Caged (The Idyllic Series Book 1)

by Amy Johnson

  “Get off me,” she growls, but I squeeze her midriff between my thighs. It slows her down, bringing her down onto her knees. With one hand on the back of her head, I force her onto her stomach, slamming her face into the ground.

  The plastic cracks with a disgusting snap, but the rage still pours out of me. I slam her face over and over into the ground until sparks spew forth. With one final hiss of hot air, Zwei goes limp under me.

  Her heart beats through my thighs, which tells me she’s not dead. The mechanics of her face are scattered across the ground in front of us, rendering her useless but alive.

  What if our weak points are our enhancements?

  I push up off of her, brushing off the chunks of concrete that are stuck on my palms.

  A slow clap meets my ears, and I glance up at Eins a few yards away.

  “Good job,” he says, beginning to walk towards us. Out the corner of my eye, I see the girl pressing her friend back, eyes wide in fear. “That was impressive.”

  Something flies in from his left and slams into him. The two bodies roll together, coming to a stop with Knox on top of Eins. He slams his fist into the side of Eins’s face, but Eins just flicks him off with one shove. Knox clambers to his feet, readying himself for a fight by raising his arms.

  “Knox!” I snap, sprinting over and jerking him out of Eins’s direct hit. The wind from his fist blows my hair over my shoulder. That had some strength behind it.

  As I shove Knox toward the humans, Eins grabs the back of my neck and lifts me off the ground. I gasp for breath, kicking my legs back towards him.

  “Go!” I bark, finally landing a kick in the middle of Eins’s stomach. His grip weakens, and I swing out of his grasp to land on all fours in front of him.

  “What? No! I’m helping you,” Knox whines as he executing a kick in Eins’s direction. Eins catches his ankle and twists it. Knox cries out in pain and pulls his foot away from him.

  “Get them to safety,” I order, ducking. A fist flies over my head, but Eins has anticipated the dodge. He slams a second fist into my chin and sends me reeling backwards.

  Knox takes a few steps back and holds his hands up.

  “Are you sure?” he asks.

  “Yes!” I exclaim, catching Eins’ wrist as he swings at me again. I twist his arm behind his back, shoving him down onto the ground. “They are more important than me.”

  I press Eins into the ground with my foot. He struggles against my hold, but I can’t let him up.

  Knox nods and runs toward the two of them.

  “It’ll be faster if I carry you,” he says to them, holding his arms out. The girl looks over at me, eyebrows raised in question. I nod, and she allows him to pick her up.

  “Come on, Teddy,” she coos, and the young boy reaches two shaking hands out towards Knox.

  “Perfect. Hold on,” Knox says, and he sprints away from us.

  I look back down at Eins who has gone still under me. He looks back at me with his chin resting on his palm. A look of amusement smears itself across his face.

  “You two are cute,” he whispers with a wink. “Did you forget that he sold your family to us?”

  I lift my foot and kick the back of his head. His face slams into the pavement, but his laughter continues.

  I need to target his enhancements. Eins’s singular red eye is the first thing I think of.

  Eins fights better than Zwei. He lunges and swings with precise, quick movements coupled with strong kicks. More than once, I find myself on the ground, out of breath and dizzy. Sweat runs down my back and arms, coating my synthetic skin. We continue the intricate dance until I shove him away from me, gasping for breath.

  “Eden, move!”

  I spin around to face Knox, surprised that I didn’t hear him approaching. He holds a paralyzer gun in his hand, aimed directly at me. Time slows, and the hum of the gun vibrates across my skin. He pulls the trigger, and I duck down. A soft sizzling passes over my ears as the electrified bullet catches strands of hair along its journey towards Eins.

  When the blue fire passes over me, I stand back up and turn to see the bullet hit its target. It lands between Eins’ eyes, sending snakes of blue through his shallow skin. For a moment, he doesn’t move, blinking at the two of us in confusion.

  Then, his eyes roll back in his head, and he collapses to the ground in front of us.

  I close the distance between us and look down at the man who use to terrorize me.

  The desire to rip his head from his shoulders builds up in me. It wouldn’t be hard. My two hands placed over his ears and a quick jerk. In this condition, he couldn’t even fight back.

  “Forget him, Eden,” Knox says beside me, his voice deep and dark. “He isn’t worth your time.”

  I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

  He’s right.

  “Let’s split up. We’ve wasted too much time here. I’ll go back to the assembly building and find the Luddites while you free the last three exhibits.”

  Knox nods, turning on his heel and beginning to walk away.

  I watch him for a minute.

  “Knox?”

  He glances over his shoulder at me.

  “Hm?”

  “Be safe,” I say, “and be quick.”

  A faint smile spreads across his cheeks.

  “You, too, angel.”

  The emotions bubble up again at his use of my nickname. I want to forgive him, to slip my arms around him, and to bury my face in the warmth of his neck. I want him to sing to me, to reassure me, and to touch me. It seems impossible, though.

  I watch him walk away from me before I turn toward the administration building.

  The walk takes less than a minute. The doors open for me, and I step into the elevator. Around me, cybernetics still stand motionless, frozen in time.

  How long do we have?

  Is Linux still controlling them?

  The elevator beeps and I step out into the arctic air of the holding floor.

  The sound of someone yelling greets me.

  “Let us out!”

  “You can’t keep us in here!”

  I smile as I walk into view.

  The atmosphere in the room changes. The icy rage fades, replaced by warm surprise. Dozens of faces appear between the metal bars. None of them dare to speak as they search me up and down.

  “Eden?”

  The closest person to me speaks first. He squints in the dim lighting.

  “Hello, Mason.”

  The entire room sighs and then breaks out into senseless chatter. Countless other bodies press against the bars as they clamber to get a peek at me.

  A long, shrill whistle cuts through the crowd, and heads turn toward the back of their holding place. A part forms in the crowd, revealing a face that makes my heart drop to my feet.

  “Cyrus,” I whisper, throwing myself forward at the bars. He rushes to greet me and cups my face in both hands. I bend at the knees and sink down to the ground. He follows, wrapping his arms around me as much as he can.

  “Eden, what happened?” he asks, pulling away from me to inspect me. His trained eyes search every inch of me and pick out the fine details like unwanted bits of fat in a stew. “What are you?”

  His last question jams itself into my chest and stops my already slow heart.

  The silent crowd holds their breath. Twenty pairs of eyes hone in on me and see what he sees. They can’t see my inner thoughts. To them, I am taller, more muscular, and paler. I’m modified. They can’t hear the thoughts that make me human, the memories that made me a failed experiment in the first place.

  To them, I’m just a machine.

  “I’m what the machines call an Idyllic,” I say. “It’s a long story that is going to have to wait. We need to get out of here.”

  Cyrus nods, stands back up, and pushes the Luddites back.

  “What’s your plan?” he asks, a smile creeping over his lips.

  “I don’t have one,” I mumble while gripping the
two metal bars directly in front of me. Earlier in the day, I crushed a railing in the elevator with my bare hand. Could that happen here?

  Twisting my face as I concentrate, I squeeze the bars. They bend, becoming thinner the harder I squeeze. I grunt and pull them apart.

  “How did you do that?” Cyrus asks, speaking for the forty wide eyes behind him.

  “I have increased strength,” I mumble as I hold out a hand for him. He looks down at it with caution.

  My own brother doesn’t trust me, and I don’t blame him.

  “Cyrus, I promise, I won’t hurt you,” I whisper, “or any of them. I’m not the enemy here. I just look like the enemy. You have to believe me.”

  The desperation bubbles up in my throat like a geyser. I clamp my mouth shut before I explode. The knot rising in my throat warns me that I might cry, something I didn’t think was possible.

  Cyrus looks back up at me, and his face softens.

  “I trust you,” he whispers, slipping his warm hand into my cold one.

  In Emory’s absence, Cyrus takes his rightful place as Head Elder. As I pull him out of the cell, the others follow behind without hesitation. When I lead him toward the large elevator, showing him how to hold the button to keep the doors open, no one argues.

  What do we have if not trust?

  When all of the Luddites are in the silver elevator, I slip in and push Cyrus’s hand away from the button.

  We exit in a tight circle, rushing out the front doors. Several Luddites stop and take a deep breath. Others run down the front steps to celebrate by stretching their arms on either side of them.

  “Eden.”

  I look down at Knox where he stands with a very battered looking group of exhibits. Subject 12 stands beside him, arms crossed over her chest. Her red hair frames her face and makes her look smaller than she is. The two humans from the Skin exhibit are behind them, dark eyes watching my family take greedy breaths of polluted air.

  This can’t be all of the prisoners in the Anthros. These are the subjects reserved for breeding. Hundreds are still inside, locked in the testing or training rooms. The human part of me yearns to go back and drag them out, even if it takes me days. The machine part of me says that it is not a good idea.

  There’s too many of them and only one of me.

  Cyrus walks up beside me and glares at Knox.

  “He turned us in. Whose side is he on?” Cyrus whispers into my ear.

  “He can hear you,” I say, sighing.

  “I made the decision to help you,” Knox calls up. “I'm on your side until you’re safe.”

  Cyrus doesn’t question it. Knox’s statement tells him that I am either using Knox or I trust him. Either way, Cyrus trusts my judgement. I just hope it doesn't fail me again.

  “Knox, take the Luddites home,” I say, loud enough so that everyone can hear.

  Behind me, a soft ticking sounds behind the walls of the administration building. It is joined by the sound of wheezing and of air being sucked between teeth.

  Null is behind us.

  I zero in on the sound of him.

  Why isn’t he coming out?

  Either way, I tense up, nudging Cyrus down the steps toward Knox.

  “You got it, boss,” Knox says, herding them into his small crowd.

  “Why can’t you take us there?” Cyrus asks from the bottom of the stairs.

  “I have something to take care of.”

  I glance at Knox, and his eyes go wide.

  He hears it too.

  “Cyrus, please,” he says as desperation fills his voice. “We have to go.”

  My brother ignores him.

  “Whatever it is, I can help.”

  “No, you can’t,” I say, taking a step back as the last of the Luddites joins Knox.

  Cyrus gives me a once-over and narrows his eyes.

  “I already lost you twice. There's no way I'm leaving you.”

  “Cyrus, if you don't go, we will both end up dead.”

  “Then let me die!” he says, throwing his hands up. “A life without you isn't one I want to live.”

  “That goes both ways,” I say, pleading with him. “Please, just go. It will be okay. I'll meet you underground.”

  “No, Eden!” he screams, jogging back up the steps and grabbing my shoulders. “I don't care what you are. You're my little sister. It's my job to protect you.”

  “Not this time. There's nothing you can do. I have to face this alone.”

  “Haven't you faced enough alone?”

  Yes, I want to tell him, and I'm absolutely sick of feeling alone. I just want to fall into the crowd of Luddites and blend in--another shade of gray.

  “Trust me again,” I whisper. “Everything will be okay. Just go.”

  The lie sticks in my throat like it's made of fishhooks. It stings all the way out of my mouth. Staying here is suicide. Running isn't an option though. If I don't face him, Null will chase us to the ends of the continent.

  “Fine,” Cyrus says, walking backwards, “but I’ll see you soon. Do what you have to do, and then hurry home.”

  I nod. It’s odd that I say I answer to no one, but Cyrus can still boss me around without my brain arguing.

  He pulls me into a hug. His warmth seeps into my skin and I bury my face into his neck. With Null looming behind us, this might be the last time I hug him, the last time I breathe in the smoke on his clothes, and the last time his scraggly, pathetic excuse for a beard scratches me.

  “I love you,” I whisper, closing my eyes.

  His hands press on my spine, and his breath runs hot across my ear.

  “I love you, too, Eden.”

  He pulls away, then, and jogs back to Knox.

  “I’ll see you soon,” he says, pointing a finger at me. I nod, swallowing the knot rising in my throat.

  What if I never see him again?

  What if I can’t beat Null?

  Knox ushers the Luddites back, glancing at me. His eyes hold an eternity of sorrow and worry. He knows what I’m about to face, and even with his newfound bravery, he’s still scared.

  The emotion carving its way through me isn’t fear.

  For the second time today, I’m not afraid of facing an Idyllic.

  I just don’t want to die. Not when my life is just beginning.

  “Eden,” Knox whispers, in a voice I know only I can hear. “Fight like a human.”

  I smile despite the storm in my head.

  “Fight like it’s the last thing you’ll ever do,” he continues.

  What if it is the last thing I ever do?

  “Protect them, Knox,” I whisper back, turning to the administration building. “Remember, there’s no greater love than this-”

  “To lay down one’s life for a fellow friend,” Knox finishes, and I can almost hear the ache in his voice.

  I cut him off and focus on the doors as they slide open to reveal Null with his thumbs in his pockets, grinning.

  Chapter 21: Lost

  Eden

  “Well, the procedure didn’t go the way I planned,” Null says as he steps down onto the next stair. His lumbering footsteps vibrate through the concrete, tickling my legs. I stare up at him and narrow my eyes.

  “Clearly not,” I snap, devoid of all manners.

  He can’t punish me for speaking out.

  I don’t belong to him.

  “Your training went out the window, too, I see.”

  He reaches the ground and crosses his arms over his chest. His singular mechanical arm hisses at the slightest movement as it sends the gears inside turning.

  “You don’t control me anymore,” I say, mirroring his stance. With my feet spread shoulder width apart and my arms over my chest, I puff myself up, rising almost to his height. He still has half a foot on me, but it’s not as dramatic as before my assembly.

  “Is that right?” he asks in a low purr.

  The sound waves crash into my chest and rumble through to my core.

  “Let�
��s get one thing straight,” he continues. “I own you.”

  He snaps his fingers, and my vision goes blurry. I sway where I’m standing, staggering forward. Pain erupts in my forehead and I clamp my hands over my ears.

  He takes another step to loom over me as I lean forward.

  “You mind may be your own,” he growls, “but the nanos that control you answer to me. I am your creator, Drei.”

  “That’s not my name,” I growl, glancing up at him. The bright lights outside send another wave of pain through me. The nanos amplify it, and I fight down the bile rising in my throat.

  “Yes, it is,” he says. “Repeat after me--‘My name is Drei. I am an Idyllic. Null is my master and creator.’”

  “My name is Drei.” My lips move against my will, throwing the words into the air like they have a mind of their own. I clamp a quivering hand over my mouth, but the words still bleed out of the cracks. “I am an Idyllic. Null is my master and creator.”

  “That’s much better. Now, get on your knees.”

  My knees buckle at his command, slamming themselves into the ground. My hands fall limp at my sides, and my chin tilts upwards toward him. My vision clears, revealing his looming form over me.

  I’m nothing more than a puppet.

  “Do you believe me yet?” he asks as he begins to walk in a slow circle around me.

  I shake my head, gritting my teeth.

  I broke out of this once before; I can do it again.

  “Fine, then. Let’s have a little fun.”

  He appears in front of me and, before I can block him, he kicks me in the stomach. I can’t move because he hasn’t told me to. The impact knocks the breath out of me, and I cough and gasp for breath. My abdomen burns; I feel a dent in the protection surrounding my stomach.

  He grabs a handful of my hair and jerks me up off the ground. My feet clamber to find steady ground again.

  “Why don’t you run and find us a gun?” Null asks, holding me inches from his face. His breath smells of rotten meat. I grimace but am unable to pull away from his hungry gaze. “Find an Artificial in this mess of broken machines and bring its gun back to me.”

  With that, he flicks his wrist. The movement sends me flying through the air, and I slam into the side of the fountain, back first. A deafening crack splits the air, and I cry out in pain. My legs go numb. For a moment, I think I might not be able to move.