VOLITION (Perception Trilogy, book 2) (17 page)

Jabez dimmed the lights, and the murmur turned into an excited
chatter. When the spotlight lit the empty ring, the audience responded with a
roar of applause.

Mary sat beside me in the front row. Both of us were staring
hard in the same direction. Noah waited in a darkened corner by the door
wearing only shorts and his sensors. He jiggled with nerves, bouncing on the
balls of his feet.

A monitor overhead flashed numbers: how many spectators watched
from the security of their own homes—over fifty thousand. Thirty-seven percent had
casted a bet.

Fifty thousand! My stomach swirled and a headache drummed in my
temples.

Mary sprinted over to Noah and I held myself back from
following. I didn’t want to be a distraction, and she was no stranger to these
kinds of fights. Her mouth moved quickly—a pep talk—ending with a smile.

My eyes narrowed when she grabbed and squeezed his hand.

Before I knew it I was on my feet, despite my recent opinion
that I’d just be a distraction, and walked to his side. I had to say something.
She couldn’t be the only one he saw as his support. She left when she saw me
approach.

“You okay?” I asked Noah when I got close.

His dark eyes softened for a moment. “I’ll be fine.”

“I know,” I said, not at all sure that he would be. “You’re
going to do great. Jabez has trained you well.”

He grinned a little. “Thanks.”

The warning bell chimed, the crowd hooted. They were ready for
a fight.

“I have to go,” Noah said.

“Okay.” I stroked his arm. He’d already broken out in a sweat.
When my fingers reached his hand, I took it and squeezed. There was a moment
between us before it was broken by Jabez’s voice.

“In the ring, Jude!”

I took my seat beside Mary. I could tell by her uncustomary
tautness that she was nervous for Noah, too.

“I can see that you love him,” she said.

I jerked back. “What?”

“You love your cousin.”

I wasn’t sure what Mary was saying. Had she guessed we weren’t
cousins?

“Yeah, sure,” I said then turned my attention back to Noah.

A spot-light settled on him, and the crowd chanted, “
Jude,
Jude, Jude
.”

Like magic, his opponent materialized. Jabez was right. He was
far more solid looking than “Mickey.”

The commentator appeared as a caricature on the monitor.
Everyone was taking security precautions and all were using first names only.

“From Western USA, at a hundred and seventy-seven pounds, we
have Douglas!”

Douglas’s virtual self jumped up and down and thrust his hands
in the air. The commentator tossed out more stats: his wins and losses—
more
wins than losses—and the chances of his beating Noah. Five to one.

My nerves tingled with fear. How could Noah beat this guy? I
knew this was a crazy idea. Noah was minutes away from getting killed.

“From Eastern USA,” the commenter shouted, “at a hundred and
sixty-nine pounds, we have Jude!”

Noah wasn’t as good at showcasing himself. He kept his head
down but raised his right arm. Even though our crowd cheered, I doubted that
any of them had cast a bet in Noah’s favor.

Noah assumed his fighting stance, left leg back, elbows tucked
in, fists in front of his face. I was more than a little concerned by the fact
that he hadn’t any protective gear. Douglas’s solidified image looked very real
and very menacing.

Douglas jabbed Noah in the chin, and my heart stopped. I wasn’t
sure I could watch this.

Noah recovered and struck back. Douglas didn’t even appear
fazed. He danced around like he was fighting a kid. Which he was. He caught
Noah a couple of times in the gut, but I could tell he was just playing with
him.

The crowd gasped and said “ah” with each punch. The place crackled
with energy as they chanted, “
fight, fight, fight
,” obviously wanting
more action. The crowd noise from Douglas’s side of the world was broadcasted through
the speakers as well and, combined with the beating of my heart pulsing in my
ears, deafening.

After ten minutes, Douglas put on the heat. He threw punch
after punch, and though Noah managed to block most of them, I knew his face was
taking a beating. Thin streams of red dripped down his face. I swallowed the
huge lump that had formed in my throat.

Noah got a second wind and came back with a round of punches to
Douglas’s gut. Left jab, right, left.

Our crowd roared.

The lights flickered and Douglas disappeared. Must’ve been a
power surge somewhere. A guy in the crowd swore and threw his chair.

Then Douglas reappeared and Noah was caught off guard. With a
blur Douglas’s leg swung through the air, catching Noah on the neck.

He didn’t know what hit him. He fell to the mat, out cold.

“Noah!”

Mary was already on her feet and running to him, so she didn’t
hear my slip.

The virtual referee started counting.

Jabez waited at the matt with a first-aid kit. “Come on, Jude.”
Did he hope Noah would recover and re-enter the fight?

“—eight, nine, ten!” The referee pointed to Douglas, declaring
him the winner. He strutted around the ring with his arms in the air like the
proud peacock he was.

Jabez jumped into the ring and waved smelling salts under
Noah’s nose.

My hand covered my mouth and I blinked back tears. Noah’s face!
Blood ran from his nose and lips. He had cuts above his eyes and his cheeks
were swelling.

A flood of relief weakened me when I saw Noah stir. He was
alive.

Dissenters in the crowd swore. The fight was too short. This
guy Jude had better last longer next time.

There wouldn’t be a next time. Not if I had anything to say
about it.

The people slowly moved out of the building, through a side
door that led to a darkened alley. Despite the shortness of the fight, most of
them were happy because they’d bet in favor of Douglas.

I climbed into the ring and kneeled down beside Noah. “Can you
hear me?”

His eyes fluttered open. I wanted to cradle him in my arms,
kiss his forehead, stroke his face, but I held back.

His lips cracked open and I heard a husky, “I’m great. Never
better.”

“I don’t want you to do this again,” I said, suddenly angry.
“This is crazy.”

He just
hmm
’d and closed his eyes.

Jabez and Mary worked to bandage up his cuts and stop the bleeding.

“I’ll take him to the showers,” Jabez said. He helped Noah out
of the ring, and propped him under his arm. Then Jabez caught my eye. “Don’t
worry, Chloe. It looks worse than it is. He’ll be fine.”

Chapter
24

Noah spent the next four days on the couch. I fed him, tended
his wounds, kept him company. He groaned and hobbled like an old man every time
he had to go to the bathroom or have a shower.

I brought him his daily lunch of canned tomato soup. I lifted a
spoonful and aimed for his mouth.

Noah shook his head. “I think I can feed myself now.”

I glanced down at his hands. They were wrapped up, but his
fingers were thick and blue. At least the swelling around his mouth had
subsided. Noah pushed his weight to sit up straighter and winced as he lifted
his head.

“Are you okay?”

“Head hurts a bit.”

I was certain it hurt more than a bit. I handed him the bowl
and spoon.

“Careful, it’s hot.”

His hands trembled and I worried he’d drop the hot soup on his
lap.

“Are you sure you’re okay.

“I’m fine.”

He managed to get the spoon to his lips without spilling it. I
willed his success with my eyes. I couldn’t take my gaze off his every move.

“You’re making me nervous,” he said.

“You’re making
me
nervous. Look at you. You’re a mess.” I
steadied my gaze on his battered and bruised face and I choked up. I couldn’t
bear the thought of losing him. “You’re not doing that ever again.”

“It wasn’t so bad.”

“What are you talking about? Look at you! You’re barely
recognizable.”

“One could say that’s a good thing.”

I shot him a withering glare.

“Easy. I’m going to be okay. Everything will heal.”

I folded my arms in defiance. “He knocked you out. He could’ve
killed you.”

“He didn’t kill me. And I made five hundred bucks.”

My eyebrows shot up in question. “But you lost.”

“You get paid to participate. You make a lot more if you win.
You score big if you keep winning.”

“Noah,” I said. “It’s not worth it.”

“Five hundred dollars will pay for what we owe on food and
rent. It’s not enough to get us set up somewhere else.”

“There’s got to be another way. Maybe I could get a job.”

Noah laughed, then winced. “Your face is still on billboards
all over the US. Your grandfather hasn’t stopped the hunt. My face is, too,
which is why I can’t go job-hunting, either. This is our only opportunity. Just
one win, and I promise we’ll leave.”

I left it alone while Noah finished his soup. I didn’t want him
to blame me for letting it get cold.

Mary and Jabez kept busy doing who knew what during the day,
but we couldn’t escape their company in the evening. It especially unnerved me
how her eyes continually darted to Noah and how many times he’d catch her
looking and smile.

Jabez was fixated with something on the TV and told it to
increase the volume to six. I helped Noah readjust so he could see the breaking
news.

The female news reporter began, “Riots broke out in cities all
across America today in protest against President Vanderveen’s new cyborg
technology policies…”

Images of crowds waving placards pressing up against police
lines protecting government buildings, flashed into the room. New York, Los Angeles,
Dallas, Chicago, Seattle. Protestors turned violent as they clashed against the
law and others with opposing views.

I felt my jaw slack. I’d never witness such barbaric displays
from citizens of my own country and never anything remotely close to a riot in
Sol City, yet it satisfied me to see people taking a stand. At least they were
doing something, more than I could do trapped in this factory.

The reporter continued, “Supporters of the new law say such
measures are imperative in order to remain on equal footing in a growing super soldier
arms race. Dissidents proclaim this to be the end of the era of Global Peace.”

My heart jumped when Grandpa V’s face appeared.

“Embracing advancing cyborg technology is a must to ensure
homeland security. Unfortunately, we have entered a cold war era with China.
The only way to ensure protection for our nation is to remain equal in strength
and ability.”

“Those who oppose this new law,” the reporter concluded, “say
it’s the step before Armageddon.”

Another face appeared, and this one made me choke. Jackson
Pike’s blond head popped up and when he stared into the camera, it felt like
his blue eyes were locking on mine. My gaze flew to Noah. His beat-up
expression grew even more somber.

Grandpa V was parading Jackson as the first successful cyborg
civilian.

The camera zoomed out to show Jackson standing in the grounds
of Sol City University. A reporter stood beside him with a microphone. “Mr.
Pike, why did you volunteer for this invasive procedure? I understand the
technology is in its infancy.”

“Actually, the technology’s not that new, and it’s more
advanced than most people think.”

It’d been so long since I heard his voice. My chest felt like
it was about to cave in with the memories.

“As a scientist,” Jackson continued, “I was excited and honored
to participate.” He lifted his arms, and the camera zoomed to the polished
shine of the cyborg hardware that encased his forearms and fingers. He picked
up a stone and then crushed it like it was putty.

“Mr. Pike is in the record books for being the first American
civilian to be fused with permanent mechanical technology,” the reporter
concluded.

I huffed. “I can’t believe him.”

Noah flung me a warning look. I remembered we weren’t alone and
a quick scan of the room showed both Mary and Jabez eyeing us.

“You guys look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Mary said.

I shrugged. “The whole thing is just so crazy.”

Jabez jumped to his feet. “It’s crazily amazing. I wish I could
get my hands on a set of those.”

I stared at him in alarm. “That technology isn’t a toy,” I
said. “It’s deadly.”

“Only if it’s not controlled and monitored,” Jabez argued. “You
can bet those guys are on the grid in a big way.”

“There’s always a way to get off the grid,” Mary said. “You
should know that better than anyone.”

Jabez huffed. “We can’t just sit around and let America get
taken by the Chinese government. It’s bad enough that they own us. Pretty soon
we’ll be dealing in Yuan instead of American dollars.”

“Oh come on,” Mary said. “You’re starting to sound like a
conspiracy theorist nut.”

“Maybe they’re not all nuts. Maybe some of them are right.”

Jabez and Mary went at each other like they’d forgotten we were
in the room. I was shocked to see that they weren’t the two peas in a pod I’d
taken them for. They actually disagreed on some things.

Jabez leaned forward in his chair, staring at his sister.
“Technology like this could get us back on track as a nation. Give us the edge
we need.”

“Are you kidding me?” she said. “This technology will get us
all killed.”

“Not if there are the right checks and balances.”

Noah cleared his throat. “Those kinds of checks and balances
will mean the absence of democracy and freedom.”

Jabez considered Noah like he just remembered he was in the
room. “Not necessarily.”

I was with Mary on this. This technology in the wrong hands
would be disastrous. And my grandfather’s hands were definitely the wrong ones.