H.A.L.F.: The Makers

by Natalie Wright

  “Dr. Randall.” She tried to scream his name, but her voice was as soft and low as the mew of a newborn kitten.

  The table was hard and cold beneath her burning skin. Metal clanked against metal. There was the whir of a motor. It was the same sound she’d heard before when the robotic arm moved toward her.

  She braced herself for the pain of the needle as it plunged into her abdomen as it had before. Kill me. End my agony. She knew the Conexus were there, just outside the cone of light. Watching her. She hoped they could read her thoughts. She hoped they’d oblige her request.

  Erika’s blood boiled in her veins, immolating her from the inside out. Her heart was like a crazed monkey beating inside her chest. Her skull felt like it was being slowly crushed in a vice.

  And she was alone. Her mom and Jack so far away. Ian was as much of a goner as she was. And Tex the traitor was dead to her. He could have been in the dark shadows beyond the light for all she knew, watching her suffer.

  She was done with having only pain for company.

  “End it,” she managed to croak. “Go ahead, you little grey monkey men. Kill me and have it done with.”

  Erika forced her eyes open despite the pain. The metal arm wielding its needle of death tilted ninety degrees, lowered toward her and jabbed into her stomach. But this time, the pain of the needle was like a fluttery kiss compared to the agony of the fever that raged through her.

  She did not scream. She did not cry. She could do nothing but smile with relief that now at least her ordeal would be at an end.

  15

  JACK

  Jack woke more rested than he’d been since the night they met Tex in the desert. The sun was high and the room was bright with midday light spilling in from the two windows in the small corner room. She let me sleep in after all. Jack stretched his arms and shoved out of bed.

  He’d slept in pajama bottoms Anna had given him and nothing else. He wanted to brush his teeth and shower before he did anything else, as was his habit before he’d been thrust into Sturgis’ hell.

  The house was quiet. Maybe Anna’s gone.

  He popped his head out the door. Hearing nothing, he padded softly down the hall to the bathroom. It was empty, as was the hall. He was glad to see that Anna had anticipated his need for a clean mouth. There was a new toothbrush still in its packaging and a tube of toothpaste.

  Jack took care of his hygiene and enjoyed feeling human again. His stomach growled and he hoped Anna at least had some cereal in the house. He sauntered to the kitchen and nosed through Anna’s cupboards and refrigerator in search of a meal.

  The coffee was nearly done brewing and his breakfast potatoes and sausage ready to make their way to his plate when the back door opened. Anna’s face was red and sweat dripped from her hairline. She was dressed in black running tights and a salmon-colored running crop top. Jack had a hard time pulling his eyes away from her bare, well-toned stomach.

  She made her way to the refrigerator and pulled out a chilled water bottle. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Best sleep I’ve had in weeks.”

  Anna sat at the breakfast bar across from Jack. “This is a strange sight.”

  “What’s that?” Jack asked. He slid the greasy eggs on top of his plate of potatoes.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone else cooking in my kitchen. And definitely not a half-dressed guy.”

  Jack had been so hungry, he set about cooking without bothering to put on a shirt. His face flushed crimson. “Sorry. Probably a major faux pas, huh? Cooking without a shirt.”

  Anna’s face colored as well, her eyes glued to his chest. “No,” she stammered. “Not – it’s – well, just a surprise, that’s all.”

  Jack suddenly felt naked. He wanted a shirt and maybe a jacket too. But he was more hungry than embarrassed, so he sat on the stool next to Anna and inhaled his breakfast. “So, have you figured anything out yet?” he said with a mouthful of food.

  Anna sipped her coffee. “Yes. As I suspected, Thomas found evidence that they have Alecto at Croft’s apartment in New York City.”

  Jack shoved his toast through a splatter of egg yolk. “Seems like an odd place to take her. Why not keep her here where it’s dry? And why not an industrial-type building rather than an apartment?”

  Anna shrugged. “Croft is one of the wealthiest men in the world. He’s used to his comforts. My guess is that he’s more comfortable at his penthouse overlooking Central Park than he’d be here in Arizona.”

  “You know where he lives?” He knew Anna’d spied on her dad, but he was surprised by how much she knew about Croft as well.

  Anna nodded.

  “So we’ve got to go to NYC?” Jack had always wanted to see New York. He’d imagined more of a checking-out-the-music-scene sort of trip rather than a coerced putting-his-life-in-danger visit.

  “You guessed correctly.”

  “Flying could be a challenge. Your aunt Lilly’s goons took my driver’s license. All I have is a cheesy ID Sewell got for me. I don’t think it will work with the TSA.”

  “We’ll get you a new ID. But we’re not going to need it for the TSA.”

  “Don’t tell me you have a private jet.”

  “I do. Well, my father does. But no, we’re not taking that either. We’ve got to go completely off the grid.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m under constant surveillance, Jack. My phone. Computer. Even my car. My dad always knows where I am. As soon as I make a move out of Tucson, they’ll know about it.”

  “Then instead of driving your car, we fly. Pay cash for tickets at the airport.”

  “No good either. They’ve got security cameras everywhere, even the airport. The Makers monitor the camera feeds with face-recognition software.”

  “They can’t have enough people to watch that many cameras all the time.”

  “Don’t need people. Computers do it. As soon as a computer makes a match to someone in the ‘persons of interest’ category – and I’m definitely in that group – it’ll set off an alarm. If we fly, Croft will have guys at the airport tailing me before we’ve made it to baggage claim.”

  Jack couldn’t conceive of a life with people watching his every move. He’d detest that life. “Why does your dad and this Croft guy care what you’re doing?”

  “My dad probably does it to protect me. I told you Croft has offed people who piss him off. But from what I know about Croft and the Makers, my guess is that they like to keep their eyes and ears on anyone associated with the organization. They’re paranoid, though in my case, they’ve got reason to be worried about what I’m doing.”

  “Is it even possible to go off grid?”

  “I’m not sure, but we’re going to do our best. No cell phones. No computers or electronic devices of any kind.”

  “Well, driving won’t help, then. Your car is loaded with computers.” Anna’s BMW was loaded with GPS, Bluetooth and a tracking device to locate the car in case it was ever stolen. It had more computers on board than the space shuttle.

  “That’s why we’re not taking my car.”

  That was bad news. Jack would have enjoyed driving Anna’s BMW across country. “Don’t look at me. My Jetta was made into a flaming marshmallow.”

  “We’ll pick up an old beater at a local car lot. Pay cash. We’ve got a lot to do and little time. A new ID for you. Buy a car. Get outfitted with supplies for the road.”

  Jack had plenty of time. Whether he liked it or not, his new vocation was to do whatever Anna Sturgis asked him to do.

  After breakfast they headed to Walmart for new wardrobes. Anna explained that she needed to look the part of a poor college student on a cross-country road trip so they’d get less questions. As they wheeled two carts full of bags out to the car, Anna pulled out her phone and made a call. “Mon cheri! Quest que ce?” The conversation continued in French. Jack made out only a few words here and there. He heard his name occasionally and the name Steve Harper.

  Af
ter Anna hung up, she snapped a photo of him. “Oh, it’s terrible. Let’s try again.”

  “What are you taking my picture for?”

  “Your new ID. Now try to look normal. You know, less like you have gas or something.”

  “Sorry. This is my normal look.” Jack was one of the least photogenic people he knew. In every picture he either had his eyes closed or he looked drunk. He posed for Anna and tried his best to keep his eyes open.

  She took several in a row and inspected each carefully. She finally pronounced the last one ‘useable’ and texted it to whoever she’d been speaking to on the phone. “We’ll stop by his place later to pick up the new ID.”

  “Where to now?” Jack wasn’t used to having someone else entirely in control of what he did and where he went. He looked forward to a day when he was again running his own life.

  “We need cash.”

  She proceeded to make large withdrawals and close out her accounts from five different banks. Each time Anna used a different false identity. She was Stacey Smith, April Jones, Sarah Fraley, Michelle Willems, and Candace Quince. At each bank the large withdrawal prompted a visit from a customer service agent who swam upstream, offering her services and promotions to get her to keep her money in their bank. Anna politely declined all offers and walked out with her designer handbag full of cash.

  “I thought we were taking a trip to New York as poor college students. Why the need for large sums of cash?” Jack asked as they drove to the next stop on their day of errands.

  Anna didn’t answer. A tear welled at the corner of her eye.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing.” She dabbed at her eye.

  “Look, I don’t know you well, but what I know so far is that you’re not prone to crying. So what’s going on?”

  Anna sighed. “I’m just being sentimental. I sort of liked it here.”

  “It’s not like you won’t be back. Probably two weeks at most, right?”

  Anna shook her head. “No matter how it goes down in NYC, my life as Anna Sturgis is over. If we succeed and retrieve Alecto from Croft’s penthouse, I’ll be marked. Persona non grata. You don’t steal from William Croft. So I’ll need to go underground. I won’t be coming back to my cute little bungalow.”

  “You mean when you leave tomorrow, you’re leaving for good?”

  Anna nodded. “It’ll be the last time I see my house.” Anna’s one tear became a stream of salty water running down her face.

  Contrary to what he’d expected when he envisioned Sturgis’ niece, Anna was funny, smart and had shown Jack nothing so far but genuine kindness. And now she was a woman in pain over the loss of her life and her home.

  Jack put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry.” And he truly was. He knew something about being ripped from your life.

  Anna sniffed and wiped her face with the back of her delicate hand. “Thanks, Jack.”

  They used some of Anna’s cash stores to buy a used Honda from a small car lot on the west side of town. The guy tried to talk Anna into buying a five-year-old red convertible, but she opted for the most nondescript grey car on the lot.

  They had a quick supper out and then went to a bar called The Shelter. It looked like a large round cave built out of lava rocks. The idea of going into a dark place that looked like a cave made Jack’s armpits instantly wet. After his time at A.H.D.N.A., he didn’t want to go into a place that even looked like it was underground.

  “I’ll stay here,” he said as Anna unfastened her seat belt. “I’m only seventeen. Granted, I’ll be eighteen soon. In a few days, actually. But I’m not old enough to drink or go into bars.”

  “You may not be. But Steve Harper is.”

  It was a weeknight and still early for a bar, so there was no one at the door to card them. The music was nineties electronica, but the small dance floor was empty. Tables were tucked into alcoves around the perimeter, and most of them were empty too.

  Anna ordered a gin and tonic. “What’ll you have?” She had to practically shout for Jack to hear her over the music.

  Jack had drunk beers with Ian and his other guy friends before. Because they were underage, part of the fun in drinking was the fact that they weren’t supposed to be. But Steve Harper could order anything he wanted.

  Jack didn’t feel like having a foggy head and a sloshy stomach. He ordered a cola. Anna raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t say anything.

  Drinks in hand, Anna said, “Come on. He’s over here.”

  Jack followed Anna to the back of the bar to the furthest booth. At the very back of it, nearly invisible in the shadows, sat a small guy smoking a hookah. He had a handlebar mustache, thick glasses and wore a SpongeBob T-shirt. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-five and had his head buried in his smart phone.

  Anna scooted in next to him, and it was only when her leg brushed his that he noticed her.

  “Ma cherie!” he said.

  They embraced and he kissed each cheek.

  The conversation took place mainly in French. Jack never learned the guy’s name. Anna referred to him only as mon cheri. It would have bothered Jack that he couldn’t understand them if he’d cared more about what the guy had to say.

  After nearly a half hour of rapid conversation, Anna handed him a thick envelope. In return, the man pulled an envelope from a well-worn army-surplus-looking messenger bag on the seat next to him. He discreetly tucked the envelope he’d gotten from Anna into his bag without looking inside.

  Anna opened the envelope she’d received. “It’s perfect,” she said. She handed it to Jack. “Here you go, Steve Harper.”

  Jack took the new ID. It was an incredibly well-done fake complete with a hologram background. Jack couldn’t tell it apart from a state-issued ID. The man had used Jack’s true birthdate but made him a few years older.

  “Looks like I’ll be twenty-two in a few days,” Jack said.

  “You don’t look a day over twenty.” Anna winked at him as she said it.

  The man spoke in heavily accented English. “Always a pleasure, ma cherie.”

  “You’re the best.” Anna kissed him on his scruffy cheek. “I’d love to sit and have a smoke with you, but we’ve gotta scoot. Long days ahead.”

  The man nodded slowly one time. “Be careful, ma petite cherie.”

  They made their way back to Anna’s house and carted packages in from the car. When they were done, Anna handed Jack a thick envelope similar to the one she’d handed to the counterfeit ID guy at The Shelter.

  “What’s this?” Jack hadn’t been offered money to do the job of helping Anna. He didn’t see helping her so much as a job as forced labor.

  “You should have some cash. In case we get separated.”

  Jack’s instinct was to count it, but he figured that would be rude. He decided to wait until he was in his room to count the bills. “Thanks.” He tucked the envelope into his back pocket. “But I don’t plan on getting separated from you.”

  Anna blushed.

  “Umm, that came out wrong. What I mean is Sewell made it clear I was to help you if I want to go home again. So you’re stuck with me until the job Sewell gave me is accomplished.”

  “Look, Jack – I … well, we’re going into a dangerous situation. I don’t feel right about you being forced to do this. Sewell means well. But I can’t in good conscience make you come with me. There’s enough money in that envelope that you could go somewhere. Lie low for a while. You even have a new identity.”

  Ever since the alien ship had disappeared before his eyes at A.H.D.N.A., all Jack wanted was to go home. Jack’s mom was all he had left to care about, at least on this world. He wanted desperately to see her. Even to talk to her for a few minutes so she’d know he was okay. I wonder if Sewell called my mom?

  Anna was giving him an opportunity to take the money and run. But Sewell was the one that had given him the job. I don’t think he will let me go as easily as Anna is willing to. If Sewell got w
ind that Jack had gone back home against his directive, Jack had the feeling he wouldn’t be home long.

  Maybe I can go somewhere else. But where? He knew his dad was on the East Coast somewhere, but he didn’t have a phone number for him. He had some distant family on his dad’s side, but they’d disappeared from his life when his dad did.

  His mind told him to go. Take her cash and say thank you and don’t look back. Anna might have thought it was that simple too. But Jack knew better. Sewell played the part of the overweight side man. Pleasant. Polite. And seemingly friendly and benevolent.

  But Jack had read between Sewell’s lines. He might die performing the task Sewell had given him, but if he ran, they’d find him and he’d surely end up dead. And then there was Alecto. Sewell didn’t have a cosmic telephone, but Tex had communicated telepathically with the greys. If he could do it, maybe Alecto could too. If we find her, maybe I can convince her to try to contact them and get a message to Erika.

  “What? Deprive me of the road trip you promised?” Jack forced a smile as he said it.

  “He threatened you, didn’t he?”

  Jack ran his hand through his hair. “It was more implied than stated.”

  “That son of a – Look, Jack, I know you think I’m a monster because I’m related to Commander Sturgis, who, I’m sorry to say, has done some questionable things. I get that. But I want you to know that none of this was my idea. I don’t want to force you to do things against your will. So regardless of what Sewell said or implied, I don’t want you to come with me if you’re coming solely because you’re afraid of what will happen to you if you don’t.”

  Jack looked into her eyes and knew that she meant it. Maybe she wasn’t as Sturgis as he thought she was.

  Jack put his hand on Anna’s. “It’s okay. Look, the truth is I’m not sure what to believe anymore. A few days ago I was certain your aunt was the spawn of Satan. Then I watched in horror as an alien ship used a weapon to mow men down like they were blades of grass.”