E.R.I.C. (The Almost Series Book 2) (6 page)

Chapter Eight

Unlikely Hero

Waves toppled us, sending the raft under. We struggled to hold on, our limbs burning and stretching in ways I didn’t know they could. Half my bed burst from the waters splashing us further towards Miami’s shoreline. Darla screamed, losing her grip. I submersed myself, flipping the raft upside down, tugging her underneath. Our heads barely above water, breathing the shallow air underneath the raft, we held the handles this time, letting the waves jerk us about.

I saw my things float up inside the upturned raft; my unmentionables, prototypes I didn’t pack, books I read with my Pop…

“We need to get moving.”

Darla nodded, kicking her feet. “This way,” she said.

Amie sighed. “She’s not very good with navigational directions, is she? How will she train my S.H.A.Y.?”

“Really, Mom?” I shouted.

Darla turned. “Are you talking to me or your imaginary friend?”

“My imaginary friend,” I said.

Darla’s eyes widened.

“I’m your mother—not your friend.” Amie floated between Darla and me. “I
can
be both your friend and your parent, right?”

“Darla is loving and kind,” I said. “She isn’t always so stressed. I know she’ll be a good mom to your last S.H.A.Y.”

Amie smiled. “She did a fantastic job with you.”

Tears stung my eyes.

“What did your fake friend say?” Darla asked.

“She said you were a great mother to me.”

“Are you connected to your A.M.I.E.?”

I nodded.

Darla shook her head. “That’s bad! Shay!”

“It doesn’t matter. We need you to survive. You have to care for the next S.H.A.Y. My Amie wants you to raise her away from the scientists.”

“They’ll never allow it.”

“I know,” I said. “Before I die, I’m going to steal her and bring her to you. None of the robotic creatures can cross the Miami border.”

“You’re already speaking as if you and your Amie are one voice,” Darla said. “This is bad, Shay, very, very bad.”

“I am
not
bad for you!” Amie protested. “It’s a good thing I can’t physically harm
you
.” She waved her fist in Darla’s face. “Too bad you can’t see how angry I am at you!”

“Calm down,” I said. “She didn’t say no.”

“You’re talking to her again?”

“Yes, that or I’m finally going crazy.”

“I’d prefer you go crazy than really be connected to that monster.”

“Stop calling me names!” Amie spat. Code resembling spit flew at Darla’s face. She didn’t flinch. How could she? She couldn’t see Amie or her coded spit.

A twinge of pain shot through me. I could see why Amie didn’t want to just be a hologram. There was something missing to not be physically there when your mind most certainly was.

“Are you going to be this kid’s mother or not?” I asked.

Darla froze. The only movement came from the waves that still crashed into our raft. “Yes, of course. I do have one question for her.”

“What? What do you wish to ask?” Amie became giddy. “I’ll answer anything! I now like this O.H.P. since she is going to raise my S.H.A.Y.!”

I laughed.

Darla grew serious. “When her last S.H.A.Y. turns eighteen, how do I stop her from dying as all the others before her?”

Amie smiled. She leaned in, whispering (as if anyone but me could hear her). “I overwrote all the scientists’ original programming. This S.H.A.Y. can never mutate or become a host. She is completely human with a slightly higher intellect and excellent agility skills.”

“If the scientists find out they’ll kill her,” I said.

Amie nodded. Darla’s eyes widened.

“What did she say?” Water splashed in Darla’s face. “What did your Amie say? You look scared.”

“She made her last S.H.A.Y. completely normal except for a few modifications. She cannot be used by any other A.M.I.E.”

Darla wept. “Maybe you’re A.M.I.E. is different from the others.”

I frowned. I hoped so.

Hands grabbed my ankles, dragging me under. I pressed in my nose piece, pushing off my cracked helmet. Nick held me tight, forcing me lower into the sea.

What was he doing?

Had he heard that I was connected to my Amie? That was certain death as far as the N.I.C. was concerned. I struggled against the keeper, reaching into my backpack. My hands grabbed what looked like a ceramic mug. I pressed a button and golf balls shot out like bullets at the keeper’s head. He released me, surfacing for air. I followed, snatching another prototype from my bag. This one, Dr. Cole claimed, was pointless and as useless as my golf ball and coffee invention. I smiled. Who would’ve ever thought I’d be able to use it—and in this way?

I took out a rubber band, twirling it in my fingers like a lasso. It expanded and wrapped around Nick. I tugged, pulling him close. His body slammed into mine.

“Shay!” Darla screamed. I turned towards the wreckage. Eric swam away from it and headed for Darla. Nick and I drifted, too far away for me to stop him.

My heart pounded.

If I let go of Nick, he’d kill me, but
then Eric would kill Darla
.

Nick struggled, the two of us sinking and bobbing up and down.

I had to save Darla!

I swam away, reaching for my mother. Her fingertips stretched, touching mine. Nick shoved me down again, ripping my oxygen and bag from my body. Darla jumped on his back.

Amie shouted commands but I couldn’t hear them.

Suddenly, Nick flew from off me. I gagged, air filling my lungs.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Eric held Nick by the neck.

“Eric?” I said. His eyes were red and volts of electricity seemed to be shocking him.

“Get out of here, I don’t know how long I can resist,” he said.

“Go, Darla,” I stammered. “Get in the raft and leave.”

“Not without you.”

“Get in!” I shoved her.

“Go!” Eric’s voice deepened. “Go now!”

“Let’s kill the keeper, first,” I said.

Eric’s fingers tightened around his throat.

Nick’s legs flailed and he tried to pry Eric’s hands away. “No, please, I couldn’t help it! My dad said I had to—that you’re connected to your A.M.I.E.”

“Tell your father that he is now facing that gut feeling we spoke about,” I said. “Tighter, Eric.”

Nick gasped, tears pouring down his cheeks. His mouth opened but he couldn’t respond.

“Tell N.I.C. that if he wants to keep you alive then he needs to understand that he must stop trying to kill me. I plan to save you and his program from future termination.”

Nick attempted to nod.

“Let him go, Eric.”

He obeyed immediately, grabbing Darla instead.

Eric submerged her, his eyes a shining red.

“Stop it!” I screamed. “Stop it, Eric!”

His head turned as if maybe he might’ve heard me.

“Help us escape!”

Eric released Darla, his body convulsing. I hurried to the emergency raft, looking back at my Eric.

Was that Dr. Cole coming up behind him?

“Go on, get out of here.” I told Darla. I shoved her raft forward.

“Shay!” she screamed.

Amie shook her head. “No, no, no, my Shay, escape while you have the opportunity!”

I dived for my backpack, grabbing another useless prototype.

Chapter Nine

Will Power

E.R.I.C.

Kill the human host.

I had her. My mom was fighting, wrapping her tiny fingers around my large paws. Her legs kicked and I held her around the neck—ready to crush her.

“Stop it, Eric!” Shay screamed. “Help us escape this place!”

Shay…

I needed to resist—for my annoying cream puff.

I let go of my mother.

Volts of electricity raced through my body. I floated, bobbing as whoever controlled me shouted orders.

Kill your human host!

Do it now!

My arms rose. Something inside me fought this time. I couldn’t let them kill Shay. She was my little cream puff. Sure, I hardly knew her, but we were connected somehow—far more than I had been to my so-called brother, Nick, who had really only been a spy sent to study me.

Why had things been so fun if it wasn’t real?

Did Nick have no control over his actions, just as I had none when I was reprogrammed?

I grabbed Nick.

He was the enemy.

He tried to kill Shay.

I tightened my grip around his neck, dunking him. He struggled, gasping for air.

I lifted him out of the water.

He’d tried to kill my Shay. I thought he’d been my brother.

I submersed him.

Why’d she let him live if he was the enemy?

I pulled him out of the water.

“Stop it!” Nick screamed. “It’s me, bro! I was just being forced to attack her!”

Dr. Cole was inches away. She swam at us quickly.

I knew what she was planning to do.

She was going to reset me.

I watched Shay shove Darla’s raft towards the Miami border. My body shook fiercely, begging me to catch her before she escaped. The emotional anguish and exhaustion from fighting against myself finally got to me. I vomited right on top of Nick’s head.

“Dude!” He pushed against me. “Gross. Let me go!”

I released him.

Dr. Cole was behind me.

At least Shay would live.

I closed my eyes. I could feel the evil doctor’s breath on my neck.

I was going to be terminated before I could ever find out who controlled me.

I’d never find out why I was able to resist my reprogramming due to my connection to Shay.

And I’d never know if my brother was as helpless to the scientists’ experiments as I.

Why did I feel Shay’s presence?

I opened my eyes.

My cream puff held a hammer above her head. “Sorry, Eric, but you’ll adapt and survive!”

She hit me in the head. Blood poured down my skull and I felt drained.

I sank into the ocean, glancing up, my vision blurred.

Dr. Cole lunged for Shay.

Shay recoiled, her hands up, begging.

Dr. Cole raised a gun to her temples.
My Shay!

I couldn’t move. My body frozen and my head bleeding, I sank.

Why didn’t she let the doctor terminate me? She and my mom could’ve escaped together. What made her come back and risk death?

My eyes closed on Dr. Cole lowering her gun.

Chapter Ten

The Decision

Dr. Cole

“You disobeyed me!” my Amie shouted. Her holographic image stood inches from my face. She was tall with long blond hair and black eyes. Her skin was pale and her face oblong. We were in shallow waters, standing waist deep on a sandbar. The tide continued to drop rapidly.

“Ungrateful child.” She grabbed my arm. Pain shot through me. I doubled over, watching even more metallic pieces protrude from my skin.

“Stop it!” I cried. “You lied to me! You promised to keep this Shay alive! You knew how important she was to me.”

Amie sighed. “She was the perfect host! I could’ve easily become real!”

I tried to push her, falling straight through her hologram and onto my knees. “You promised to keep my sister alive. I should’ve known you’d go back on your word after what you did to your last S.H.A.Y.”

Amie shrugged. “I knew from the very beginning that this S.H.A.Y. would be perfect. I’d finally found the perfect host.”

“How could you deceive me like this?”

“I told you whatever I needed to in order to have you willingly help me become real.” She brushed her fingers against my skin.

Sharp pains shot through me. More and more metal ripped through my flesh. I cried out.

“Killing S.H.A.Y after S.H.A.Y is becoming such a bother,” she said. “We’re getting nowhere with the results. Why couldn’t you have been a scientist instead of an active S.H.A.Y.? Why didn’t you stop your sister from connecting to her A.M.I.E? She was the first S.H.A.Y. who was programmed to be ‘optional’. She didn’t have to ever worry about mutating. Her A.M.I.E. debugged the scientists’ original coding.”

“You knew all along?”

She nodded. “Her new fetus may be a good candidate. We’ll have to run tests on her once she’s born. But first, you need to stop the runaway S.H.A.Y. and terminate her before she tells someone about us.”

My eyes watered. “She’s my sister. I
can’t
. You don’t understand, do you?”

“No,” she said. “I’m your mother. I created you. I designed you to love me! You should do all that I command.”

“Mom, I do love you!”

“No, you’ve become resistant.”

“If you terminate me you’ll never become real.”

“Bridgett!” my Amie screamed.

Alarms pounded my eardrums. I held my ears, curling into the fetal position. “I won’t help you anymore. The other scientists will obey the E.R.I.C. He’ll make them terminate you.”

“Get up and go after the E.R.I.C.” Amie lowered herself to the ground. The sirens faded and I struggled to stand. She touched my shoulders, cooling my insides. “He must be stopped.” Her eyes softened, pleading with me. “I cannot face termination. I need to become real.”

I touched my mom. I missed the days when we’d laugh together. Why couldn’t we be that way again? Instead, she held on tight while I wished for nothing but to be separate from her.

“No,” I said. “I’m not going to hurt anyone else for you ever again.”

“It could mean my termination.”

Tears fell. I nodded. “Mom,” I tried to say. “I can’t be your crutch anymore.”

She bit her lip and her cooling fingers burned my skin, sending piercing pains throughout me. My Amie’s eyes darkened. “Then what good are you?”