by Brown, Tara
“Oh, you haven’t heard?” He cringes. “Lots of sickness. Poor plumbing and hygiene and too many people. They’re crowding the city, trying to build an army.” He rolls his eyes. “They need ten of them to one of us.” He gives me a smug grin. “And with how fast I can make one of us, we’ll outnumber them in six months.”
“You mean you put the nanobots into the blood stream and let them take over?” I’m a bit lost but I think I get it.
“No, God no. I send the nanobots in to wake up the ones that are already there.” His eyes dazzle.
“The ones that are already there?” Now I’m lost.
“Oh yes. You see, we already had nanobots in us. Vaccines. Surgeries. Birth control. You name it, it had it. Big pharma was against it, naturally. They didn't want to fix the world’s population, but the government went over their heads. It was agreed upon three years ago. And then they started putting them inside us. I was in the hospital a lot, so I would’ve been one of the first. You being a teenager when they started, your first set of vaccines would have put them in you.”
“My dad wouldn’t have ever allowed that!” I snap. "This is craziness. We saw them spreading the nanobots."
“He wouldn't have, huh?” He laughs and goes to the door. “Follow me.” He opens the door where Lee is, so of course I hurry after him. She’s on a lab bed in a room that looks exactly like my doctor’s office did, only darker. She’s strapped down and her eyes are closed.
“Is she okay?” I hurry to her side, touching her cool skin.
“She’s fine.” A new voice joins the conversation, a voice I recognize. I turn, gasping when I see Dr. Jacquard, the man from the military base up North. The one my father electrocuted.
“You!”
“Yes, hello, Lou,” he offers quietly. “Your friend is fine. She’s recovering from the rewiring. It takes a second. The nanobots take you off-line for a moment. It’s different than the way the biters did it. Gentler.”
“How did you get here?”
“I heard about the colony of people like us.” His eyes dart to Liam. “And His Majesty was in need of a doctor with my certain skill set. So it worked well for me to come here.”
His Majesty? I almost say it aloud. “My dad died.”
“I’m sorry. I heard. He was a great man. He’s the reason we’re where we are now. He saved us from Arsenault’s craziness. Old bastard.”
“He was a genius and we don't speak ill of him,” Lester reprimands him.
“Well, you never worked with him, so you don't actually know,” Jacquard says quietly.
“Anyway, we’re pleased to be able to offer this freedom to anyone who wants it,” Lester changes the subject.
“Miss Stoddard is more fascinated by the nanobots that were already inside us,” Liam says to Jacquard.
“Ah yes. Those.” He bites his lip. “That was a genius idea. Before we decided to weaponize them, the bots were supposed to heal and do helpful things. Bring us to our full potential. Do surgeries. Cure illnesses."
“And prevent weakness from spreading,” Liam adds.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it worked two ways: in cases where a disease ran in the family, we could either turn off your ability to reproduce or we could have the bots heal you. Depending on age and your situation in life, we could adjust your bots and what they did.”
“Breed the sickness out of the population, as well as the sickly and poor and stupid. Isn’t that right, Jacquard?” Liam laughs but it’s bitter.
“And the crazy,” Jacquard adds, also with bitterness.
“Touché.” Liam glances back at me. “And that was their plan. Make humans need less. No more overweight people or anxiety or disabled. No more needs. No more shots or vaccines or pills or medicine. No more diabetes or cancer. And no more overpopulation. Although that was the one you were struggling with curing, wasn't it?”
Jacquard’s eyes lower.
“Yes, we were all struggling with how to cure that. Weaponizing the bots was a great way to kill enemies, but reckless human slaughter would never be allowed. So the bots would take a generation to cure the population problem. And with the global warming and all the other nonsense that was happening, we were out of time.”
“So Arsenault wasn't crazy then?” I hope I’m following along well enough to catch Liam’s gist.
“No.” Liam shakes his head and turns to Jacquard. “Not entirely, was he?”
“He was crazy, and he had found God, but his plan to reduce the population and only let the best people survive was an idea the whole group had come up with together.” He sounds ashamed.
“And my father knew all this?” My heart breaks. His guilt and blame gets heavier.
“He did. He never agreed. He saw the practical application, but never the control or the murdering.” Jacquard’s eyes plead with me. “Most of us disagreed.”
“It’s heavy stuff, kid.” Harold comes and stands near me. “But your dad was a good guy. He never would’ve let this happen. You have to remember that.”
“But he did.” I sigh, turning away and leaving Lee on the bed and Harold in the company of the craziest people I’ve met in a while. I need air and a moment to digest this.
I rush to the deck and fling open the doors, allowing the ocean air to wash over me. I lean against the railing and let the sea be all I see.
Closing my eyes, I try not to let it all overwhelm me.
I tell myself over and over and over that there is only now. None of the past matters. The how and the why and the who aren’t important anymore. It’s just about surviving long enough to see my sister again and hold her and lie to her and tell her our dad was a great man.
And then kiss Kyle and he’ll wrap around me, smothering me in him.
There's nothing else.
I need those two things.
The scratch at the door suggests another family member needs something else. Someone opens the door and Gus is beside me, sniffing the air and peeking over the railing. He leans and nudges, checking on me.
“It’s a beautiful view, is it not?” Liam asks, interrupting my mental moment.
“No. I prefer hills and fields.”
“Typical. You people always do.” He leans on the railing, peering at me. “I met your dad.”
“What? When?"
“Before. He was on his way to find you, and I was on my way to the islands because I heard they were safe.”
“And he was where, on the islands?”
“No. I never made it to the island. I was in the middle of nowhere, stopped for food and a car switch when he came upon my friend and me. And Lester.” He nods at the house. “We were pretty upset when he told us I might die and the island plan wasn’t going to work. He said he was going home for his daughters and he would let us come with him. I didn't want to. I wanted to die alone, if that was the case, in a place my friends would be able to live on without me. So me and Grace and Lester went to a farmhouse. It was in this weird little farm town called Cashmere, like the fabric but not.”
“I know where that is.”
“We met a lady named Leah, like us—like me and you. She was a friend. She and her family, her husband Davis, are kind people.” He sounds weird and I want to ask questions but something about his tone suggests I shouldn't.
“Did she stay there?”
“She did, she had a farm. We could have made a life there. Been safe and grown food and created something. But that was before.” He gets lost for a second, wincing as if in pain. “It was there that I realized my rebirth and powers came with responsibility. I needed to organize the bots, the people like us, and form a community. We had to keep each other safe. Especially, when I heard the cities were rounding us up and making us kill the undead so the humans could survive this. As if we’re their slaves. Their gifts from God.” His eyes burn and his hands dig into the railing. “I want us to be free. And I want us to rebuild this world so that we not only survive but also thrive. I want jus
tice and fairness. And I don't want the humans to be able to say that we should die because we’re different.”
“But you think they should die for being weaker?”
“No. I think they should change and become like us. One of the hive.” He sighs, taking in the fresh air. “Become better so they don't need and die and suffer and drag us all down.”
“How do you know it’s better?”
“Lester was a nonverbal ape of a human being before this. He grunted things like yes and no. Now he’s spouting Shakespeare and practices bar work in the dance studio. He has a leotard for God’s sake.”
“Really?” I crack a grin. I can't even fight it. “No way.”
“God’s honest truth.” He crosses his chest. “Lou, I want you to know, I don't intend to hurt the humans, just change them to be better.”
“And if they resist?”
“Did you resist when they put the nanobots in you during your vaccines?” He grins creepily again.
“I didn’t kno—” I pause. “How?”
“Well, first you have to spread the sickness, then you have to give them the shots for it.” He winks.
“Oh my God!” I shout. “My little sister is there. What if she’s sick?” I turn and run back inside. “Harold, we have to leave and go get Joey.”
Harold’s eyes dart from me to Liam. “What’s going on?”
“I told her about my plan to vaccinate all the people in the free cities.”
“It’s an intelligent plan, Lou. No one will die. No one who has the old bots anyway,” Lester defends Liam. “And the others, who don't have the bots, will be spared a horrible life here in the ruins as outcasts. So it’s a win-win.”
“What?” I glance back at Liam, my insides tangled up in tension. “What does he mean ‘who don't have the old bots’?”
“Nothing,” Liam snaps, his face changing and his mood growing fierce. “Take her to a room to have a nap. She’s tired,” Liam says as if he’s able to command me about.
Lester grabs me by the arm, squeezing just enough to suggest I shouldn't fight. I want to, everything in me is screaming Joey’s name, but I don't. I let the beast drag me down the hall just as I catch Liam say, “I thought you said she was intelligent?” to Harold before the door closes.
In the hallway, Lester spins me around and holds both my arms. “Don't make him angry, Lou. I like you and I think he likes you. You remind me of Grace a little and she made him happy. You could make him happy too. You should think about that.” He opens a door and pushes me in, closing and locking it behind him.
My shoulders slump as I stare out the window at the courtyard where people are milling. It’s like a scene from a movie. Gorgeous courtyard with dudes who seem shady and up to no good, hanging out, holding weapons, and laughing with one another. It’s more like a cartel drug runner’s house than a mansion on the sea with a crazy king in it.
I lie back on the bed and close my eyes, plotting.
I need to get to my sister.
I need to save her from this mess.
Plotting turns to sleeping but this time I don't dream, not that I recall. I swear I’m asleep one second and the next I’m wake, startled by a noise and the presence of someone nearby.
“Hello?” I whisper.
“Lou?” Lee whispers back. She’s on the other side of the door.
“Oh my God, thank God you’re okay. Do you feel all right?” I rush the door and place my face against the seam.
“I feel great. Never better. My feet don't hurt anymore. Liam says it takes a couple of weeks for powers to kick in, but I should be immune right away. And the biters won’t see me anymore. No more hiding. Thank God.”
“That’s good. Can you get me out?” I place my hand on the door, hearing what sounds like her placing her hand on the other side.
“No. I don't have a key and if I try bashing it open it’ll make too much noise.”
“Shit! Can you get Harold and go to the city? Save everyone from the nanobot injections?”
“No, Lou. Why would we do that? They’ll all be better, like us.” Her words cut into me.
"What?"
"Think about it. They'll be like us, invincible."
“Right but he said not everyone survives it. What if they don't have the old nanobots in them? They die.”
“Lou.” She sounds like she’s moved closer into the crack a little more. “In this world, they'll die anyway. No one is getting out of this alive unless they’re like us.” My heart cracks.
She’s drunk the Kool-Aid.
She’s one of his little minions.
She believes the crazy.
Shit!
He’s brainwashed my bestie.
“Can you just protect my sister, please?” I ask, fighting tears and defeat, but hoping she's still with me enough to see that our families are the priority.
“You don't have to ask, Lou. Of course I will. I’ll see you soon,” she says and she’s gone. She walks away before she has to answer any more questions.
Tears flood my face. I cover my eyes and sob hard in a way I haven’t in a long time. It’s a release.
It’s frustration and confusion and betrayal. And honestly, hate. I hate Liam.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Come on, Miss Stoddard.” Lester opens the door, offering me a hand. “The king wants to see you.”
I climb off the bed, not excited about seeing Liam but desperate to be out of this room and find out what’s happening in the city. What's happening to the Littles.
Lester takes my hand as we walk and holds it, delicately. “Did you know Liam and I used to be sick? He saved us. He’s not a bad person, at all.”
“Cool,” I reply with all the interest I have.
“It is cool. You should be grateful he even cares if you survive or not. We all should be grateful. He’s going to reshape this world. And fix everything.”
“Awesome.” I nod, almost wishing I could have some Kool-Aid.
“Here ya go.” He unlocks the door and opens a new room, one much nicer than the one I was in. He closes the door again and leaves me there. It’s a bedroom, so naturally I’m uncomfortable.
“Lou,” Liam comes around the corner, wearing blue suit pants and a baby blue dress shirt, looking hot. If he wasn't such a know-it-all bossy loser, he’d be crazy hot. But the crazy is all I’m getting off him. “I feel like we started off on the wrong foot. I think you’re misunderstanding me.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I think I got you loud and clear. You want all the humans to become bots, as you so lovingly call us. And if they don't change, you’re going to shun them and they’ll die. On top of that, you’ve introduced a sickness into the cities to force them to vaccinate against it and make them into bots, but only if they have the old bots in them already. The ones who don't have it, will die, but that's just loss in war.”
“Well, you’re making it sound harsher than it is.” He sits next to a fire in a large round chair and points at the one opposite it. “Have a seat.”
It isn’t an invitation so I sit.
“No one is going to force the humans to do anything they don't want to do. Look at Lee. What human is going to pick being weak and vulnerable over being invincible?”
“You have a god complex.” I heard that on Dr. Phil.
“Yes, I do.” He smiles wide. “Because we are gods here. We are better than they are. We are stronger and we are more. So yes, I have a god complex. And so should you. You’re wasting yourself being their protector. You need to find a way to accept that this fate is the better one. We’re better than they are. It’s a fact.” He leans forward, his suit tightening in the arms a little. “Tell me one thing they do better than we do.”
“Grow old gracefully together.”
“That’s not a positive. And we don't know that we won’t grow old. We might.”
“How?” I sneer. “We’re constantly healing. Aging is declining. The bots won’t let us.”
�
�No, because they love us. We’re their hosts. And they want what’s best for us. Think about this: No more wars. No more diseases. No more domestic violence. No more mental institutions. No more imbalances. No more pollution. No more dissatisfaction. We’re becoming perfect. Look at that guy who brought you here, I think his name’s Chris. He was hugely obese when I found him. He’s lost over a hundred pounds in a few months. His body is just shedding the weight. The bots are healing him. No weak people smoking. No child molesters. No murderers. We all live in peace because the bots communicate with each other. They want us all together. You know you feel it, the sensation of belonging here with me.”
His words ring true.
I hate it but they do.
He’s right. I don't even have an argument.
“When this started, the world was sick. Humans were destroying everything and spending ridiculous amounts of resources and money on bullshit things. It doesn’t have to be that way anymore.”
I wonder if the Kool-Aid is in the air, because I sense his words sinking in, his truths becoming mine.
But Joey is the one thing that stops me short. “What about little kids? You can’t say that giving them the bots will let them grow up normally. We don't know what they’ll become, and it might not be good.”
“Why assume it’s bad?”
“I don't take risks with kids.”
“God!” He leans back, covering his face in exasperation. “You are one tough nut to crack.”
“Most of my family is dead and the few friends I have surviving this bullshit of a situation are in one of the cities you’re trying to kill off with your sickness. Do you really think for a second I’d be cool with this? Why do you care how I feel about the whole thing anyway? What’s my opinion to you?”
“You’re the daughter of the creator. You’re like Jesus to this apocalypse. Your father is the man who invented these nanobots and made us what we are. Him, Jacquard, Arsenault, the whole team. They’re gods to us now. And as a child of one of the gods, you should be a ruler. You should be a common-sense answer so that when history is written about this moment, your support for the cause we are creating is the answer to ‘why?’ and ‘how could they?’”
