they’d been flash-attacked. Murek had miraculously survived, but his brother and most of the group had been killed, including the strange Vector. Whatever had attacked them had known exactly where they would be, because the attack had been strategic and swift. By the time the royal guards had gotten there, the attackers were already gone. Murek had said it had been doomed timing, but I’d known better.

  “It’s a shadow,” I breathe.

  “A what?” Era’s voice is suspicious. “What the hell is a shadow?”

  “They’re spies. They send out some kind of signal to call for more Vectors.” Era doesn’t answer but Philip does. He’s holding his tablet in his hand and staring at it in horror.

  “She’s right,” he whispers. “There’s some kind of radio wave that wasn’t here before.”

  “You can track signals?” I ask.

  “We need to deactivate it right now,” Era says, veering toward the thing before I can stop her. Just then an explosion rocks the wall in the back of the room, and I see chunks of colored plaster fly into the small window. But I can’t even think about Caden and Shae. I have way worse things to worry about, staring from Era to the shadow Vector. She’s going to make it worse.

  “Era, no!” I tackle her from behind, and we both roll crashing into the unresponsive Vectors on the far side of the room. She punches me in the face and I feel my head snap backward from the blow. Stars spin in my vision, but I manage to block her second strike. “Stop!” I scream. “It’s a trap; if you hurt it, it will explode. That’s what just happened in the other room. I don’t even know if the others are alive.”

  “But if we don’t disarm it, we’re dead either way,” Philip yells.

  But there is another way. That is… if the thing will listen to me as the other one in Caden’s bedroom had. “Let me try.” I approach the Vector slowly, my hands in the air. It watches me but doesn’t move out of my way. I glance back at Era and then Philip, both staring at me with wary expressions. “Stand down, soldier,” I say firmly. I can feel the hot lasers of Era’s eyes on my back, but I have no other option. “That is a direct order from your commanding officer.”

  Its answer is to lurch forward and grab my neck in its cold hands, so fast that I can barely get my own hands up to block it. Black dots dance in my vision. And then everything goes eerily quiet. I don’t know if I’m dead or dreaming when the big metal doors swing open, and Caden rushes in, sword in hand to cleave the Vector’s head clean off its body.

  Someone’s screaming for us to get out, and I feel rough hands pulling me. Vaguely, I see Shae’s face at the doorway holding it open with painted red arms. I have no voice. The metal door closes behind us and an explosion rocks the entire house, throwing us to the floor and plunging the entire hallway into darkness.

  “Riven, get up. GET UP!”

  Maybe I am dreaming. And we’re all already dead. But Caden’s voice in my ear is not a figment of my imagination. I feel his hands on my face, and then under my arms, lifting me. I stand on shaky feet – that thing had almost killed me. My breaths are long pants, but I’m starting to feel like maybe I’m not actually dead.

  “Caden?” I croak. “You’re alive. How–”

  “No time, Riv. They’re already here.” Shae’s voice comes from the other side of me. “We have to move.” She shoves something in my arms, and I realize that it’s my backpack and my jacket. “Let’s go.”

  “This way,” Era says. We navigate the dark hallway, holding on to each other, until we’re at a narrow staircase. “This will take us to the office on the third floor.” Noiselessly, we make our way up, listening for sounds that we’re being followed or something’s waiting for us at the other end.

  But we’re safe for the moment. The office is empty, but the electricity works. There are only six of us now: Shae and Caden, Era and Philip, one of the research guys who looks like he’s in some kind of shock, and me.

  “Everyone OK?” Shae whispers. She’s once more covered in blood and gore, as is Caden.

  “She’s one of them,” Era says glaring at me. “An officer.”

  “I know,” Shae says, surprising them, and me most of all.

  “And you brought her here?” Philip hisses. I throw a scowl in his direction and he scowls back just as fiercely. I am the enemy.

  “She’s with us now,” Shae says firmly. “Right, Riven?” I notice Era says nothing, but I can feel her eyes on me, studying. I nod – I need their help if we have any hope of escaping the Vectors. For now, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is truer than ever.

  “How many?” I ask, glancing toward the office door.

  “We got the one in the room,” Caden whispers. “Jim overrode the system so we could get out through an emergency hatch, but we lost two of the other guys in the explosion. We had to circle around to get to the door to your room. Shae got one of the other Vectors, and I took one out, but
there’s more. Those things told them exactly where we were.”

  “You mean she did,” Philip says with an accusing look in my direction.

  “Shut up, Philip,” Shae says, but I still feel an unwelcome stab of guilt, knowing that I’d been the one to reactivate them. “It’s not your fault, Riv,” Shae says softly in my ear. “I was going to suggest the same thing. He played us both.”

  I nod, silent. “What now, then?”

  “We try to get out of here.” She turns to Era. “The exit tunnels, are they still usable?”

  Era shakes her head. “The explosion in the lab would have compromised them. We can’t go back down there. The only way out is up to the third floor and then off the balcony to the back.”

  “We have to be very quiet, then,” Shae says. “There’s too many of them for us to take them head-on.”

  “OK, let’s go,” Caden says, and I’m surprised at this side of him… a leader. In the last few hours, he looks older and harder. He said that he’d taken out one of the other Vectors – not bad for someone whose skill is based on sport fencing. My lip twitches, and then I remember that Shae had told me that she’d trained Caden, and that he was good enough to fight me. The beginnings of the smile fade away and I stare at him with a grudging respect.

  I follow them on silent feet as we make our way to the staircase leading to the third floor. There are crashing noises on the lower level, and it won’t be long before they come upstairs. But we have some time. They are nothing if not methodical and will strip each floor completely before moving on to the next. Their programming gives us a tiny sliver of opportunity to escape.

  Caden’s shoulder brushes mine. “You OK?” I whisper to him, and he nods. He looks uncomfortable for a second and then leans in.

  “I’m sorry for what I said earlier,” he whispers back. “You know, in the room. About Cale. I didn’t know.” The sound of Cale’s name on his lips is like a painful dart in my chest. “Shae explained that he was sick and that I’m the only one who can help him.”

  “Yes.” It’s the only word I can manage. I can only imagine what kind of lies – or truths – Shae had told him about Cale or why I was there. But nothing prepares me for Caden’s next words.

  “She said it was up to me,” he says quietly. “She told me that she’s dying and can’t protect me anymore. But that I would be safest with you no matter what.” He pauses to stare at me searchingly. “So I’m in.”

  “Next door on the left.” Era’s voice drifts back to us, but we’re both standing still staring at the other until we’re alone in the hallway.

  “Are you sure?” I grit out. “I can’t promise you anything, Caden. And I don’t even know that Cale is still alive. Maybe you’re better off here with Shae and Era. Shae’s going to be fine. Trust me, you don’t know her like I do.”

  Another crash from downstairs makes us both jump. Caden links his hand into mine, and squeezes. “All I know is that those things want to kill me, and with you I have a shot of survival, whether that’s here or there. So I’m in, whatever you decide. I just wanted you to know that.”

  “You guys, come on!”

  Era’s hiss has us both moving, and we follow the others silently into the room. Shae’s already got a rope tied to the balcony. Her gaze flutters to our hands, and she nods just once before hopping over the side. Jim, the research guy, has already gone, and so has Philip.

  “You go after Shae, Caden. Then her,” she says, nodding at me. Her glance slips to our fingers and something in it makes me pull away, self-conscious. “I’ll bring up the rear in case any of them make it up here. Go!”

  Caden leaps over and shimmies down the rope. It’s three stories up but he slides down easily and gives me a thumbs-up once he’s on the ground. I turn around to let Era know that I’m going, but am completely blindsided from the blunt metal that crunches into my face. Something snakes around my wrist and pulls it tight against a hard edge.

  Dazed, I feel warm wet blood trickling down my face and blink through the blood to see Era jumping over the side. Her black lifeless eyes meet mine for a brief second and I see nothing there, not even regret for her betrayal.

  I am still her enemy.

  “Era, you’re making a mistake,” I gasp. “Shae can’t make it without me.”

  “You’re with them,” she shoots back. “You were the one who brought them here.”

  “No,” I say, desperate. “I didn’t. I’m against them; you don’t understand.”

  Era slides me a circumspect look. “So you’re not their general?” I want to lie, to say anything that would make her release me, but I know that it would only backfire in my face. I had to take a chance that she would believe the truth.

  “Yes; I mean I was but not anymore. I defected to find Caden. He’s next in line for the monarchy.” But it was the wrong thing to say. Her face hardens, and I gnash my teeth in frustration at my foolish mistake.

  “Yes, for parts, correct?” Her voice is acidic. “You deserve to die with your kind,” she spits toward me.

  “No! You’re wrong. I’ll figure something out, please, Era!” Pulling against the plastic tie tethering my hand to the metal screen door, I try to reach for her, but she’s already gone.

  In the room, I can hear noises of movement on the stairs. They’re coming to this level. I know that I only have a couple minutes, if that, before the Vectors swarm. I swing myself onto my stomach, pulling against the plastic tie so hard that I can feel its edges slicing into my skin. But I take the pain for the moment, twisting my free arm up and back to get one of my swords. My fingers touch the bottom hilt and peel their way upward, but they’re slick with sweat.

  I tilt my body and my fingers find a grip. The sword is in my hand just as the first Vector enters the room. The curtains to the balcony billow with the wind, but I know that it will search routinely unless I attract its attention. As quietly as possible, I slide my blade’s edge toward the plastic shackling my wrist, wincing at the pain, and with a quiet snap, I’m free.

  But I’m afraid to even take a breath as another Vector joins the first, and then a third. The smell of them is gagging. The rope is still tied to the top of the stone balustrade, but it’s on the other side of the balcony from where I am. There’s no way I could be quick enough to get to it and get safely down without drawing their attention, especially with the only cover being the sheer curtains and two double glass doors.

  Sliding my blade soundlessly into its sheath, I step quietly to the edge and without hesitation fling myself over the side just as one of them comes through the doors. Without daring to breathe, I hang by the tips of my fingers on the lip of the stone’s edge, hoping beyond hope that the Vector doesn’t do any kind of heat scan. But luckily, it doesn’t, and after a grunt, I hear its footsteps recede into the room.

  My fingers feel like they’re going to break off even though it’s only been about thirty seconds, and I dig the points of my boots into the wall behind me to get some leverage. But it’s no use; I feel my fingers start to slip from their precarious hold. And then I’m sliding down, panicked, until my feet slam into a three-inch decorative ledge of stone running around the side of the house. I hang on for dear life even though the skin on the pads of my fingers is red-raw from the sharp rock.

  The scrabbling noises of my fall have two of the Vectors back out on the balcony. If they look over the side, they’ll see me dangling like some kind of weird spider in plain sight, but fortunately for me they’re distracted by the rope. One of their suits emits a series of loud, short beeps, and they all march back inside.

  I’ll have to find another way down, and fast. I start inching toward the right corner of the house. I cling to the shadows along the wall and keep moving, hoping for a miracle. I squint in the darkness – there’s something long and dark in front of me. A gutter pipe! I almost lose my hold in my haste to reach it, and then I’m moving downward without hesitation like a human-sized monkey, hand over fist.

  Floodligh
ts illuminate the lawn just as I reach the bottom, and I flatten myself against the wall behind some shrubs. They’re prickly and scratch my face and legs, but I don’t feel any of it. My attention is riveted on the couple dozen Vectors flowing out of the house. Where had they all come from? The others wouldn’t stand a chance against so many!

  “Find them,” I hear a guttural voice command, and my blood turns to ice. It’s the same Commander, the one that had been tracking us, my father’s number one. “Bio sensors on.”

  One of the Vectors makes its way toward me, and I crawl backward, mindless of the sharp branches. Against the wall, I slide my swords out without a sound. I stop breathing as it comes within inches of me, and leap up to sever its spinal cord silently. Its body slumps backward, and I shove it under the bushes before swiping its bio sensor and communicator, and then I’m running into the cover of the trees as fast as my feet can take me.

  I have to find the others before they do.

  The biometric readings on the device show Caden about half a mile away from my present location. I run hard, knowing that the horde of Vectors is right behind me, until my lungs are burning and my breath is coming in shallow, desperate pants. And then I hear them, crashing through the underbrush all around me. I’m too late.

  “Riv! In here.” I look around but all I can see are three big rocks and some bushes. “Up here.”

  They’re in some kind of cave on the top of the rock ledge. Without a second thought, I hoist myself up and climb into the brush, not looking back. I can hear the sounds of movement on my heels, but it only makes me climb faster. After a couple minutes, I see an arm and then Caden’s face. Shae is leaning against him and her eyes are closed. My relief is tangible, even though Shae looks like she’s on her last legs.

  “Where are the others? Era and Philip?” I whisper.

  Caden shakes his head. “Philip lost it and took off. And then Era went after him, and that was the last we saw of either of them.”