“You started without us?” Nami said as she pushed in past her father. It wasn’t an accusation. It was just a question of fact.
“We thought maybe a small receiving party might be better,” Dillon said.
“Oh,” Nami said, stopping in her tracks. “Should we come back then?”
“No, no,” Dillon said, extending his hand. He didn’t have to say anything else. Nami rushed over, grabbed his hand, intertwined her fingers in his, then leaned into his arm. If there were two people who could ever merge into the same body, it was he and Nami.
He felt better already even though there was no light in Quax’s eyes.
* * *
Nami clung to Dillon’s hand. Something was wrong, really wrong. You could tell by all the side-ways glances of the adults. That’s what they always did when they didn’t want to alarm the “children.”
Like “children” couldn’t read an adult a mile away?
She squeezed Dillon’s hand. “It’s going to work.”
A fleeting grin passed over his lips, but then was gone as quickly as it came. She didn’t really know it would work, but she had to believe it. The shy, quirky, excited teen she’d fallen for hadn’t been the same since Salechii. It was like his faith in the world had been shattered.
Quax coming back seemed like the only thing that might help Dillon heal.
Nami had prayed to anyone who would listen for Quax to be unharmed. Dillon deserved better than this. None of it had been his fault, but you could tell by the slope of his shoulders that he had taken on way more responsibility than any teen had the right to.
She looked back at her dad who had set up in the back corner of the room.
You could feel his helplessness from across the room. Every now and then Nami caught her father giving Shalie that glance. For a brief moment before the Salechii shark park descended into nightmare proportions, Nami had thought maybe her dad and Shalie might be a good match.
But then Callum had come through, snatching the scientist right out of her father’s hands. That was okay. Those two deserved to be happy, but Nami felt sorry for her father. He was alone and maybe it was better than being with her mother, but it couldn’t have been all that great.
You’d think a guy like him could find someone on any street corner, but nearly anyone he had thought about dating had been nearly as bad as her mother. They all wanted something from her dad, rather than just wanting her dad.
“Okay, here we go, here we go,” Shalie said typing in a few more commands.
But nothing happened.
“What’s wrong?” Dillon asked.
“Nothing, according to this control panel,” Shalie said then rushed on. “Let me try a few more things."
Even to Nami’s untrained ear, that didn’t sound so good.
* * *
Dillon’s heart hit the floor. This was not going at all like the simulation. Yes, Quax’s consciousness would require time to truly assimilate into the new body, but he should have opened his eyes nearly at the start.
Thank goodness Nami was here, she was practically holding him up as Tonaka and Shalie fidgeted with the settings.
This could not be happening.
“Did you see that?” Nick asked from behind them.
“What?” Nami asked.
“His foot. It twitched,” Nick replied, pointing.
Right now though, there was nothing. Perhaps it was a figment of Nick’s imagination.
Then Dillon felt it. The slightest tug from Quax’s left pinkie.
“There! His eyes!” Nami exclaimed pointing to metallic eyelids that were fluttering up and down.
Dillon clutched the titanium hand in his. “Come on, Quax, we know you can do it. You can do this, buddy.”
Then it was like lightning struck the robotic body. Quax arched up, his whole body tensing, rigid. Dillon felt like his hand was going to be crushed.
“Hang on!” Shalie exclaimed as she adjusted some settings.
Quax’s body fell to the table, flaccid, dead again.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Shalie murmured as she worked.
But it didn’t seem okay. Not at all.
“Shalie?” Dillon asked, his voice cracking and not because of his teenage hormones.
“Just please, give me a…”
It didn’t even take a second though, Quax’s eyes flew open as they had in the simulation.
“No! Callum! Dillon!” the robot screamed, sounding as terrified as he had at Salechii, but of course, his consciousness was still rooted there.
“Quax, buddy,” Dillon said, squeezing his hand. “I’m right here. You have a new body. Try to stay calm.”
But the robot was anything but calm. He nearly ripped his hand out of Dillon’s and was trying to get up. Luckily everyone pitched in and held down the robot until he could settle down.
“Quax, Quax, buddy, you gotta calm down,” Dillon encouraged.
“Quax!” Shalie snapped.
The scientist’s stern tone seemed to cut through the robot’s confusion.
“Yes, doctor?” the robot asked, lying back down.
“Breathe,” Shalie ordered.
Even though the robot did not technically need the oxygen, Quax’s chest rose and fell and rose and fell. The simple action seemed to calm the robot.
Dillon clung to the robot’s hand, trying to give him something physical to focus on.
“I… I died then?” Quax asked to no one in particular.
Silence loomed. It was Nami who stepped up.
“Your body was destroyed, Quax, but remember you gave your chip to Dillon. It’s you. You are just in a new body.”
God, how Dillon wanted to land a lip lock on her. She always knew what to say.
“So…so I don’t remember what happened in the water?” Quax asked.
“No, which is probably the best,” Nami said, leaning into Dillon. “Everything is going to be fine.”
The door opened again and his dad rushed in. He surveyed the room quickly. “So it worked?”
Dillon couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. They burst from his eyes as he nodded.
“Slava bogu,” his father whispered joining them with a smile on his face. Dillon though that meant thank God, but he wasn’t sure.”
“So there aren’t any sharks?” Quax said, sitting up.
“Nope, not a one,” Nami announced.
Dillon’s father frowned. Dillon shook his head. More than enough time to tell Quax about their mission to Russia. He didn’t want the moment to be ruined by the future. Right now. Right now was perfect.
CHAPTER 3
Shalie knew the look on Callum’s face. She’d seen it too many times before. Like each time he’d come home from a meeting with the lawyers. And now the Coast Guard. What could the Coast Guard have said that got him that upset?
She knew that Dillon had gotten a text from him earlier and had seemed pretty grim as well, but it was a big day so she hadn’t pushed it.
“What is it?” Shalie asked.
Callum shook his head sharply.
What the heck was that about?
“You don’t know?” Nami asked.
“Um, apparently I’m the only one in the dark.”
“No, my dear, I have no idea what this latest problem is as well,” Tonaka stated.
Funny, it seemed it was the scientific contingent that was left out. “Well?”
Callum reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “Ne stoit bespokoit'sya.”
She’d heard that Russian phrase often enough to know it translated into “no worries,” but she’d been around Aussies enough to know that the more they said that, the more there was to worry about.
And with Callum and his “big” ideas, she feared he had thought up something that perhaps they weren’t all ready for. The man was not meant to be land-locked.
She’d known that when they got together, but with the look on his face, now she was worried. Shalie had thought that after
Salechii their love could withstand anything, but maybe she was wrong.
“I think we’d all like to hear it,” Shalie stated. Nothing could be worse than what she was imagining right now.
Was Callum frowning because he didn’t like to speak Russian or something else? The frown that passed around Dillon, Nami and Nick seemed to imply the latter.
“Um, is it just me or is he speaking Russian?” Quax asked.
* * *
The Z92’s statement seemed to cut through the tension of the room. Tonaka chuckled and patted the robot’s silver arm. “It is not just you. He had a head injury and now can only speak Russian.”
“But he is alive,” the robot said, for the first time stretching his artificial lips into a smile. “And I am more than happy to test out my new translator module.”
Despite this, Callum still frowned.
It took Shalie poking him to get him to speak. “Come on, you’re killing us here.”
Finally Callum sighed, sitting down on one of the stools. He propped his artificial leg up and rubbed his calf. The prosthetic hadn’t been a perfect match from the beginning, but they had all been too busy to do anything about it. Callum’s words were in fluent Russian, but the robot translated in nearly real time.
“It wasn’t the Coast Guard who wanted to talk,” Callum/Quax stated. “It was the Secretary of the Navy.”
Now it was Shalie’s turn to frown. “The Secretary of the Navy? Are we in trouble?”
“No,” Callum/Quax replied. “It’s worse than that.”
“Worse?” Tonaka asked. Salechii had been bad. Like horror movie bad. And after that it hadn’t gotten much better. He had pretty much been shielded from the flurry of lawsuits and legal action from Salechii. He thanked goodness that he gifted most of his robots over. In that way he had been shielded legally. However he had seen what Shalie and Callum had gone through the past months. Something could be worse than that?
By Callum’s frown the answer was yes.
A strange thing happened. Actually it was a wonderful thing. Quax’s voice changed from a robotic tone into Callum’s own voice. It was as if they were listening to the biologist straight from his own mouth.
Truly amazing.
He would have to once again give his translator techs a raise.
“This is big, guys. The Navy needs our help to go over to a Russian shark research station and see what’s happened since they have lost contact with them.”
* * *
Shalie’s hand flew to her mouth. To hear Callum’s voice again. It nearly made her cry. While it wasn’t Callum himself, it was sure close. It made her somehow feel hopeful for their relationship once again.
His words though, his words were crazy.
“No,” she stated bluntly. “Just no.”
Callum tilted his head, coming over to her, taking her hand. His words came out of Quax. “I know. I’m petrified out of my mind as well, but I feel like… I feel like…”
He didn’t have to finish his sentence, Shalie pretty much knew what he was going to say. “You feel like this might make up for Salechii?”
Callum inclined his head and put it against her shoulder. There really was no reason for words. She knew how his heart ached. All those people, and for Callum equally important, all those sharks that were lost. The insurance people and relative’s law suits could try and extract money from Callum, however there was nothing that could make him feel worse than thinking in any way he was responsible for those deaths.
And it was a little hard trying to talk about it with him speaking only Russian and she not speaking a word of it. Well, beyond gulag and vodka.
She’d tried to tell him over and over again that it wasn’t his fault. It was the man who sabotaged the pens, but Shalie could tell he didn’t believe it. And he’d withdrawn more and more over the months.
This was the most intimate moment they’d had for weeks.
She wrapped her arms around him hugging him tightly as hot tears landed on her shoulder.
“Okay, I won’t argue, but you won’t blame me if I don’t go?” she asked.
Callum answered rapidly. She really didn’t need to wait for the translation his expression was pretty clear.
“I’d rather you stayed.”
She leaned up and kissed him.
He clearly needed this. That someway if he could save people and sharks in the Arctic it might make up for Salechii. For his sake Shalie hoped it would.
* * *
Callum was so glad Shalie had accepted reality so quickly. He’d put her on the list, because he thought it would be insulting if he hadn’t. Like he couldn’t trust her or something, but he had never been so glad as when he’d heard that she didn’t want to go.
This was a crazy enough scheme. He wanted to know that Shalie was safe and sound back home.
“Can I decline as well?” Quax asked.
“Konechno,” Callum answered. Quax knew exactly what he’d said. “Of course.” The robot nodded his head with a grin on his lips.
Callum turned to Tonaka. “Khorosho?”
The robot specialist seemed to understand before Quax translated for him.
“I am an old man,” Tonaka stated. Callum was just a little bummed. The guy had gotten him out of some pretty bad scrapes back at Salechii. He would miss the robotics master especially if Shalie wasn’t coming. However Tonaka sighed. “So I should do as many insane things as I can before I too am taken.”
Callum brightened, extending his hand to the older man who shook it with a wide smile. “This time, let us do better,” Tonaka stated.
Callum couldn’t agree more.
He looked to Nick who shrugged at Nami. “I go where she goes.”
Dillon had already signed on, maybe a bit too quickly. His son seemed to be bearing as much guilt as Callum was. And Nami, the most shark-phobic of them all had also agreed to go. That left Quax.
“Chto vy?” It felt good to be able to talk freely even with a robot. He understood Callum’s Russian perfectly.
The robot frowned. “This is certainly unfair. Even without Asimov’s three laws, I cannot allow you to go into this danger without me.”
“We are going with a dozen QXs Quax. You don’t need to come.”
The robot frowned. “They are QX’s. You are going to need me,” Quax said, turning away from Callum. Apparently the conversation was over.
It felt kind of good to have someone treat him normally. Callum was getting a little sick and tired of all those sympathetic looks and furtive glances.
Maybe that was another aspect of why he hadn’t hesitated to jump on board such a risky mission. He wanted to feel vital again, rather than the string of pity parties he had been throwing for himself.
Time to get off the mat and start fighting again.
* * *
Nami peaked over Callum’s shoulders as he opened the file the Navy had sent him on Dr. Yashimoto’s secure servers. The file had been huge, yet there was so little information in it.
This lab was equally large but sterile. Silver and sleek, but not a whole lot of personality. Nami was more into the shabby chic kind of look, but clearly the Japanese robotic expert was not. There wasn’t a single splash of color in the laboratory. Their voices rang off the metal walls.
Hadn’t the guy ever watched Design Star?
The one thing Tonaka had invested in was huge, like 100 inch, screens, mounted on all four walls. They showed large maps of the Arctic sector where the shark station had been built. Basically it was a lot of white, and then some more white. Not a lot of sightseeing in that part of the world.
They had some super sketchy schematics of the plan. They were first stage plans so they probably weren’t even accurate at this point. Dillon was pointing out a gazillion flaws in them. All of which must have gotten fixed before the station could have become operational.
Callum looked down at his watch. Quax translated for him smoothly like they have been doing this for years. The robot had e
ven gotten Callum’s accent perfectly along with his Aussie cadence. It was mostly amazing and just a little freaky.
“We need to gather the QXs we are taking and meet our SEAL team over at the base.”
For the first time, it became real to Nami. She had kind of shoved all that fear and terror to the back of her mind. This was crazy. It really was.
Sharks were evil. Okay, so she knew they weren’t, but come on, they were killing machines. Killing machines that should be avoided at all costs.
Even her father gulped as they moved out of the room and headed down to the robotic floors.
He would totally support her staying. He wouldn’t make her feel like a wimp or anything. He’d probably be glad if she bailed.
But then she looked over to Dillon. He and Quax were busy high fiving, fist bumping and heel clicking. They looked like the biggest goofballs ever. Which made Nami’s heart sing. Dillon had barely cracked a smile since Quax was lost. Now he was ear-to-ear grinning. He and the robot were even holding hands.
Other girls might have been jealous, but Nami wouldn’t fault Dillon for his affection to the robot. After everything the teen had been through? He more than deserved it.
As a matter of fact it gave Nami an opportunity to have a little bit of father-daughter time. She slipped her hand into her Dad’s. He looked over questioningly, then he squeezed her hand.
“I know I’m only your second choice,” he whispered with a grin on his lips. “If it weren’t for that bromance back there, you’d be with Dillon.”
“True, true, but you’re going to take second choice, right?”
“Duh,” he said giving her hand another squeeze. Then his expression sobered. “You sure about this?”
“Duh,” she repeated back.
“I had to try,” Her father stated. “Besides it does get me out of the fitting for that skin-tight flight suit for that Gravity knock-off. I mean why is everyone in the future so fascinated by Spandex?”
Nami shrugged. And why don’t they have better safety procedures?”
“I know, right., That’s what I keep saying. And Emma Stone as my love interest?” her father questioned. “At some point, I am not going to be able to pull this off.”
Apex Predator Thriller Series Collection (Including the blockbuster new shark park thriller, Salechii) Page 34