Reboot

  “Are you doing a striptease first? I’m on board with that.” Callum smiled up at me.

  “I’m trying to blend in. Do I look human at all?”

  “Just keep your eyes covered. That’s really the only difference between us and them.”

  It wasn’t, but I nodded anyway and pulled my gun out of my pants, leaning down to hand it to him. “Only use that if you have to. There aren’t many bullets left.”

  “Maybe you should keep it.”

  I shook my head, stepping back from him as he tried to hand it to me. “At least fire it if you’re in trouble, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “And put my helmet on,” I said, tossing it to him.

  “No, you should take it. It’s too small anyway.”

  “It’s fine. I can’t wear it without drawing attention.” I nodded as he strapped it on. It sat too high on his head, but it would work well enough.

  I took a few steps, making an effort to slow down and add a bounce to my step. Humans were more clumsy, disjointed, and haphazard, but I had to make an effort to conceal my stride. I glanced back at Callum and tried to return his smile. Sucking in a deep breath, I faced forward, head down.

  I turned onto the paved street that separated the slums, ducking my head farther even though I didn’t see any humans. The houses grew sturdier and bigger as I headed back to the center of town.

  I’d grabbed assignments out of several houses on this street. It was slightly less depressing during the day. I’d always thought of all the houses in Rosa as ugly crap piles, but they looked almost cute in the sunlight. They were mostly identical, little two-bedrooms with a tiny window in front, but a few of them had flowers in the yard or a garden off to the side.

  I’d never noticed the gardens before.

  Footsteps sounded on the pavement behind me, and I took a swift look back. It was just an old guy, swinging a bag as he walked.

  I quickened my pace, my feet barely skimming the sidewalk until I remembered that would attract more attention. I slowed and shoved my hands in my pockets, letting my shoulders rise up to my ears.

  “You look like a monkey when you do that.” My mother’s laughing voice filled my head.

  “Stand up straight, Wren. Lift that pretty face. I don’t know where you got that face from, darlin’, but you don’t need to be hidin’ it.”

  I closed my eyes as the old man passed me, my mother’s face filling the darkness. She’d been right; she wasn’t pretty. She was gaunt even before she slipped fully into her addiction, never possessing the full cheeks or round hips that earned other women appreciative looks.

  I hit a cross street and glanced to my left. Humans scurried past, probably headed for their homes. Two officers appeared from behind a building, guns ready.

  I darted to the other side of the brick building, peeking around to see the officers slowly surveying the street.

  My hand instinctively went to my head to make sure my helmet was straight, but touched only my hair. Right. I left it with Callum.

  One good shot from the officers and he’d be waiting forever.

  I should have told him to go without me if I didn’t come back. Maybe he would anyway.

  An odd nervous flutter crept into my chest, and I tried to push it down with a deep breath. So I didn’t have a helmet. I was still stronger and faster than these humans. I could take them down before they got a shot off.

  I heard someone approaching and I took a deep breath before turning to look straight into the woman’s eyes. Her mouth formed an o as she backed away, and for a moment I was worried she wouldn’t scream.

  But of course she did.

  I raced to the other side of the building, pausing long enough to let the officers see where I was going. The woman took off as they pursued me.

  I leaped out just as they rounded the corner, aiming my foot for the shorter officer’s neck. The other one lifted his gun and I slammed two punches into his face before he could pull the trigger. He hit the ground next to the other human with a grunt.

  I leaned down, my fingers poised to snap his neck, when he held his hands up in surrender and frantically shook his head.

  I paused, glancing at the other officer wheezing on his knees. I should kill them anyway. Surrender shouldn’t mean anything. I reached for his neck again, but stopped when he squeezed his eyes shut and looked away. It didn’t feel right with him just lying there like that.

  I grabbed his chinstrap instead and unsnapped his helmet, yanking it off his head. I tucked it under my arm and grabbed their guns off the ground.

  “Please,” he said quietly.

  I frowned and straightened, shoving the guns into the back of my pants. “Give me your shirt.”

  He looked at me strangely but unbuttoned his black shirt and held it out to me. I backed away slowly, my eyes fixed on them, but neither made a move to follow me.

  I regretted my decision as soon as I disappeared behind the building and broke into a run. I should have killed them. They were probably on their coms now, telling the other officers my exact location.

  I ran another block and crouched down against the side of a house, listening for the sounds of officers coming.

  Nothing. If anything, it was quieter, as if the humans had all locked themselves away in their houses.

  I straightened my legs and lifted my nose, searching for one more thing before I went back to Callum.

  Food.

  I didn’t want to risk returning to the shops at the center of town. Stealing from one of the houses was probably the best bet.

  I pressed my ear to the house right next to me, but I could hear voices inside. I scurried across the lawn to the next one, and the next one, listening for silence.

  The fourth house was quiet. I walked around back and leaned in to listen again, but still nothing. I yanked on the back door until the lock broke and it swung open. The tiny kitchen was deserted, but a loaf of bread sat on the wooden counter. I snatched it and checked the refrigerator, but there was no meat. I should have expected that. Most people in Rosa considered it a frivolous expense.

  “Looking for somethin’?”

  I jumped, pushing the door closed and aiming my gun at the young woman in front of me. Her eyes met mine calmly as I backed toward the door.

  “Don’t scream,” I said. “I’m just going to take this and go.” I hugged the bread to my chest.

  She held her hands up. “I’m not screamin’. But—”

  I gestured for her to be quiet as the sounds of yelling and running drifted in from outside. Officers shouted orders at one another and I gripped the gun tighter, my eyes searching her face for a sign I should wrap my hands around her neck to stifle a scream.

  She just stared at me.

  The voices faded and I peeked out the door to see them scattering in all directions. I turned back to the woman.

  “Will you keep quiet for a few minutes?” I asked.

  “Will you leave me half that loaf? My kid will be hungry when he gets home from school. There’s not much else. You may have noticed.”

  I lowered my gun, uncomfortable under her gaze. I wasn’t used to humans looking into my eyes, and her light eyes were locked on mine.

  The guilt that pressed down on my chest was the worst I had ever felt, and I let out a sigh and put the loaf on the counter. I would have been thrilled to come home from school to find a loaf of bread on the counter. Although I think I was thrilled by any food at all as a kid.

  The woman took a knife out of the drawer and held it over the bread, until I shook my head.

  “It’s fine,” I said, pushing the door open. “Get your lock fixed; I broke it.”

  She stared at me again, her face impossible to read. There wasn’t a trace of fear, or hostility, or anything, really. She just stared.

  I turned to leave, tucking the gun in my pants.

  “Kid, wait,” she said. She sliced off a generous piece of bread, wrapped it in a cloth, and handed it to me.

&nbs
p; I slowly took it, holding it out for a moment to give her the opportunity to change her mind, but she didn’t.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “You’re welcome.”

  TWENTY-TWO

  CALLUM LOOKED UP AT ME FROM THE HOLE, RELIEF AND JOY spreading across his face. He had one arm wrapped around his knees, my helmet sitting in the dirt beside him. I was so happy to see him I didn’t even bother to point out he should have been wearing it.

  “You got it,” he said, looking at the helmet tucked under my arm with genuine surprise.

  “Yes.” I jumped into the hole and handed it to him. “I took his shirt, too. Hopefully it doesn’t stink.”

  He brought it up to his nose. “Nah, it’s fine.”

  I held the bread out to him. “This is for you, too.”

  He unwrapped it and looked at me in amazement. “Seriously? You’re scary good sometimes.”

  “You can have it all; I’m not hungry,” I lied.

  He frowned at me as he set it on the ground. “Don’t be ridiculous. We haven’t eaten since last night.” He put his arms through the shirt, leaving it unbuttoned as he split the bread in half and offered part to me.

  “You take it; I’m fine for now,” I said as I slid down to the ground.

  “Wren. Eat it. I am actually a little tough, you know. You don’t have to take care of me.”

  The edge in his voice made me pause. “I didn’t mean—”

  He cut me off with a kiss, which I returned, relieved I didn’t have to finish that sentence. He pressed the bread into my palm and I took it, smiling at him as he pulled away.

  “Where’d you get it?” he asked as he took a bite.

  “Just some house,” I mumbled. “Do you want to sleep for a while? I’ll keep watch.”

  “Nah, I’m not tired,” he said, finishing his bread.

  “But you didn’t sleep at all last night.”

  “I don’t sleep all the time. I just can’t.”

  “Ever didn’t sleep much,” I said, running my fingers through the dirt. “Is that common with the Under-sixties?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I heard. I was sleeping more the last week or so, but I feel all awake again.”

  “Do you feel okay?” I asked.

  “I feel fine. They gave Ever the shots, didn’t they? The ones that make us crazy.”

  I nodded, keeping my gaze on the dirt.

  “What if . . .”

  I looked up to see his face worried, anxious. “What if they gave them to you?” I guessed.

  “Yeah.”

  “They didn’t, that you know of?”

  “No. But my roommate and I didn’t talk much. I don’t think he would have told me.”

  “You feel all right, though?”

  “Yes, except . . .” He looked down at his shaking hands.

  “You’re probably just hungry. You never ate enough. And tired. You should try to sleep.”

  “I guess. But if it’s not just that? Then what?”

  “You’re out now,” I said with a confidence I didn’t feel. “They couldn’t have even given you that many shots. They’ll probably just wear off.”

  He nodded, leaning back against the dirt. “Yeah. I’m sure it’s fine. I wasn’t there that long.”

  He was trying to convince himself more than me, but I smiled and nodded. “Exactly.”

  “I’ll try and sleep,” he said, closing his eyes. He cracked one open and held his arm out to me. “Want to come closer?”

  “I can’t. One of us has to stay up and keep watch.”

  “One cuddle. Maybe two. Fifteen, max.”

  “Callum,” I said with a laugh. “Go to sleep.”

  “All right,” he said with an exaggerated sigh, a smile twitching his lips.

  When I poked my head out of the hole hours later, the night looked deceptively calm. A soft breeze blew across the field, rustling the few leaves left on the trees. It felt so nice I had a brief, wild thought of just lying back down beneath the trees with Callum.

  He popped up next to me, glancing around. He had tried to sleep, or pretended to try, for quite a while, until he finally gave up and stared at the side of the ditch. It reminded me of Ever so much it became difficult to breathe. It felt like someone was standing on my chest.

  I held the map out in front of us, pointing to the area where Leb had indicated we should make our escape.

  “We’ll run through here,” I said, tracing the route with my finger. “I’m hoping we can get pretty close to the fence before the guards spot us. From there we’ll head into the trees and go north until we lose the humans. Then we’ll turn and go south.”

  Callum nodded. “Got it.”

  I pulled myself out of the hole and Callum did the same. The lights of the slums were ablaze as HARC officers continued to scour for us, but it was dark in the field.

  I started in the direction of the city line and Callum followed. He took my hand as we walked, lacing his fingers through mine. We were a little slower than usual. My feet felt heavy and my stomach was growling for food. I was almost tempted to stop and find something, but I didn’t want to risk drawing HARC officers out this way again. We needed to get as close to the city line as possible without being noticed.

  Callum seemed in better shape. He hadn’t mentioned being hungry, and when he glanced down at me he looked steady and calm.

  “Do you know who shot you and your parents?” he asked.

  “No. It doesn’t matter anyway.”

  He paused, glancing over at me. “Do you miss your mom and dad?”

  “I don’t know.” It was the only way to truthfully answer the question.

  “You don’t know?”

  “No. I don’t. I don’t remember much of them, and what I do isn’t great. But sometimes I feel . . . weird.”

  “Weird like sad?”

  “I guess.”

  “You wouldn’t want to see them again if you could?”

  “Callum, you’ll never get me to say that’s a good idea. And no. I wouldn’t want to see them again.”

  He was quiet for a few minutes as we made our way through the neighborhood, staying close to the backs of houses as we got closer to the city line.

  “What did you do?” he asked. “As a human?”

  “I was twelve. I went to school and worked.”

  “Where did you work?”

  “A pub. Washing dishes. A lot of kids wanted the job but they liked how small I was. I didn’t take up much space.”

  “There weren’t age rules for working in the slums?” he asked.

  “No. If you could do the job you could apply. They have age rules in the rico?”

  “Sixteen. After graduation. The wealthy ones go on to trade school; the rest of us start working.”

  I looked at him in surprise. “I thought you all went to trade school.”

  “Nope. Too expensive.”

  “What did you do, then?” I asked.

  “I worked the fields.” He laughed at the stunned expression on my face. “What? Someone has to do it.”

  “Well, yeah, but . . . I didn’t think it was the rico folks.”

  “Who else?” he said with a shrug. “They won’t bring in workers from the slums for the food crops because of the risk of disease. They don’t want Reboots touching their food. HARC tried to bring them in a while back and people protested. They’re terrified of us.”

  “They should be.”

  The lights at the edge of town appeared and I stopped and checked the map. The houses had thinned out and then disappeared completely. There wasn’t much on the south side of Rosa. HARC was to the west, the worst part of the slums to the east. The trees were scarcer as well, leaving nothing but flat dirt dotted with grass in front of us. HARC had no doubt cleared it out so there would be no way to sneak out of the city. The whole area was lit up brighter than daylight.

  “Leb didn’t give us an area with much cover,” I said, ducking behind a tree and gesturing for Callum t
o follow.

  “I doubt any section has cover,” Callum said. He moved closer to me until both our bodies were hidden behind the tree trunk.

  He was probably right, unfortunately. Leb had drawn the star directly in between two of the tall metal watchtowers, which he must have thought was the safest route. The watchtowers were spaced several hundred yards apart. I peeked out from behind our hiding spot to see an officer strolling up and down in front of the fence, a massive gun at his waist.

  “Let’s just run,” he said. “What do we have to lose?” He took a step forward, like he was going to take off right away.

  “Our heads,” I said in annoyance, tugging him back to me by the arm. “They’re going to have sharpshooters up there.”

  “What else are we going to do?” He knocked on his helmet. “Besides, we have these.”

  He was right, but I still felt a burst of irritation at his disregard for his own life. Again.

  “Those helmets don’t hold up forever,” I said. “I didn’t save you from getting shot on the inside so you could die one day later out here. At least pretend that you care about dying.” I looked down at the map again. “This can’t be the best place. It seems so stupid.”

  He looked at me in surprise. “I care if I die.”

  “You don’t act like it.”

  “I already died once. Turned out all right.” He smiled at me.

  “That’s not funny. You’ll be dead for real this time. And then what? I’m supposed to go to this stupid Reboot reservation by myself? I never would have left if it weren’t for you.”

  “I didn’t ask you to do that,” he said. “And what do you mean, you never would have left? You were fine with it? Being a prisoner?”

  “Yes. It was better than my human life.”

  “But they made you kill people.”

  “I don’t—” I wrapped my arms around my waist and stopped myself. I couldn’t tell him that.

  “You don’t care?” he guessed. “You don’t feel guilt? Sadness?”

  “No,” I said, looking at the ground. “I did at first. But now . . . no.”

  I stole a glance up at him to see a heartbreakingly crestfallen look on his face.