by Kristie Cook
“No. I was in an accident and sometimes I forget things.”
“Oh, you poor thing. Amnesia?”
Kate scanned the definition and nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Amnesia.”
“It’s the twenty-eighth of September, 2014.”
Kate wobbled on her feet, but managed to compose herself before the cashier noticed her panic. The mechanism that overrode her balance set in place, whirled, and she felt better.
Twenty-fourteen.
“Thank you.” Kaitlyn turned toward the door, her thoughts clouded.
“Honey,” the cashier pushed the bag over the counter, her dark eyes concerned, “you forgot your bag.”
Kaitlyn thanked her, grabbed the bag, and nearly ran from the building. She stopped on the sidewalk, the hot sun beating down on her. Her world had tilted.
Three years had passed since her accident. Not several months, like she had thought. Where did that time go?
Kaitlyn needed answers, and there was only one person who could give them to her.
Lucas.
Her mind was racing. How could this be? She was so distracted, she didn’t notice the group of guys up ahead. Hearing someone whistle, her head snapped up, and she instantly stopped in her tracks.
“My, my, what’s a girl like you doing on this side of town? Slumming?”
Slumming? She didn’t respond. There were four of them, and she didn’t need her sensors to know they were going to be trouble. She really wasn’t in the mood.
“Cat got your tongue?”
“Why would a cat have my tongue?” she asked innocently, even though—thanks to the slang chip—she knew it was yet another human saying that made no sense.
“Comedian. We got a funny girl.” A tall guy, with tattoos all over his muscular arms and neck, stepped forward. The leader. His chest was puffed up like a rooster.
“I don’t want any trouble,” Kaitlyn said calmly. In her mind, she was going over avenues of attack.
“Well, sweetheart, you are on the wrong side of the tracks. Trouble is all you find over here.”
“That’s a shame. You shouldn’t let a train track decide if you are good or bad.”
A couple of the guys laughed in the background.
“Feisty, I like it.”
“What’s your name?” Kaitlyn asked.
“What’s it to you?”
“I’d like to know your name before I kick your ass.”
“You and what army? I’ll tell you what’s going to happen.” He flicked a knife out of his pocket. “I’m going to tear your clothes off, and then make you beg for it. Once I’m done with you, my boys are going to have their turn.”
“I don’t think so.” Kaitlyn felt her body relax. She welcomed the chance to take out her anger on these jerks. Her mind flashed back to the girl that was raped, and the man who caused the end of her life and the start of her new one. As far as she was concerned, the world would be a better place with four less bullies. Someone had to teach them a lesson, and it might as well be her.
Licking his lips, the guy took a step forward.
In a blur, Kaitlyn slammed her elbow into the crook of his arm. The knife clattered to the ground and Kaitlyn kicked it away. The guy’s eyes widened in surprise. The other three moved forward, but the tough guy waved them away.
“I got this bitch,” he snarled, his eyes flashing with anger.
He lunged forward and Kate sidestepped, causing him to lose his footing. She took the advantage and slammed the heel of her open palm into his chest as he fell forward. She heard his ribs crack. He fell to the ground, coughing blood. The three guys looked at each other.
A stocky bald guy—of average height with wide shoulders—came forward. She found it funny that they came one at time, when they would have had a better chance if all three attacked. Not much of a chance, but still.
Kaitlyn got into position; her legs bent, making it easier to pivot and deliver strikes to her opponent. The guy cocked back his arm and threw a wild punch, which Kate easily deflected. She sensed the guy on the ground move, but she knew he wasn’t a threat.
Go to your opponent, Frank had told her. Never show fear. Move forward. Don’t hesitate; they won’t expect it. The grueling hours of training had paid off. She acted reflexively.
Pivoting on the balls of her feet, Kaitlyn delivered a swift kick to his larynx, crushing his wind pipe. The guy dropped to his knees, grabbing his throat. She advanced toward the last two, but they took off in a sprint. She could chase them down, but she had a train to catch.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Once again, Kaitlyn was on a train, but now she was headed back in the direction she had come from.
Anger filled her so completely that she couldn’t see past the rage. Lies. She was sick of all the lies. After all IFICS had taken from her, she deserved the truth. The decision had been so easy to make. There was nothing left of her old life but memories. She couldn’t return to her parents and their white house, and Evan had moved on with his life. They would not accept her for the robot she had become, and she couldn’t expect them to. If her parents found out what had happened to her, Lucas and the others would all go to jail. She needed to speak to Lucas first. Perhaps someday she would find a way to come back to her parents, but right now was not the time. Life had moved on when she was gone.
Therefore, Kate knew it was time for her to move on, too. She wasn’t sure where she would go or what she would do, but she would start over.
Remembering what Lucas had said about the handheld device, Kaitlyn reached for the phone. She noticed the symbol at the top informing her that the battery was getting low.
She hesitated for only a moment before she tapped the button and stated as clearly as possible, “Address for Lucas Andrews. Northern Virginia.”
Kaitlyn actually smiled. A robot talking to a robot.
A list of potential addresses scrolled across the phone, and Kaitlyn was impressed. She narrowed it down to three locations, and turned off the phone to conserve the battery.
She didn’t notice the scenery or the passengers this time; her sole focus was finding out what had happened to her lost time. She knew going back was dangerous because they would be looking for her—they might even be watching Lucas—but she had to chance it. She had to know.
She dozed off, and for the first time since she could recall, she didn’t dream about Evan.
As the train pulled into the station, she grabbed her bag and wondered about the significance of this change. Maybe seeing him in person and knowing he had accepted her death and moved on had allowed her to close that part of her subconscious. She still couldn’t get over the fact that he was married, or that her real name was Cassidy. However, the most mind-boggling was the time that had passed. Where had it gone?
It was cool as she made her way out into the early morning. She didn’t notice it of course, but her internal thermometer flashed fifty-seven degrees. The station bustled with commuters coming and going, and she stopped to watch for a moment. So many people going about their day, living their normal lives. She saw a man wearing a suit, carrying a briefcase. He looked like he was talking to himself, but she noticed he was speaking into a bluetooth earpiece. There was a long line at the coffee cart, and a woman pulled her sweater tighter in the brisk air. They had no idea a freak, a deadly super soldier, walked amongst them.
Switching on the phone, she browsed the map function. It took Kaitlyn almost an hour to reach the first potential address by foot. There was an older model Cadillac in the driveway, so unless Lucas lived with someone, she had a feeling this would be a bust. Although, with the way things were going, even that wouldn’t surprise her at this point.
She rang the doorbell, and an older man answered.
Smiling brightly, Kaitlyn asked, “Excuse me, is Lucas home?”
The man stared at her for a long moment before answering. “Nope. Lucas is at his friend’s house. What do you want with him?”
Her mind raced, trying to
come up with a plausible explanation. Finally, she just went with the truth. “It was a shot in the dark. My ex-boyfriend’s name is Lucas Andrews. I looked him up, and this was one of the addresses.”
The man tsked. “Damn computers can tell you anything nowadays. Sorry, wrong house, I’m afraid. I think my Lucas is a bit too young for you. Good luck on your search.” He shut the door.
Following her instincts, Kaitlyn skipped the second name on the list and made her way to the third, even though it was further away. Something in the back of her mind told her it was the location she was searching for. When she checked the map, it gave her the distances when walking and for when traveling by car. She decided to grab a cab like they always did in the movies. However, after standing on the street for ten minutes, she realized the chances of catching a cab on a side street in the suburbs were not very good, so navigated to the main highway.
The first time a yellow cab rode by, she stuck out her hand, but it drove past her. She had no idea what she was doing wrong.
About ten minutes later, another came down the highway and pulled over. Sliding in the front seat, she showed the driver the address on her phone. The car pulled out and neither spoke on the drive, which was fine by her; she wasn’t feeling chatty.
“Please drive past the house without stopping.”
The driver raised an eyebrow, but kept driving.
Kaitlyn recognized Lucas’s Jeep in the driveway. She stared up at the small brick house. Hopefully, he didn’t have a secret wife she wasn’t aware of.
“Can you drop me off two blocks ahead?”
The driver drove ahead without a word. She noticed a black SUV parked across the street from Lucas’s.
Walking casually she turned right and then left, and walked the two blocks until she was directly behind Lucas’s house a street over. She should wait till nightfall, but she wanted answers now.
Harrington’s security team wasn’t that large. More than likely there was only one guard watching the house and he would never see her enter.
She walked through the yard and hopped the short chain linked fence. As she suspected, there was no one in the backyard. She hurried up the back steps, and knocked on the door.
The door swung open, and Lucas stood, staring at her, his mouth agape. He was only wearing plaid pajama bottoms and nothing else. The sight of his bare skin almost made her forget what she was there for.
“Kate?” He pulled her into the dim interior and slammed the door. “What are you … how did you … what are you doing here? There’s a guard out front.”
“That’s why I came in the back door.” She looked away from his chest and met his eyes. “Why Lucas? Why all the lies?”
“Come in here and sit down. What’s happened?”
He led her into an open living room. Dark curtains were drawn and the lights were out. A worn leather couch faced a brick fireplace, and a large red rug covered the hardwood floor beneath a coffee table. The walls were lined with bookshelves. A brushed metal lamp sat on a dark, wooden end table. Her mind was going through the stores where they were purchased, but she ignored it. She didn’t care where Lucas shopped. She wanted different answers.
“Sit down.” Lucas motioned to the couch.
A black cat with a white patch of fur around its left eye strolled slowly into the room and sat down, flicking her tail as she stared suspiciously at Kate. She wondered if it could tell she wasn’t fully human.
“How old am I, Lucas, and … you have a cat?”
He settled in a recliner next to the couch and dropped his head. “You’re twenty, and yes, I have a cat. I guess you could say she came with the house.”
The cat seemed to make some kind of decision, and jumped on Kate’s lap. Startled, she ran her hand down its soft fur without really thinking about it.
“Domino never goes to anyone.”
“Domino?”
“The cat. She’s very much a loner.”
“Kindred souls, I guess. Why did you let me believe I was seventeen?”
Lucas sighed. “I guess I never thought about your age, and I didn’t realize you did, either.”
“I don’t care about my age. What I want to know is what happened to me in those lost years?”
Lucas leaned forward to take her hand, but she pulled away. His brow knitted together. “You were in a coma for almost three years.”
Kaitlyn didn’t say anything for a long time while she processed the new information. “I remember waking up and seeing you.”
“Do you?” He smiled sadly. “I sat by your bed every day. We weren’t sure you would pull through. It’s a miracle you’re alive.”
“A miracle, or science?”
He shrugged. “They often go hand in hand.”
“I’m so confused, Lucas. I thought it would help, finding out who I was, but it hasn’t helped at all.” She stared at him. “I saw someone from my past. Someone I once loved.”
Lucas tensed. “Evan.”
Nodding, she replied, “I saw Evan, and that made me even more confused.”
“What happened?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell him anything. He just thought I was someone that looked like Cassidy. My name is Cassidy? That doesn’t even sound right.”
“It was Cassidy,” Lucas said gently. “You’re Kaitlyn now. Unless you want to be Cassidy?”
She shook her head. “No. Cassidy died a long time ago.”
“How did you feel when you met him?” Lucas looked away, as if he didn’t really want to hear the answer.
“Strange. He’s married now. I didn’t feel a pull toward him the way I thought I would, the way I do with you.”
Lucas’s shoulders relaxed, and Kaitlyn realized he had been jealous.
“You have nothing to worry about, Lucas.” She didn’t know why she was comforting him after all of the lies.
“Why are you back? You should have kept running. Everyone is looking for you. If they find out you were here—”
“I don’t want to run,” Kaitlyn cut in wearily. “Run to where? I had a lot of time to think on the train.”
“Tell me what you want, Kate, and I will do everything in my power to make it happen.”
“I thought about the woman that was raped. Cassidy was brave, and wanted to help others. I want to honor the girl I used to be. I have all of these upgrades and skills that I could put to use. There is so much bad in the world, maybe I can help … even if just a little. This is who I am, Lucas, and we should use it for good.”
He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “We can’t hand you over, they’ll just use you as a weapon. I need to think this over. If we can get Harrington to keep you … I just have to make him understand. We’ll have to tell him that you have thoughts and emotions, Kate.”
“That’s fine. I’m sick of hiding who I am, sick of all the lies.”
He stood, coming to sit beside her, and gently cupped her face with his hands, as if she were made of glass. “If we can’t convince Harrington, we’ll run away together. I’m not losing you again, Kate. I was going crazy without you.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” He tugged her into a tight hug, resting his head on hers as she leaned into him. Suddenly, the cat jumped off her lap and ran out of the room.
“I need a shower and change of clothes, but right now, I just want to sit here with you. Is that okay?” Kaitlyn asked.
“More than okay.”
“Has the guard entered the house?”
“No, he just sits out there all day and night. They switch shifts at nine.”
“Useless.”
“I think it makes Harrington feel like he’s doing something. He’s going crazy.”
She pulled away to gaze into his eyes. “Can we wait till tomorrow to talk to Harrington?”
“Absolutely.” Entwining his hand in Kaitlyn’s, Lucas slowly rubbed his thumb along her knuckles. “Anything for you. Besides, it’s Sunday anyway.”
When he leaned down and kissed her, Kaitlyn sank against him, comforted by his presence and the feel of his chest beneath her fingertips. It had been a long couple of days, and in the end, she was where she belonged.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lucas whistled as he tossed Kaitlyn’s clothes in the washing machine and dumped a cup of detergent inside. Everything will be okay, he told himself. Somehow, they would work it out. He wouldn’t hesitate to run away with Kate if that was what it came down to, and that fact alone brought a sense of calm to him. He would do anything to keep her safe.
Even if it meant walking away from everything he knew.
He paused, staring at the way the leftover detergent pooled in the bottom of the cup. Wasn’t that exactly what they had done to her? They had stripped her of everything that made her ‘Cassidy’ the night she lost her life.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her walk into the kitchen. She was wrapped in a grey towel that matched her eyes … and nothing else. Just the sight caused his heart to pound and his breathing to change. Putting the cap back on the detergent, he shut the door to the washer, but forgot to hit start.
“Feel better?” he asked, unable to tear his gaze away.
Her hair was wet and tousled; she looked fresh-faced and innocent. Gone was the blank stare he had expected from her for so long, replaced with a look of wide-eyed wonder. She had been stuck on the compound for so long, it must have been such a stark contrast to be free, to see all of the things—the knick knacks and belongings—that make up a person’s home. Freedom looked so unlike her bland room on the compound. He wanted to be the one to share in her newfound freedom. There was so much for her to explore and learn. He smiled at the thought of being by her side to experience it with her.
The sight of her bare shoulders was too much. The way she clutched the towel pushed her breasts up, spilling cleavage over the top. His mind started speeding down a road he knew should be left alone … at least for now. She wasn’t ready to take their relationship to that level, not yet.
He cleared his throat. “I left you some clothes in the bathroom.”
“I saw them.” She smiled sweetly and crossed the room until she was a few feet away.
