Destiny (Experimental Heart Book 1)

by Shannon Pemrick

  I nodded. “Okay, I’ll try to remember that.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Getting lost.”

  He belted out a hearty laugh. “Shouldn’t you be with someone so that doesn’t happen? I doubt your overprotective friend would agree to you wandering around by yourself.”

  I looked away sheepishly. “I, uh, kinda snuck out without Rai knowing. I wanted to see if I could follow a route Ryoko showed me. I think I need to practice it a little more before I try again on my own.”

  Zo chuckled. “Cities can be confusing. How’s your arm?”

  I glanced down at it. “Hurts a little. It’ll probably bruise since my skin is so delicate, which means Zane and Rai are going to have a fit.”

  He flashed me a brilliant smile. “They can give Amon as much of a thrashing as they wish, after I’m done with him, of course.”

  I giggled and then looked around. “So, is this the way to get back to a main road?”

  He shook his head. “You’re looking a little pale. We need to get you something to drink before you pass out.”

  I smiled at him. “Well, if I had known I was going to be manhandled today, I would have brought a bottle of water.”

  Zo laughed at my joke and led me into a small building. The building had only one room, with shelves lining the wall and a large oak table with a dark finish in the center. Several soldiers lounged about, and I recognized a few of them as moles but paid them no mind. They returned the favor by paying only as much attention as the loyal soldiers.

  Zo pulled out a chair at the large table and motioned for me to sit. I sat obediently and watched him walk to a small fridge. My gaze wandered around the room but snapped back to focus on Zo as he returned. With a smile, he handed me a bottle of water and pulled up a chair for himself.

  Holding his gaze, I took a quick sip, and then more once I realized how thirsty I truly was. I stopped dead in the midst of a gulp when the water lodged in my throat. Swallowing hard, I beat my chest and coughed violently. Zo stared in shock for several moments.

  Regaining his composure, he placed his hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  I coughed a few more times and nodded. “I think my lungs were thirsty, too.”

  Zo laughed. “Well, it might be a good idea to lecture your lungs on the negative aspects of that wish.”

  I chuckled and coughed one last time.

  “Feeling better?” he asked.

  I nodded and smiled. “Yes, and I think I’ll stay better as long as I’m not jumped by any more soldiers.”

  He chuckled. “Now care to tell me how you got in here?”

  “I walked?”

  Zo frowned. “Eira, this is a restricted area. It’s lined with fencing. Now just tell me the truth and everything will be fine.”

  “I just walked around,” I insisted. “There was no fencing anywhere.”

  He sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin. I kept eye contact as much as possible. I was being honest with him for once, and if he couldn’t believe a real truth over a false one, I was going to be really irritated.

  A tall, tan young man with short blonde hair walked over to us with a metal box that was only the size of his palm and placed it down on the table. “It is a possibility there is an area where the fence is gapped.”

  “There shouldn’t be,” Zo said. “Those fences were carefully placed.”

  “But there is a possibility where someone didn’t complete their job, or a problem group took it down and we never noticed, because we’ve never had someone trespass before.” The young man pressed a button on the side of the box, and a large holographic map of the city transmitted from the top. “If we can pinpoint her start point and the path she took until she became lost, we can get a rough idea of where the fence break might be.”

  Zo rubbed his chin some more and nodded. Leaning over the table, he pointed to a small area on the map. “She started here.”

  The young man apprehensively looked up through his lashes at him but knew better than to question how Zo knew. I leaned on the table and took a close look at the map. I could make out the building that was our home, and all the main and side streets that connected to each other. Although I was well aware holograms could create amazing detail, the amount of detail this hologram showed off for its size and object scale surprised me.

  “I went this way.” I traced my finger on the path I had taken, causing the image to distort every time I accidentally touched it. I stopped when I got to the point where I had started to get lost. “I think this is where I lost my way. I was supposed to take a left, and I took a right. Then it went downhill from there.”

  Zo nodded. “You went through many back alleys. I suppose it is possible a fence might have been forgotten. Corporal.”

  The young man stood up. “Sir?”

  “Take a group of men to search the area.”

  He saluted by placing his arm on his chest like all other soldiers would. “Yes, sir.”

  “Oh, and bring Amon with you,” Zo instructed as the young man turned to gather some other soldiers. “If you do find a break, I want him to be the one to tell me.”

  The young man, although confused, nodded and went about his duty. Zo grabbed the hologram box and turned it off. Standing up, he placed it in one of the small leather pouches tied to his belt and extended his hand to me. “Shall we be off?”

  I gave a small smile and accepted his offer. Making sure I had my bottle of water, I followed him out of the building. The sound of a crow call echoed through the alleys as Raikidan flew from his perch on top of the building Zo and I had just been in.

  When we were out of sight of the other soldiers, I looked at Zo. “What was that place?”

  “A command post.”

  “Is that why this place is off-limits?”

  He nodded. “Yes. All the buildings you see here are military, and no, I can’t tell you what they are used for. That’s classified information.”

  I pouted. “Fine, be mean.”

  He chuckled but refused to tell, not that I was surprised. Not like I’m good at getting men to do what I want by batting my eyes and saying please. I’m not Ryoko.

  The two of us grew silent. I knew I should work the civilian cover and attempt some more information baiting, but I couldn’t think of anything to get Zo to spill without causing a problem. So instead I looked around for Raikidan. I couldn’t find him, although I had a strong feeling he was still around, as if he were lurking in the shadows.

  Zo cleared his throat. I snapped my attention back to him to find him looking at me expectantly. I realized he was waiting for me to answer a question I hadn’t heard him ask.

  I forced myself to blush and look away shyly. “I–I’m sorry. I got distracted and missed your question.”

  He chuckled. “I asked how your memory was doing.”

  “Oh… o–okay, I guess,” I replied. Think of something fast, stupid. “I unfortunately had a regression period last week, but the other day I made some more progress. I’ve also had a small breakthrough with my personality, which I think made Rai happy.”

  “I noticed,” Zo remarked. “I must say, I do enjoy the extra attitude, and if you say it was only a small breakthrough, I will have to admit you could give some soldiers a run for their money when it comes to your full personality.”

  I smiled at him. If this went well, I might be able to act more like myself in time. I wasn’t sure if I could keep up the sweetness act for the duration of this rebellion.

  He scratched his head. “This next question might seem odd, but why do you call him Rai when everyone else calls him Ray?”

  I was wondering when this question would come up. Took him long enough. I smiled. “That’s because when we were younger, I wasn’t able to say his name right, and it just kinda stuck.”

  “I see.”

  Zo suddenly frowned, which confused me. “What’s wrong?”

  He shook his head. “It’s nothing. I shouldn’t ev
en be thinking about it.”

  I nudged him. “You can tell me. I’m good at keeping secrets.”

  He sighed and rubbed his neck. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but your friend, Rai, is a strange one. He’s overprotective, and from the sounds of it, only wants you the way you used to be, instead of embracing the person you are now.”

  I shook my head. “No, no, no. It’s not like that at all!”

  Zo tilted his head, as if urging me to explain. I shoved my hands in my pockets and exhaled slowly, as if I were trying to figure out how to word myself right. “Rai and I have known each other since we were kids. Our friendship was that type of bond where we knew when the other was in trouble and would come to their aid even if we were miles apart. Rai has saved my neck so many times that I owe him more than just my life. Rai is overprotective because he cares. He doesn’t want me to get hurt, and frankly, I don’t mind. I like knowing someone is looking out for me no matter what.”

  “All right, but that doesn’t excuse his actions for wanting you to be someone you’re not.”

  I shook my head. “You misunderstand. Rai was happy because I was. He told me the type of person I used to be, strong and independent. That’s not the person I am anymore. I don’t like being this pathetic, timid…” I scrunched my hands in front of me as the right word escaped me. “…thing. Knowing that I’m on my way to being the person I used to be makes me happy. Rai just wants me to be happy, and he will do what he can to make me happy.”

  “You sound quite fond of him.”

  I smiled. “He’s the greatest friend I could ever ask for. It’s… probably more than I deserve…”

  Zo looked down at the ground. I waited patiently for another question. He had to have at least one more. “How did you lose your memory?” I frowned and looked at the ground. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wish to.” He lightly touched my shoulder. “If it’s too much to think about, it’s not a big deal.”

  “It’s okay. In order for me to move on and regain what I lost, I have to face the past. I can’t run from it.” I paused for a moment as I conjured up the made-up story I had rehearsed. “I lost my memory in a fire.”

  Zo’s eyes widened, but he remained quiet and listened. “My family and I were trapped inside the building. I went to find a way out in desperation, when a support beam fell on me. Rai had gone out hunting that day, and he wasn’t expected to come back for some time, and I wasn’t sure how many villagers would be able to help. I didn’t think I’d make it. Then, out of nowhere, Rai showed up and saved me.

  “I passed out before he got us outside. Because our village is so small, we don’t have the same type of medical facilities this city has, so no one was sure if I’d make it. The healer we had at the time did what he could, which, sadly, wasn’t much.”

  I pressed my lips together to make it seem as if I were fighting with the memory. “When I woke up, Rai was there. He hadn’t left my side the entire time. I remembered him. He was the only one I remembered.” I shook my head. “I couldn’t remember what had happened to me, where I was, and could barely remember who I was, for that matter. The healer figured the memory loss was due to trauma. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the accident I had forgotten. I couldn’t remember much past my adolescent years. Rai was determined to help me as much as possible, and promised he would do what he could to make sure I stayed safe from then on.”

  “What happened to your family?” Zo asked, his apprehension to push that line clear. “I know you mentioned the other week your brother and father weren’t alive anymore…”

  My frown grew deeper. “None… none of them made it. Rai tried to go get them after I was safely outside, but… it was too late.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too…”

  The two of us fell silent. Zo believed every word, and I didn’t blame him. I had almost convinced myself it had actually happened.

  “Here.” Zo reached into the leather pouch he had placed the hologram box in and pulled it out. He took my hand and placed it in my grasp. “I grabbed it for you, so you wouldn’t get lost again. It will show you all the restricted areas so you don’t wander into them again. I’m not supposed to give this out to nonmilitary personnel, so don’t tell anyone, okay? I could get into a lot of trouble.”

  I smiled. “Your secret is safe with me. And thank you. I’ll make sure to have it on me at all times. But what if someone thinks I stole it?”

  He smiled back at me. “Just tell them to take it up with me, okay?”

  I nodded. Although his offer contradicted what I was promising to hide, I didn’t say anything.

  I started to look around when I recognized a few landmarks. This allowed me to note the darkening sky. I then spotted the house. “I see the house. Thanks for bringing me back this far. I should be able to make it from here.”

  Zo shook his head. “It’s my duty to make sure you arrive safely. You’re stuck with me until we get to your front door.”

  I forced myself to smile. To a normal person, it would seem like he was just being a good soldier, but to me, I found it creepy and it made me uneasy. As we came closer, I made out a small outline of a person by the front of the house. I squinted and noticed it was Raikidan. I wondered how long he had been standing there. He stood extremely still, with his arms crossed over his chest, and could almost pass as a statue.

  He looked up as the two of us approached, his expression cold and hard.

  “Hey, Rai…” I mumbled.

  “Where have you been?” he demanded.

  I flinched. “Um, around…”

  He snorted and I looked down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted to see if I could do this on my own.”

  He sighed and his expression softened. He lightly grasped my arm and pulled me into him. He rested his forehead on my head. “I’m not upset. I was just… worried.”

  I grinned. “You suck at being mad.”

  “I can never be mad at you,” he muttered. “No matter how much I try.”

  “Pushover.”

  He held me out at an arm’s length and tapped my forehead with his finger. I rubbed it unhappily. Raikidan glanced at Zo. “Looks like you need to brush up on your navigational skills.”

  I giggled. “I need to learn the city better before I try going around on my own again.”

  He nodded and looked over at Zo. “Thank you for bringing her home.”

  Zo nodded. “It was my pleasure.”

  I didn’t miss the hint of irritation in his voice. Glancing up at Raikidan, I could tell he hadn’t missed it either. Raikidan wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Let’s head inside. Ryoko turned into a bigger mess than me.”

  I groaned. “Perfect.”

  “Eira.” I looked at Zo before I opened the door. “Do be careful. It may be wise to make sure you’re with someone at all times while in the city. It’s not safe for a young woman to walk around by herself.”

  I nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for your help, Zo.”

  He nodded and watched Raikidan and me head inside before leaving. Raikidan let go of me once he shut the door, and the two of us sprinted up the stairs. The others were now all home and waiting eagerly.

  Ryoko was grinning like mad. “Did you have fun getting lost?”

  “Hardly,” I muttered.

  “Did you at least learn anything?” Genesis asked impatiently.

  “No—”

  She sighed. “That was the whole point of me sending you out to do—”

  “Genesis, will you shut up and let me finish?” She sucked in a tight, annoyed breath, but didn’t say a word. “I didn’t learn any information, but”—I held up the hologram box—“I did obtain something of interest.”

  Argus sat up and looked at the box with interest. “Is that what I think it is?”

  I pressed the button and the hologram map appeared. “I don’t know, you tell me.”

  Ryoko squealed with delight and jumped over
the back of the couch to take it from me. “How did you get it?”

  “It was given to me.”

  “Who gave it to you?” Genesis asked. “One of our own?”

  “Zo,” Raikidan said.

  Silence enveloped the room for a moment.

  Ryoko giggled as she looked the box over. “What does it matter? We now have something that can really help us.”

  “I suppose it doesn’t really matter, but I’m quite curious,” Genesis said. “Zo could get into a lot of trouble for handing something like that out. How did you get him to hand it over?”

  “Sympathy card,” Raikidan and I replied in unison. I looked at Raikidan awkwardly.

  Genesis, unaffected by the awkward unison response, looked at the map. “Ryoko, Argus, I want you both to work with this to see what we can learn from it. I suspect this map will have some secrets we can utilize.” Ryoko and Argus nodded, and then Genesis looked at me again. “You can take the rest of the day off. Raikidan, you too.”

  I nodded my thanks and headed to my room to relax. I needed it. Once my head hit my pillow, I looked at my arm. I could already see the skin starting to discolor.

  “How’s your arm?” Raikidan asked.

  “Fine, I suppose. It doesn’t hurt, but that could change in the morning. It’ll bruise for a little while at least.”

  Raikidan chuckled. “Just say the word and I’ll kill him for you. Zo did give me an open invitation.”

  I laughed. “That’s quite all right. That lowlife isn’t worth the effort.”

  “If you say so.”

  I closed my eyes and relaxed, only to open them again when Raikidan started going through the drawer of my nightstand. “What are you doing?”

  He pulled out my book. “Reading.”

  I shook my head and closed my eyes again. The pattering sound of rain echoed through the room, along with Raikidan’s footsteps as he walked over to the window. It was going to be another night of rain, but I didn’t mind. Old injuries might protest, but otherwise I’d enjoy it.

  “Thanks for what you said about me,” Raikidan said quietly.

  “Don’t mention it,” I replied. At least I knew he’d stuck around for that part of the assignment. He must have arrived back at the house just in time to look like he had been waiting for a while. “I couldn’t go about saying I hang around a total ass.”