The Girl in the Machine (Leah King Book 3)

by Philip Harris

  Leah swallowed, uncomfortable. “How did it…” Leah stopped, uncomfortable again.

  “One of the barns caught fire. No one really knows how it started, but we’d had a very dry summer that year, and it went up very quickly. I had a pony, Martha, and she was inside. I ran into the barn to get her out. I managed to save her, but part of the roof collapsed and landed on me. The damage was irreparable.” The corner of her mouth turned up in a wry smile, and she tapped the side of the wheelchair. “I’ve been in this thing ever since.”

  Leah still couldn’t see the connection between the accident and her father leaving. She frowned.

  “Andrew found my injury difficult to handle. He tried to be there for me, he really did, but we both knew it meant we were never leaving. He cared for both of us for as long as he could, but I could see that it was eating him up inside. Whenever we got news from the outside world, his eyes would sparkle, and for a while he’d be his old self again.

  “He got angry about what Transport was doing. He even tried to convince Elias that we should side with TRACE. He’d heard there were Amish out there working with them. Elias refused, of course, and that just made him withdraw even more.”

  Susannah’s voice trailed off. She stared down at the dusty wooden floor. Leah waited, not sure what to say or do.

  Eventually, Susannah looked up again. “You were almost three when he left. Early one morning I heard him getting up. He was trying to be quiet, but I was a light sleeper back then—my legs… I heard him open the door to your room and tell you he was taking you on an adventure. That was when I knew he was leaving.”

  “Why didn’t you stop him?”

  “I couldn’t bring myself to. This place… Being trapped with me was killing him, and I thought he’d come back after a few months. Even when I read his note apologizing for leaving me, I didn’t really believe he was gone forever.

  “We looked for you both. A few days later, some of the men from the village found the buggy he took, but by then Andrew had moved on. There was no way of knowing where he’d gone. Transport wouldn’t help us, and he had no tracking chip, so there was nothing they could have done anyway. That was when I realized you were really lost to me. I’ve prayed for your safe return ever since.”

  Leah clenched her fists as the truth of her mother’s story sank in. “He stole me and abandoned you.” Her voice was flat, but rage bubbled just beneath the surface. “How could he tell me you were dead?”

  “I’m sorry, Leah. I wish I could have been there for you.”

  Emotion roiled inside Leah. The idea her father, the man she’d trusted above all else, had stolen her made her sick to her stomach. “No! It’s not your fault. It’s his! He betrayed you. He lied to me. I could have… I could have come and lived with you instead of in that stupid city. He could have come with me… he’d be alive.”

  The dam broke. Tears poured down Leah’s face. Susannah opened her arms, and she fell into them, burying her face in her mother’s shoulder. Susannah wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close. Leah sobbed, and Susannah tightened her grip. Leah felt tears splash against her neck.

  Her mother rocked her gently. “You need to forgive him.” Leah started to protest, but her mother interrupted her. “Was he good to you? In the city?”

  “Y-Yes.”

  “Did he ever hurt you?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “That’s because he loved you, Leah. He was doing what he thought was right. It will take time, but one day you’ll understand.”

  Leah wasn’t convinced of that, but her anger was beginning to subside. She sniffed. “I’ll try.”

  Susannah patted the back of her daughter’s head. “Good.”

  Leah took in a deep breath, filling up on the crisp, clean scent of her mother’s dress. It was the most wonderful thing she’d ever experienced. Susannah gave her a squeeze.

  They stayed like that for several minutes until eventually, her mother gently eased her upright.

  Leah wiped the tears from her cheek.

  Susannah smiled again, almost triggering another wave of tears. She took Leah’s hands and pulled her arms out wide. “Let me take a look at you.”

  Leah felt suddenly self-conscious about her TRACE camouflage gear, but Susannah didn’t seem to care.

  She bit her lip then shook her head in disbelief, mirroring Elias’s reaction. “Such a strong young woman. You get that from your father.”

  Leah shifted her feet self-consciously. The uncertainty was still there, but a tiny glimmer of hope had sparked inside her as well. She couldn’t see herself ever forgiving her father for what he’d done, but maybe she could accept it. With her mother’s help.

  “Will you stay?”

  Her mother’s question shocked Leah out of her thoughts. She’d assumed she’d be going back to the power station with Alice and Hobbs. The idea her mother would want her to stay hadn’t occurred to her.

  “I-I don’t know.”

  Susannah squeezed Leah’s hands. “I’d like you to. There’s a spare room in my house.” She paused. “It’s the one you slept in as a baby.”

  Leah felt panic setting in. She glanced toward the exit as though she was about to make a break for it and almost yanked her hands free of her mother’s grip. Only the hope in Susannah’s eyes stopped her.

  “Would you at least think about it?”

  Leah nodded, and Susannah let go of her hands.

  Silence stretched uneasily between them until the church door opened. Leah thought she sensed her own relief mirrored in her mother.

  Elias poked his head around the door. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but Leah, your friends will be leaving shortly, and they wish to say good-bye. If you’re staying, that is.”

  Again, the idea of being left behind triggered a wave of panic.

  “Thank you, Elias,” said Susannah.

  Elias’s head popped out of view again.

  Susannah released the brake on her wheelchair and rolled it toward the aisle. “Come on; I’d like to thank your friends.”

  58

  Leah watched as her mother propelled the chair forward. It looked old and heavy, and the muscles in her arms strained with the effort. She knew she should help. All she had to do was push, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to. Her mother’s disability was another thing she’d have to get used to.

  Alice and Hobbs were waiting at the foot of the church steps. Leah’s mother deftly maneuvered the chair down the slope and around to meet them. Leah followed behind, feeling out of place.

  “Hello, Alice,” said Susannah, “so good to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you, too. This is Tom; he’s a bit of a buffoon, but his heart’s in the right place.”

  “You ignore her,” said Hobbs, shaking Susannah’s hand, “she’s just angry she hasn’t been able to resist my effortless charm.”

  Susannah smiled. “I see; that would explain the warning she gave me last time she was here.”

  Hobbs gave Alice a shocked look.

  Susannah took Alice’s hand. “I wanted to thank you. I never expected to see Leah again.”

  Alice smiled at Leah, but there was a degree of caution there, too. “I’m just glad I managed to find you.”

  “We managed to find you,” said Hobbs.

  “Okay, I’m glad we managed to find you.”

  “Well, whoever was responsible, thank you,” said Susannah.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Elias says you’re ready to go?”

  “Yes, we need to head back to base. Our colonel can be a bit of an ass.”

  Susannah smiled. “I’ve asked Leah to stay, if you can spare her.”

  “I think we can arrange that. If you want to stay, Leah?”

  It was a pointed question. Leah felt her life pivoting around this moment. The answer she gave now would change things forever, one way or another. “I-I don’t know.”

  Alice paused then said, “Would you mind if we h
ad a few minutes alone to talk to your daughter?”

  “No, of course not. Take all the time you need.” She pointed across the street toward a squat wooden cottage. “I live over there; just let me know your decision.” She smiled at Alice and Hobbs. “Good-bye. I hope I’ll see you again.”

  “You certainly will, Susannah,” said Hobbs, bowing slightly.

  Alice rolled her eyes. “Good-bye.”

  Elias said his own good-byes then pushed Susannah toward the house.

  Leah waited until they were out of earshot before she spoke. “I’m scared.”

  “That’s understandable. This is a big change, and you’ve already been through a lot. That’s why I think you should stay. Rest. Take some time to get to know your mother. Give it a few weeks, and then if you don’t like it, you can come back to TRACE. But you owe it to yourself to find out what your life could be like here. You owe it to your mother, too.”

  “But what about Transport?”

  “We’ve scored some big hits recently, not least of all stopping the attacks you found out about. It’s going to take a while for them to recover. In the meantime, we’re going to keep being a thorn in their sides. Maybe even bring them down.”

  “I can help you.”

  Alice smiled. “It wasn’t that long ago that you were telling me that you weren’t part of TRACE.”

  “I know, but—”

  “Alice is right,” said Hobbs. “You should stay. If you don’t, I will, and you know how much trouble Sarge will get into if I’m not around to rein her in.”

  Leah smiled at the disgust on Alice’s face. She looked around the village. It seemed nice. Peaceful. Safe. Her eyes reached her mother’s house, and an ache settled in her heart.

  Blinking away tears, she nodded.

  Alice smiled. “Good.”

  Leah let out a long, slow breath.

  Hobbs stepped forward and offered his hand. Leah moved past it and hugged him instead. “You’d better come back to see me soon.”

  “You couldn’t keep us away.” Hobbs patted her back then let go. “I’ll wait for you in the Jeep, Sarge.”

  He gave Leah a salute then walked away, limping slightly.

  Alice put her arms around Leah. “You’re making the right decision.”

  Leah squeezed her. “I love you,” she whispered.

  Alice’s voice cracked. “I love you, too.”

  Leah could barely bring herself to let go. Despite Hobbs’s promise, they might never see each other again. They might be reassigned, or not come back from a mission.

  Eventually, she felt Alice’s grip loosen. She gave one last squeeze and let go.

  Alice stepped back. She was smiling, but her cheeks were wet. “You keep in touch. And if you do decide you want to come back, we’ll drop everything and come and get you, okay?”

  Leah’s throat was too tight for her to speak, so she just nodded.

  “Good-bye, Leah.”

  “Good-bye, Sarge.”

  Alice’s smiled deepened, then she turned and walked quickly to the Jeep. She clambered in, and Leah heard Hobbs say, “What was this warning Leah’s mom was talking about?”

  Alice ignored him and waved to Leah. Smiling, Leah waved back. The Jeep’s engine sputtered to life, and they pulled away. Leah watched as it rolled through the village. It was a distant speck climbing up the hill when she finally turned and walked toward her mother’s house and her new life.

  Author’s Note

  Thanks for reading The Girl in the Machine.

  It’s been two years since I published the first book in the Leah King Trilogy, The Girl in the City, and I really didn’t expect to write more than that novella. At that time, I was already working on Glitch Mitchell and the Unseen Planet, and a new ongoing series, but readers kept asking me if there would be more books, and my muse kept coming up with interesting new characters and problems to throw at Leah. In the end, I just couldn’t resist telling more of her story. I hope you enjoyed reading the books as much as I did writing them.

  The Leah King Trilogy was inspired by events in Michael Bunker's novel, Pennsylvania. I'd like to thank him for writing that book, and graciously allowing me to play in his world. If you haven't read Pennsylvania, you should.

  Thank you to Jason Whited for his copy-editing, and to the teams at Pikko’s House and Red Adept Editing for proofreading. Any remaining errors are all down to me.

  And finally, thank you to Adam at Around the Pages for creating fantastic covers for all three Leah King books.

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  Philip Harris

  About the Author

  Philip Harris is a speculative fiction author and video game developer. Originally born near Oxford, England, he now lives on the West Coast of Canada where he spends his days developing video games and his nights writing speculative fiction - anything from horror to science fiction to fantasy.

  His first publication, Letter From a Victim, appeared in the award winning magazine, Peeping Tom, in 1995. Since then he has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies including Garbled Transmissions, So Long, and Thanks for All The Brains and James Ward Kirk's Best of Horror 2013.

  His science fiction novel, Glitch Mitchell and the Unseen Planet, is an homage to the old Flash Gordon serials and is available now from all good book retailers.

  He has also worked as security for Darth Vader.

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  Also by Philip Harris

  The Leah King Trilogy

  The Girl in the City

  The Girl in the Wilderness

  The Girl in the Machine

  Novels

  Glitch Mitchell and the Unseen Planet

  Short Stories

  Bottled Lightning

  Curfew

  Saviour

  Only Friends

  The Girl in the Machine

  Leah King Book Three

  by Philip Harris

  Copyright © 2017 by Philip Harris

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author or publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living, or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN 978-0-9938998-6-7

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Cover design by: Around the Pages

  Edited by: Jason Whited

  Proofreading by: Red Adept Editing

  Even more proofreading by: Pikko’s House

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