by Lara Nance
“Yeah. Should be the vacation of a lifetime. You thinking about joining us?”
“I think I am. Yes. I definitely want to go. Me and my, um, girlfriend.” He glanced over his shoulder, half expecting Kava to be bearing down on him. “When are you leaving?”
“Wednesday. At one p.m. It’s the Galaxy Cruiser line over at Section Eight station.”
“I know where that is. I have to check on tickets.” He glanced at his watch. Damn. He had to return before Boron did something stupid. “Thanks. I’ll check it out, if it’s not too expensive.”
“That’s great. I hope you can make it.”
He hurried to the lab, wiping sweat from his face with his sleeve. Could he really do this?
“Hey, boss. The indexes all check out.” His assistant removed the transmission ports from the units.
“Great. That’s it for today. Final touches tomorrow and then Wednesday we wipe their memories.” He avoided Lily’s gaze and called up the index reports on his computer screen.
“Okay. Sooo, see you tomorrow.” Boron departed.
If he left Mars, he’d need lots of money. He hadn’t even thought to check his credits to see what kind of bonus Kava had given him. He moved his fingertips over the screen, exiting the reports and calling up his personal bank account. After entering his ID and password, he drummed his fingers on the desk as the account data opened.
“Avar?” Lily rose from her chair and stood behind him. “What’s going on? You’re acting so strange. Where did you go?”
The blood drained from his head when his balance appeared. There had to be a mistake. Two million credits? He’d had about a hundred thousand before the bonus.”
“Is that how much you have?” She leaned over his shoulder, staring at the screen.
“So it seems,” he said, running his tongue over his lips. Hope flared in his chest. Did it provide enough to disappear in the universe? It would have to be. He rose and deactivated the other two units. “Hurry and get dressed. We have a lot to do.”
***
Lily trotted to keep up with Avar. They entered a tunnel she’d never visited before. “When are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“We’re getting out of here. I’ve had enough. All that matters is us being together.”
The pulse of her circulatory system rose. “Are you serious? How can we escape?”
“I need to see the transport charts. There’s a travel consultant I know in the transportation center. We’re going to see him.”
Avar’s hand tightened around hers, and she gasped in surprise at his declaration. She’d given up all hope of remaining with him. Did they really have a chance?
“Over here.” He slowed his pace and led her to a small alcove lit with blue lights and flickering with three-dimensional scenes of vacation spots.
A man behind a desk in a black tunic and pants looked up from his computer screen. “Avar. I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you?”
“Good to see you, Markum.” He shook the man’s hand. “I’m doing well.”
“Have a seat. What can I help you with? Are you actually going to make time for a vacation?”
“I’m thinking of taking a trip to Earth. I hear there’s a transport leaving on Wednesday.”
Lily sucked in a sharp breath. Earth. He was serious.
“On the Galaxy line. Yes. It may be booked up, though. Let me check.” His fingers flicked over the screen.
Avar’s grip tightened on her hand.
“Ah, four spaces left. I’m surprised.”
“Any stops along the way?”
“The usual, Unity Space Station, the moon and, oh, on this trip a brief docking with a merchant ship transferring passengers from the mining planets.” He looked up from the screen expectantly. “Want to book a passage?”
Avar shot her a quick glance and she nodded.
“Yes. Two tickets to Earth.”
“Want me to set up lodging or tours?”
“No, just the trip for now.”
Markum tapped on the screen a few minutes and asked them for names, etc. Then Avar pressed his thumb to the ID monitor to authorize the transfer of funds from his account.
“All right. I’m done.” Markum handed him two orange metal squares the size of his palm and a silver disc. “Here are the tickets. You’ll just need your ID chips to present at boarding and you’re all set. The disc has information on places to stay and tour companies you might want to engage.”
“Thanks, Markum. I appreciate it.” Avar rose and shook the man’s hand.
“Glad to see you taking some time off, especially with this this gorgeous lady.” His approving stare traveled over Lily. “Look me up when you return and we’ll have a drink.”
“Sure.” He took her hand and they left the alcove. “Wow. I can’t believe I did that.”
“Are you certain you want to go through with this, Avar?” She stopped him and pulled him to the side of the hall, out of the press of people. “You’ll be giving up everything.”
He touched her cheek then kissed her forehead. “I’m certain. Giving you up would be giving up everything. I understand that now.”
A tingle of pleasure and happiness swept over her. She wouldn’t have to go into the computer? They could be together? The implications overwhelmed her.
“We have a lot to accomplish in two days. Right now, I have to find a way to procure a fake ID for you. I’d like you to return to my apartment. Choose the items you want to take, and I’ll bring some luggage pods. When you finish that, everything from my research has to be extracted from the computer and placed in a data pack we can take with us. I can’t leave any evidence of your identity or how you were created.”
She nodded. “I understand.”
He handed her his key card and kissed her lips. “Wish me luck.”
Chapter Nine
Tuesday passed too quickly for Avar. Now that the decision to leave had been made, he found dozens of tasks to complete before their escape.
He ordered a credit transport to take his funds with him instead of transferring them to another bank, so he couldn’t be traced. Lily assisted him in emptying the data from his computer. The information would have to be destroyed to completely obliterate any chance recovery of his work. Narrowing his possessions to the few he would take seemed insurmountable. At least he’d been able to buy an ID chip for Lily the previous night, which was one worry off his mind.
They returned to his rooms after work in the lab finished for the day. Lily held his hand but remained silent as they passed through the tunnel to his building. Mimicking the subdued persona of the beta mode hadn’t been difficult for her today.
“Are we truly going to escape?” she asked once inside his apartment. Her expression revealed mixed emotions of hope and fear.
“We’re going to make a damn good attempt at it.” He cupped her face between his hands. “With a little luck, this time tomorrow we’ll be in space.”
Her lips trembled into a brief smile. “I’m afraid they’ll catch us before we leave.”
“That’s why I’m leaving it to the last minute.” He planted a kiss on her nose and pulled the black wig from her head. “Hopefully, you’ll never have to wear this again.”
“That would be great. It itches.”
He chuckled and moved to his desk. “I’m going to dismantle my computer. Are you finished packing?”
She followed him and absentmindedly toyed with items on his desk. “Yes. I don’t really have that much, other than clothes.”
“What you don’t take, place in the garbage chute.”
She nodded and picked up a marker. “You still use these?”
He pried the cover from the memory pack and began to remove components he could crush. “Sometimes. I like to sketch. I never could do it well with a stylus and tablet.”
“How old-fashioned. Maybe you’ll have time to sketch when we get to Earth.”
He paused in his destruction. It’d bee
n years since he’d devoted time to anything other than work. “I’d like that. I’ll draw a picture of you first.”
She smiled and turned the pad of her index finger to him. “Look.”
On it, she’d drawn a heart with a smiley face inside it.
“Cute.” He grinned, bringing the finger to his lips for a kiss. “Now, finish packing. Save one outfit I can take in a bag tomorrow. You’ll have to change before we leave.”
“How will you get rid of Boron?”
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.” He hoped it would work. His assistant remained the one part of their getaway he worried about most. He had little doubt Boron would turn him in if he suspected Avar of sabotaging the project. He wouldn’t risk his lucrative job for anyone.
Once his computer had been reduced to rubble, he returned to completing his packing. The luggage pods weren’t large, but he didn’t want to be weighed down if they needed to move quickly to avoid being caught.
Lily sat on top of hers to be able to close it. “Whew, that’s it. Not one more item will fit.”
“We can always buy what we need later.” He added a few folded tunics and pants to his pod.
She hugged her arms around her chest. “We’re really doing this aren’t we?”
“Are you afraid?”
“A little. But I’m more afraid of staying here.” She sat on the side of the bed. “I’d rather lose my consciousness than revert to data in a computer.”
His heart twisted. She’d rather be dead. He put aside his packing and went to hug her. “I’m taking every precaution to make sure we aren’t caught.”
“I know.” She leaned against him.
He gave her a tight squeeze and kissed the top of her head. “I have to take the pods to a package portal. Then they’ll be waiting for us tomorrow when we board.”
“All right.” She straightened her shoulders. “While you’re gone, I’ll make dinner. Be careful.”
“I will.”
***
Lily constantly glanced at the timepiece on the kitchen wall. With a sigh, she stirred a pan of sautéed vegetables then snipped open a packet of mushrooms to add to the mix. An aroma of garlic and thyme enveloped her as steam wafted from the concoction.
Shouldn’t Avar have returned? She hadn’t thought to ask him the location of the closest portal. Usually each building had one, but this structure had thirty levels, so no telling how long he’d be gone.
She shivered, thinking someone he knew would see him and question him about the luggage. At this point, her mind reeled with scenarios that would complicate their departure.
She reduced the heat on the vegetables and placed a cover on the pan. Holding up her finger, she stared at the silly heart face she’d drawn. How much different would she be if she had a heart and were truly human? The data she had access to provided little information on the distinction.
Could she love Avar more if a real heart beat in her chest? Would his touch feel more fantastic if her skin had not been produced in a laboratory? It seemed impossible. Even thinking of him sent fire coursing through her artificial arteries and veins. The complexity of this persona he’d created stunned her. Yet, he’d decided to give up all his accomplishments to run away with her to an uncertain future. No, she couldn’t possibly love him more.
The swish of the door set her into action. She raced into the living area. Avar stopped just inside, his brows raised at her abrupt appearance. She let out a soft sob and launched herself into his arms.
“Oh, Avar. I love you.” She nuzzled her face against the crook of his neck.
“I love you, too, baby. What’s wrong?” He pulled away, staring into her eyes.
She shook her head. “Nothing is wrong. Tomorrow, when we’re away from here, everything will be very, very right.”
Chapter Ten
Boron handed a data table to Avar. “That’s the last test. Everything’s ready for the final persona insertion. Shall I begin shutting down the units to prepare for memory wipe and persona transfer?”
Avar studied the data. Under different circumstances, this would be the pinnacle of his career, a day of celebration for his achievements. However, anxiety filled him instead of satisfaction. He glanced at his computer. Only ten a.m. He needed to stall. If Lily’s memory were wiped, she’d be gone forever. They had to make it out of here with her persona in place.
“No. There’s one more issue I need to evaluate in beta mode.” His comm-unit chimed and he looked at the screen. Damn. Galaxy transport needed the download of his and Lily’s ID chips prior to boarding. He couldn’t do it there with Boron hovering. “I have to run out for a few minutes. I’ll complete the evaluation when I return.”
Boron frowned but moved away from the third unit.
Lily’s gaze followed Avar as he strode through the door, but he couldn’t risk a sign to her. Hopefully, she’d trust him to keep them on schedule.
Lily’s throat constricted when Avar abruptly left the lab. What had happened? His communicator sent him an alert about something. She hoped the alarm didn’t mean a disruption in their plans.
Kava entered, followed by a woman holding several boxes in her arms. “Where’s Avar?”
“He had to step out a minute.” Boron came forward to meet her.
“These are the identical outfits the new owner had delivered. Let’s get them dressed as soon as possible so we can make sure everything fits properly.”
“I’m waiting on Avar.”
“Can’t you do it?” She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“Well, uh, yeah....”
“Then make it happen. I want this transfer to be perfect.” She snapped her fingers and motioned to the woman to place the boxes on a table. “Have them get dressed, and then shut them down so when Avar returns you’ll be ready for the persona transfer. Don’t forget, I want to inspect them before the customer arrives.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Boron lifted the lid of one of the boxes and his eyes grew round. “Wow.”
She stalked from the room, her assistant in tow.
Lily barely breathed. If Boron deactivated them, Avar would have no way of knowing which unit she inhabited. What could she do? Her sisters stood beside her, blithely unaware of their fate.
Boron made a snickering noise and went to retrieve the transmission devices. Thinking fast, she moved a few steps to Avar’s desk, grabbed a stylus, and scribbled a note on his tablet then resumed her stance beside the other units.
“All right, ladies, time to dress and shut down.” Boron attached the devices to the portals on their necks. “When you wake up, you’ll have a whole new identity.”
***
Avar raced to the lab after downloading their ID information at a public data portal. A vein in his neck throbbed a heavy beat as he dodged people in the main hall and hurried along the passage to his lab.
When he passed through the sliding door, he froze, his blood turning to ice. The units stood in a row, their heads lowered on their chests, all three identically dressed in skintight silver bodysuits that left little to the imagination.
“What the hell...?”
Boron held up his hands. “Now don’t be mad at me. Kava stormed in here after you left and insisted I power them down and get them dressed.”
He gritted his teeth. “I told you to wait until I returned.”
“You know how she is. I couldn’t say no.”
The identification bands on their portals had been removed. A vein pulsed in his neck. He couldn’t believe his idiot assistant had done something so stupid. “You shouldn’t have removed the bands. I need to know which one is which.”
Boron shrugged. “What’s the difference anyway? They’re exactly alike. If it’s that important, you can remove the head panel and look for the serial number. I didn’t transfer the personas, yet. You can still do your testing on one and then we can proceed with the upload.”
He forced his breathing to calm and flexed his fingers. Boron was righ
t, but he didn’t have time to detach the head panel and still make the flight. His assistant didn’t know he needed a specific unit. Holy cosmos, he had no idea which one was Lily.
“So, let’s get on with it. What do you want to test?” Boron threw his tablet on the table and pushed his fists into his jumpsuit pockets.
Avar pressed his fingers to his temples “Okay. Give me a minute. You can work on the transfer parameters.”
Boron picked up his tablet and faced the info-wall.
Avar moved to the units, inspecting them carefully. Hair, face, clothing, all identical. Damn it. How could he distinguish them? His mind churned with ways to get Boron out of the lab so he could reactivate the units. But his original plan called for Boron to leave later. He couldn’t pull that scenario twice or his assistant would definitely be suspicious.
He lowered himself to his desk chair, studying the units. Why did they have to be so damn perfect? No identifying flaws existed. Boron had nearly finished with the transfer parameters. His stomach churned acid that bubbled into his throat and he nearly gagged.
If only Lily had been able to leave him a clue. He scanned their clothing. Nothing. Each one stood in an identical posture, arms at their sides, feet together. He rubbed his eyes. Then his gaze fell on his data tablet. The New Note light blinked. He swiped the screen, his heart racing.
You’ll know me by that which I do not have, had been scrawled by stylus on the screen. Lily!
He jumped from his chair and reached for the first unit’s hands, then the second, and the third. Yes. This one. That silly heart face on the index finger. Lily. His knees nearly gave out in relief.
“I can run the test on this one,” he said. “Go ahead and start the transfer on the other two.”
“You got it, boss.” Boron entered the sequence to change the persona to Sexy Girlfriend.
Avar pretended to make entries on his computer and glanced at his timepiece. Eleven a.m. Their transport would leave in two hours. Sweat popped on his forehead.
