Program 13 Book One (12 page)

“Let go of me,” I screamed. I ran towards the car, which was backing away with every move I made. I tried to save her. I tried to save me, but I couldn’t. I turned and fell on the ground.
Colton
stood above me with his hand reaching down.

“We need to go,” he said.

He pulled me along as we ran down an endless road into the darkness. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t happening. I turned to face
Colton
only to realize I was alone, running directly into the darkness. No, I screamed.
No
. I failed him.

My eyes shot open to reveal
Colton
standing over me. I lifted my arm, brushing my hand gently against his cheek, relieved to know that he was here, and that I wasn’t zoning out again. He appeared to be worried, and I couldn’t blame him. I was worried about myself as of late, too. These dreams, or whatever the hell they were, just kept coming, and I wasn’t sure how to control them. Or if I even could.

“I take it that you still refuse to find Hayden?” he asked.

“You know that isn’t an option.” I looked at
Colton
and shook my head. “Besides, I’m sure I’ll figure this out eventually. You live and you learn, after all.”

Colton
sighed before taking a seat on the couch. We’d been locked away in this house in the middle of nowhere going on twenty-four hours, and it was doing neither of us any good.

“So what would you like to do today?” I kicked him lightly, trying to avoid hurting him. “There’s a whole world out there. There’s no reason to be stuck inside all day.”

“I was under the impression you were trying to keep us alive. Last I checked going out there was a suicide mission. After all, you are supposed to be dead, or did you forget that all of
Seattle
believes you were killed in a car accident yesterday?”

I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “Well, they wouldn’t believe wrong. I was actually killed in a car accident, remember?”

As much as he tried to avoid cracking a smile, he didn’t last long. There was only so much one could take before they broke. All of the tragedy surrounding us was now allowing us to break free and live.

“So, where do you want to go, ma’am?”
Colton
turned towards me, smiling. “We can’t go into the city, that’s for sure, and we’re pretty much in the middle of nowhere right now.”

“How about we head to
Portland
?” I suggested. It was far enough from Vesta Corp, far enough that, hopefully, no one would realize I was supposed to be six feet below ground.

“You want to go out of state?” He started to laugh. “Eh, what the hell. Why not?”

We packed our belongings, unsure if we’d be coming back, and made our way to the front door.
Colton
opened it and gently pushed me out front, locking the door behind him as he followed me out. The walk down hill was a lot easier than the walk up, something I was incredibly thankful for.
Colton
took off towards the car, a smile sprouting from the corners of his mouth. He reached the car before me since a few twigs gave me trouble, causing me to lose my balance a couple of times.

Given the fact that I’d been experiencing random dream episodes, I figured it’d be best for
Colton
to drive. “You do have a license, right?” I asked, trying not to laugh. Truthfully, I didn’t care whether or not he did, but then again, I wasn’t the police. Avoiding trouble would probably be more beneficial in this situation than allowing it. Just a guess.

“Of course!” He grinned.

Before I could question him, he handed me his license.

“Everything check out okay with you?”
Colton
elbowed me trying to be funny, but hurt himself in the process. “I really need to remember that your insides are solid.”

I looked over at his face to make sure that he was okay. There was a tear streaming down his cheek, but he was bent over laughing.

“Are you sure that you’re good to drive?” I asked, handing over the keys.

He didn’t say a word, just grabbed the keys and went to the driver side door.
Colton
’s excitement captivated me, causing me to run around to the other side of the car.

By the time I reached the passenger door, he was already buckled into the driver seat. He threw open my door, waiting for me to step inside. But once
Colton
put the key in the ignition, it became clear that we weren’t going anywhere.

“The damn thing won’t start!” He groaned, looking over at me for an answer.

“It was working fine yesterday. What’s wrong with it today?” I was just as puzzled as he was, although I had a slight idea of what could have happened. We were on the run. People were looking for us. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. “
Colton
, wait…” I said, throwing my arm over the steering wheel. “Go check the battery cables, make sure they haven’t been cut.” He looked at me like I was crazy before making his way out of the car.

As soon as he lifted the hood, I knew I was right. Someone had found us. Someone that didn’t want us to get away. It couldn’t have been McVeigh
or his men because we were still alive. So who was it?

“The damn wires are cut,”
Colton
whined from under the hood. “What are we supposed to do now?”

He dropped the hood and headed over to the passenger door, pressing his arms over the open window.

“Well, for now we can stay here.” He tried to protest, but I lifted my hand, indicating for him to hear me out. “Now look, whoever it was that cut the battery, I’m fairly certain they don’t work for Vesta Corp or McVeigh. If they worked for McVeigh, we’d be dead.”

“But we’re still alive,”
Colton
said, understanding where I was headed.

“Exactly, there's no way McVeigh would have let them leave us alive. I'm rather certain that we're still safe here. Unfortunately, we just won’t have transportation for now, unless you know how to fix this?” I smirked, locking my eyes with his.

“I guess we’re stuck here for a while, then,” he said, opening my door to let me back out. We grabbed our belongings and made our way back to the house –
home
.

17
THE LETTER

L
eaving wasn’t an option, at least not for now. But then again, we didn’t actually have options. We needed to remain out of the public eye as much as possible. So, maybe it was best we were locked away in the middle of nowhere. But I still couldn’t figure out who it was that cut the battery cables, and it was beginning to drive me nuts.

Charles McVeigh’s men would have taken us in, if not killed us, and Hayden was far away. He was forbidden to be near me for both of our sakes. There was no way he could have done it. So then who the heck was it?

“You know, Emile, I think it was your brother,”
Colton
said while reaching forward to unlock the front door. I looked up at him and shook my head. Hayden wouldn’t be that stupid. He would be endangering both of our lives if he pulled a stunt like that. “Who else would have done it?”

When we opened the door, my question seemed to have been answered. Lying in the middle of the room was a small, blue envelope with
Emile Reed
written across it in fancy lettering.
Colton
and I looked at each other, curious as to what it might be or what it might say.

We slowly stepped through the front door, our eyes searching the room to make sure we were alone.
Colton
moved aside, letting me go ahead of him. I was anxious to know what the envelope hid, but at the same time, I was nervous that its contents might worry me.

I walked to the middle of the room, squatting down to pick up the envelope. Sliding my finger under the flap carefully, the seal easily lifted, as if it’d just been placed here while we were outside.

The letter was from him.

Hayden had been here.

I removed the letter from inside the envelope, unfolding it slowly, trying to cherish it while I still could.

Dear Emile
,
it read.

The paper was creased and yellowish in color. The writing was neat and in red ink on my mother’s old stationary. I continued reading on, curious as to what would make him break his own rule.

Please don’t be upset with me. I know I said I wanted to give you your life back, but I couldn’t let you leave the state. There are some things I probably should have told you, things you’ll need to know in order to survive.

As you may have already noticed, your core will begin to fuse with Thirteen’s. They will continue to fuse until you’ve become one. This was something I didn’t consider until I began to read over your reports. To my surprise, both you and Thirteen were already fusing before we left Vesta Corp. Unfortunately, Thirteen’s Program still carries a tracker. The more she comes through, the easier it’ll be for them to find you.

I need you to stay here where I will be able to help you.

I will be back in an hour. Please, Emile, whatever you do, do not leave.

Love,

Hayden

Hayden was here. He came back for me. “
Colton
,” my voice boomed throughout the room. “You were right. It was Hayden!”

I lifted my hand, the note still within my grasps, and motioned for
Colton
to come to me. He was smiling, but he hesitated to move forward. “Do you think he knows about me?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” I questioned, unsure of where he was going with this.

“You know..." He blushed. “About me being here, I mean.”

“He has to. This letter was left recently,” I replied.

Hayden had left the note after we had gone to the car. He had to have been watching us. How else would he have known we were going to take off? Surely he knew that I wasn’t alone.

I suddenly found myself laughing hysterically. I’d somehow missed the hidden meaning behind
Colton
’s words. He wasn’t asking solely if Hayden knew he was here. He was seriously asking me if Hayden would have thought that there was something going on between us.

“Oh, you mean
that
,” I finally said after I allowed myself to calm down. “You do realize that isn’t possible, right?”

He looked over at me and smirked. “I tend to forget that you’re not human.”

“Eh, that’s to be expected. I mean I kind of sprung it on you only what, twenty-four hours ago?” We both grinned as we took our places on the couch. “But no, trust me, you’re in the clear.”

“I hope so.” He relaxed.

Hayden would be back within the hour, and that thought pleased me, even if it was only temporary. I was going to see my brother again. I glanced over at
Colton
who was sitting with his head between his legs.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m still adjusting to all of this,” he answered honestly. “So much has changed over the course of a day. Changes that will continue to affect my life from here on out. It makes me wonder if we’re doing the right thing, or even worse, if
I’m
doing the right thing.”

I wanted to lean over and comfort him, but I couldn’t. Only
Colton
could decide if he was doing the right thing. I had no say in the matter. Sure, I wanted him to stay, but that was because I was being selfish. If he wanted to go, I would have to let him go. I would have to allow myself to let him live his life freely, because that was what I wished someone would have done for me.

This body was becoming a prison cell, a realistic version of hell. I was happy around
Colton
, and I was more than enthusiastic to see Hayden, but what else did I have? I could never truly be with someone. I could never experience the rush of first love again. My heart would never beat for anyone, because I no longer had a heart. I was a steel case full of wires, and
Colton
…wasn’t.

He deserved more than this.

He deserved more than me.

“Emile,” he said, placing his left hand on my shoulder. “I may not know if this is the right life for me, but I don’t have anyone out there besides you. No matter if it’s right or wrong, you are my home now. You saved me from myself, and I will forever be tied to you. I just need time to adjust. If you see me sitting in a corner shaking, feel free to keep on walking,” he joked.

“You are an amazing person. You do realize that, right?” I looked at him and smiled. He was so welcoming, so accepting of me, that it was hard to imagine him leaving. He had become my shade of happiness throughout this hell.

“If you say so.” He laughed, pressing his forehead against mine gently. “Hayden should be here soon.”

The sound of his name rang through my ears. “Can you promise me something?” I asked,
knowing it would be within my best interest to forewarn
Colton
. He nodded his head, his eyebrows raised in suspicion. “Well, if Hayden brings out a chair with restraints, I need you to promise me that you won’t get freaked out.” I flinched, almost human like. “At Vesta Corp, whenever they performed hard drive evaluations, they’d strap us into these chairs. I’m almost certain he’ll be bringing one and I want you to be prepared.”