Program 13 (The Emile Reed Chronicles)

by Nicole Sobon

  “What’s with the computers?” Nadine asked.

  “Well, this one is for Emile.” Colton gestured at my back. “Emile, can you lift your shirt a bit?” I pulled it up a tad to reveal the hard drive slot in my lower back. “She needs to connect to a computer daily in order to assure she runs at her full potential. Standby mode, or her resting period, allows her body to recharge much like sleep refuels a human.”

  Nadine threw her hand over her mouth in horror. “What happened to you?”

  “What didn’t?” I replied, taking a seat in the office chair.

  “Can someone please tell me what’s going on here?” She threw her arms up in the arm and started to pace the room. “You haven’t exactly told me much.”

  “You’re better off not knowing, trust me,” Colton whispered.

  And maybe she was, but she also deserved a chance at the truth. Her son was a part of this now. She was a part of this now. “No,” I said, springing to my feet. “What do you want to know?”

  Colton ran over to me, trying to push me back into the chair. “Don’t do this,” he whispered. But I had to.

  “What happened to you? The news said you died, and now you’re telling me that you were brought back as a Program? What the heck does any of that mean?” Nadine asked, trying to fight back tears.

  “The news was telling the truth.” I met her puzzled eyes, taking in their desperation for answers as I continued. “I was murdered by Charles McVeigh and Douglas Todd, his brother and right hand man.” I could see Nadine’s face begin to lose its color at the mention of McVeigh and Todd. “They followed me down an alleyway and ran me over with their car. When they were sure I was dead, they placed me in their trunk and took off. The next day, they told my family that my body had been brought to them by the police-”

  “After a horrible accident and that they needed their permission to release the body to their science program,” she said, cutting me off.

  “Yes.” It was the same speech they’d given her about Tommy. But it wasn’t an accident and his body wasn’t going to be used as she’d thought. Nothing McVeigh had told her was the complete truth.

  “After my parents released my body, against my brother’s wishes, McVeigh turned me into Program Thirteen. I can still feel her inside me; her Program is still installed on my core. She was a computer-generated person. There was nothing human about her, about me. She was everything he wanted her to be, and I took that away when I let Hayden bring me back.”

  “And now he wants Emile,” Colton sighed.

  I walked over to the bed and lay on my side so that Colton would be able to connect my hard drive to the NetBook. Nadine sat on the edge of the bed, watching and trying to force herself to breathe. “I think we’re good,” he said, pushing off the bed once the wires snapped in place.

  I closed my eyes, and listened as they spoke, their voices becoming lower, distant.

  “Is there anything human about her?” Nadine asked.

  “You’d be surprised just how human she still is. The Program running right now is Emile.”

  “They didn’t deserve this. Neither of them deserved this.” She lay back on the bed, her hand brushing against my leg. “Emile and Tommy, they had a future, but now look. What do they have now?”

  I could hear as Colton began typing away on the NetBook, his fingers pounding against the keys. Their voices became lowered, before fading away all together. My eyelids fell closed, as my body began to shut down. And then I was under.

  I could feel someone tugging at my back, but I still didn’t have complete control over my body. At least, not enough to check to see who it was.

  “Using the NetBook for standby mode is handy and all, but unfortunately, there’s no timer to free you after eight hours.” He had pulled the wires out, releasing me from their hold. “I’m sorry,” Colton whispered, offering me his hand to stand up.

  “Are we leaving now?” I asked, noticing that all of our bags were packed, everything but the NetBooks.

  “Yes, Nadine is just getting changed and then we’re off. The longer we stay here, the easier it is for them to find us,” he reminded me. And I knew that, but were we really any safer taking off with Nadine? She’d been clueless about McVeigh and what he'd done to me. How were we to know that she wasn’t being tracked?

  After all, no one was safe.

  Not if they knew me.

  “Come on,” Nadine said as she exited the bathroom.

  She grabbed the handle of her roller suitcase and led the way to the elevator. Colton and I followed behind her without saying a word. The quicker we got away, the better. There was no time to ask questions, we needed to keep running. She hit the “P” button once we were inside.

  “I have a car parked in the parking garage. We’ll take that to the house.”

  “Why were you leaving through the front of the building, then?” I asked her curiously.

  “I had no reason to hide before. Now I do.” She glanced at Colton and me.

  When the doors opened, Nadine walked out of the elevator first, making sure to check for anyone suspicious. Everything seemed okay, so she motioned for us to follow. We ran to a 2011 black Mazda cx-9 with tinted windows.

  “Get in.” She pressed the unlock button on her keychain, swinging open the backdoors before jumping in the driver seat.

  There was no one around, but I felt as though someone was watching us. As if someone was just waiting nearby, patiently waiting for us to make the slightest of mistakes. “Nadine, I need you to drive fast!” I was leaning on the driver seat, my hands gripping the headrest. Colton looked alarmed, turning to peek out the back window. Neither of us could see anyone, but that didn’t mean they weren’t watching.

  “Relax,” Colton whispered, his hand reaching for mine. “I think we’re okay for now.”

  But I knew even he didn’t believe that.

  Nadine stepped on the gas, speeding out of the parking garage and onto the main street. People were staring, but I didn’t care. Faster. Faster. Faster. We needed to move. It was the only chance that we stood of staying alive.

  “How far is your house?” I asked, noticing a few cop cars sitting behind us.

  “We should be there within five minutes.” She was panicking. We needed to go, but we couldn’t risk getting pulled over. Not only would that make it easier for McVeigh’s men to find us, but it would make it extremely difficult for me to hide. And considering I was dead, I shouldn’t be riding around in speeding cars.

  “Nadine, calm down.” I was trying to extinguish her worries, but it was hard when I was worried myself. “I need you to drive as carefully as possible. There are two cop cars behind us. If they were to pull us over for speeding, don't you think that could result in a bit of a problem?” I could hear her heart racing; she was beyond consolable at this point. What was I supposed to do?

  “Drive,” she whispered, taking a deep breath. Her foot eased off the gas pedal, bringing us to a more sensible speed. “I can do this.” Nadine lowered her head and counted to three. “I can do this, guys. I promise I’ll get you to safety.”

  “I know,” Colton replied, his voice a bit shaky.

  Safety was an illusion, completely out of our reach.

  We continued down the road until we came to a green hill with a maroon colored house sitting atop it. “It’s not much, I should warn you, but it’s tolerable.” Nadine parked the car and grabbed her belongings. There was a long trail leading up to the house. I was glad to see it was almost hidden between the trees and rocks.

  She unlocked the doors and then came around the back to let us out. “I don’t think they’ll be able to find you here if that’s what you’re worried about,” Nadine said, taking in my expression.

  But that wasn’t it. Something seemed off, but it wasn’t McVeigh.

  I turned to look back at Colton, who was grabbing the backpacks from the backseat. When his eyes met mine, he nodded as if to acknowledge my concern. Nadine started walking towards the hou
se, turning back only to signal for us to follow her.

  I used her absence to pull Colton aside. “Something’s wrong. I just don’t know what.” He looked as though he was about to cry. “I think it’s her, Emile.”

  Nadine? There was no way that it was her.

  “Think about it. How would she have gotten this house under an alias without them knowing? And why would she have gotten a house in the middle of nowhere so soon after her son’s death? Of course they’re tracking her. They took her son!” And he was right. Why didn’t we put it together sooner? She was working for the enemy. Nadine was with McVeigh, not us.

  “What’s in it for her, though? That part doesn’t make sense.” Colton shrugged.

  “No, it makes perfect sense.”

  I made my way up the trail without saying another word. Colton followed closely behind, suggesting we should make a break for it, but what were we going to do? Nadine had brought us to a secluded area. There was nothing else around here. There was no place left to run to.

  “Come on, guys.” Nadine was waving her arms.

  “Colton, stay by me. I’m not sure what we’re walking into.” He wrapped his hand tightly around mine. I needed to protect him no matter what, that was my main concern. I wasn’t sure what Nadine was capable of or how far under she was.

  “We’re coming!” I smiled before lowering my head.

  We walked slowly up the path and even slower towards the front door. Nadine was standing there, the door wide open, with her hands on her hips. “Geez, could you guys move any slower?” She reached for our backpacks as we headed inside.

  “No, it’s okay I got it.” I tried to remain friendly; I didn’t need to alert her. Colton handed his over to me, acting as if Nadine wasn’t even there. She glanced at the two of us quickly before walking into the kitchen.

  “She knows,” I whispered.

  “But--” Colton was cut off as the phone rang. If this was supposed to be a safe location, one in which she was meant to start over, who would have the number?

  “McVeigh,” I uttered through clenched teeth. I tried listening in as she spoke to the person on the receiver, but she was whispering. It was clear this was a conversation we were not supposed to hear.

  “Yes, I’ll see you soon.” That was all I could make out before she hung up the phone.

  Nadine saw us still standing in the entryway and insisted we make ourselves at home in the living room. “Oh, come on!” She was friendly still, but the woman I had known was long gone. As was everyone whom I once cared for.

  “How long?” I was clenching my fists. “How long have you been speaking to McVeigh?”

  Nadine stared at me in shock. At first she tried to deny it, but she was such a horrible liar, I was pretty sure she wasn’t listening to a thing she’d said.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stated. “I’ve only spoken to him once.”

  When Colton grew tired of the lies, he used Tommy against her. If there was one thing she still gave a damn about, it’d have to be him. “So you mean to tell us that McVeigh hasn’t offered you a new life with Tommy if you turn us in?”

  Tears were streaming down her face. “I can’t do this.”

  32 TURNCOAT

  She was starting to fall apart, the truth eventually finding its way out. I moved her over to the recliner in the living room. Colton took a seat on the arm-rest while I sat down on the coffee table.

  “How long until he gets here?” I didn’t even bother to look at her. What point did it serve? All of the trust was gone. She had set us up, and there was no escaping now.

  “I don’t know.” She choked back tears. Her head was between her hands. “He didn’t say.”

  “Was this worth it, Nadine?” Colton was trying to keep his temper under control, but it clearly wasn’t working. “Do you really think he’s going to give you a new life with Tommy? The minute his men get here, you’re dead, and if you’re lucky, you’ll become a Program.”

  “Yes, but I’ll get to be with Tommy!” She was smiling, completely oblivious to anything else Colton had just said.

  “No, you won’t.” I hated McVeigh more than usual. He had given her hope when he knew he’d never fulfill his promise. He made a mother think she’d get her son back in order to find me. “When you’re a Program, your life will be gone. You won’t remember Tommy just as he won’t remember you. There isn’t a second chance, Nadine. He lied to you.”

  “You can’t possibly know that.” She started to pace the room, her hand covering her mouth. “He promised me. McVeigh wouldn’t break his promise. I’m giving you back to him. I’m doing what he wants!”

  What she was doing was ruining lives for nothing. Charles McVeigh was a manipulator. He’d take the one thing you cared about most and use it against you in order to get you to comply to his orders. Everything he promised was a lie.

  “I know more than you think, Nadine, but if you wish to believe your fairy tales, so be it.”

  I pulled out my backpack and grabbed the NetBook. His men would be here soon. I needed to know how many he’d be sending. When I loaded Vesta Corp’s system, I was shocked to see Tommy’s name attached to the list of men involved on mission 13. Thirteen.

  The mission was me.

  Tommy would be one of the men coming to get me. He would probably kill his own mother.

  “Colton,” I called out. “I think you need to see this.” He walked up behind me and grabbed the NetBook so that he could get a better view. “He’s one of them.”

  “Hey, Emile, did you see this tracker down here?” Colton was pointing at the lower portion of the screen. “We can track their locations. They’re not that far away, maybe five minutes.”

  In five minutes, the one person I loved would be here to destroy me. He wouldn’t remember me. He wouldn’t even remember his own mother. To him, we were targets that needed to be exterminated. “We don’t have much time.”

  I pulled the NetBook from Colton’s hands and closed it, shoving it back inside the backpack.

  “Here.” He reached his hand out for my bag, his already in his other hand. “I’ll go find a place to store them for now. We’re going to need them once we get out of here.”

  Nadine was standing by the door now, a smile forming at the corner of her lips. “He’s coming home.” She was convinced Tommy would come back to her, and in a sense, she was right. What she refused to believe was that he was coming back to murder her.

  “Should we try and help her?” Colton asked.

  I wanted to help her, but she didn’t want to be helped. “We have to let her decide for herself.”

  But she had already made up her mind.

  She had decided to die.

  There was the sound of car doors slamming outside. They were here. Tommy was here.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Colton looked worried. I nodded and pushed him with my elbow, trying to lighten the mood. As the footsteps got closer, he moved beside me and took my hand. “Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” I looked over at him and saw that he was pulling two guns from his pockets - the guns that he’d swiped off the fallen attackers before we ran.

  “I know you have those.” I gestured at the glocks. “But I think you should stay behind the couch. At least until I take care of the Programs. Bullets can’t hurt them, but I can.” He didn’t argue. He leaned in and kissed my cheek before taking cover.

  If I was human, I’m sure I’d be broken by now. Maybe even dead. Having to constantly fight to live? How was Colton able to do it? How was he able to dig inside himself constantly and find the strength to give his all even if it meant there was a possibility that he could die?

  There was a knock on the door. Nadine’s face lit up with excitement. “Tommy! You’re here!” She was crying. The second she opened the door, he put a bullet through her head. If only she would have listened.

  “Tommy.” I tried to make eye contact with him, hoping that maybe McVe
igh might have left some of his human memories installed. But he hadn’t.

  “My name is Program Sixteen.” He lifted his gun and pulled back the trigger. The bullet was aimed at my chest. He thought I was human, that if the bullet pierced my chest it’d go through my heart and kill me. I lifted my hand and grabbed the bullet from the air, throwing it to the ground.

  “Really?” I tried not to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. He just tried to kill me with a bullet.

  Annoyed at my reaction, he leapt forward and tried to grab my back. We both fell to the ground, breaking the floorboards below us. Tommy had secured a hand around my throat, the other struggling to reach my lower back. There were footsteps coming from outside. The rest of the men were preparing to come in, and I had yet to defeat Tommy.

  I closed my eyes and tried to pull every ounce of energy in my body to throw him off me. His grasp on my throat loosened. I pushed against him, flinging his body to the other side of the room and sending him crashing into the kitchen counter. Colton crawled over to the other side of the couch, hiding beside me. I prayed that Tommy wouldn’t see him.

  I wanted to tell him to make a run for it, but it was far too late.

  The others had come barging through the front door with their weapons drawn. They were all human. Tommy was the only Program. Of course. Why didn’t I consider that before? Tommy would be the hardest to kill, not only because of the emotional ties but because he was a Program. It’d be a battle of emotions and strength, and that was exactly what McVeigh wanted. We were still playing his game. He wanted me distracted so that the others could take down Colton and Nadine. I wasn’t going to let that happen. Nadine they could have, but there was no way they were going to get Colton.