Renegade (14 page)

There might not be blood in my face, but I felt it drain all the same. The idea that she—that we—shared some kind of bond. It was ludicrous. And disturbing, on so many levels. “There’s no connection, none. We’re not the same at all.”

“It’s fascinating, the way you try to deceive yourself. Are you shunning your android abilities completely then?”

Her voice remained even, but I saw her lips curl up even more. Like she knew something that I didn’t.

I clenched my jaw, refused to answer, to give her any more ammo. Hoped she would drop this whole line of conversation. Instead, she laughed, and what’s more, she actually sounded amused. She stepped back, her heavy boots clanking on the wooden floor. With her free hand, she reached out and stroked a green cashmere sweater.

“You see? You can’t argue. I’m glad. Fighting your true nature is just a waste of resources. You were built for specific purposes, and those must be fulfilled.”

“And what exactly are those?”

“You’ll see.”

I looked away. That was the thing I was afraid of. “What happens now? You try to take me back to Holland?”

No way. I’d rather have her shock me now than be dragged back to that sterile compound under lock and key, so he could perform more of his warped experiments.

If I returned, it would be on my terms. I could almost feel the rough skin of his neck beneath my hands, hear the satisfying snap of cervical vertebrae under my fingers. My fists clenched in anticipation and I had to force them to relax.

Terrible, maybe. But no less than he deserved.

“Perhaps.”

I couldn’t help it—my eyes widened, my mouth drooped in shock. Once again she shook her head. “So many emotions, real ones—what must that be like? No wonder you keep deluding yourself into thinking you can live a human life.”

“Then why are you here?” I asked. Not really believing her.

“Someone called the hotline back in Saint Louis—they said they spotted you getting on a bus bound for Chicago. We get a lot of calls, but this person was able to describe you very well. So, General Holland sent me here to check out the lead. Though I did suggest that this lead was probably valid.”

That didn’t make any sense. “Why did you think that?”

She tapped one finger against her forehead. “Like I said, we’re connected, you and I.”

My legs suddenly felt weak. Could that be true? No, she had to be lying. Holland had probably told her to say and do this; I could picture his smug grin now. He’d know how much it would mess with me.

Calm, I needed to be calm. Melting down was not the way to escape Three. In desperation, my hand went to Mom’s pendant. As I stroked the cool gem, calmness descended, like I’d hoped.

Three followed my hand. The barest glimmer of wonder flickered across her face, but it was fleeting. And then, in the first real show of emotion I’d seen from her—an unintentional show, not purposeful—her lips tightened.

“No matter what you think, nothing can make you what you’re not. No artifacts, no sentimental tokens—you were made in a lab. Just like me. We are the same—more than you even know.”

“If that’s what gets you through the day,” I said, refusing to allow her to suck me down that path again.

At first, I thought I’d gotten through to her. Her eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared. But then she blinked, once, twice, and with those tiny gestures, her expression smoothed back into the one I was so used to. Bland and pleasant. “I see what you’re doing, but it won’t work. I won’t be dragged to your level. I have no intention of becoming obsolete. Now, General Holland has a message for you.”

A message?

I braced myself while Three fiddled with something on the end of her middle finger. Keeping her eyes on me and a firm grasp on the Taser. Holland’s voice—this would be the first time I’d heard his smooth drawl since I’d fled the compound with Mom.

My breathing rate quickened, making Three pause. “You know that isn’t necessary, right? Your cells barely need any oxygen, and they acquire it well enough without increasing how often you use your pump.”

I tightened my lips and refused to respond, so she shrugged and continued.

“Here we go.” To my surprise, she extended her hand, like she was pointing at the nearest wall.

A blue light, like a laser, shot out from her finger. Then, before my incredulous eyes, the light broadened, widened, contorting and stretching until it formed the hazy shape of a man.

Not just any man. Holland.

I took an inadvertent step back. The illusion looked so real, down to the silvery hair and the menacing smile. I almost expected the scent of peppermint and astringent to assault me at any moment.

Then I caught Three tracking my every reaction, and I stopped short. No showing weakness to the enemy. I needed to remain in control.

“Don’t worry,” she said, picking up on my agitation anyway. “You don’t have this capability.” Her tiny smile suggested she was pleased by that discrepancy.

I opened my mouth to make a sarcastic comment, but was cut off when the hologram started talking.

“Hello, Two. If you’re listening to this, it means that Three has once again proven why she’s the superior specimen. Not that I ever had any doubts on that front.”

That voice. I suppressed a shiver, all too conscious of Three’s analytical eyes, but the drawl still managed to crawl its way down my back.

Hologram Holland stood perfectly upright, chest out, shoulders back. Just like the real thing. The image was so close, only three feet away. Though I knew it was impossible, I couldn’t quite quell the feeling that he could reach out and touch me with his wrinkled hands. And though he could have no idea where I’d be standing, I swore that his pale gray eyes zeroed in on my face.

“Let’s keep this brief. You need to come back home. We all know that now that Nicole is gone, there’s nothing left for you out there.”

Until that moment, I hadn’t thought anything Holland said could hurt me anymore. But it was like he’d seen into the very heart of my fears and known right where to stab. And he called the compound home.

Home
.

I curled my lip. He was wrong, though. So very wrong. I had one thing left to keep me going.

Him.

Those gray eyes still seemed to track my every move, and when I stepped to the left, they followed. “Well? Aren’t you going to answer me?” he said, in that silky drawl, and knots formed in my stomach. Please tell me this was some kind of elaborate ruse.

And then his hand lifted and reached out, and before I could react, it landed on my shoulder.

I gasped and spun away from his ghostly hand. Even though the touch had been all condensation and mist versus his meaty fist, it was like I could feel him grow more present in the room. I didn’t ever want him touching me again, in any form.

His soft laugh echoed through the room and curled its way into every corner of my mind, filling the recesses like an insidious poison. “Why so jumpy? Surely even you realize I can’t hurt you. Come in with Three and we’ll find a use for you, I promise.”

His promises were about as valuable as Monopoly money. Did he really think that would work? That I’d tag along without a fight, right into his lair?

As if he read my mind, the image sneered. “As much as I’d like to get rid of you, the military has other ideas. They think you’re too expensive to discard. It’d be best if you didn’t fight. Too many shocks in too short a timeframe could result in permanent damage.”

His voice had taken on a hint of petulance, and the hologram started to pace the floor. I gave it a wide berth and read between the lines. Someone higher up had gotten wind of Holland’s old plan to essentially decommission me, and hadn’t been pleased. But that wasn’t my problem.

This whole thing was ridiculous. Did he really think I’d listen to him?

He folded his arms across his chest with that familiar smugness and bared his teeth in a feral grin. Once again, I felt trapped. Somehow, this incarnation of him could see me, interact with me. I didn’t understand the technology, and I didn’t want to. I just wanted him to go away. This was far too close to seeing him in the flesh, a thought that made my stomach sour with simulated bile.

“Oh, I know what you’re thinking:
Why should I care what he wants?
Simple. Because I’ve got something that you care about. Well, someone.” His voice lowered to a malignant whisper. “Did you really think I wouldn’t figure out who helped you escape? If you’d like to keep your friend alive and healthy, you’ll come back with Three. If you don’t cooperate, well . . .”

Hologram Holland paused and reached for something outside the field of light. When his hand reemerged, it was holding a wrench. He tapped it into his empty palm, his smile broadening while my entire body went rigid.

My friend. The wrench.

Lucas.

He stepped toward me. “I was sent a notification as soon as this communication started, so I’ll notice any delays. Running is futile. We’ll never stop tracking you down—your . . . technology is simply too valuable.”

Before I could question the slight hesitation over “technology,” he continued. “And remember, other lives depend on you.”

With those last drawled words still lingering in the air, the hologram vanished. Just me and Three, alone once more. But even though the lights had disappeared, Holland’s threat hovered.

Three lowered her arm. “It’s time to go. Walk.” She jerked her head toward the door.

I turned, forcing one foot in front of the other, my thoughts spinning wildly. Holland had to have meant Lucas, right? I mean, the wrench . . . that was the tool he’d tried to get me to use on Lucas, during that second test. It had to be significant. But why hadn’t he just said his name?

I opened the door, the bell overhead ringing merrily as I exited out onto the street. Across the way, a video camera was a silent sentinel.

Three shook her head. “It’s disabled.”

In the short amount of time we’d been inside, the crowds had dispersed. Now, only a few scattered couples remained. I didn’t dare scream, though. I knew what Three was capable of, and I wouldn’t endanger anyone else. But a silent scream was building inside me.

Holland had won. Again. He’d found my emotional weak spot and was exploiting it like crazy.

I wanted to run, but the image of the Taser Three held was burned into my head. That, and Lucas. Though Holland’s wording still niggled at me . . .

“Left,” she said, walking behind me and slightly to my right. Our footsteps seemed louder than normal in the night, which was quiet now except for the hushed conversations coming from the two couples within earshot, who huddled together against the biting wind.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll know soon enough.” A few more steps in silence, and then, “Where were you going, when you escaped the compound?”

I kept walking, pretending the question didn’t faze me. But the casual way she’d asked made me instantly suspicious. Had Holland told her to ask? And if so, why did he care what my plans were? Was he looking for Jensen?

“Right.”

I followed her directions, and found myself back on the street that led to the bus terminal. Here the crowds still ran thick, though not as many people as before braved the frigid night air.

I kept my head up, in case an escape route appeared. The map beckoned, displaying every potential right or left turn. Streets where I could try to break free. Reality drew me up short. Lucas. Could I really gamble with his life?

The farther we walked, the more desperation laced my every thought. Soon, we’d reach whatever mode of transportation awaited to take me back to the compound, and I could kiss my freedom good-bye. I knew that from experience. Making a run for it had to happen soon, while I still had the crowd to use as cover.

But when I tried to prepare myself, a wave of disgust held me back. Lucas had helped me escape, and this was how I repaid him?

I swerved to avoid a spilled drink on the sidewalk. When I did, I caught a glimpse of the Taser in Three’s hand. She still held the weapon, but her grip was loose, her fingers nowhere near the trigger. That didn’t make sense. Why would Three take such a risk?

Holland’s words replayed in my head. The military thought I was too valuable to discard. And too many shocks in too short a time could damage me. Then it hit me. Holland was worried. He was worried that if he brought me back nonfunctional, whoever he reported to would be pissed. To be sure, I zeroed in on Three’s hand and accessed the signal in my brain.

Fifty volts. Barely enough to make me miss a step.

As I’d suspected, the Taser was a dupe. But before I could capitalize on that knowledge, the close-up visual on Three’s grip made all my muscles cramp and stiffen. In my mind, I was immediately transported back to that carousel. The two small hands, gripping the pole. The world spinning in circles so fast, everything became a dark, grainy blur. When I stopped cold, Three stopped too and stood there, preparing to whip me into submission.

“If you’re thinking about testing me, I’d strongly advise against it,” she said.

But I couldn’t respond. I was trapped inside my own body.

“I have my orders. Unlike you, I have no problem following them,” Three said, pointing out the obvious.

As I stood there, motionless, I tried everything I could think of to break out of this strange fairy-tale-like spell. But I couldn’t access any of my systems, no matter what I tried. Three became suspicious and began to circle me, carefully examining me like prize cattle. Then all of a sudden she started talking.

To herself.

“The MILA 2.0 is having some kind of technical difficulties,” she said, to no one in particular. After a beat, she carried on, like having a conversation with herself was typical android protocol. “No, I don’t think so. She just froze up without any preindicators. If you lock on to my location, could you somehow tap into her core diagnostics?”