Farryn smiled, a sleepy, half-awake smile. “What’ve you got to worry about? Your life couldn’t be easier.”
“Yeah, right,” Cass said, smiling back at him, surprised at how easily he cheered her up. But the feeling didn’t last long, and she felt her smile fade. She nodded in the direction of her sleeping family. “They’re going to have a hard time away from the City. I don’t know how they’re going to manage.”
“We’ll find a Freepost for them,” said Farryn. “We’ve got supplies for a few days, and you can hunt. It’ll be okay.”
“I want you to leave,” Cass said. “Go back to Clay.”
Farryn sat up. “What are you talking about?” he said. He looked, Cass thought, like she had slapped him. His expression made her feel even worse.
“It’s not safe,” Cass said. “It’s a stupid, dangerous thing I’m doing, and you don’t have to be a part of it.”
Farryn’s face relaxed, and he lay back down. “Scared me there for a minute. Sorry, Cass. You’re stuck with me.”
“But . . .” Cass began.
Farryn rolled over, turning his back to her. “Nope. I’m done listening. Going back to sleep now. You can scratch my back if you want to, but no more talking.”
Cass stood. She couldn’t help smiling. “You’re as stubborn as I am, aren’t you?” she said.
“Worse,” said Farryn. “Now how about that back scratch?”
“Not happening,” she said. She returned to her bedroll, lay down, and within seconds was in a deep, dreamless sleep.
The morning sun woke her. Farryn was already up, stretching. She stood, doing a few stretches of her own, noticing that Farryn was watching her while pretending not to. She went to wake her family, shaking her parents, and then Penny, gently on the shoulder.
Penny got up quickly, fresh like she had spent the night in a soft bed, while her parents struggled slowly to their feet, obviously stiff and uncomfortable. Cass’s father massaged his lower back. Cass examined Penny’s cuts—they looked good, no sign of infection. She spread a thin layer of antibiotic cream on Penny’s cheek and forearm, and put a fresh bandage on the arm gash.
“We should get moving,” Cass said. “We can eat while we walk.”
Penny suddenly looked uncomfortable. She glanced at Farryn, then leaned toward Cass and whispered, “I have to go to the bathroom. What do I do?”
Cass had to force herself not to laugh. She didn’t want Penny to think she was making fun of her. Cass pointed at the trees. “Find a tree. Go behind it. Use leaves if you need to.”
Penny just stared at her, wide-eyed, and then Cass went ahead and laughed; she couldn’t help it. “Go! Hurry up. You’ll survive.”
Penny glanced at her mother, who nodded, and she walked a short ways into the woods and ducked behind a tree. Thirty seconds later she returned, grinning. “That was the strangest thing I’ve ever done,” she said.
“Cass,” her father said, “where are you proposing we go? I think perhaps we should stay put, and wait for the robot advisors to reclaim the City.”
Stay put? Rust, her father really didn’t understand. “We can’t stay here,” she said, trying not to sound annoyed. “The City’s not safe, and I don’t know if your bots are coming back, and we’re too close to Clay’s rebels.”
“Who are these rebels?” her mother said. “Why did they destroy our City?”
“They’re trying to take it back,” Cass said. “For humans.” She thought of the fires, the collapsed buildings, the dead bodies, and her words sounded hollow in her ears. “But you’re—” She paused, about to call them “True Believers.”
“You’re partners with the bots, you’re true citizens, and the rebels, especially their leader, wouldn’t like that.” She looked at Penny, considered sugarcoating it, then decided on the truth. “They’d probably kill you.”
Her mother paled, and her father looked grim. He put his arm over Penny’s shoulders. “Then we’ll get to the nearest City. It’s northeast of here, I know that much, but I’m not sure how far. We’ll find a road; we’ll hopefully be able to flag down a robot transport of some sort. . . .”
Cass looked at Farryn, who shook his head and raised his hands, as if to say, I have no idea what you should tell him. She looked back at her father.
“It’s not . . . it’s not that simple,” she said. “We’ve attacked the bots. They’re probably going to assume any humans they find are rebels.”
“We’ll explain,” her father said.
“You’ll have a lase blast in your chest before you have the chance to say anything,” Cass said angrily. She took a breath, then continued more calmly, “And Farryn and I . . . the bots will definitely kill us.”
Cass’s father shook his head, and ran his hands through his hair. “Will you help us get to the northeast? To the other City?”
Cass nodded. “We’ll be staying away from the roads, though. We need to avoid bots and rebels.” It was a start. At least they’d be moving. And it would give her time to find a Freepost, and figure out how to change her parents’ minds.
CHAPTER 29
IT WAS SARAH, NOT DOC, WHO KILLED SOMEONE WHILE BURNING OUT chip implants. Nick was sitting fifteen feet away when it happened and had a clear view of the woman’s face when she died. She was short, with strikingly sharp blue eyes and long brown hair that had just a few streaks of gray. She was probably in her late forties, perhaps early fifties. She screamed when Sarah touched her neck—that wasn’t unusual—but instead of the small pop that others had experienced, her chip blew with a loud bang and a flare of flame that singed her hair. She convulsed in a wave that rolled through her entire body, her blue eyes rolled up in her head, and she collapsed. It wasn’t a soft fall; it was as if her bones had suddenly left her body and she just crumpled, hard and fast, facedown in the dirt.
Sarah and Doc, after flinching from the blast, quickly went to work on her, taking her pulse, examining the wound on the back of her neck. The remaining survivors in line watched, stricken. A few cried quietly, their hands over their mouths. Others just stood silent and ashen-faced. Nick found himself on his feet and halfway to the woman before he stopped himself. What could he possibly do that the medic and Doc couldn’t?
Doc swore, and stood. “I told her!” he said to Sarah. “I told her this would happen!”
Sarah didn’t say anything. She rolled the dead woman onto her back and closed her eyes with her fingers.
The City survivors still in line were upset. Nick could hear someone saying, “No! No way in hell am I going to let them do that to me!” Others muttered their agreement, and the lines began to disperse.
“Hold!” said Clay to the group, walking quickly to the dead woman. Grennel followed. The survivors hesitated, not reforming lines, but staying put.
Clay looked down at the dead woman, then turned to Sarah. “What happened here?” she said.
“I’ll tell you what happened,” said Doc angrily, stepping forward. Grennel moved closer to Clay, but Doc didn’t seem to notice. “Her chip shorted too strongly from this damned procedure you’re forcing us to do, and it severed her spine and we killed her.” Doc’s fists were clenched. “You killed her.”
“Calm yourself,” said Clay quietly. “You don’t want to upset the new recruits unnecessarily.”
Doc took a step toward Clay, but Grennel reached out and put a hand on Doc’s shoulder, and casually, as if he wasn’t even exerting any effort, stopped Doc in his tracks. Nick quietly moved closer. He knew there wasn’t much he’d be able to do in a fight against Grennel, but if Doc needed his help, he’d certainly try.
Doc looked up at Grennel, as if noticing the huge man for the first time. Nick relaxed a bit when Grennel let Doc step back, out from under his grip. Doc lowered his voice, to match Clay’s. “It was this poor woman dying that upset folks, not the tone of my voice.”
“Enough of this,” Clay said. She turned to the group of City survivors and raised her voice. “This is extremely regrettable,” she said
to the group. “This procedure is not without some risks.”
“You call that ‘some risks’?” a tall, blond man said, pointing down at the dead woman.
Clay said nothing, staring at the man who had interrupted. The man held her gaze for a few moments, then his defiance shifted to discomfort and he looked away.
“Yes,” Clay continued. “There are some risks. But these are necessary risks, and the complications are rare.” She paused. “I don’t wish to sound callous, but the accident that just occurred means it is statistically very unlikely that the incident will be repeated.”
Doc looked like he wanted to speak, but Clay shot him a look, and he said nothing. Instead he turned and walked stiffly away. Clay watched him leave, a slight clenching of her jaw the only sign that she was displeased.
“What if we refuse?” said the blond man.
“Then you will leave my camp immediately,” said Clay.
“And go where?” said the man.
Clay shrugged. “Go back to the City. Search for a Freepost in the woods. I don’t care. But stay away from my forces. If you come near any of my camps with that chip still in your neck, I’ll have you shot and burned.”
The man paled. There was silence.
Grennel stepped in front of Clay. “Come,” he said, addressing the survivors. “Join us, please. If you choose to leave, you may leave freely. But I hope you will be brave, and have your chips neutralized, and stay with us to fight.”
Grennel’s broad frame blocked Clay from the group, but Nick could clearly see the flash of rage on her face and the clenching of her fists. Apparently, Nick realized, she didn’t appreciate Grennel’s interruption. She quickly mastered her anger, straightening her fingers and relaxing her face.
Nick went looking for Doc, finding him sitting on a rock, looking south toward the City. A few fires still flickered in the distance. He was leaning forward, his hands clasped together, his thick forearms resting on his thighs. It almost looked like he was praying. He straightened up when Nick approached.
“She’s bad news, Nick,” he said. “If she’s our champion, then we’re in for a bumpy revolution.”
“No doubt,” Nick said. He sat down on the ground next to the rock. “It’s good to see you, Doc,” he said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“And you,” Doc said. “Your sister and your brother, are they okay? And Farryn and Lexi?”
Nick found himself about to choke up, and he had to take a few seconds to gain control before responding. “Lexi and Farryn found us. Lexi’s here in the camp. Farryn . . . he lost a leg, bot blast, but he’s with my sister now, and I don’t know where they are. Kevin’s gone, too.” He paused, and Doc waited patiently. “I lost them,” Nick finally continued. “Again. They both went into the City. Cass was trying to find her birth parents, and Kevin . . . he had some tech that he thought would keep him safe, and he went to get Mom and Dad.”
“They are stubborn, and resourceful,” Doc said. “They’ll survive, I suspect.”
Nick couldn’t get any words out; he just nodded. They sat in silence, looking at the City, and then Nick cleared his throat and said, “My parents? Are they okay? Do you know?”
“After you left I replaced your father’s false chip successfully. They left my apartment soon after. I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen them since.” Doc paused, then said, “Tell me, Nick, did you make it to the Freepost to the north? Did you . . . did you meet the mayor? And her son? Did they get my pigeon?”
Nick felt his stomach twist. He had been dreading this. “Yes, thank you very much. I made it to the Freepost, and I met her . . . your wife. And your son.”
Doc smiled sadly. “How is she? Probably annoyed that she hasn’t heard from me in so long? It’s a big risk, you know, sending one of the Freepost birds. If the bots somehow discovered . . . I was keeping her safe, by not keeping in touch. And my son . . . is he still a big strong blockhead?”
Doc’s face fell when he saw Nick’s hesitation. “Tell me,” he said. Nick sighed. “Now,” Doc said.
“They were well, and they asked about you . . . but . . .”
“Rust, boy, just spit it out!”
“The Freepost was attacked the day after I arrived. I got away, but it was pretty bad. I don’t know what happened to your wife or son. I’m sorry,” Nick said, feeling guilt wash over him. “I should have stayed and fought.”
Doc shook his head angrily. “Then you’d be dead or captured, too,” he said. He scratched his forehead, then rested his head in his hands a moment, before sighing and looking back up at Nick. “They’re tough, too, just like Kevin and Cass. All we can do is trust they will survive. Hell, maybe they’re better off away from this Clay woman anyway.”
CHAPTER 30
KEVIN WAS SO SHOCKED HE JUST STOOD IN THE DOORWAY, HIS MOUTH agape. One of the bots pushed him on the back, not quite a shove, but hard enough to send him into the room. The door slid shut behind him.
“Grandfather?” he said quietly. “But . . . you were killed . . . I saw Grennel shoot you. . . .”
“Shot, yes—killed, no,” said Dr. Winston. “I thought I was dead, Kevin. I don’t remember much . . . just the pain, passing out, and then I woke up in a rejuve tank.” He frowned and looked away. “Unfortunately,” he added quietly. “It would have been better for both of us if I had indeed died on the floor of my lab.”
“What do they want?” said Kevin, not really wanting to know the answer. “What are they going to do to us?”
“Two very different questions,” said Dr. Winston. He sat down on the metal bed. “What they want is for me to help them bypass their replication block.” He looked at the wall, hands in his lap, lost in thought.
Kevin waited for an explanation, then, exasperated, asked, “What’s that? The replication block?”
Dr. Winston started. “Yes, of course . . . sorry . . . I’m a foolish old man, lost in my thoughts.” He patted the bed next to him. “Sit,” he said, then continued. “About ten years before the revolution—it was 2042, I think—our warbot artificial intelligence had advanced to the point where the bots had begun to design and implement their own improvements. I was called back into service—I hadn’t worked for the military in years at that point—because the generals and politicians were spooked.
“It was an incident in Asia that did it. We had a field factory out there, near where we were fighting about something . . . I can’t even remember what about. Maybe the Chinese were invading India again?” His eyes unfocused for a moment, then he shrugged. “Anyway, we negotiated a cease-fire but there was a comm failure and we couldn’t stand down the bots remotely, and when crews arrived they found that they had no idea how to manually shut down the bots.
“The new models, you see—designed and crafted by the bots themselves—had designed away their failsafes.” Dr. Winston paused.
“And?” said Kevin. “What did you do?”
Dr. Winston waved his hands dismissively. “Eventually the bots stood themselves down. But like I said, I was brought in, and I worked with Harrington, Chesnick, and a few others to design the replication block code.
“Long story short, lots of interesting coding, then diplomatic back and forth to get the major powers to buy in—but it wasn’t just us; everyone was spooked by the bots birthing uncontrollable versions of themselves. So a year later we had a worldwide implementation of our code, which made it impossible for a robot to create another artificial life form by itself. We built in lots of roadblocks, too, hoops for the military to jump through to create more warbots even with human approval. I was quite proud of myself at the time, actually.” He shook his head ruefully. “Considered myself quite the peacemonger.”
“So the bots now . . . they can’t build more of themselves?”
Dr. Winston nodded. “Correct. They can’t remove the code, and they can’t replicate. That’s one of my justifications for building the Island, actually. I believed if I could just survive long enough, the robots would slowly
diminish in numbers, as others fought. You were right,” he said. “I was a coward.”
Kevin shook his head, but he couldn’t get himself to disagree out loud. His grandfather had indeed been a coward.
Dr. Winston, waiting, watching Kevin, then frowned sadly and looked away. “And as for your second question,” he said, “what they’re going to do with us . . . well, they’re going to use you as leverage to get me to help defuse the code. And after they get what they need, they’re going to re-educate us, or kill us.”
Kevin was suddenly very afraid. He stood up, but his legs felt rubbery, so he sat back down. “Which one’s worse?” he whispered.
“What do you mean?” said Dr. Winston.
“Death or re-education?” said Kevin.
Dr. Winston stood. “I am sorry, Kevin. I can be thoughtless. I am not good with people, not even family.” He put his hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “Neither will happen. You will not be killed. You will not be re-educated. Understood? I will find a way to protect you.”
Kevin nodded weakly.
“You don’t believe me,” said Dr. Winston.
“No,” said Kevin. “I don’t.”
“Say it, Kevin. Say, ‘I will not be killed.’”
“I will not be killed,” Kevin whispered.
“I will not be re-educated.”
“I will not be re-educated,” Kevin repeated. Dr. Winston nodded, satisfied, but Kevin still didn’t believe it.
CHAPTER 31
“RUST,” SAID LEXI. “ISN’T THERE SOMETHING WE CAN DO?”
The seven survivors who refused to submit to the de-chipping procedure left the temporary camp, heading north, away from the City. Nick watched them go, feeling helpless and angry. They were probably going to get killed, but what could he do for them? Insist that Clay let them stay? That would certainly go over well.
“No,” he said to Lexi angrily. He felt like a coward, and he was mad at himself, but it came out sounding like he was mad at her. Lexi raised her eyebrows at him, and walked away to talk to Doc. Nick thought about how to apologize, or explain . . . but it was complicated.
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