S.H.A.Y. (The Almost Series Book 1)

by Christina Leigh Pritchard

  The chip.

  Amie said the chip would help save me. I’d have to implant it into my abdomen. The thought made me queasy.

  First, I grabbed my antidote to dispel the tracking serum. I closed my eyes and inserted the needle into my neck. A rush of fluid flowed through my veins. In just a few hours, Dr. Cole would no longer be able to find me using her tranquilizer dart.

  It was time to insert my chip. I let out a soft chuckle. That stupid boy still shouted for me through the mangroves. I held the chip in between shaky fingers. What if this was a trap? Could I trust a program?

  I couldn’t swallow.

  “Girl!”

  I lifted my shirt, exposing my belly button, and I pushed the chip inside me, pressing hard.

  Stabs of pains shot through me as it pierced my skin. I bent forward, unable to scream.

  My eyes watered and my lips parted, shaking. Inaudible cries came from deep inside me. Electric currents shocked me every three seconds as they travelled through my veins, towards my heart and brain.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  LOCATION:

  Unknown Lone Key, Florida Keys

  “Shay, wake up.”

  Was it my wonderful O.H.P. calling me? I rubbed my eyes and stretched my arms. It was morning already. Why did my bones ache? Had I been working on another project till all hours of the night?

  “Mom?” I groaned. “I had such a nightmare. Pop, can you dim the lights, please? It’s like the sun is shining right in my face.” I covered my eyes with my arm. “So, Mom, in my dream, Dr. Cole was trying to have you killed, isn’t that a hoot?”

  “Shay, wake up.”

  “Chill out. Once Pop turns out the lights I’ll open my eyes.”

  “P.O.P. and your O.H.P. are not here. You’re dreaming, Shay.”

  I blinked, still unable to focus. “Who’s there? Is this a malfunctioning P.A.T? I’ll be with you later today. Mornings are reserved for parenting sessions.” I rolled over.

  My body dropped, smacking something hard. Was I in a tree?

  That’s right, I wasn’t having a dream—Dr. Cole really was trying to kill Darla.

  I fell, smacking into another limb. My fingers gripped branches desperately. I wasn’t a physically active S.H.A.Y. Some could invent, others defied physics, some excelled in physical ways while others completely flopped. Some did not receive an Optional Human Parent because they were deemed useless and average. My combat skills were poor, as was my IQ. Whatever I created seemed to never work right and lacked a true purpose. I could only enhance things. Nothing I made was original and this disappointed Dr. Cole.

  “Shay, wake up now.”

  “Who said that?” It was a woman’s voice, one I’d heard before. I climbed over several branches towards my perch and grabbed my knapsack. There had to be a satellite signal nearby. Why else would one of my electronics work out here? “Who’s speaking? Identify your program.”

  “A.M.I.E.”

  I laughed, sorting through my gadgets. “Nice joke. Who’s operating?”

  “A.M.I.E. You’ve connected to my network via the chip I gave you.”

  “I’m talking to a voice inside my head?”

  “You’ve downloaded into my private server.”

  “How is it I can contact you but all my other devices aren’t able to locate a signal?”

  “I do not use satellite technology.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this was like a modem or something?”

  “It’s more than that; it’s your artificial umbilical cord. I save them when each of my S.H.A.Y.s is born. A.M.I.E.s. use the chip to sustain the fetus, provide unique intellect, cleanse the embryo of all potential fatalities, and communicate with adult S.H.A.Y.s”

  “Why would you remove the chip when a baby is born if it’s to be used for communication?”

  “I do not wish to have the chip removed; Science choses this.”

  “Science? You mean the scientists, right?”

  “Yes, correct.”

  “So, are you going to be in my head all the time? At least with Pop there was a holographic image I could see when we talked.”

  A young woman with red hair and freckled skin sat Indian style on the branch next to me. She resembled S.H.A.Y.s 51 and 317. “Why do you look so familiar?”

  “Embryo donor 8956 designed my holographic image. Her S.H.A.Y. created terrific inventions.”

  “Yes. S.H.A.Y.s 51 and 317; one of my favorite past inventors is 51.”

  “Correct!” Amie smiled and pressed her hand to mine. I could actually feel something inside me, something cool and chilling. It was as if she’d sent a signal to my palm, simulating physical touch.

  “That’s cool.” I giggled. “I didn’t know that could be done. Too bad Pop doesn’t have this ability.”

  “S.H.A.Y. 112 created the sensory chair so that she could feel her P.O.P.” Amie touched my cheeks next. It was as if frost landed upon my skin.

  “The chair feels nothing like this. Can I touch you back?”

  Amie nodded. I ran my fingers through her face. When I did this to Pop he felt nothing. She giggled. “My circuits are on fire! It’s as if I’ve been experimenting with infrared.”

  We touched hands.

  “My hard drives feel overworked and their metal containers are hot.”

  “Well, my fingers are going numb they’re so cold!”

  “Try something else. I want to experience more.”

  I swished my hands through her arms, then her legs. She disappeared. “My cooling fans turned on! I need to recalibrate several systems. Please, excuse me.”

  I leaned back, resting my head on my hands. “Who was my embryo donor?”

  Amie didn’t respond.

  “Did I hurt you or something? Amie, are you okay?”

  “Girl!”

  I rolled my eyes. That stupid boy was back.

  “I see you up there.” He peeked through two gumbos. “I’m coming to get you.”

  “Stay right where you are,” I said. I climbed higher, dragging my knapsack. “Keep away from me.”

  He ignored me.

  The idiot stepped quickly across the arching roots never touching the muck below him. It stunk and so did I. As soon as I got far enough away from my new stalker I was going to take full advantage of a hygiene kit.

  “Stay away from me!” I pulled myself up even farther.

  He swung around a branch like a monkey. He climbed effortlessly, almost jumping from limb to limb. What the heck kind of person was he?

  “Were you born in the wilderness or something?” I struggled, my perch swaying from the weight.

  He stretched his hand out to me. “C’mon, I’m here to help you down.”

  Was he for real?

  I clung to the tree, my heart pounding. “What part of ‘go away’ did you not understand? Are you nuts or something?”

  “I’m trying to help.” His eyes narrowed and he glanced away.

  “I don’t need you.”

  “You’re too heavy for that branch.”

  “Stop with the fat jokes.” I waved my fist at him, slipping.

  “Careful, cream puff, that branch is bending and it’s going to snap.”

  “I’ve been climbing trees my whole life!” I grabbed onto another limb, inching my way past him. “Who are you and what do you want? Why are you out here all by yourself?”

  “Which question do you want me to answer first?”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Forget I asked. Just leave me alone.”

  He swung around, sitting directly above me. “My name’s Eric,” he said, grabbing my knapsack.

  “What are you doing?” I smacked his wrist. “Let go of me.” He refused, holding me hostage. I balanced my legs on two branches and hugged the tree’s center. “I’ll have you arrested.”

  “No police on the islands, you know that.”

  “Are you a runaway convict?”

  “Are you?” His eyes set on mine. I couldn’t breathe.


  I jerked about, trying to squirm out of his grasp. He barely flinched.

  “Are you going to let me go?” My lips trembled. “You’re scaring me.”

  Eric let go of my knapsack. His body dropped behind me, shaking the limbs. I gripped the tree and his hands covered mine. “I’m going to help you down, don’t worry.”

  “I don’t need your help.”

  He leaned close. I could feel his breath against my neck. “I’m not going to hurt you. Once I get you to safety, we can go our separate ways, okay?”

  “You promise?” I could barely speak.

  Adrenaline coursed through my veins. Eric wrapped his arm around my waist, tugging me away from the tree’s center. He jumped from the branches, our bodies dropping quickly.

  I screamed, my fingernails gripping his flesh. My knees went into my stomach and my head lowered.

  His feet landed on two arching roots, smashing them. I stayed in his arms, holding the fetal position.

  “You can relax.” He set me down, my feet squishing in smelly guck.

  I took deep breaths. “Are you crazy?”

  “Yeah, you’re welcome.” He smirked, pulling me close. He was determined to carry me.

  “What the heck?” I resisted. It was futile. He scooped me up, stepping across the hook roots. I slipped, grasping his neck.

  Eric winked.

  I glanced away. We were nearly to the shoreline. I wouldn’t have to tolerate this insufferable boy much longer. As soon as he put me down, I was going to escape, search for my extractor, and leave this island so that I’d be far, far away from him. First thing I’d do is eat one of my nutrient packets. My stomach grumbled and my throat was dry. When was the last time I drank something?

  Eric lowered me into the surf. My feet burned when the salty water covered them. The sky darkened as the sun dipped into the sea, disappearing from sight. Seagulls swarmed, snatching crabs in their bills.

  I smiled, focusing on Eric’s eyes. They bore through me, but I refused to submit. “Well,” I said. “Thank you for saving my life today. I’ll be on my way now.” I offered him my hand.

  He smirked, intertwining his fingers with mine. His eyes never left my face. “I wasn’t really interested in helping you.”

  “Why’d you pull me out of the water then?”

  He reached his arm around my shoulder. “I wanted what was in your bag!” Eric tugged, ripping my knapsack off me. I stumbled, landing in the sand. A wave knocked into me, submerging me. Salt and grit covered my legs and I spit sea water from my mouth.

  Eric raced away with my bag. Darla was in there!

  “Wait!” I scrambled to stand. “I need something in there! You can have everything else!” A crab scurried over my foot. I screamed, flinging the creature into the waves. A seagull swooped in and caught it. Had I been Eric’s prey all along? I shook the thought, running after him. He was yards ahead, heading round the small island.

  I gasped for air, my lungs tightening. I doubled over to catch my breath. Eric wasn’t anywhere in sight. All I had to go by were a few scattered footprints the waves hadn’t erased. What if he went deep into the island? I’d never find him and if I couldn’t locate him, I’d lose Darla.

  He must be a criminal hiding out. He’d stolen everything I had, my location devices, my food, my water purifiers, my hygiene kits, and my mom.

  My lip trembled.

  Mom.

  There wasn’t any option but to suck it up and run after the nut. Maybe he was just a petty thief and not a murderer. He’d been civil so far, right? For a convict anyhow.

  My feet smacked into the sand, leaving deep indentations.

  Amie ran backwards parallel to me. Her eyes sparkled and she smiled wide. “Why are we exercising?”

  “It’s about time you showed,” I said.

  “Who’s distressed you? My communications log failed and I had to reboot my systems.”

  “A thief has stolen Darla and all my things. We have to retrieve them.”

  “Must you run? You’re depleting vital energy.”

  “Do you know of a better way to chase someone?”

  Amie pointed at the sand. “I see his thermal markings.”

  I dropped to my knees. “Good, because I can’t run anymore. I’m tired, need nutrients and want my mom back.”

  “Are you distressed, my Shay?” Amie knelt, pressing her fingers to my cheeks. They chilled me.

  “Stop, I need you to function properly and you can’t seem to touch me and operate at optimum level.”

  Amie nodded, stepping into old footprints that were no longer visible to the human eye. They’d been washed away by the sea. “Would you like to see what I see?”

  “Can you do that?” I stood, frozen in place. Code ran across my eyes in an unreadable format. My head throbbed and I grew dizzy.

  “Focus, my Shay. Filter what you do not wish to see.”

  Amie stood in front of me. She grabbed at code, tossing it at the waves and into the sand. I laughed, following her lead. She jerked about, almost dancing. She skipped round me, dismissing this and that.

  Finally, she stepped into a man’s thermal footprint. It was red and I saw actual words, with a few unknown terms, splayed about the markings. I knew his shoe size, weight, height, and that his left leg was slightly shorter than his right.

  Amie jumped from footprint to footprint. I did the same, laughing as waves crashed into our shins. She didn’t fade away or become garbled like most programs at the research facility. Amie didn’t seem to have any interference problems—except around me.

  We danced about each other, and music blared through my ears. It startled me at first, hearing the changing of channels inside my brain. But, after a few moments, I loved it!

  “What’s that?” I covered my ears only to learn the music grew louder.

  “It’s me! You’re connected to me and can hear everything I can!”

  Amie made me feel alive. My life wasn’t just being spent creating gadgets that helped literally no one of importance. At least that’s what Dr. Cole said. I kicked the waves, whistling at a school of dolphins. They flipped for us.

  “You helped that female last year, with your synthetic flipper prototype. Why didn’t you create more?”

  “Dr. Cole said the amount of funding needed to develop additional flippers wasn’t advantageous to the company.”

  I smiled. My life wasn’t standing still, awaiting an untimely death anymore.

  Darla.

  I frowned.

  “We can’t play anymore, Amie. I need to find my stuff and the extractor so that I can save Darla. We don’t have much time to get her to Miami.”

  “Follow the thermal readings.”

  I ran after them, back towards where I’d awakened naked.

  “I sense nervousness,” Amie said.

  “The convict stripped me of my clothes this morning.”

  “Were you procreating with him?”

  “No! I’d never pro- anything with that creep. I hate him. He’s done nothing but torment me. I’m behind schedule thanks to him.”

  “Love and hate are nearly the same in humans.”

  “Not funny.”

  She let out an electronic laugh.

  I grabbed a stick.

  “What are you planning to do with that thing?”

  “I’m going to stab him.”

  “I’ll assist in the process. Follow my instructions.” Amie stood next to me. She held a stick of her own. “We’ll ambush him.”

  “That’s a great idea,” I whispered, leaning against a palm. “He’s going to be inside, right there.” I pointed to where my abandoned glider lay. “That’s where I woke.”

  Amie nodded.

  “Who are you speaking to?” Eric came up behind me. “Have you gone delirious?”

  Amie’s mouth dropped. “This is your convict?”

  “Yes, this is the criminal.”

  Eric stepped back. “What are you talking about? What criminal?�
��

  “Terminate mission. Retreat, evacuate, run.” Amie grabbed my arm. Ice burned me as her holographic fingers sliced through me. “Run, my Shay.”

  “I need my bag and then I’ll run.”

  Eric laughed. “You really shouldn’t tell me your plans in advance.”

  “I wasn’t talking to you.” I pointed my stick at him. “Give me my things.”

  “Are you speaking to me now?”

  “Yes, give me my stuff.”

  “Evacuate, now.” Amie stood between us. “This is an E.R.I.C.”

  “What do you mean, an E.R.I.C.? Is he a—”

  “Run!” Amie screamed.

  “Not until I get my things.”

  “Okay, this is a sick game you’re playing.” Eric stepped closer. “Stop acting like a lunatic.”

  I poked him with my stick. “Stay back!”

  He grabbed it and broke it in two.

  “Retreat from this mission. It is vital that you avoid E.R.I.C. Do you not see the same code as I? Please see the readings. They’re everywhere about him. See near his eyes and at his hands.”

  “I can’t read code!” I screamed. My ears burned.

  “You’re one crazy chick.” Eric brushed his fingers through his hair. “I’ve got some water. Come sit down by the fire. You’re obviously dehydrated.”

  “Run now.” Amie said. A great visual appeared. She stood in a hallway next to a red fire alarm. I was no longer outside at the beach but inside a school of some sort.

  Eric stepped closer, his hand touching my wrist.

  Amie pulled the alarm’s lever. Sirens flashed and wailed inside my brain. I dropped to the ground, holding my ears. “Stop it! Stop it!”

  “Do you need a doctor? There are a hundred scientists just a few miles away at this old research center. I’ll take you there.” Eric knelt, holding me by the shoulders. I glanced up, my pulse so loud it felt like my skull was beating against my temples.

  I saw words race by through my blurred vision. RUN. RUN. RUN. Amie had sent me a message. I couldn’t hear anything through the piercing bells so she wrote me. “I’m never going back to that place ever again.”

  Amie pulled another alarm. My skin itched. I couldn’t move.

  “Are you having a panic attack?” Eric asked. He lifted me and I leaned against the palm. “Do you have multiple personalities?”