Unleashed

  Why am I suddenly afraid to enter this cell? Why am I suddenly afraid of her?

  I am the strong one. She is the weak one. If she were to try anything, I could have her pinned and yielding in a second.

  Then I realize it’s not a fear of attack that plagues me. It’s something else. And it’s not exactly fear either. Not in the truest sense of the word. It’s more like a struggle. There is a force outside of myself that seems to be pulling me, and yet an equal force inside that holds me back. The powers are so equally matched, I believe I could stand here forever, locked in their opposing currents. If it were not for Director Raze’s voice in my head, repeating my directive, I might never find the courage to break through this invisible battlefield.

  Her vibrant purple eyes rise to meet mine. Even against the backdrop of grime and filth, they are radiant. They are luminous. They are the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.

  She searches for a face behind my velvet hood, turning her head this way and that. I duck my head to avoid being seen. Not that she’d recognize me. Yet I still prefer to remain anonymous, in case it serves me later when Director Raze assigns me my next mission.

  “Who are you?” she asks. The doubt is as saturated in her voice as the dirt in her skin.

  I refuse to meet her eyes, even though every cell in my body is begging me to.

  I know I have to answer her. I have to speak eventually. She needs to trust me. I’d rather not take her memories by force. It would be significantly messier that way.

  “My apologies, Sarah.” I refer to her by the alias Director Raze said she was operating under. “I am a member of the clergy of the Church of England.”

  My accent is flawless thanks to my upload.

  A brief glance at her through lowered lashes reveals that my explanation has made no sense to her. “It’s a religious position,” I clarify. “I am here to offer you God’s blessing and hear your confessions before you are executed this morning.”

  I brave another glimpse to verify that my explanation has registered in her mind, but once again, she looks lost.

  “Is there anything you’d like to tell me before you die? Any secrets?” I access the terminology from my recent upload and recite the religious principles commonly believed in this day of age. If not for her sake, then for the sake of the guard. “It is believed that if you die with a clear conscience you will go to heaven.”

  The guard scoffs at my comment and I turn to see him smirking. I fight off the urge to yank his body through those iron bars. His head wouldn’t fit on the first few tries, but I’d eventually succeed.

  I turn back to the girl. “So,” I prompt. “Is there?”

  “No.” Her voice is so soft. Almost delicate. She is truly, genuinely scared. And for some reason, I feel the need to comfort her.

  I fight that off as well.

  Tricks, I remind myself. Manipulations.

  “She is dangerous.”

  “Very well.” I nod and begin to move toward her. Skittishly, she backs away, looking like a cornered animal.

  “W-w-what are you doing?” she stutters.

  “I’m blessing you.” I extend my hand toward her face. The nanoscanners are invisible against my skin, even with our enhanced vision. But the closer I get to her, the more I feel that strange, invisible force pulling me in. It yanks at my arm like a puppeteer commanding a marionette. My body wants to touch her. My mind screams that it will only make things worse. My body wants to be near her. My mind wants to run away.

  I fight to steady my shaking hand as I reach toward her. All five fingers press against her skin at once, and in that instant, all five fingers are alive with a spark of something electric. Something warm. Something enigmatic.

  It’s a sensation I’ve never felt and could never hope to have prepared myself for.

  I don’t want to pull away. Not ever. I want to touch her until our bodies expire. I want to stay in this cell with her and let them execute us both if that’s what it takes to keep our skin from ever separating.

  Be careful, Dr. Alixter’s voice rings from some back corner of my mind and for the first time since I emerged from the artificial womb, I want to shut it off, tune it out, do the exact opposite of whatever it says.

  A message flashes in my Lenses to alert me that the scan has been successful. There is no valid reason for me to stay any longer.

  So I do it.

  I use every ounce of strength I have to tear myself away.

  When I collect the courage to look at her, I see that her eyes are closed. A tranquil, almost blissful expression rests on her smudged face.

  Does she feel it, too?

  Even through the grime I can see her soft pink lips. They’re parted slightly, revealing a tiny glimpse of her tongue.

  Kiss.

  The word enters my mind before I can process it. I remember the upload it originated from. The subject was human emotion and affections. But it’s not anything I ever thought I would want to do. It seemed like such superfluous behavior.

  I am a soldier. A good one.

  And good soldiers always put their orders before their emotions.

  Yet I want to kiss her. I want it more than anything I’ve ever wanted before.

  Which means there’s only one thing left to do.

  Leave.

  I walk briskly toward the door of the cell. The guard slides it open for me and I step back into the hallway. The air feels simpler out here, less convoluted. The farther I move away from her, the more I can feel that invisible force dwindling.

  “Wait!” I hear her voice and I flinch.

  I consider ignoring her. I consider transessing far away from her mysterious energy right then and there. But I can’t.

  I turn back to her, seeing her face pressed against the bars of the closed door.

  “Yes, Sarah?”

  She opens her mouth but barely any sound emerges. But somehow I know that she’s trying to ask me to stay. I know because I want the same thing.

  I want to stay.

  I silently pray she won’t find the courage to demand it. Because I may not have the courage to deny it.

  “Nothing,” she mumbles, dropping her head.

  Swelling with relief, I turn and walk briskly down the corridor, desperate to find a secluded spot to transesse.

  I suddenly comprehend Dr. Alixter’s warning to me. I don’t know what it is—her eyes, her spirit, her brokenness—but she is entrancing. She is magnetic. She is inexplicable. I want to escape her and be close to her at the same time.

  As I watch my surroundings disappear and as the familiar scent of the lab fills my nostrils, I find myself hoping beyond all hope that they won’t ever ask me to return to her.

  7: Rebel

  Once I arrive back on the Diotech compound, the cube drive is immediately sent to the memory labs for analyzing. I have to lie down for half the day to regain my strength. I wonder if I’ll ever get used to the sensation of traveling through time.

  I wonder if anyone does.

  For the next few days, there is nothing to do but wait. Wait for news of Dr. Alixter’s condition. Wait for the Memory Coders to sort through the girl’s traitorous past. Wait for my mind to stop feedcasting her face to me on a twenty-four-hour loop. She’s all I can think about. Her eyes. Her face covered in grime. The way my body sang when I touched her.

  I fear for my own weakness. I fear for my sanity. Perhaps I was not ready for this mission after all. Dr. Alixter is right. The girl is dangerous. I don’t know how she managed to make me feel so much in such a short period of time. Maybe she really is a witch as the townspeople of London accused her. Maybe she’s been given genetic enhancements that I wasn’t given. That I don’t even know about. Freakish abilities to manipulate the energy around her, turning normal oxygen molecules into black holes until you feel like you’re falling into nothingness while you’re still standing.

  But most of all, I still fear that they will send me back to her.

  Less than a
week ago, I wanted to save her. I argued for the right to save her. Now, I don’t know. If I save her, what will that do to me?

  I spend a lot of time in my simulation chamber, but I run through all the games in less than a day. I need another update to make the challenges harder. But for that, I must wait some more.

  I haven’t seen Director Raze since I returned and he took the drive from me. I imagine he’s in the memory labs with the Coders, figuring out what the girl knows and how it can help us.

  For the first time in my entire existence I feel trapped in this lab. I want to move. Run. Explore. I want more information. I need to figure out what happened to me in that prison cell. Could I possibly find it on an upload? I know they’ll give me any upload I request but what would I ask for? Brain manipulation? Witchcraft? The secret powers of beautiful women? None of those seem to be accurate and it doesn’t take me long to realize that I don’t even know what I’m dealing with. I can’t label it. And if I can’t label it, I can’t fix it.

  I send multiple pings to Director Raze through my Lenses, asking for an update on anything, but he only replies half of the time, letting me know that there’s nothing yet to report but I’ll be briefed once there is.

  Finally, I send a ping requesting to visit Dr. Alixter in the Health Center. I don’t know if he’s stable enough to talk to me or if he’s even coherent, but I must see him. He’s the only one who can answer my questions about the girl. He’s the only one who could possibly understand what happened.

  As expected, my request is denied.

  It’s not safe for you to be seen outside the lab.

  I’ve already predicted this response and so I’ve crafted a backup plan. I access the map of the Diotech compound on my Lenses. An orange blinking dot lets me know where I stand relative to the other buildings and sectors. The Medical Sector is positioned in the middle of the compound just north of the Residential Sector where most of the scientists live and work. The centralized placement was chosen to offer the most protection. The secrets of the Diotech compound run deep and cross a multitude of fields—agriculture, aerospace, transportation, engineering, veterinary science—but no sector houses more secrets than the Medical Sector.

  The Health Center is located on the far side of the sector. My biometrics would never even open the door to this lab, let alone any other doors. Plus, it would increase the risk of people seeing me and asking questions. I need a route that limits my exposure. I know it is forbidden. I know I am breaking my oath to always obey Dr. Alixter, but I rationalize that it is for the betterment of the overall agenda. I tell myself I am still serving my purpose.

  I zoom in on the map until I locate the room in the Health Center where I believe Dr. Alixter is being treated. I close my eyes and focus my mind. I feel the ground beneath my feet vanishing. I feel the space around me quivering as I dissolve into the air.

  I feel every cell in my body protesting as I disobey the orders that have kept me locked inside this room. As I become the insurgent I never thought I would be.

  For him, I tell myself. For Diotech.

  I repeat the words over and over again. I will myself to believe them, even as the tiny voice in the back of my mind argues another truth.

  For her.

  For you.

  8: Disposal

  I don’t have time to process what I’m seeing before my reflexes kick in. I hear Dr. Alixter’s screams. I see the people. I lunge.

  My brain shuts off. My muscles come alive. My instincts take over.

  Everything happens inside a deafening tunnel. A hollow space devoid of noise and color and sense. I am thrashing. I am kicking. I am throwing bodies.

  I am not human. I am a machine fueled by rage. An unyielding mantra pulses through my veins.

  Protect him.

  Protect him.

  Protect him.

  This is nothing like the training chamber. This is not a test. This is real life. This is what my countless simulations and enhancements are for.

  To protect him at all costs.

  I feel no resistance. The prey doesn’t fight back. The prey is weak. I am strong. The prey is unsuspecting. I am prepared.

  Now the prey is dead.

  Panting from the adrenaline, I glance down at the bodies scattered around my feet. I count three. All of them are dressed in pristine white lab coats. It’s the first time I’ve noticed that detail.

  Clothing becomes irrelevant when a threat is perceived.

  But now, seeing their uniforms causes me to grow anxious. Were they scientists? Doctors? Why were they hurting Dr. Alixter?

  I blink my Lenses into action, snapping captures of each lifeless face and requesting profiles. The results that stream across my vision fill me with dread.

  Dr. Jymes Levix

  Doctor of Internal Medicine

  Medical Sector

  Dr. Hillie Brashton

  Doctor of Infectious Diseases

  Medical Sector

  Dr. Walzer Rabb

  Doctor of Cardiology

  Medical Sector

  The trickling of anxiety turns to full-blown panic. I glance around the room for help. Dr. Alixter is barely conscious. He’s moaning softly, eyes closed. I spot a DigiSlate attached to the wall behind his bed and grab it. I quickly access the correct program and search for the nanosensor signals. I detect five in the room: mine, Dr. Alixter’s, and those belonging to the three bodies.

  I select the signals of the three doctors, feeling a squeeze in my chest as I wait for the microscopic robots running through their bloodstreams to connect.

  The world around me starts to hum as all three signals transmit the same verdict.

  Deceased

  Time of Death: April 25, 2117 16:02 (1 minute ago)

  I killed them. I killed the doctors trying to help Dr. Alixter. Why did I do that? How could I possibly have mistaken them for threats?

  I try to remember what I saw when I transessed into this room, but my vision is fuzzy, hazed in a red tint that swirls around the images like a desert dust storm. I saw Dr. Alixter on the bed. I saw three people hovering around him. I heard him scream.

  The rest is a blur.

  A blur that ended here.

  My breathing is heavy and erratic now. Fear pulses thickly through me like a heart pumping liquid iron.

  What have I done?

  It was as though I didn’t have a choice. It was like something came over me. Something compelled me. I was powerless to stop it.

  I drop the Slate onto the table next to Dr. Alixter’s bed.

  I have to dispose of the bodies. No one can know I was here or that I’m responsible. They’ll mark me as a threat to the company. I’ll lose all privileges. Not to mention the look of disappointment on Dr. Alixter’s face when he finds out.

  If he finds out.

  But he won’t.

  I won’t let him.

  He’s already weak enough from the stress of losing the girl. I won’t allow my own mistakes to plague him, too.

  I bend down and wrap my fingers tightly around the wrist of the woman—Dr. Hillie Brashton. I close my eyes and focus on a remote spot outside the compound walls, deep in the desert. When I open my eyes again, I am there. In the middle of nothingness, surrounded by sand and weeds and hot sun. But I am alone.

  Then I remember my upload on the science of transession.

  I can only bring someone with me if they, too, have the gene.

  I immediately transesse back to Dr. Alixter’s hospital room and contemplate my other options. I don’t have many. The bodies must be disposed of manually. But not until tonight, when the compound has gone to sleep and I can move about unnoticed. Until then, I will have to hide them.

  I grab Dr. Brashton’s wrist again and drag her toward the bathroom in the corner of the room. The shower stall will be big enough for all three if I stack them. I lay Hillie’s body across the bottom of the stall and return for the next one.

  I’ve only pulled Dr. Levix halfway acr
oss the room when I’m stopped cold by the sound of a voice.

  “Kaelen? What are you doing?”

  I glance up and see Dr. Alixter’s eyes are open. He seems alert. Aware. He’s staring at me with a curious expression. Despite my fears, he does not look angry. If anything, he looks slightly amused.

  “I…” I begin to say but I can’t finish.

  “Did you kill my doctors?” Once again, his voice is nothing like I expected. Although he does have drugs running through his system. A maximum dose of Cv9 and who knows what else.

  I let Dr. Levix’s hand slip from mine and stand up straighter. “I apologize, sir. It was a misunderstanding. I entered the room and they appeared to be—”

  “They appeared to be harming me,” he finishes.

  I blink in surprise. “Yes, sir. I didn’t react properly. I—”

  “You reacted exactly as I created you to react.”

  Confusion furrows my brow. “Sir?”

  He swipes at the control panel next to his bed, inclining his upper body so he can see me better. “Do you know how many people want to harm me, Kaelen?”

  I shake my head. “No, sir.”

  He coughs, struggling to speak. “More than I know about. And more will come as soon as we reveal you and Sera to the world.”

  Sera.

  Her name sends tiny shivers through me.

  He shifts uneasily in the bed, wincing against the pain that plagues him. “You were created to serve Diotech. And I am the president. Without me, our mission cannot continue. Our agenda fails.”

  “But I killed the people trying to help you.”

  He smiles weakly. “I programmed you to protect me. It is written in your genetic code. It is a part of you. You will never be able to fight it. You will never be able to resist it. So how could I possibly fault you for what I designed you to do?”

  I stand speechless, staring at my creator and commander. He looks so weak. So fallible.

  “Granted,” Dr. Alixter continues, “these particular threats were not threats at all, but I suppose that’s the risk I took in programming your instincts. There are casualties to every war.”