We were on the last routine of the day. I was grateful for the soon-to-be-reprieve and all but dancing in place, ready to be done with Brian. During the class, I’d discovered he didn’t hold his punches. Or kicks. Neither did Linc when we practiced together, but at least he didn’t set out to hurt me. Not that I thought Brian was necessarily trying to, but he just seemed to take things a little too seriously. If I actually bruised, I probably would’ve been covered in them.
“Ready?” he asked, preparing for the last attack.
I almost winced and said No! out of instinct, even though I was the one playing the attacker again, but I nodded instead. “Yup.” If he caught the dread in my voice, he ignored it.
“Go for it.”
I moved in behind him and grabbed his arms, pulling them behind his back to immobilize them. Brian shoved back, then bent forward as if to toss me over his back. It didn’t work (it wasn’t supposed to), but it made me release his arms. He twisted and dropped down beside me. Using his right arm as a battering ram, he hit me behind the knees. As I started to drop down, he rose and punched me in the left shoulder, which had me spinning to keep my balance. I couldn’t, so I ended up falling backward instead. Brian helped matters along and shoved me down the rest of the way, making me hit the mat with a bone-jarring, breath-stealing thud. I didn’t even have time to blink before Brian was kneeling beside me and his forearm was against my throat.
Mr. Connor whistled. “Class is over. Practice these moves—safely—with anyone you can find. I’ll see you guys next Tuesday.”
Brian jumped to his feet and walked away. He was out the door before I’d even managed to sit up and rub my throat.
Tasha and Linc ran over to me. “You okay?” Linc asked, extending his hand to help me to my feet.
“I’m fine.” Though ‘fine’ was left open for interpretation. I was standing and breathing, so that was something.
Tasha raised an eyebrow. Linc glared.
I frowned at them both. “What?”
“I don’t like him.” Linc’s gaze traveled toward the door. His fingers curled into fists. “He’s too rough.”
“I don’t know. I guess, maybe a little. But it’s Combat, Linc.” I laughed. “It’s supposed to be—”
“Hate to say it,” Tasha said, cutting me off, “but I agree with him.”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t like Combat, so you think everything is too rough.”
“That might be true, but I still agree with Linc. You should talk to Mr. Connor about it.”
“I’m not talking to Mr. Connor about it. It’s the first Combat class of the Phase, so maybe he was just overly excited or something. And if the guy wasn’t around last Phase—or at least taking classes with anyone—then maybe he doesn’t really get how things work.”
“Jade.”
“You guys.” I laughed again. “What’s the big deal? I’m okay. I’m not broken or bruised.”
Linc rolled his eyes. “You weren’t broken or bruised when Felecia attacked you, either.”
I couldn’t argue, so I wisely kept my mouth shut.
Tasha tilted her head to the side. “You know, you don’t seem to have very good first weeks.”
Couldn’t argue with that, either. “You’re right, I don’t. And it’s about to get even worse, because I have my appointment with Doc soon. So can we just go get some food? I want to be well fed when I’m poked and prodded, since I have no idea how long I’ll be.”
Tasha didn’t argue. Linc on the other hand…well, he still looked like he wanted to, but then his expression softened. For half a second. In the time it took me to blink, he had a scowl back in place. I didn’t know what Linc’s problem with Brian was, but I had a feeling he wasn’t going to drop it.
I’d mostly trained with Linc last Phase, so I didn’t know how the others practiced their routines. Maybe Brian was being rougher than necessary. Either way, I didn’t know what the big deal really was. We weren’t training to hunt pillows here. We were training to hunt demons. That was serious and dangerous stuff. If we couldn’t handle a few knocks here or there, then what was the point?
Hoping to get the scowl to ease, I sent Linc a small smile. He smiled back, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
I sighed. Demons I understood. But boys? They were a freaking complicated species.
CHAPTER 03
By the time we made it down to the first floor, my appetite was mostly gone. I wasn’t used to fighting with Linc, and I definitely didn’t like it. I wasn’t even sure if we were actually fighting, and if we were, I had no idea what it was really about. When I’d had issues with Felecia last Phase, he’d been mad, but at Felecia, not me. And now that I was having problems with Brian (or so they thought), Linc was taking it out on me. I hadn’t asked to be paired with the guy. I would’ve much preferred being with Linc over him, but I hadn’t gotten a choice.
And as much as I really didn’t want to be partnered with Brian, I didn’t want to ask to be put with someone else, either. I could handle my own problems, and if I couldn’t, then that was something I needed to learn how to do.
Stopping before we reached the café, Linc muttered a curse under his breath. “I forgot my bag. I’ll meet you guys back here in a few,” he said, then ran off.
I frowned after him.
“He’s worried about you.”
“What?”
“Linc.” Tasha shot me an impatient look. “He worries about you.”
“But I’m okay. Look, the guy was a little too rough, I’ll admit it—and if you tell Linc I said that, I’ll hurt you—but I really am okay.”
“Not just about that. Everything. He was really freaked out when you were hurt last Phase, especially when they wouldn’t let him in to see you.”
“That was two months ago,” I argued. “I’m completely fine.”
She shrugged. “It still scared him, so cut him some slack.” There was a pause. “And I think he might be a little jealous.”
“Get real.” I could buy the scared thing. I’d seen it for myself after I’d woken up in the infirmary. But jealous? No way. There was no reason for it.
“You can kick my ass up and down in Demonology—and all the other classes, now that I think about it…” She waved her hand. “Never mind. In class, you’re the smart one. But when it comes to guys, I’m the one who’s all knowing.”
This whole not being able to argue thing was getting old. Still, I doubted she (or anyone else) was all-knowing when it came to guys. Brains just weren’t equipped to hold that kind of crazy knowledge.
Linc came back a few minutes later and we all grabbed a quick meal. Greene walked into the café just as I was throwing my trash away and had my stomach clenching. And here’s my cue, I thought, forcing myself not to frown or sulk. Greene looked pleased, yet somewhat less Greene-like with dust on his suit. He and Mrs. Barnes rarely looked out of character.
Apparently, he caught me staring. He glanced down at his shoulders and said, “Ah. The construction has begun in the South Tower. I was over there supervising.”
“What are they doing over there?” I asked. He’d never said during his start-of-Phase speech, so I wasn’t sure he’d answer now.
“They’re removing some walls to make some of the rooms larger.”
“Oh.” I nodded. That was a very non-answery answer, but I hadn’t expected that much.
“I came to speak with you.”
“Of course you did.” Tasha and Linc both gave me funny looks. It took a second before I realized I hadn’t just thought it but actually said it out loud. “Sorry,” I said with a cringe.
Linc struggled with a smirk, Tasha gasped, and Greene just shook his head. At least Greene was used to my internal-voice sometimes being not-so-internal.
“I just wanted to inform you that the scanner we had delivered has been installed. I’m afraid Miss Jones is anxiously waiting to test it out on you. I don’t believe I’ve seen her quite so happy in a while now.” When I glared, he
fought a smile and cleared his throat. “At any rate, she’s expecting you whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay.” I probably should’ve said more than a one-word response, but wasn’t sure it’d be safe. His little tidbit about Doc being excited to use the new scanner on me wasn’t helpful. In fact... “Why am I doing this again?” I asked no one in particular once Greene had walked away.
“You’re doing this for humankind,” was Linc’s reply.
“Yeah, well, right now, humankind can bite me.”
Tasha snorted and gave me a friendly punch to the arm. “That’s the spirit.”
“I guess I better go.” I sighed and looked out to the main lobby of the building, wondering if I could escape unseen. Getting scanned, poked, and prodded wasn’t my idea of a good time, but I was dreading it even more now, especially if Doc was looking forward to it.
Tasha poked my arm. “You haven’t moved yet.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m getting to that.”
“We’ll talk to you later,” Linc said, latching onto my arm and dragging me away. I barely had time to wave bye to Tasha as he pulled me around the corner to the elevators.
I growled. “Are you forgetting the caveman talk we had a few months ago, and how the female types in the world don’t like them?”
As usual when I said something he didn’t like, he rolled his eyes. “Get over it.”
He pressed the button for the elevator. Only when we were trapped inside did he release my arm. “I was going.”
He shot me a sidelong glance. “You were procrastinating.”
“I was not.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I wasn’t! I was just looking for an escape route,” I said, sulking.
“That’s even worse.”
“Yeah, well, you’d procrastinate and look for an escape route if Doc was looking forward to torturing you. But no, it’s me she wants to torture.” I tilted my head to the side. “Unless I can convince her to torture you, too. I mean, if she really wants to use this scanner thing, then she should be happy if she gets another victim.”
Once I said it, I liked the idea. Misery loved company, didn’t it? Heck, I probably wouldn’t even have to suggest it first. Doc liked torturing Linc almost as much as she liked torturing me.
I smiled, which had Linc glowering at me the short elevator ride to the second floor. When the doors opened, I skipped out and down the hall, stopping when I reached Doc’s office. The door was open, so I just tapped on it.
“Come on in, Jade,” Doc called out.
Cautiously, I stepped inside. All five-foot-five of Doc was bouncing around the room, grabbing this or that, taking it here or there. Her brown hair was in her usual style of a ponytail, swinging back and forth as she roamed the room. I frowned. “You really are looking forward to this, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, maybe a little.” She stopped moving just long enough to flash me a quick grin. “Don’t worry, it will be mostly painless. In fact, other than being a little boring, it might be your favorite appointment.”
“Yeah, right,” I said with a snort.
She shook her head. “We’re not staying here. The scanner is in another room.” She walked toward me with a tablet in her hands. “You don’t need to stay for this, Linc.”
Crap. No one mentioned I had to do this alone. I wanted to object, and opened my mouth to do that, but then I snapped it shut. What was I, a baby? I could handle getting poked at by myself. Probably.
Linc shot me a look, then shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t mind staying.”
I could’ve hugged him, and wanted to, but Doc stepped forward. She gave him a small smile. “I know, but this is probably going to be awkward enough for her without an audience. She’ll be yours again in thirty minutes or so.”
I’m a big girl. I’m a big girl.
Linc grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I’ll be in the café when you’re done. We can study together.”
I grinned. “You sure know the way to a girl’s heart.”
One side of his mouth lifted in a smile. “You’re just easy.”
Before he released my hand, I squeezed it back and locked my gaze with his. “Thanks, Linc,” I said. And then I hit him for the easy remark.
He rubbed his arm but kept smiling. “You’ve got this, Hall.”
Doc tapped my shoulder when Linc walked away. “This way,” she said.
I followed her down the hall. The room was only a few doors down in the back corner, next to the staircase. I’d been at the CGE for over five months, and while I knew what was in most of the rooms (the ones listed on the blueprints anyway), I’d only ever been in one room on the second floor. Doc’s office. As far as I was concerned, that was one room too many. And now I was about to make that two rooms too many.
Using her ID, Doc swiped it across the card reader and unlocked the room. The doors opened and lights turned on one by one. She gestured me inside. “It’s a big machine,” she said. “And it looks a lot scarier than it really is.”
In the middle of the room was a tall, narrow cylindrical tube. “Good thing I’m not claustrophobic,” I said under my breath, hoping I wasn’t about to make a liar out of myself. I’d never really had to test the theory. Until now.
The machine was big, like she said, but I wasn’t sure I believed her line about it not being as scary as it looked, ‘cause the thing looked monstrous. The tube was clear, so I could see inside, and what I was seeing didn’t make me feel any better. At least a dozen wires hung down from the top, in different colors, with electrodes attached to them.
Doc walked across the room, to a console that had more lights and buttons than this place had rooms. Above the console, there was a tall, wide glass screen. I could see a keyboard but no monitors.
“Just give me a few minutes to set up,” she said, busy at work doing…stuff. She swiped her ID across something. When one of the red lights on the console blinked green, she slid her tablet into a slot and started pressing more buttons.
A soft hum filled the room and lights started to flash. I spun around, found the flashing lights coming from inside the tube. The electrodes dropped lower and swayed side to side.
“Is that thing a scanner or some kind of non-moving, seizure-inducing roller coaster?”
Doc looked up and smirked. “I’m just adjusting it to your height.”
When the tube separated into five parts, I jumped back. My eyes went wide. “Uh, Doc. Is this thing going to scan me or kill me?”
Doc smiled. “Scan only. I’m reserving kill-mode for Linc.”
“Ha ha, very funny.” I gulped. I was pretty sure she was joking about kill-mode, but Doc really hated Linc’s what’s-up-Doc jokes and I wouldn’t put it past her—or this place—to have a machine with a kill-mode.
“Relax, Jade.” She walked over to the scanner and pointed. “All you have to do is stand there for a few minutes. The scanner will make some sound and lights will flash as it scans you. The only pain involved will be when it draws your blood samples.”
“When ‘it’ draws my blood?” Having Doc draw it was bad enough, but now she wanted to give the task to a machine?
“The scanner is multi-functional. The electrodes will track your breathing, heart rate, oxygen levels, temperature, and brain waves. The light beams will scan your body. Think of it as a complete body x-ray, level by level: skin, muscle, tissue, veins, and bone. If I insert an IV, it’ll also run a DNA comparison and test for basic illnesses. If you get sick, odds are the scanner will pick up on it before you start to feel it.” She looked at the scanner fondly, like she was in awe of it. “It doesn’t do anything we can’t do ourselves, but the scanner requires less blood and less time for the doctors and scientists to run the results.”
“This is supposed to make it sound less scary?”
Instead of responding to my question, she tilted her head to the side. “If we would have had this last Phase, we could have avoided the whole—”
“The who
le I’m-dying, not-dying thing?”
She looked away briefly. “Yes. There wouldn’t have been any doubt about what was happening to you.”
“Where was this thing last Phase then?” I muttered.
“Believe me—it’s been on my wish list. Actually, it’s probably been on every doctor and scientist wish list since they did an article about the scanner in some medical journals. Dr. Hamilton told me the CGE has been waiting to get the funding for one for years. There aren’t that many of them at all, because they’re so expensive—”
“How expensive are they?”
“From what Dr. Hamilton said, about eight million.”
Eight million. For one machine. “How many billions did Greene get?”
“I didn’t ask and he didn’t tell. When he mentioned we were getting the All-Scan, I lost all thought.”
I eyed Doc. “Want me to give you two some time alone?”
“Nice try.” She walked back to the console, hit a few more buttons.
Eight million, I thought again. That was enough to buy a country almost. Well, maybe. But that was a lot of money. What happened if I broke it? What if I looked at it wrong and something shattered or fell off? It’d take me a hundred lifetimes to pay that back. Heck, it’d take me and any kids I might have a hundred lifetimes to pay it back.
“Are you sure I should go in there? I don’t want to break something.”
Doc snickered but didn’t look up from the console. “Don’t worry. They’re sturdy.”
I turned back and faced the scanner while Doc worked. Sturdy. Ha.
During our summer break, Linc had made me watch movies he’d rented from the video archives. The movies had been about machines that took over the world in the future and a small group of people who were trying to stop it in the past. We had a ton of automated machines, and sometimes I thought they were taking over, but if machines actually did take over the world, I was sure the All-Scan would be the cause.
Breed of Envy (The Breed Chronicles, #02) Page 4
