The Girl in the Machine (Leah King Book 3)

by Philip Harris

  Before the nurse could start shouting, the door to the rehabilitation center opened. Leah grinned when she saw Alice walk in. Her excitement died when she saw the serious look on her face.

  “I’m sorry, Doc, you’ll need to cut your physio short today. I need to talk to Leah.”

  Doctor Vanier was frowning when he looked up from his magazine, but he nodded to the nurse.

  She looked like she might put up more of a fight, but she apparently saw the same seriousness Leah did and stepped aside without saying a word.

  Leah swung her legs out of the machine and picked up her walking stick from where it was hanging. Her legs had the soft, unreliable feeling they always had after a hard physio session. What she really wanted was to sit on the bench for ten minutes to recover then get a shower.

  What she did was lean heavily on the walking stick and force herself up to her feet. She hated the walking stick even more than she hated Vanier and the nurse. It wouldn’t be long before she’d be able to stop using it, but in the meantime, it made her feel like a grandmother, and that reminded her of Westler.

  Pushing down thoughts of Westler’s rotting face, Leah smiled at Alice. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and she had her sidearm clipped to her belt.

  “Can we talk outside?” said Alice.

  “Um, okay.”

  Alice offered her arm, but Leah ignored it, preferring to make her own unsteady way across the room and out into the corridor.

  Once they were outside, Alice closed the door to the rehab center. When she turned back to Leah, her serious expression was gone and her eyes were sparkling.

  Leah frowned, suddenly confused.

  “I’ve found her.”

  Leah’s mouth slowly dropped open. “What?”

  Alice grinned. “I’ve found your mother.”

  Leah felt the world around her tilt on its axis. Her injured leg gave way, and despite the stick, she almost ended up on the floor. Alice caught her and guided her to a nearby plastic chair.

  Tears formed in Leah’s eyes. It had been almost three weeks since Alice had promised to find her mother, and she’d all but given up. “But how?”

  “Your intel was right. She’s alive and living in Lancaster.”

  Leah frowned. “Then why did it take so long?”

  “The village she lives in is very… private. They don’t trust us.”

  “They’re loyal to Transport?” The idea terrified Leah. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if her mother was on Transport’s side.

  “No, they’re not loyal to anyone.” Alice hesitated. “They’re an Amish village.”

  Leah’s forehead creased. “Does that mean I really am Amish?”

  “It would explain why you don’t have a Transport ID.”

  Leah touched the steel port on the back of her neck. It made sense, but the idea that she was Amish and her father hadn’t told her seemed unbelievable. But then, he’d told Leah her mother was dead. Hiding her Amish heritage was nothing compared to that.

  “Look, your mother will be able to explain everything.”

  “She’s coming here?”

  “No, we’re taking you to her.”

  Leah opened her mouth, but the words refused to come. She’d been waiting for this moment, but now that it was here, she was suddenly terrified. She shook her head.

  “What? Why not?”

  “I-I don’t want to.”

  “But Leah—”

  “No! It can’t be my mother. I’m not Amish, and my father wouldn’t lie to me.”

  Alice crouched down beside Leah and put her hand on her knee. “I know this is scary.”

  “I’m not scared.”

  “It’s okay. I’d be terrified if I was in your place, but I’d also want to know the truth. If you don’t go to see this woman, you’ll always wonder if it is your mother. And if it is, she’s probably the only person that can explain why your father lied to you.”

  “But what if… what if he was a bad person?”

  Alice smiled gently. “He brought up a very brave, very smart young woman on his own. He can’t be that bad.”

  “But what if he was?”

  “Then we’ll deal with it.”

  Tears rolled down Leah’s face.

  “It will be okay; I promise.”

  “Will you come with me?”

  Alice leaned forward and hugged Leah. “Of course I will.” When she pulled away again, she wrinkled her nose. “Now, stinky, you’d better go take a shower. Hobbs is sorting out a Jeep. We’re leaving in an hour, whether you’re dressed or not.”

  55

  The Jeep was parked just outside the power station. Leah’s stomach fluttered when she saw it. She’d showered as quickly as she could and spent the entire time thinking of anything but the idea that she was going to meet her mother. Now that she was outside, she could think of nothing else.

  Katherine, James, and Alice were standing at the back of the Jeep, chatting and laughing. Hobbs was sitting in the front, staring intently at a clipboard. Alice saw Leah first and called her over.

  Leah tried to walk naturally as she made her way across the pavement. The heat of the shower had eased her leg, and the walking stick almost seemed redundant. The occasional spike of pain in her hip reminded her it wasn’t.

  When Katherine saw her, she smiled, but her expression was nervous, tentative. Leah hadn’t seen her since they’d escaped the Transport facility. She looked better, healthier somehow. Even the scar across her face seemed less pronounced. James had his arm around her, and his transformation was even more pronounced. He’d put on weight and gained a slight tan.

  “Ah,” said James, “here’s the girl of the hour.” He stepped forward. “I wanted to thank you. For helping free me.”

  The thanks seemed misplaced to Leah. “I didn’t really do anything.”

  “Yes, you did.” He gestured toward Katherine. “I wouldn’t have seen Katherine again if you hadn’t helped Sergeant Williams get me off that train.”

  James held out his hand. Leah shook it awkwardly.

  Katherine was standing behind James. Leah could see she wanted to say something.

  James slipped his arm around Katherine’s shoulders, and she took a deep breath. “I know there’s nothing I can do to bring your father back, and you must hate me for what I did, but I’m sorry. Truly I am. If there was any way I could go back and change things, I would.”

  Leah looked away. Katherine was right; she did hate her. That might never change, but part of her really did understand why Katherine had helped Transport. Leah might even have done the same thing if they’d kidnapped her father.

  She looked back at Katherine. There was hope in the woman’s eyes. She started to tell Katherine it was okay, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie. She stayed silent.

  Katherine’s hope turned to sadness. She nodded. “I understand.”

  James squeezed Katherine’s shoulder.

  “What will you do now?” said Leah.

  “We’re going to stay and help,” said Katherine. “At least as much as Colonel Billingham will allow. He doesn’t really trust me yet.”

  Hobbs called to them from the front of the Jeep. “I wouldn’t take it personally. He’s somewhat skeptical about the value of women in general.”

  “That’s an understatement,” said Alice.

  Hobbs winked at Leah. “Don’t worry; you girls will bring him around.”

  Alice rolled her eyes at him.

  “We’re ready when you are, Sarge,” said Hobbs, grinning.

  “We’ll let you go,” said James. Leah thought he was going to try to shake her hand again, but he just gave her a sharp nod.

  Katherine still looked downcast but forced a smile. “Good luck, Leah. I hope we’ll see you again.”

  “Thank you.”

  As Katherine and James walked away, Leah moved to climb into the back of the Jeep.

  “Oh no,” said Hobbs. “You get to ride shotgun. There’s more room, and
you’ll be a bit more comfortable. It’s a long ride.”

  Still not sure going to see her mother was the right thing to do, Leah walked around the side of the Jeep and climbed awkwardly into the passenger’s seat.

  Hobbs waited for Alice to get in, then tapped the horn a couple of times. The security gate swung open, and they accelerated out of the power station.

  56

  Leah sat in silence as the Jeep raced along the roads toward Lancaster. Away from the base, Alice and Hobbs seemed to drop the sergeant-private relationship. Leah listened to their chatter and let it distract her from the upcoming reunion.

  They seemed to sense she needed to be left alone and talked almost exclusively to each other, sharing their thoughts on the latest developments in the war with Transport, speculating on when Billingham would need them to go out again, even gossiping about Da Silva and Wichita. Leah smiled at that. She’d seen Da Silva a couple of times while she was recovering. The second time, Wichita had been with her. Maybe now she knew why.

  There was a lull in the conversation as the Jeep climbed up a steep hill. They’d turned off the highway fifteen or twenty minutes earlier and were now following a road that was really not much more than a dirt track.

  Hobbs tapped the screen of a small tablet fixed to the dashboard. “We’re nearly there. Just a couple more miles.”

  The words sent a shiver of doubt up Leah’s spine. She had to fight the urge not to grab the wheel, spin the Jeep around, and hightail it back to the power station.

  She jumped as Alice put a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay.”

  “What if she doesn’t want me? Maybe that’s why my father said she was dead. Maybe she never wanted to have a kid and she hates me.”

  Alice leaned forward until she was almost in the front of the Jeep. “She wants to meet you.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes, she’s very happy you’ve found her.”

  “But how can you know that?”

  “I came out to see her. I wanted to make sure we’d got the right person before I got your hopes up.”

  Leah chewed her lip.

  “There is one thing you should prepare yourself for, though. Your mother was injured in an accident when she was younger. She can’t walk and has to use a wheelchair.”

  Leah struggled to find something to say. Her mother was in a wheelchair. She shifted in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable. Had her father known? He’d said she’d been killed in an accident. Maybe he only thought she had. A tiny flicker of hope kindled inside her. Maybe he hadn’t been lying.

  “You’re going to be fine,” said Hobbs. “You’re a smart, brave young woman. She’ll be very proud of you. Just like we are.”

  The Jeep crested the hill, and the landscape opened up. A wide valley cut across in front of them. At the bottom sat a cluster of houses and several barns—maybe thirty buildings in all. Thin wisps of smoke rose from several of the bigger houses. The houses were simple wooden affairs. They seemed familiar to Leah, and she wondered if it was some latent memory from when this was her home. Then she remembered the image of her mother sitting in front of a house just like these.

  The Jeep bumped and shook as it descended into the valley. Leah had to hold on, and the motion set off the pain in her leg. The village was encircled by fields. One of the smaller ones held a handful of pigs. Most of the others were dedicated to crops.

  As they entered the village, a buggy rolled past going in the opposite direction. The horse turned to look at them and snorted as though showing its disdain at their arrival.

  There was a handful of people walking around the village—the men in their broadfall pants and hats, the women in plain black dresses and white bonnets. More people appeared from out of the houses as the Jeep passed.

  Leah looked at each of the women, trying to see if it was her mother, but none of them were in a wheelchair. Maybe Alice had got that bit wrong. For their part, the women regarded Leah with a quiet intensity that she didn’t find entirely welcoming and fueled her unease.

  Hobbs brought the Jeep to a stop outside a small wooden church in the center of the village. He jumped nimbly out of the driver’s seat and had the passenger door open before Leah had finished unbuckling her seat belt. She swung her legs out, wincing at the return of the ground glass in her hip. Alice grabbed the walking stick and helped her to the ground.

  Leah took the stick back and leaned on it while the circulation returned to her leg, grateful for its existence for the moment. She looked around. A couple of women were standing on the opposite side of the road, but neither of them was her mother.

  The church was painted white, with a bell tower and a cross-shaped window above the door. A short set of steps led up to the entrance, but there was a ramp off to one side as well. The door swung open, and a man came out.

  Leah’s heart leaped. It was Isaac, the Amish man who’d helped her back in Columbia. He raised a hand in greeting and then walked carefully down the church steps toward them. Leah almost ran to him then realized it wasn’t Isaac. This man was older, and he wasn’t bald like Isaac had been. Grief at his death hit her again, and she wondered if the pain of losing the people she’d loved would always be there, waiting just beneath the surface, ready to hurt her all over again.

  The man held out his hand toward Alice. “Good afternoon, Alice. It’s good to see you again.”

  Alice shook the man’s hand. “Good afternoon, Elias. This is Tom Hobbs.”

  Elias shook Hobbs’s hand and then turned to Leah. “And you must be Leah.”

  She felt her face flush as Elias’s eyes bored into her. He shook his head slowly, and she thought maybe he didn’t approve of her. Then he broke out into a huge grin.

  “Unbelievable. I didn’t think we’d ever see you again.” He gave a short laugh. “And you look so much like your mother when she was your age.”

  “Thank you,” said Leah.

  Elias laughed again. It was a gentle sound, welcoming. “You’ll be wanting to meet your mother.”

  “Yes, please. Sir.”

  Elias nodded appreciatively. “Polite, too. You really are your mother’s daughter.”

  Leah almost responded that she was her father’s daughter, too, but she kept her mouth closed.

  “Well, follow me then.”

  Leah’s heart was pounding, and her throat was suddenly filled with dust. She looked at Alice.

  “Go on,” said Alice gently. “We’ll be right here.”

  Leah swallowed and nodded slightly.

  She expected Elias to lead her toward one of the houses, but instead he walked up the steps to the church entrance. Leah hesitated for a moment then followed him, her walking stick tapping out a beat on the wooden steps.

  Elias pulled open the door to the church. “She’s waiting for you inside.”

  “Thank you.” Leah’s voice was quiet.

  Elias gave her a soft, reassuring smile.

  Leah took a deep breath then went to meet her mother.

  57

  It took a few seconds for Leah’s eyes to get used to the gloom inside the church, but she could make out four rows of pews on either side of a narrow aisle. A simple wooden cross hung on the far wall. A lectern stood off to one side, a black leather book resting on top of it. The air smelled of wood.

  Leah thought the church was empty at first, then as her eyes adjusted, she saw the woman sitting in the wheelchair at the front, her bonneted head bowed. The door clicked shut behind her, and Leah jumped. The movement broke whatever spell was holding her in place, and she walked along the aisle.

  Her walking stick seemed insultingly loud as it clunked against the wooden floor, but her legs had turned to water, and the stick might have been the only thing keeping her upright. She kept her head down, concentrating on her feet until she reached the last pew. Her hands shook as she turned to face her mother.

  There was a nervous look on Susannah’s face. The image Leah had seen in the VR must have been at least
five years old, but she recognized her mother immediately. She was thinner, and her face was a little more lined, but her eyes were still the same. The wheelchair was the same, too. Leah recognized the padded armrests. The sight of the chair conjured a strange mix of embarrassment and shame, and she blushed slightly.

  Leah had expected to feel something when she met her mother—a sudden outpouring of love and emotion. All she felt as she walked toward her was confusion.

  Susannah was wearing an identical black dress and white bonnet as the women outside, and it struck Leah that her mother really was Amish. Which meant Leah was, too. She swallowed down a cry. Her entire world seemed to be collapsing around her.

  Susannah smiled nervously. “Welcome home.”

  The flicker of a frown passed across Leah’s face. This didn’t feel like home. It wasn’t home. She shook her head. “This isn’t my home.”

  Susannah’s smile faded slightly. “It was once, and it could be again—if you want it to be.”

  Conflicting emotions welled up inside Leah. Her home had been with her father.

  Susannah reached out toward Leah’s hand, but she pulled away.

  An awkward silence formed between them.

  Eventually, Leah spoke. “He told me you were dead.”

  “I know.”

  Leah shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “Why?”

  Susannah started to speak then stopped and sighed. “I don’t know. Perhaps he felt guilty.”

  “About what? Why did he take me away?”

  Susannah’s face twisted into a pained expression. “He was never… comfortable here. Not really.” The pain gave way to the warmth of recollection. “When he was a teenager, he was always off exploring and having adventures. He never really lost that childlike sense of wonder, even after we were married. He kept talking about how big the world was. He wanted to see it all.”

  “But you didn’t?”

  “Oh no, I did. That was why I loved him so much. Part of the reason, anyway.” Susannah’s eyes took on a distant look, glistening. She shook her head and smiled sadly. “Even when I became pregnant with you, we still thought we’d leave Lancaster. We’d just have to wait a couple of years until you were old enough.” Susannah swept her hands over her legs. “Then this happened.”