Cryostorm (Touch of Frost)

by Lynn Rush

  He loosened his grip.

  “That’s better.”

  “How, then?”

  “Think about Nate and what you know about him, about us. What do you think?”

  He shook his head. “No. We will be together now.”

  In a flash I was against the wall, back flat. He used his chest to press me against it while his hands pulled my legs apart. There was no longer anything gentle about his touch or kiss. Any trace of My Nate was gone. His grip around logical, cold, harsh Robo Nate had vanished. He must’ve been so tired of fighting for control.

  “No, Nate. Wait.” He swallowed my pleas with his mouth. I weaseled my hand to his chest and pushed.

  He didn’t budge. He was going to take the only thing I had to give My Nate—my virginity—wasn’t he? This Robo Nate was going to get me pregnant with whatever it would be. But it was either that or let them knock me out and do the deed unconscious or artificially inseminate. I’m sure Bev wouldn’t have any issue with that.

  But she did seem pretty set on letting things be done the natural way. For research’s sake I was sure.

  Logic. Rules…

  “Wait. You’re forgetting something.” I pulled in a deep breath. “Marriage.”

  He cocked his head. Sure did that a lot. It kind of made me think he was running through the logic, trying to decipher what my intent was.

  “You’ve read up on all this stuff.” I nodded. “There are relationship rules to follow.”

  “Rules.”

  “If we start dating, things begin slowly.” I pushed him away a little. “Getting to know each other, then later there’s marriage, sex, kids, and stuff.”

  He looked at me with wide, darkened eyes as he contemplated what I’d said. Could it be resonating? “We have done that. You are wearing a promise ring. I gave that to you.”

  “You didn’t give it to me.” Tears stung. “My Nate did. I’m his!”

  The red in Nate’s eye pulsed, flaring its evil like a beacon. Damn The Center!

  “I love Nate. I want to be with him. But not like this, don’t make it happen like this,” I whispered into his ear. I touched light kisses to his neck, and he leaned into them. “Feel that?”

  His throat vibrated against my lips.

  “Feels good, right?”

  “I can sense this gives him much pleasure.” He drew in a deep breath. “As it does you.”

  “If we’re going to make babies, don’t let them control it. Don’t let them make it happen here in this place. You know how much it makes me sad. They’ve hurt me in the past. Stuck me with needles. Kept me prisoner.”

  His body tensed, and his jaw clenched.

  “They’ve hurt me in the past, and they’re hurting me now by keeping me here. Keeping us here.”

  “We’re supposed to be here,” he whispered.

  Damn programming.

  “I don’t want to be here. They’ll hurt me.”

  “I won’t allow that.”

  “But you’re hurting me right now.”

  “How? I am not using more force than your body can sustain.”

  “Spoken like a true robot.” I shook my head. “You’re hurting my heart. I love Nate and want to be with Nate. You’re not My Nate. I’m where I don’t want to be. Held against my will, away from my family. That hurts my heart.”

  His grip loosened, and he stepped back a fraction, allowing me to slide down the front of his hard body.

  “Hurts your heart.” He cocked his head.

  “Listen to Nate. He’s telling you, isn’t he? Making you understand.”

  He reached out and rested his palm on my chest, his fingers caressing my neck. Just like My Nate. God I loved that feeling. Made it feel like My Nate was back.

  Nate’s blank eyes weren’t as blank as normal. Almost like he truly saw me. Could I be hacking through all that junk in his programming?

  He leaned in and touched his lips to mine in the most gentle, tender way Nate had done so often. I pressed my hand to his chest where his IDs had been stamped and allowed the kiss. Hell, I almost enjoyed it.

  He smiled. “Okay. We’ll leave and be together elsewhere.”

  Chapter 37

  “I didn’t mean to another part of GenCorp,” I whispered in Robo Nate’s ear.

  He held my hand, not so much in a loving gesture, but more of a possessive you’re-mine type of a way. I guess I could go with it. The Robo Nate seemed softer since our time in the exam room, more like My Nate with each passing hour.

  Bev and her minion led the way. She looked back twice, eyeing me with contempt. I grinned and swung Robo Nate’s hand like everything was peachy. I’d hoped it was. Hoped he was planning something to get us the hell out of here.

  The windowless—white—hallway went on forever. We passed six closed doors. Not a sound but the echo Bev’s shoes squeaking against the shiny—white—floor. Oh, and the thudding of my heart. I had no idea where we were. All I’d known was that Bev’s base was somewhere in Nevada. But as far as the facility, I didn’t know if I was underground or above. It was winter, so I knew the desert would be cold at night, fairly warm in the day. We’d probably be in the middle of nowhere. With freaks like me lurking around, they’d have to keep us far from civilization.

  Oh hell, who was I fooling? All the info I’d gotten about escapes and supernatural creatures were from TV shows or movies. I was going to have to wing it if I got free from this place.

  Finally the hallway came to an end. Either right or left. We faced a door. To the right was another hallway, as was to the left, but there weren’t any more doors.

  Bev dug into her pocket and pulled out a card key. One swipe down the scanner and the lock disengaged. Nate watched her every movement with his analytical eyes.

  The door opened, and she moved forward, followed by her minion. I stood at the doorway and faced a real-life apartment. The biggest shocker—it wasn’t wall to wall white.

  I stepped into the main room. There was a couch facing a flat-screen TV. On the far wall, there was a row of windows overlooking open desert. The air seemed to have a hint of pink, like the sun was about to set. I hadn’t been sure what time it was, but if I had to guess, maybe late afternoon?

  Rich burgundy drapes framed the large windows, and abstract art decorated the beige walls.

  Off to my left sat a tiny kitchenette, complete with a stove and fridge. To the right was a short hallway with three more doors, all open with light spilling out onto the tan walls.

  “Bedrooms and bathrooms are to the right. Main room here, kitchen there.” Bev waved her arms to the respective locations. “Rest up, we’ll be back in a few hours for our baseline readings.”

  “Baseline reading? But I—”

  “We will be ready.” He nodded.

  Bev eyed me with a long stare as if trying to penetrate my skull. She was only about five-foot-five, and since I was only five-three she had me by a couple of inches. But her long, slender nose, and how she looked down it, made her seem so much bigger than me.

  I flicked a little stream of ice at her, nailing her in the cheek. “Let that be your first baseline note—I don’t like getting stared down.”

  A nice shade of red flushed her face, which made me smile. She inched toward the door, as did her companion, and then slammed it shut.

  “That was very disrespectful,” Robo Nate said.

  “Oh, and murdering my parents, kidnapping me, and shooting me up with tranquilizers isn’t disrespectful?” I shook my hand from his. “What are we doing here?”

  “This place doesn’t suit you better than the other?” He stepped forward. “We have our own room.”

  “Our room?” Yikes.

  He nodded. “Yes.” The subtle red glow in his left eye shone bright. That damn robot wouldn’t let My Nate go, would he? God that was infuriating. I wanted My Nate!

  Robo Nate nodded his head in the direction of the hallway. “Let’s get ready for our baseline.”

  “No. I’m not gettin
g ready for anything.” I planted my hands on my waist. “I thought—”

  He sped to me and silenced me with a kiss. In the next breath, we were in the bedroom. He tossed me onto the bed and pressed his body against me. “Mandy, Mandy. I’m so sorry,” Nate whispered into my ear. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He touched kisses along my neck, then my cheek, and then my lips.

  I pulled away and two beautiful brown eyes stared back at me. No flicker of red. My Nate was in control.

  “Nate.” I pulled him to me and kissed him so hard my lips stung. I didn’t care, though. He’d won out against Robo Nate. He was back.

  “Hurry. Not much time.” He kissed my lips again, then leaned back. “Robo Nate let me through.”

  “Let?”

  “He’s so strong, Mandy. I can’t break through very easily. He’ll get you out of here. He knows this building. Well, I do too. They didn’t sedate him when they brought him.” He shook his head. “So weird saying him when it’s really me.”

  “Nate.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mandy. For hitting you. Hurting you. I—you—when you said those words something in my mind broke. Erupted. I’m sorry. I felt—I—”

  “Shhh,” I said, then pressed my lips to his. “It’s okay. You stopped him before I was hurt real bad.”

  “But—”

  “No. Wait. You can hear him? Er—talk to him—I don’t get it.”

  “The program takes over, but I can still see and hear most things. It’s so weird, like I have to beat down this…invisible wall. But this program, it’s intelligent. He’s taking in everything, learning from it. He evolves. Has to be the most advanced artificial intelligence I’ve ever heard of or seen.” He smiled. “And he likes you.”

  “Sorry?

  “The Robo Nate, as you call him, likes you. He’s intrigued by what you do. The things you say go against his logic. He struggles with it, but finds it challenging.”

  “Yay me, but if you don’t mind I’d rather have you, Nate. You. You’re who I want. Not Robo Nate.” I kissed him hard again.

  “He’s got an idea. I can’t quite see it all, but he’s calculating, planning. He’s angry you’ve been hurt,” Nate whispered into my ear. “I hate when he touches you. I can feel you deep down. I know it’s me you’re touching, kissing, but it’s a like a dream. I can’t truly feel you like before. Like right now.”

  “He’s so much like you…but not.” I ran my hands over his shoulder than down his spine. “I love you, Nate. You. Love you so much.”

  “He’ll help us. His motive remains, though, Mandy. He’s created for you, to be with you. That’s his mission, and he won’t deviate from it.”

  “Nate.”

  “He’s strong. Stronger than you think.” Nate brushed my hair from my face. “That’s good for protecting you, but not so good for everyone else.”

  “You’re stronger.” I kissed his lips. “Strongest man I know.”

  “I love you, Mandy.”

  “I love you!” I cupped his face. “How do we get him out of your brain?”

  “First, we have to get out of here. Can you trust him? Will you?”

  “If you do, I do. But if he tries to get in my pants again, I’ll freeze something, you got that?” Nate curled his arms around me and pulled me closer.

  “I won’t let him. I’ll break through his programming like I did before if he tries anything.” Nate’s cheeks reddened. “I’m sorry about this. I—well—I’m sorry. The drive to honor his programming is so great. But it’s something I want, too. I want to make love to you as well.”

  “We were going to have to have the sex talk soon, anyway, right?” I kissed his lips. “Like everything in our freaked-up world, even that has to take on a strange twist, doesn’t it?”

  “The feelings are normal, just the execution, a little strange.” He combed my hair back with his fingers. “Marriage, huh?” He kissed my cheek, then my chin, and then my nose.

  “Well—I—logic—” Okay, obviously all my logic went out my brain with him kissing me like that. “Trying to stall.”

  “I like that idea.”

  “Logic?” I said breathlessly. His delicious body weight on me hit every sensitive spot that effectively rendered my body to total mush.

  He laughed. “No. Marriage.”

  “I’m wearing your promise ring,” I said into his mouth. “When I get you back, it’s so much more than a promise ring.” I shot my hands up his shirt and caressed his smooth back. That elicited a nice moan from both of us. “I’ll get you back, Nate. I promise. I’ll get you back.”

  Nate flinched against me. “No. Wait. Not yet. I—”

  The red glow flickered.

  “No. Don’t hurt him!” I yelled. “Nate? It’s okay. It’s okay.” I held his face close to mine. The red glow flickered, but then stayed steady. “Nate? I love you. I love you.”

  Robo Nate leaned into me and kissed me tenderly. “We will go soon, Amanda. He’s wise to tell you to trust me.”

  “I trust him,” I said, and leaned back from him.

  “We are one in the same.”

  “But not,” I whispered. Unfortunately my body didn’t know the difference. He felt so delicious against me. One heavy thigh between my legs and half his body on me still kept it tingling so intensely I could hardly catch my breath.

  So easily I could say, Yes, and Robo Nate would take my virginity. I knew he wanted it. It was in his programming, but I wanted to give it to My Nate and only My Nate.

  And once we got out of here, I’d find a way to rid him of Robo Nate.

  Chapter 38

  I stepped out of the shower to the scent of frying bacon. Robo Nate had been cooking me killer breakfasts for the past three days.

  First day was pancakes with strawberries.

  Second day was Belgian waffles with whipped cream and blueberries.

  Today smelled like bacon, but I was sure there’d be something more. His meals were elaborate.

  I stepped in front of the mirror and towel dried my hair. The blond roots were starting to show, and I wondered if they had any hair dye in this godforsaken place. I’d only seen testing room after testing room and our…home. Sure, the apartment rocked, but still…

  And worse, there hadn’t been a flicker of My Nate this whole time.

  At least Robo Nate had been kind enough to sleep on the couch in the living room, though he pressured me each night to join me in bed.

  I threw on some jeans and a T-shirt then opened the bathroom door. A wave of cinnamon slammed into me. Smelled so much like My Nate I hurried down the hall.

  “Morning,” Robo Nate said as he looked up from the pan he was hunched over.

  A pile of cinnamon rolls sat on the top of the bar that hemmed in the kitchen. That’d been what I’d smelled.

  “Hungry?”

  I nodded and grabbed a pastry.

  “Bacon’s almost ready. Sleep well?”

  It was like he was trying to make us a happy little family. “So, is today the day?” I asked, like I had every morning since My Nate had last broken through Robo Nate’s programming to tell me he was going to get me out of here.

  “Soon.”

  And that was his answer each time. I was worried My Nate had been wrong to ask me to trust Robo Nate. I’d been cooperating with Bev’s testing, which was mostly freezing things and blasting objects with my snow in every form we could think of.

  “I have a surprise for you today,” Robo Nate said as he handed me a plate with four pieces of bacon on it and some potato wedges.

  Damn this robot could cook. Probably because he had every cooking manual memorized.

  “Would you like to go to the movies today?” Robo Nate asked.

  I looked up at him from my plate, mouth full of potatoes.

  He grinned. “I’m glad you like my cooking. And yes, I just asked you out on a date.”

  If he wanted to call it a date, that was fine by me, because if I got out in public, I was so going to kidnap
him and figure out a way to get in touch with GEM if it was the last thing I ever did.

  He glanced at his watch. “Next movie starts soon, can you be ready in ten minutes?”

  I gulped my food in four minutes and pushed away from the counter. “Ready now.”

  “I knew you liked movies…” Robo Nate grinned.

  He wasn’t so…stiff. As a matter of fact, his entire demeanor this morning was relaxed. Wearing jeans and a black T-shirt he actually looked good. Reminded me of the night I’d met him—er—My Nate at the college party. Well, except that damned red light pulsing in his left eye.

  Robo Nate snatched up my hand and guided me to the door. But this time, he threaded his fingers with mine instead of holding onto me like…a possession.

  It made my chest ache for My Nate. He’d always held onto me with enough you’re mine and I treasure you. Almost like Robo Nate was holding me now.

  We meandered down the hallway toward the elevators. I glanced at him, and he wore a slight grin.

  “What’s with all the wall to wall white in these places?”

  “I’ve wondered that myself. It’s so… cold,” he said as we stopped in front of the elevator.

  We’d done this dozens of times the past few days. Head up to floor six, get out and test for a few hours, then head back down to the apartment. But this time, Robo Nate hit floor number one.

  My heart leapt into my throat. We were leaving this place. I was going to get My Nate back.

  He pulled me closer, then released his hold on me. His hand slid beneath my hair, and he gently cupped my neck. It wasn’t a possessive, domineering hold like I’d expected. Again with the tenderness.

  He smiled down at me. Since I was on his right side, I didn’t see that annoying red light in his eye, and I almost believed—for a split second—that this was My Nate with me.

  I missed him so much.

  The door rolled open, and a room full of video games dinging and flashing lights greeted us.

  Granted, it was empty, but still. I stepped out of the elevator and the scent of sugar and buttered popcorn whirled around my senses. I glanced back at Robo Nate and he stood there, his hands in his pockets, smiling.