Mechanical
Page 16
I glanced at Jessica and Michael from the corner of my eye. They were staring at Yvonne in horror.
“Yvonne ... we’re not world leaders or anything,” I said, laughing a little to lighten to mood.
But Yvonne didn’t even smile. “Remember, I have the upper hand here.” She held up the system, which recorded my tracking device. Her voice was cold and her eyes were sharp like ice shards.
I knew Yvonne. I knew her well enough to know that she would do anything to get that power. I knew she would turn us in. It was just a matter of time. Any second now, she would press that little button on the device and the other androids would come running.
“Please, Yvonne,” I whispered. “We used to be best friends. Don’t you remember that? Please don’t turn us in.” But I knew deep down it was no use.
God, don’t let her. I silently pleaded. Not for me, but for Jessica and Michael.
Every time I thought about the androids catching us and taking us to the Institution, I thought about the boy on the operating table, his wrist slit open, his mind, his body, all realigned.
“I’m not afraid to get what I want, Drew,” Yvonne said slowly.
I closed my eyes. This was it. “I know. Turning us in would get you farther with the creators. The one thing that seems to mean more than anything to you,” I replied sourly. “You always get everything you want.” I knew too well.
There was a pause.
“So what do you want?” I was afraid to ask.
“I want power, Drew.” Yvonne smiled sickly. “I’d think you would know me well enough by now.” Her voice was syrupy. “We are perfect, you and I,” Yvonne said to me, her dark eyes glinting. “I’ve already pointed that out. We’re better than the creators. And I want to be the one to lead the new world. Not them.”
In her eyes, I saw something that I had never seen before. It scared me. Sure, I had seen her angry, greedy and self-centered, but nothing like this. Her eyes were hungry, craving, murderous. She wanted this more than anything else in the world. And she would stop at nothing to get it.
“And so,” Yvonne twirled the tracking device between her fingers like someone might twirl their hair. “To answer your question on whether or not I am going to turn you in ...” She smiled. “Depends on you.”
I looked at her, startled. “Me?” I blinked.
“I want to be a leader,” Yvonne repeated. “But to do that, I need followers; people who will help me achieve what I want.” Her expression was intense. “You can help me do that.”
I stared at her. She wanted me to help her become the nation’s, or possibly the world’s most powerful leader? Yvonne? The thought of her gaining any sort of power made me sick. She was selfish, sneaky, and did things only for her personal benefit. The world would crumble to its knees if Yvonne somehow found her way to power.
And she wanted me to help her get there?
“It’s an easy choice, really,” Yvonne said much too happily. “Either you help me, or you and your friends are snatched up by the creators.” She gazed adoringly down at the tracking device. “So Drew, what’s it going to be?”
My initial reaction was a definite no, but then I saw Yvonne watching me closely, delicately fingering the tracking device like a glass figurine. My heart sank. She wasn’t going to give me a choice.
“Okay,” I said quietly, not meeting her eyes. The word tasted bitter on my tongue.
Yvonne smiled unpleasantly. “Oh, good. I’m so glad you chose that.” Although she didn’t sound exactly glad.
I looked away from her.
“So, since you’ve pledged your allegiance to me, I guess the least I can do is keep you safe,” she said, lowering the tracking device. I let out a quiet breath of relief. “I have a place where you can stay,” she told me.
I watched her turn and begin to walk off, beckoning for us to follow. My feet seemed to move without my telling them to, trudging reluctantly after her. It seemed as if the tracking device controlled every part of me. I stared at Yvonne’s back as we hurried through the woods and thought about her proposition—what it all meant. I would never be sure of whether she’d eventually turn me in. There was no guarantee of anything. I saw Michael and Jessica out of the corner of my eye, each of them looking equally nervous, and suddenly something stirred inside of me. For as long as I could remember, I had always been controlled by someone—before, the creators, and now Yvonne. My eyes glanced down to Yvonne’s hand, the tracking device still planted firmly in her palm. It shone metallic in the sunlight, like a cage—my cage.
I gritted my teeth, anger and determination boiling over me. I would take it from her. Somehow, I would find a way to get it and my life would be mine. No more orders, no more deals. My decisions and my life. Once and for all.
Perfect
The Mechanical Trilogy, Book Two
Available June, 2013
Drew now knows the real mission her creators were trying to accomplish; create a perfect world. In other words, taking people, eventually all of the people on earth, and turning them into mechanically altered, perfect, human beings. That is what Drew previously found out had happened to her.
But, although Drew, Jessica and Michael know that they need to somehow stop the creators, Drew also knows that she’s made another enemy along the way; one possibly even more dangerous than the creators.
As Drew struggles to detach herself from the people who ‘created’ her and untangle the mess they’ve made, she discovers that it might not be as easy as she thought, that she is destined to play a larger role in this plan than she ever intended.
About the Author
Pauline C. Harris is now seventeen years old and has been writing since the age of eight. After self-publishing her first novel when she was fourteen, she moved on to write the Mechanical Trilogy. She loves reading science fiction and fantasy, and her main hobby, other than writing, is playing violin in various orchestras and quartets. Mechanical is her first professionally published novel.
Website:
www.paulinecharris.wix.com/author
Twitter: @PaulineCHarris
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