by Leah Sanders
“Gem is a stem. She’s a product to them. Nothing more. When they become more trouble than they’re worth, Dr. Admatha sends them to research. A kind of… recycling.”
“They can’t do that.”
“I assure you, major, they can do anything they want.”
A light flickered to life in the garden, and the sound of a door sliding startled both of them. Aria took a step back into the shadows and motioned for Aaron to follow. Holding his breath, he stepped into the darkness beside her, but he kept an eye on the light streaming through the foliage.
Aria held a finger to her lips to remind him to keep quiet. They listened to the rustling coming from the other side of the fence. A low murmuring of conversation seemed to draw closer.
“Another dream?” one voice asked.
“Yes,” another voice replied.
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
“It was the same. Only not as clear as last time. And we were somewhere else. Not in the garden. Not even in the community. Somewhere — different. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Gemini—”
Aaron’s breath caught in his throat. When he jolted forward, Aria grabbed his arm and held him, shaking her head in warning.
It was Gem. He wanted to see her. To see for himself if what Aria said was true. But Aria had a death grip on his arm and held him fast.
“Gemini,” the voice came again. “I have to tell you something. About your dreams. Specifically about the dream you had the other night. The night you were in the garden.”
A heavy silence followed, broken only by the soft crunch of feet on the path inside the garden. “Here. Let’s sit down a moment. Are you feeling okay?”
“What is it you want to say?” Gem’s voice broke through.
“That wasn’t a dream, Gem.”
A gasp.
Aaron couldn’t wait any more; he tore his arm from Aria’s vice grip and stepped to the fence. The light from the garden illuminated him as he grasped the bars with both hands.
“Gem,” he whispered.
Both figures on the bench jerked to attention, and one of them stood to her feet but didn’t make a move toward him. The other figure stood slowly beside Gem and rested a hand on her forearm.
“Gem?” Aaron whispered again. He had to see her, to talk to her.
“Major Jennings?” Gem’s companion stepped toward him, protectively holding Gem behind her. “What are you doing here? It’s almost four o’clock in the morning.”
“I want to talk to her,” he answered and peered around the woman standing in his way. “Gem?”
“This is so dangerous.” The woman’s eyes burned into him, then her gaze went past him, searching the darkness for something. “What if you were followed? You could get all of us killed, you idiot.” Her whisper hissed through the bars at him.
“I wasn’t followed.” Beside him he felt Aria move in near his elbow.
“Aria?” The woman seemed surprised at Aria’s presence. Gem stepped out from behind her and was suddenly at the fence directly in front of Aaron.
“Gryff?” Uncertainty shook her voice and she lifted a tentative hand to his face. “Are you real?” she whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. Then her gaze shifted to Aria beside him.
“Aria? Am I dreaming?”
“No, honey. No dream. He’s here. He’s back.”
And then she seemed to melt in front of his very eyes. He reached to catch her, but she slumped to the ground before he could react. Instantly, her companion was on her knees beside Gem, trying to rouse her back to consciousness. “Gem! Gem!” She patted her face and rubbed her back vigorously. “Gem!”
A groan escaped Gem’s lips, and the woman glowered furiously at Aaron.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” she spat at him then turned to Aria. “I thought you were going to deal with this.”
Aria pushed past him to address the woman. “Don’t give me that self-righteous routine, Tanja. You knew he would be out here at this time. You could have kept her inside.”
Aaron stepped back. The bad blood between the two was evident in their steady icy glares as they stared each other down through the iron bars.
Gem moaned again, interrupting their silent feud.
“I’m going to take her inside.” She turned back toward Gem to help her up.
“Wait,” Aaron said, desperate for a few more minutes with Gem. “Just wait a minute. I can help you with her. How do I get in?”
“No! Aria, get him out of here. Someone’s going to hear and come out. You can’t be seen here. Go!”
“Major…” Aria began. “Gryffon—”
He snapped around to glare at her. “Stop! Stop it! I’m not that person… that stem. And if I am, I don’t remember. The only thing I remember is Gem. You have to let me help her. Aria — please.”
The garden lights reflected in the moisture now welling in her eyes. They stared at each other for a moment.
“Tanja, the gate,” Aria finally whispered, stopping the other woman mid-motion.
Aaron could hear her breath catch in her throat, then she set her chin and paced to the hidden gate. She palmed the lockpad to release the latch, and it slid open silently.
“Hurry. And keep quiet. I’ll do the talking. Got it?”
He stepped through the narrow opening and rushed to Gem. Aria remained on the other side of the fence.
“Are you coming in?”
“No. I’m going back to the dormitory.” Aria glanced around her nervously. “Major, we still have more to talk about.”
He nodded as he slid one arm under Gem’s head and his other beneath her knees, scooping her into his arms.
“Meet me at noon. The clock tower,” she whispered then disappeared into the darkness.
There was no time to contemplate all she had revealed to him. Gem needed his help. He glanced at Tanja. “Lead the way.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The room was dimly lit, and the hum of the cooling system filled the room as Gem opened her eyes. She shifted her legs slightly on the mattress, drawing the attention of Ms. Birger.
“How are you feeling?” she whispered, smoothing back Gem’s hair with a gentle hand.
More movement in the corner of the room caught Gem’s eye. Someone else was there. She squinted against the darkness to make out the face of the intruder. Ms. Birger rested her hand on Gem’s shoulder. A comforting gesture. Or was it protective?
The man stepped closer to Gem’s bed, and her breath caught in her throat. Gryff. It really was Gryff. She struggled to sit up, to get a better look. See him. Touch him. But Ms. Birger held her down with one hand.
“Just relax, Gem.” She lifted a warning finger to her lips and shook her head. “You know how it is.”
Of course. They weren’t out in the safety of the night air anymore, where there was no surveillance of conversation. Here in this room, it wasn’t safe to talk. Not openly. Desperation rose in Gem’s stomach. She wanted to know if this was just a dream. Her eyes could be deceiving her. After all, she had seen Gryff so many times in her sleep, it was becoming difficult to determine desire from reality.
He reached for her hand in a deliberate movement. Through her eyes, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Gryff was here. In her room. Holding her hand. He had never held her hand before — not like this. His eyes searched hers, and she felt lost in the depth of them as he knelt beside her bed and propped his elbows on the mattress, still clutching her hand.
Leaning closer, he spoke into her ear, his voice hardly more than a breath. “I’m here, Gem. I’m going to take you away from this place, and then it will be you and me. I promise.”
Promise was a word she didn’t understand. But his eyes said it had a profound meaning, and whatever it was, she desperately wanted it to be true.
“You have to go, major. You’ve stayed too long already,” Ms. Birger said, prodding him into action.
He lifted Gem’s hand to his lips. His warm,
soft lips. A surge of warmth spread through her hand, up her arm and to her core, gradually encompassing her whole being.
“You’ll come back?” she whispered.
“As soon as I can.” Then he stood and strode from the room with purpose in his step.
****
The old clock had just begun to chime out the noon hour when Aaron approached the hidden door and drummed a solid knock on it. It opened on creaky hinges, leaving just enough room for him to step into the darkened room. Aria stepped aside and let Aaron pass through the opening.
“I don’t have long. They’re expecting me at the mess hall.” He glanced around with a feeling of paranoia. Could they be heard here?
“I know. I’ll be quick. Gem has been scheduled for transport to the research facility. But if it is your intention to save her, you must understand the true nature of what is going on here. I can’t help you. If they think I have anything to do with this, I’ll be in danger too.” Aria reached into her pocket and retrieved a small iridescent plastic tube. She slipped it into his hand. “This is your file and Gem’s. Don’t access it on a connected computer. The one in your room is connected. You’ll have to disable the connection to use it. Do you know how?”
He nodded, though he wondered how she was able to access the top secret files that had been locked even to him.
“When you get done, you’ll have to wipe your cache before you reconnect.”
A rustling outside the door startled Aaron, and Aria seemed to jump too — her eyes darted to the entrance behind him.
“Her transport leaves tomorrow night at midnight. They will sedate her, and there will be only one attendant. The driver.”
He wanted to ask how she’d gotten all this information. But it wouldn’t make any difference. It was what it was.
“Major, don’t try to see her again before then. Lie low. They already suspect you know more than you should.”
****
“Lieutenant, these are the duty rosters for the men. Please see to it that they’re posted.
“Yes, sir.” The officer took the tube and slipped it in his pocket. Then ventured, “Are you having problems with your monitor, sir?”
“The connection is bad. Not sure what’s wrong. Hasn’t been working today.” He pushed back from the desk to offer the lieutenant access to the monitor.
“Yes, sir. It looks like the wiring is frayed. I’ll get you a replacement. May take a couple hours.”
“Hours? What about the tech staff? Can they get it fixed sooner?”
“No, sir. Maintenance on the mainframe today. They won’t be able to take care of this until tomorrow at the soonest. I can take care of it for you. No problem, sir.”
“I suppose that will have to do. Just make sure you post the duty roster first.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll go take care of that right now.”
“Good. You’re dismissed, lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir.”
The second the lieutenant left, and the door slid back into place behind him. Aaron disconnected the cord, set it aside, and pulled the file tube from his shirt pocket. His first officer’s alibi would keep him out of trouble from the disconnected monitor.
Aaron inserted the tube into the monitor and clicked the file access. He drew a deep breath, exhaled slowly through pursed lips, and closed his eyes.
His file and Gem’s. That’s what Aria had said.
Up to this point, Aaron had doubted her claim about his origin. And why wouldn’t he? He had his childhood memories, his reminders of home. But he also had those haunting dreams and the nagging discrepancies — his dominant right hand, the missing scar, the connection with Gem. This file. Everything could change in an instant.
He opened his eyes, and the screen flashed to life. Two files glowed on the screen. Gemini Stem 6418C. Gryffon Stem 6392C. His finger hovered over the file labeled with the name Gem had called him — both in his dreams and when she had seen him through the garden fence. And somewhere deep in his being, he knew.
It was his name.
A light tap brought the file blazing to life, and it filled the screen with more information than Aaron could digest at once. His gaze ran rampant over the clusters of data, searching for a beginning point, absorbing what he could from the scientific particulars. And then he saw it. AARON JENNINGS, CAPTAIN–DECEASED. MNEMONIC TRANSFER COMPLETE 06/18/20XX. A pain in his chest reminded him he was holding his breath, and the rush of the blood coursing through his brain disoriented him.
Everything he thought. Everything he believed he was. Nothing more than a delusion.
He drew in a breath — a slow ragged lungful of air. He could deal with this. He had years of training. Years of controlling his emotions under pressure. Of never letting circumstances dictate his response. And he was always prepared and able to adjust to any situation.
No. Not him. Aaron.
He didn’t know what he had.
On impulse he shoved his chair away from the desk and sat back, glaring at the monitor.
Gryffon. A stem. A copy of this deceased Aaron Jennings. Just a copy.
He ran his hands over his face and raked his fingers through his short hair, closing his eyes once more and sucking in a deep breath, slamming his fist on the arm of the chair with one solid motion.
And then it came rushing back to him.
His memories as Gryff.
Life at Endfield.
Schedules, assignments, level testing. And codes.
Code Green.
The day he left. The attendant who spoke with what he now understood to be a southern drawl. Being ripped away from Gem. From Teo and Tavon. And Aria.
Oh, no. He had a history with Aria. And she knew it. She had known it all along. Because she wasn’t a stem. She was a plant. Someone they had posted in the dormitories to report on stem life and interactions. A close personal eye.
A chill danced up his spine, spreading like liquid nitrogen to his extremities. The danger was real here. If they knew he knew… that he remembered…
And Gem. His fear drew him. Pulling close to the desk, he focused on the monitor once again. One tap closed the file on Gryffon Stem 6392C and another brought Gem’s file spiraling to the screen. He drew in a deep breath and held it until it burned in his lungs, begging for release.
The words were in red: STEM COMPROMISED. STEM SURROGACY TERMINATED. REPLACEMENT DUE 10/1/20XX. TRANSFER TO RECYCLE URF. The dates were all there. The specifics of tests to be run on the body. They were set to take her apart piece by piece.
Aaron had to save her. No. Gryff had to save her. But Aaron would help him. He wasn’t just Gryffon Stem 6392C anymore. He had Aaron’s memories. His training. His street knowledge and his identification. And he was going to use them to his full advantage. To save Gem. And get them out of this death camp.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gryff knew he was on his own. Aria had given him the information he needed — when and where Gem would be transported — but everything else was left to him. Aria wasn’t ready to leave, and it was far too dangerous for her to seem to be involved in the escape.
He would have to do it alone. It wasn’t even safe to confide in any of his men. There’s no telling who was trustworthy in a situation like this.
Now that the memory of his stem life was returning, it was becoming clear that no one was safe in Endfield. But right now the only one that mattered, his only objective, was to rescue Gem. Get her away from EROMI and out of the reach of Admatha and Spurius. He could worry about the rest when she was safe.
From his post hidden in the thick foliage, he heard the crunch of the gravel under the tires of the transport ambulance. They had to do these things at night so no one would see the vehicles. It backed up to the bay doors at the rear of the building and parked, the engine was remarkably silent.
A uniformed staff driver hopped out of the driver’s side of the ambulance and strode into the clinic through the back door. Gryff moved quickly from his hiding place. He pulle
d the driver’s side door open and slid into the seat. The keys were in the ignition.
Aria had told him Gem would be sedated when they loaded her into the van. They didn’t want to have to wrestle with her. He crouched lower in the seat as he heard the voices of two men carrying Gem to the back of the ambulance.
“I need to make a pit stop before I head out. Think she’ll be okay out here for a few minutes?”
“Oh, yeah. We gave her enough juice to keep her sleeping clear through the procedure. You’ve got plenty of time.”
“Great. I’ll just strap her in real quick.” The rear doors creaked open. Gryff held his breath. He didn’t dare to move as the driver clambered into the back of the van, lifting Gem in behind him. He laid her on the stationary stretcher and strapped her down. Then he hopped out and secured the ambulance doors.
Gryff opened the water bottle on the dash and dropped two tiny white tablets into the clear liquid, replaced the lid, crawled into the back compartment, and crouched into a dark corner behind the driver-side wall. It wouldn’t do to tip his hand too early. Let the authorized driver get them out of the compound. After all, he was leaving on orders, and no one would be the wiser. Once the sleeping aid did its work, Gryff would start his.
Ten minutes later the ambulance pulled to a quiet stop at the front gate. The lieutenant’s voice floated through the driver’s window and back into the ambulance compartment. “This the shipment for the University Research Facility?”
“Yep,” was the crisp reply, followed by the rustling of paper being passed through the window.
His stomach tightened. If the lieutenant was doing his job correctly, he would ask to see the cargo. Gryff crossed his fingers and clenched them so tightly his knuckles turned white. The sound of his heart pounding resounded in his ears. Perspiration beaded his forehead and drenched his olive drab t-shirt.
Never had he wanted his men to fail to follow orders so badly. He crouched further into the shadows. A futile effort, considering the fact that the instant the doors opened, the lights would blaze on.
“Are you going to be back tonight?” the lieutenant asked.
