Mimics of Rune 02- Surrender

by Aimee Laine

  “Then why in the hell can’t I stay in someone else’s shape for more than five minutes without starting to turn back?”

  Maggie shrugged. “The bigger question is … if Roy tried to inseminate you, and Cael failed, too … why doesn’t it ‘take’?”

  Lily’s entire body shook.

  “Maggie,” Cael said. “Let’s not go there. She already said she can’t. Just believe her.”

  Lily leaned into Cael, the support and understanding so clear in his statement. A resolve took hold as she stared out at the ocean. “Tell me how he would have … tried … to … oh, my god.” Lily’s hands covered her mouth. “Here. Last night. I was here, and I didn’t remember falling asleep. No one showed me how to use the room, and I sat on the bed, but the next thing I knew, it was morning.”

  “Did they give you anything?” Cael asked.

  Lily’s inability to remember helped her mentally, but at the same time, the idea of yet another violation on her body had pain pinching her heart. “I only drank a little bit from one of the bottles of water.”

  Maggie set her fourth container down with a snap. She dropped to her knees in front of Lily and tugged up her shirt.

  Lily batted her away.

  “Just give me a second already.” Maggie raised it up again and, rather than fight, Lily left her alone. A finger traced Lily’s belly button, making a giggle spew out. “Shush.” Around, over and back, the pad of her fingertip rubbed against Lily’s skin. “Here.”

  “What?” Lily leaned down as if to see.

  Maggie took her hand and guided Lily’s finger over a slight bump to the lower right of center. “You feel that?”

  “Yeah—what … is it?” Lily shivered as Cael joined her.

  “That is a scar.”

  Which I never would have noticed. “Um … from … what?”

  “Laparoscopic artificial insemination? It’s something I saw in the computer, too, but I thought it was a joke because the only place I’ve heard about it is with farm animals.” Maggie let Lily’s shirt hem fall back down.

  “I’ll kill him.” Cael’s fury came through in his deep, resonating tone.

  “I get first dibs.” Lily shut her eyes. “Please tell me they aren’t doing this to the kids.”

  “I don’t know,” Maggie said, disgust in her voice.

  James stepped up to their threesome. “They have a giant lab back there. With dozens of lab rats—people, not the animal. Maybe this is all just a coincidence.”

  “If they tried it out on Lily, what’s to say they haven’t … on others?” Cael’s hands kneaded her shoulders.

  Maggie’s gaze angled to Lily’s stomach before turning to James. “I didn’t see that test or record on any other file.”

  James raised his phone. “I’ll double check.”

  “Their system documents everything as it happens. You can’t get a sample, take a sample or use a sample without it being recorded by the equipment, the requestor, the patient and the one who does the work. All of it is automatically noted.”

  “Randall,” James said. “His name is on the request. Authorized by Kevin. Performed by Jackie Montgomery.”

  “Shit,” Cael and Maggie both said.

  Lily lowered to the couch and buried her face to her palms. The hand on her back did little to pull her from her fast-sinking depression.

  “If he said he was there … and knows what I went through … why would he put me through more like this? What does he have to gain?”

  His hand rubbed up and down her back. “Maggie? James? Can you give us another minute?”

  “Actually,” Maggie said. “I want to go have a peek at the lab, and I want to dig into the computer system more. Care to join me, James?”

  Once their footsteps faded, Cael said, “Look at me, Lil.”

  She shook her head within her hands. “I hate this. I’ve screwed up. I’m screwed up. Roy’s trying to screw me. Why would he do this if he knows what it was like? We were supposed to be on the same team.”

  “Broken or brand new, I love you. You.” Cael tugged her forward, added a touch to the side of her lips. The softness in his eyes stemmed the flow of tears that had already begun. “And, he’s only on his own team, Lily.” He pulled her forward against his chest, into the security of his hold.

  She inhaled his scent, the fragrance that made Cael … Cael and snuggled into the crook of his arm. “I should have known he wasn’t just going to help me,” Lily said against his chest. “I should have guessed it the way you and Charley, Maggie and James see these things. I should have seen it. Understood it.” Done something about it before. Made Roy give me real answers.

  Cael nudged her back and laid his lips against hers, sweeping them across and back. Her forehead thunked against his, eliciting a small laugh from each of them.

  “He got you where it hurts you most, Lil. Your heart. He played on your emotions. That alone makes him an ass. The ego to do it right under our noses makes me want to tear him apart.” Suppressed fury came with Cael’s comment. “I’m going to fix this. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you ever again.”

  He’d always said that. Cael. Her rock.

  He shouldn’t always have to do stuff for me. Lily took a deep breath, a new resolve coming over her.

  While he held her, it would have been easy to give in, let him take care of her just as he’d suggested. To never take charge like Charley or be smart like Maggie.

  Just once, I want to be the strong one. So Cael can marry someone better than the old me.

  Cael had accepted her greatest flaw. She’d told him her biggest secret and still won.

  I want to prove myself worthy.

  “I need to go to the bathroom.”

  I need to find Roy and get the real story.

  Cael let go. “I’ll wait for you. Once James and Maggie come back, we’ll figure out the best way to get out of here.”

  “Mmmm, ‘kay.”

  • • •

  Cael waited for ten minutes, figuring Lily needed more time than it took to empty her bladder, before he started pacing. At the eleven minute mark, he knocked on the door.

  Silence.

  “Lily?”

  She’d kept him out before, for hours even, though he didn’t think she would stay holed up for that long given their circumstance.

  He tapped a knuckle to the door. “Lil?”

  Still, no sounds came from the other side.

  “Lily, I’m coming in whether you like it or not.” Worry coursed through Cael, a rush of adrenaline which would serve him well to kick in the door. “Last chance, Lil.”

  Nothing.

  Cael stepped back. He positioned himself for the best balance and raised his right leg. With his foot flat to the surface of the door, he gave the handle one swift kick.

  The wood exploded inward, swinging on its hinges.

  Cael rushed in.

  The bathroom door stood open, as did the sliding glass to the ocean.

  Lily waited nowhere inside.

  Cael raced out to the grass, turned both ways in search of her, but again found nothing except the crash of waves on the surf with the rising tide.

  His fists balled as he walked back into Lily’s bedroom.

  Energy flowed through his arms.

  Anger and rage mixed with worry and fear.

  Before he could control himself, he punched the wall. His hand went completely through to the living area.

  Not an ounce of regret hit him.

  Cael yanked his hand free, rubbed his knuckles and dropped to the bed. It bounced under his weight.

  Lily left him.

  He didn’t know or understand why.

  He’d have done anything for her.

  • • •

  Lily ran along the building to the side, hoping the grass would meet a path to another door. The first she came to resulted in two huge locks. The second resembled a door, but with no handle, she couldn’t even attempt to open it.

  She follow
ed alongside the hallway, around one corner, passing by another until she reached the other side of the building. In the surf, Leigh toed the ocean waves. Her hair, a pale, golden blond, shimmered in the sunlight. Her muscles bunched as she jumped on top of the foam from a crashing wave.

  Lily crept closer, forcing her lungs to calm and her heart to slow. She didn’t want Leigh to see her. Then again, she wished Leigh would look over, take notice and run away with her.

  No. Answers first.

  Infectious giggles and laughter had her turning and brought a small smile to Lily’s face. A little boy grabbed hands and raced to the water’s edge with Leigh.

  Happiness.

  Lily nipped behind them, bolted through the open yard and into Leigh’s room.

  No little girl colors, posters or detail had been added to the space. Like Lily’s room, Leigh’s remained homey but exactly the same. With the green light in Leigh’s room burning, Lily opened the door and zipped through.

  Backtracking down the hall and into the lab, she caught sight of one of the two who had not-so-courteously welcomed her upon her arrival the night before.

  Lily grabbed her elbow. “Where is Roy Marlow?”

  The curve of her lips suggested she knew Roy and would be happy if they took Lily straight to him. “This way.” She inclined her head and walked along the edge of the main testing area.

  In the center, activity carried on, though at a quiet and subtle pace.

  Lily followed the tech through another set of doors, down yet another white hallway and to a door marked ‘Lab’.

  “In here. First one on the right.” The tech swiped her card, and with that same swish, the door slid into its pocket.

  Lily stepped into an empty lab.

  At the first right, a set of double doors greeted her. A check through the small, round window showed a dozen lab-coated people at a variety of stations.

  Randall’s head tilted up as she peered through. His lips twitched into a grin. He ambled over, opened the door, and took her hands in his. “I’m so sorry about the other night. It seems the staff here mistrusted my intentions and opted to conduct a few experiments of their own on me. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to escort you to your room or get back to you quickly. I’ve been trying all day to get away from here.”

  Lily went left and right, taking in the lab. “I need some answers.”

  “Of course. Absolutely. How can I help?”

  “Tell me your real name.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “I’m Roy, Lily.”

  “Okay. Fine. In private, please.”

  He twisted toward those behind him before coming back to Lily. “Let’s go to my suite.” Roy led Lily through the lab, out a back door and down a hall. At a room marked ‘M’, he keyed in.

  The room could have been a copy and paste of Lily’s and Leigh’s.

  “Come in. Sit.” He waved her toward his sunken living room in the center.

  Lily stepped to the side chair and sat. “What’s going on?”

  “What do you mean?” He cocked his head.

  “I thought we were here to break this up. To make them stop. Why—” She almost said ‘Why did you try to get me pregnant?’ but managed to stop the words, to hold on to them for a more melodramatic moment. “—does it look like you work here?”

  Roy brought over two glasses of water. He handed one to Lily, but she set hers on the table. “Because I do. I told you, I’ve been working with these guys trying to find you. Once I figured out what was going on, I preferred not to just leave. That would be far too suspicious. My Randall cover works during the day so I can keep tabs on … everything.”

  “You said I was Baby “A” … and that means I’m in the original genetic line. Am I?”

  Roy’s smiled bloomed as wide as an open rose. “Yes. It’s very exciting, don’t you think? To know that about yourself? To know the power that gives you as a Mimic?”

  Which is none in my case. Lily figured those genes must have skipped her generation. “Why do you need more blood from me, then?” She caught the flinch—a slight and subtle move she’d have missed if Cael hadn’t taught her how to wait for it without looking away. An inner glee at her catch took hold, but she forced the smile inward.

  “I’m doing all the tests myself to ensure your safety, Lily. I didn’t want to leave you in the hands of anyone else in case they mistook your reason for being here. What they think and what I know are different, but that’s only to prevent any unwanted attention.” He clasped his palms at his lap. “I know testing is difficult for you, and I didn’t expect you to have to take the full battery, but the blood work was necessary—to confirm your line one hundred percent. Now that I know, we can take the next steps.”

  “What about Leigh?”

  “What about her?”

  “You said she was here, and we could get her out.”

  “We will. You just have to be patient with me. I have a plan.” He tapped his temple. “I just really need another day to ensure all the data is proper in their system. I need to manipulate a little bit of it so when it gets into the right hands all the dominos will fall. You see?”

  Bits and pieces. Lily nodded.

  “I have matched Leigh’s genetics with yours, if that’s any consolation.”

  “How do you do that?”

  “DNA sampling. Looking for the few genetic markers that give us our hereditary gifts.” He shrugged. “A bunch of science that’s been developed over hundreds of years but refined in the last, let’s say, ten or so.”

  Lily wrung her hands but forced herself to stop. “What’s your plan? When can we take this place down?”

  Roy leaned back against his couch. “Don’t you trust me, Lily?”

  “No.” An emphatic head shake followed.

  The burst of laughter from Roy filled the room with sound.

  She drew in deep and blew out a breath. “Tell me what you really want from me.”

  He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “It’s not me, Lily. It’s them. The truth of the matter is … if we give them what they want, they’ll probably let us go and shut the entire operation down. I won’t have to play this dual-loyalty role anymore.”

  “What do they want, then?”

  Roy bobbled his head. “I told you. They want our DNA. They have this project …” He pursed his lips and closed his eyes.

  “What?” Lily said it on a whisper.

  “I shouldn’t be telling you this, Lily, but I think I must.” He shook his head. “You may not trust me, and I understand that. You’ll keep this just between the two of us?”

  “Of course.” She leaned toward him.

  “Even from … Cael?” A glossy sheen coated Roy’s eyes as if tears formed.

  Charley’s words formed in Lily’s mind. Always one step ahead.

  “This research, Lily … they … well … they want an actual clone of you and me. Specifically you and me. And after seeing the damage my own ‘team’ is willing to inflict upon me, I’m ready to give them what they want, just to be done with the entire charade.” He swiped a hand through the air.

  Lily’s lower jaw dropped. Maggie had guessed it from the start. “You—you want to give in to them? After all this? You said we had to stop them! Stop them, Roy. Not give in. How could you change your mind? I’ve only been down here part of two days. There’s more time.”

  His head drooped. “There’s not. They’re moving up their plans. Tomorrow at the latest. Maybe tonight. And … sometimes fighting fire with fire is a better method of attack. If we proactively take this step, we’ll be able to manage the outcome.”

  “The outcome?” Lily didn’t know if he had told her the truth or not, but giving in seemed counterintuitive, even to her.

  “Come with me.” He stood and held out his hand. “I’ll show you everything.”

  27

  Fifteen minutes had passed since Cael figured out Lily left. Without knowledge of the building’s layout, or how to get around any of
the people within it, his best recourse remained staying behind and waiting for Maggie and James to return.

  Cael made his hundredth pass through the room as Maggie raced through Lily’s door. His yell of, “Finally!” received wide-eyed blinks in return.

  “Where’s Lily?” Maggie asked.

  Cael shook his head and shrugged. “She left. Where’s James?”

  “Shit!” Maggie waved papers in the air. “What’d you say to her?”

  “She went to pee and poof. Where’s James?”

  Maggie stormed up to Cael’s toes. “What did you say to her? Exactly. The words, Cael.”

  He thought back. He’d told her he loved her. She’d snuggled in. He’d told her he’d take care of her. Nothing abnormal.

  Maggie followed the same path Cael had. “She’s totally hung up on the failure-flaw thing.”

  “You would be too if you weren’t Miss Perfect.” Cael huffed a breath. “Where the hell is James, Maggie?” Cael ratcheted up his tone.

  Maggie held up one finger as if to quiet Cael. “James is with the totally outspoken Kevin. He’s just a ball of fun, that one.” She paced to Cael and back, returned and spun again. “Why would she just leave?”

  “I don’t know, dammit. We were having a conversation, and she just left.”

  “You’re smothering her,” Maggie’s flat voice said.

  At that, Cael looked right at her. “What the hell? How can I be smothering her? She just told me …” … about stuff I won’t repeat. “She was snuggling up to me.”

  “But you do everything for her. Or you say you will. You’re always there for her. She needs some room to grow some balls, Cael.”

  “You’re full of shit, Maggie. Take me to James, and then I’m going to find Lily and get off this fucking island.”

  “Am I? Are you?” She positioned her hands on her hips and cocked her head. “Am I really going to do that for you?”

  “Yes.”

  “See? once again. Big, strong guy who knows how to be a Mimic. One of the best, I might add. You don’t think she feels puny next to you? You’re not giving her enough credit.”