Contrition (The Perception Trilogy)

by Strauss, Lee

“Did you mean to miss?” I asked.

  She shuddered. “I’m not sure.”

  The gun shot was louder than the noise coming over the ridge and Jabez and Mary rushed out to investigate.

  “Oh man,” Jabez said, seeing us. “Oh man, oh man, oh man.”

  Mary grabbed an arm. “We’ve got to move him, now!”

  Jabez grabbed his other arm while I took his feet, and we dragged him into the cave. Zoe brushed the ground with sage brush, erasing the drag marks.

  “This ain’t good,” Taylor said as he eyed the fallen cyborg soldier.

  “Is he alive?” asked Hannah. I nodded. She brought out the first-aid kit and started tending to the soldier’s head wound.

  The cave filled with the sound of heavy breathing, all of us out of breath, and incredulous that we had a living cyborg soldier in our midst. He wore army fatigue shorts and a bullet proof vest. His legs looked massive with the metal encasements grafted in, as did his arms and shoulders.

  “Do you think helping him is a good idea?” Taylor asked. “I mean, not to be cold-hearted, but what are we going to do with him when he regains consciousness?”

  “I don’t know, but the others are going to notice he’s missing,” I said.

  Jabez groaned. “Then they’re going to scour this desert until they find him. And find us.”

  Hannah shot us all a look of horror. “We can’t just let him die.”

  He wouldn’t die from that head wound. What Taylor implied was much worse than that. Cold blooded murder.

  Rebecca, for once, had nothing smart-ass to say. She cowered in the shadows, pressed up against the wall of the cave, her eyes wide with fear at the sight of the enemy laying a yard from her feet.

  “What was he doing on this side of the ridge alone, anyway?” Zoe said.

  “I’ve heard of cyborg soldiers going rogue,” Taylor said. “Guys sign up thinking they’re going to love being a machine, that they’re going to help fix all that’s broken, and when they realize they’re getting used and lied to, they ditch.”

  “You really think he could be a rogue?” I said. “He scanned me with his bionic eye and knew my name. Maybe he’s a tracker?”

  “If that were the case, why would he be alone?” Mary asked.

  I shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t want to share the reward?”

  The cyborg groaned, and we were immediately silent, circling him like the rancid smelling castaways that we were, roasting in a large oven set to broil.

  His eyes flickered, and then shut as his body grew limp.

  “Is he dead?” Rebecca whimpered.

  The man’s chest rose in shallow breaths. “No,” I said, “he’s alive. The pain of his injury is knocking him out.”

  “We need to disengage his circuitry,” Taylor said. “They’re probably rigged with some kind of tracing mechanism. As soon as he’s reported missing, they’ll locate him within minutes.” He bent down and started fumbling with the cyborg’s metal parts. “I’m not a student of cyborg tech.”

  “Roll him over,” Zoe said. “You’ll find what you’re looking for at the base of his neck.”

  Taylor and Jabez rolled the cyborg over and then looked questioningly at Zoe. How did she know?

  They didn’t know about her brother’s secret lab, and the evidence we’d found there just after Liam’s death. Holographic images of what they’d done and what they planned to do.

  “Is it a switch?” Mary asked.

  Taylor shook his head. “Just a batch of wires. The only way to kill it is to tug the wires loose and snip them. I don’t know what it will do to him.”

  “If we don’t do it, they’ll find us,” Noah said.

  Taylor glanced over to Hannah. She swallowed and handed him the scissors from the first-aid kit.

  “I need some light.”

  Mary turned on a flashlight.

  Taylor made the snip and the cyborg jerked, his limbs stiffening, and then he slumped. Hannah grabbed his wrist.“There’s a pulse.”

  We all let out a nervous breath. Hopefully, we cut the tracker before a search party was sent out. And since the guy hadn’t died, it was up to us to keep him alive.

  “We need to tie him up before he revives,” I said. We had duct tape in with our sundry supplies. I bound his wrists and ankles together.

  He moaned and his eyes flickered again.

  Zoe knelt beside him with a glass of water. “Lift his head,” she said, then pressed the glass against his lips.

  He was conscious enough to sip. His eyes, black in the candlelight, sprung open. He blinked some more, probably wondering why his bionic eye wasn’t working.

  His gaze scanned the room and his black eyes landed on me.

  “Noah Brody,” he said. “Am I your prisoner?”

  Chapter 14

  “What is your name?” I asked.

  The cyborg scoffed. “As if I’m going to tell you.”

  I folded my arms and stood tall, hoping to intimidate him. “Why did you leave your camp?”

  His black eyes narrowed. “They’ll look for me.”

  I met his stare. “They won’t find you.”

  He laughed. Then yelled for help—his hoarse voice bounced off the cave walls.

  I grabbed the duct tape. “Hold him.”

  Jabez held his shoulders, and Taylor strapped down his arms. The cyborg struggled, but I managed to tape his mouth shut. “Sorry, man,” I said, “but we can’t have you doing that.”

  Zoe ran her hands through her hair. “What are we going to do now?”

  “We have to conceal ourselves,” I said. “I’m open to suggestions.”

  “The entry to this cave is narrow,” Jabez said. “It’s a wonder we found it.”

  “We could replant a cactus,” Mary said.

  Jabez cringed. “Ouch.”

  I conceded. “It might hurt, but cactuses have proven to be good deterrents.”

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Taylor said. “It wouldn’t live long after the transplant, but long enough to keep out visitors for the next couple of days.”

  “What about the buggy?” Zoe asked.

  “There’s only enough sand on it to conceal it from a distance and from the air,” I said. “Up close, it looks unnatural enough to attract attention.”

  “We could push it into the water tunnel,” Jabez said.

  “Would the water damage it?” I asked. I’d hate to lose our only transportation to the city.

  Jabez shifted his weight, considering. “As long as the electrical system doesn’t get submerged. The frame and tires can get wet, so a foot, max.”

  “They could find the water tunnel,” Zoe said. “We found it easily enough.”

  “I agree with Zoe,” I said. “We need a better plan.”

  “Can we disassemble it?” Taylor asked.

  Jabez nodded. “Yeah, we could.”

  “Then we can bring the parts in here,” Mary said. “Out of sight.”

  “Sounds good, everyone,” I said. “Jabez and Taylor, you get going on the buggy. Mary and Rebecca can collect more water. We’ll need lots to keep us alive for the next few days. Zoe and I will dig up a cactus and replant it once you’ve brought the parts in and covered your tracks.”

  I felt Mary’s dark eyes burn holes in my back. Why had I paired myself up with Zoe instead of her? I honestly hadn’t been thinking. It just came out. Zoe was still my main concern when it came to safety. That pretty much made it clear to anyone paying attention who I cared about the most.

  I pretended not to notice my own faux pas. I loaded a pistol and handed it to Hannah. “Keep your eye on X.”

  “X?” she asked.

  I pointed to the cyborg. “That’s his new name.”

  I tucked my second gun into the back of my pants. Mary knocked me with her elbow as she stormed by with Rebecca. I had some damage control to do later.

  I waved for Zoe to join me.

  If she noticed the tension or wondered why she wasn’t the one getting wa
ter with Rebecca, she didn’t show it. “So we get the fun job of wrestling down a cactus.”

  I shrugged apologetically and tossed her a pair of gloves. “If you want people to follow your lead, you have to be willing to take on the sucky jobs.” I grabbed the shovel. “Pick one out while I dig.” I stepped into the blade and tossed my first shovelful of sand to the side. I glanced over at Zoe as she turned to leave and called out to her, “Not too big.”

  I stopped when the hole was a foot and a half deep. Sweat trickled down the middle of my back. I lowered my cap to further shade my eyes. Zoe stood by a short saguaro cactus about three feet high, with two downward bent arms. It looked like it was giving us the finger.

  “This one?” she asked.

  “Sure.” I traipsed over to where she stood.

  Jabez and Taylor were making good time taking the buggy apart and hauling the pieces inside. Mary and Rebecca returned from their second water run.

  My gut clenched with a sense of urgency. How long before a search party was sent out for X?

  Now that I stood at the base of the cactus, I questioned our decision. A billion sharp needles covered the entire surface. There was no way we could grab hold without getting maimed.

  I frowned. “This thing is going to kill us.”

  “Let’s topple it into a blanket,” Zoe said.

  “Good idea.” She left to retrieve a blanket from the cave, and I loosened the soil around its base. When Zoe returned, she laid the blanket on the ground in front of it. I dug deeper focusing on the side we wanted it to fall.

  “Timber,” I called when it finally lost its hold.

  Zoe and I each grabbed two ends of the blanket and carried the cactus like a wounded soldier. We paused when we got to the hole.

  “Now the hard part,” she said.

  I ducked inside the cave for the roll of twine. I was relieved to see that Hannah kept the pistol aimed at X and that he continued to behave.

  I lay a length of twine on the cactus. “Let’s lift the blanket until the roots drop into the hole, then you hold it upright by pulling on both ends of the twine and I’ll refill it.”

  By the time we had the cactus up, the buggy parts were piled high in the tech cave, and our water supply was maximized. The constant wind was our friend, blowing sand over what remained of our tracks. All traces of our existence were thoroughly erased within the hour.

  Rebecca passed out the water. We had to drink so much to keep from dehydrating in this heat. X eyed us longingly.

  “Can I give him a drink?” Hannah asked.

  “A quick one.”

  I removed the tape, and X tilted his head back in anticipation. He drank with large eager swallows. Hannah took the empty cup.

  “We still have to silence you.” I said. I handed Jabez the tape. “Your turn to do the honors.” X was smart enough not to struggle. Jabez ripped off a piece of gray tape and slapped it over X’s mouth.

  We huddled inside, and I told everyone to stay quiet. No one spoke or moved. Before too long, we heard them. X’s search party had arrived to our side of the ridge.

  Chapter 15

  X moaned, and I lifted a pillow over his head and gave him a warning shake. If he made one more sound, I’d suffocate him.

  He stilled, getting my message.

  A couple of members of his search team found the flat rock just beside our poorly concealed entrance. Cigarette smoke wafted inside.

  A female voice: “What do you think happened to him?”

  A male voice: “Dunno. Gone rogue?”

  “But how’d he get out of the desert unnoticed? The heat would’ve killed him if satellite didn’t spot him first.”

  A pause.

  I held my breath. Did they notice the crevice?

  The female spoke again. “Who knows? Maybe he had help.”

  “I really couldn’t care less,” her companion added. “I don’t wanna die looking for him.”

  My eyes darted to X. With friends like that…

  Silence, then the shuffling of footsteps.

  Were we home free? I pressed a finger to my lips in warning to the others. There were probably more out there besides the two who stopped for a smoke break. We couldn’t risk leaving the cave or making a sound until the troops left the desert.

  After awhile the tension in the cave relaxed a little. Rebecca and Hannah noiselessly produced peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

  I studied X. “Are you going to be good?” I whispered.

  His dark eyes were glassy, and I worried he was dehydrating. He nodded subtly. I peeled the tape off his mouth. I wasn’t ready to trust him with free hands yet.

  I spoke in Hannah’s ear. “Do you mind feeding him?”

  She nodded, and I was thankful for her compassionate, nursing disposition. She held a cup of water to his lips, and he downed the whole thing. Then she pressed the sandwich to his mouth.

  Many anxious, small moments finally led to dawn. The warmth of the sunrise was welcomed after an uncomfortably cold night.

  “We should get our bathroom trips in before it gets too light,” I said.

  Taylor and I accompanied the girls, keeping enough distance to allow them privacy, but with guns loaded and ready. Jabez stayed behind to guard X.

  “Your turn,” I said when we returned.

  He waved toward X. “What about him?”

  I peered down at our prisoner. “Does nature still call? Or did your cyborg techs take care of that?”

  X muttered, “The wild still calls.”

  The desert morning brightened quickly. I nodded toward Jabez. “Let’s do this.”

  I cut the tape at his ankles, but kept my gun cocked and pointed at his head. Jabez helped him up. I was surprised at how unsteady the soldier seemed.

  We stayed close to the edge of the ridge until we found a patch of grass in an outcropping of rocks.

  “You go first,” I said to Jabez. I wanted two guns leveled on our guest while he relieved himself.

  Jabez returned and then steadied his gun.

  “You’re next,” I said to X. “But no funny business. It would be a relief to have an excuse to shoot you.”

  He nodded in acknowledgement. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to run. But unless one of you would like to do the honors….” He glanced at his zipper. “I need my hands free.”

  Jabez shook his head sharply. “I’m not doing it, man.”

  “Fine.” I tucked my gun in my back. “Keep your weapon aimed at his head.”

  I untaped his hands but didn’t let him out of my sight the entire time. Not the best way to start a new day.

  When we returned, the girls and Taylor were eating crackers and cheese spread.

  “Sit,” I said to X then tossed him the hand sanitizer. I picked up the tape. “I’m sure you understand why we have to tape your feet together, but if you co-operate, I’ll leave your hands free. This is for Hannah’s sake,” I continued, “not yours. I’d feel bad if she had to keep feeding you. And she’s the only one in this group nice enough to do it.”

  “I’ll co-operate,” X said.

  Hannah passed him the tray of cheese crackers, and he took a handful. I wolfed down a good number, as well.

  “Who are you?” I asked the borg.

  He snorted. “Who are you?”

  “You already know who I am.”

  “True. But what are you doing hiding out in the desert?”

  “You should get your clue from the word hiding.”

  He wrapped his hands behind his head. “But the desert, man?”

  “There are worse places. I’m Noah Brody, on the run from the president of the United States, a rebel against him and his asinine regimes. Now it’s your turn. Who are you?”

  X ran his tongue along his dried lips. “Name’s Lebron. And I’m a rebel, too.”

  I wasn’t sure if he’d just given me his first or last name, but it didn’t matter much at this moment. “A rebel against whom?”

  “Same as you, i
t sounds like.”

  I shot him a look of doubt. “Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” I waved at his hardware. “You’re just too shiny.”

  “It was a bad decision.”

  I cocked my head and stared hard. “Are you saying you’ve gone rogue?”

  “That’s what I’m saying.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  Lebron shifted his weight and crossed his arms. “Why else would I be separated from my group?”

  “Curiosity? The inability to understand an order? Or obey it?”

  “You’re right about one and three. I am curious. And I don’t like taking orders.”

  I shrugged. “Sorry to hear that. As long as you are part of this group, you’ll be taking your orders from me.”

  His eyebrows jumped slightly, but he didn’t say anything.

  We stayed put for the rest of the day, trying to get some sleep. I didn’t trust Lebron, so Jabez and Taylor and I agreed to take turns watching him.

  “I gotta tie up your hands again, dude,” Jabez said. “Just so you don’t get no ideas.”

  We were almost out of water by dusk.

  “Someone’s going to have to make a run,” Mary said. “Should I go?”

  I ran a hand through my hair. The more often we left the cave the greater our chances of getting caught. But we couldn’t survive without water.

  I stood and looked at her. “I’ll go with you.” The short trek would give us a chance to clear the air, but Taylor’s head popped in from the tech cave before we could leave.

  “Sensors are singing,” he said, a grin creeping over his face. “The troops are moving out.”

  A soft gasp of relief collectively filled the cave.

  From all of us except for Lebron.

  I arched an eyebrow and smirked at him. “Looks like your people are leaving you to the vultures.”

  Chapter 16

  ZOE

  Noah walked out with the water jugs and Mary left immediately after him. My stomach flipped and my need to know where they stood with each other propelled me to my feet. I couldn’t help celebrating a little when Noah had asked me to help him with the cactus instead of Mary. But with Noah, that didn’t necessarily mean anything. I lagged behind far enough that they wouldn’t notice me.