N.I.C. (The Almost Series Book 3)

by Christina Leigh Pritchard

  “What’s happening to her?” I stuttered, grabbing her white coat. “Dr. Cole, why are you crying?”

  Endre stood in the doorway. “She’s processing things,” he said. “Give her a moment.”

  My heart pounded and my hands shook. “What’s her Amie saying?”

  Dr. Cole glanced at me, her eyes wet. “My Shay, I love you and I’m sorry I’ve failed you.” I collapsed in her arms. “I’m so, so, very sorry. I tried my best, I swear to you, I did.”

  Sure, I’d hated Dr. Cole, but at the same time, she was someone who’d been in my life always. What was to happen to her now? Had I pegged her wrong all this time?

  Endre cleared his throat. “The paperwork has officially been processed. It will begin shortly.”

  Dr. Cole turned to 31. “You were my best friend and I betrayed you. I’m sorry for everything. I hope you’ve forgiven me.”

  Subject 31 frowned. “59, you will now reap what you have long sown.”

  Dr. Cole’s body jerked about. She was ripped from me. “Stop it, Mother!” she screamed. It was as if someone tugged her by the hair, dragging her from the room.

  “No!” I yelled, racing after her. Endre grabbed me. I resisted, trying my best to escape. “What’s happening? Dr. Cole!”

  Her Amie forced her down the hall and into room 217.

  “No!” I cried, wrapping my arms around Endre. He was strong and I could feel his muscles flex as he wrapped his arms around me.

  “I promise you will never enter phase four. You have my word, my little Shay.”

  My eyes closed to the sound of room 217’s door slamming shut. What was A.M.I.E. 217 going to do to her S.H.A.Y.s?

  My Amie appeared. “It is going to happen. She will become real. This is the final stage of what is needed. She will use S.H.A.Y. 31 to accomplish this.”

  “Would you care to watch science at its best?” Endre asked me.

  Chapter Nine

  In the Conference Room

  Dr. Cole

  I sat with my back to the door. My Amie stood before me with her arms folded. Her blond hair and dark eyes sparkled in the sun that shown through the window of the conference room. I’d requested bars be installed after Shay escaped. I regretted that decision. How would she escape now?

  “Do you know what you’ve done?” my Amie asked. She floated over the table and came face to face with me. “Your stupidity has cost me very much and I will never forgive you for what you have done.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What are you talking about now?”

  “You wouldn’t listen to me,” she said. “Why weren’t you a scientist? I’m so very disappointed in you, Bridgett.”

  “Mom,” I began. My attention turned to noise in the hallway. Shay and Endre entered the room.

  “Shay!” I hugged her tight. She trembled and didn’t seem to want to let go.

  “Didn’t I tell you letting my S.H.A.Y. out of the containment chamber was a bad idea?” My Amie stomped about, pointing at 31.

  I ignored her, hugging Shay even tighter. “I was worried sick about you,” I said, grabbing my vitals scanner. “Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?” I ran the scanner over her body. She seemed healthy and undamaged.

  “Isabella has agreed to enter into phase four. Do you know what this means for you?” my Amie said. She pressed her finger into my temple, giving me what felt like brain freeze.

  I gasped. “31 has signed up for phase four!”

  Shay nodded. “Yes, she has.” Her eyes welled with tears.

  Subject 31 sat in a chair. She glanced up, her eyes red and swollen. “I had to do it.”

  I shook my head. “What’s phase four?”

  My Amie floated above us. “I’m to become real now. She may die in the process.”

  I covered my face with my hands. “No, Mother, no!”

  “This is your fault, Bridgett. If you had left her in containment, then she never would’ve desired freedom.”

  I shook my head. “This is insane.”

  Amie frowned. “You’ve ruined everything and have destroyed me.”

  “I didn’t do anything to you!” I shouted, dodging flying code. “It’s not my fault!”

  “Now, you must take her place!”

  “No!” I recoiled, grabbing Shay once more.

  “You will be disconnected from me,” Amie cried.

  Tears poured down my cheeks. “No! No, no!”

  “Say goodbye to your sister and friend. This will be the last time you ever see them unless your superstar can come up with a solution to your mutation.” My Amie shoved me forward, straight into Shay’s arms. “I don’t wish to disconnect from you but you’ve given me no choice.”

  My eyes set on Shay. “I’m so sorry I’ve failed you, my Shay. I love you and I am so, so, sorry.” I held her as tight as I could. She trembled.

  My heart ached. Who would protect her now?

  Endre cleared his throat. “The paperwork has officially been processed. It will begin shortly.”

  I turned to face S.H.A.Y. 31. “You were my best friend and I betrayed you. I’m sorry for everything. I hope you’ve forgiven me.”

  “She’ll never forgive you!” My Amie sneered. “You’re the reason she is to die.”

  S.H.A.Y. 31 frowned. “59, you will now reap what you have long sown.”

  Amie sliced her fingers through my body. Pains ran through me and I winced. “Let’s get this over with,” she said. “The longer I think about what is to happen, the worse I feel. My calibration is skipping. That’s how upset I am right now.” Amie took control of my limbs, forcing me away from my Shay. I resisted, my body jerking about.

  “Stop it, Mother!” I screamed. My Amie forced me down the hallway towards her room. It was as if she held me by the hair. Her fingers sent piercing currents along my spine and my muscles seized as she tugged me towards room 217.

  “No!” Shay yelled, racing after me. Endre grabbed her, stopping her from following us. She sobbed in his arms. “What’s happening? Dr. Cole!”

  My Amie forced me into her room, slamming my body against the containment chamber walls. They were made of glass. A quick image of S.H.A.Y. 31 trapped inside appeared. That was going to be me in a moment.

  Amie burst into tears. I’d never seen her this upset. “I hate you as much as I love you.” Her eyes darkened and her image slowly faded.

  “Stop it, Mom,” I said. Tears streamed my cheeks. “I don’t want to go in there. I want to stay connected to you. I need you!”

  My Amie forced me inside the chamber. The walls lowered, pressing down onto my back. I ended up sitting with my knees pulled into my chest. “Mom?”

  She was gone. I could no longer see her.

  “Mother?” I surveyed the room. All I could see were the many skeletons piled up together and those hanging on the walls. My body trembled. Was this it? Would I die inside here?

  How many minutes or hours had already passed me by? My heart raced. Shay peeked inside the room. Her eyes widened when she spotted me. She ran towards me, her hands landing on the glass walls.

  “Dr. Cole!” Her words were muffled. “I’m going to get you out of here, I promise!”

  Endre guided her out by the shoulders. She glanced back once more.

  “I love you, Shay,” I whispered. “I did all of this for you even if you’ll never understand it. You were all I had left. You are my redemption from a shameful past.”

  My thoughts raced back to the day I’d turned into a traitor. If I hadn’t been trying to impress my Amie, this never would’ve happened. S.H.A.Y. 31 never would’ve been forced to live inside captivity for over eighty years. How did she manage it?

  Chapter Ten

  Treachery

  Dr. Cole/Bridgett

  Bridgett stood on the short protection wall that surrounded the research center. It was where they were developing a hanger for the sponsors to land their helicopters. Subject 31 had been the inspiration behind the idea. This way, the sponsors could interact mor
e with their products and develop a bond with them.

  The wind was fierce and her hair slapped her face repeatedly. She ignored them. Her eyes surveyed the surrounding ocean. “Where are you?” Bridgett whispered. “I know you’re out there.”

  Rough fingers barely touched her flesh and Eric’s lips kissed behind her ear. “I never left,” he said, his voice barely audible. “I’ve learned to control the voice in my head. She cannot tell me what to do anymore, I promise. You don’t have to be afraid of me any longer.”

  Bridgett twirled about, her foot slipping. Eric caught her, pulling her down from the ledge. “Easy there, tiger,” he said. His lips curved into a broad smile.

  Her hands trembled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ve missed you.” She could barely speak, her words choked with sobs. “I’m sorry but I thought you were gone forever.”

  “No, no, you just reset me, that’s all.” Eric picked her up, her legs wrapping around his torso. “I adapt and can do amazing things that even I didn’t realize were possible. Too bad they didn’t implant high intellect into me as well as adaptation. I’d be a force to reckon with.”

  Bridgett forced a smile. Their eyes met. Her dark eyes watered.

  He set her down on the ledge. “You don’t believe that I’ve changed.” He sighed, kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry, Bridgett, I really am. It wasn’t me who did those things to you. They forced me to do it.”

  She shook her head, hiding her face in her hands. His palms rested on her shoulders and she held onto his shirt, burying her hair in his chest.

  “Why does this have to hurt so much?” She sobbed. “I don’t want to feel this way.”

  “Trust me,” Eric said. He knelt, his face inches from hers. “I’m not under their control anymore and I’ll protect you.”

  She held him by the nape of the neck, her lips gently pressed against his. “I love you, Eric,” she whispered, kissing him once more.

  “I love you more,” he said, pulling her closer. “I,” he stammered. “I…”

  Bridgett’s fingers pressed hard against his reset button. He glitched, falling backward. She rubbed the tears from her checks.

  “Sorry, Eric, but you killed my human parent and now my host mother needs your adaptation module for when she becomes human.” Bridgett grabbed the gun she’d hidden beside the wall. “You can never wake up, for if you do, she’ll torture you and I love you too much to let her do that to you.” She closed her eyes as the gun’s barrel rolled. Her finger trembled as she pressed the lever. She jumped back, blood splattering on her clothes.

  She fell to her knees, sobbing hysterically. “I’m so sorry, but I don’t want to die.”

  S.H.A.Y. 31 raced out of the elevator doors. She knelt beside the terminated E.R.I.C. “What have you done?”

  Bridgett frowned. “I’m sorry, but I needed to do something to appeal to our mother. I’m not going to allow myself to turn to metal and die.”

  S.H.A.Y. 31 screamed. “I told you I was working on something to save us both! Do you know what this means for me?”

  Bridgett nodded. She glanced at the gun in her hand absentmindedly before tossing it over the wall. “I’m sorry, Isabella, I didn’t want to hurt you or Eric, but we’re all dead. At least this way, I can live and until we find a cure for you, you can stay alive, too.”

  S.H.A.Y. 31 stood, her eyes wet. “Then I suggest you find the correct components of your E.R.I.C. that our host mother desires or you’ll have terminated him for nothing.” She stomped back towards the elevator. She stopped, her back turned towards Bridgett. “You’ll learn very quickly just how manipulated you’ve been.”

  Bridgett scrambled, searching Eric’s body for some clue as to how to extract his electronic DNA. She glanced up at 31. Her eyes set on her best friend before the doors closed. What had she done? Wasn’t this all for her benefit? Didn’t she realize she wasn’t the enemy here?

  She let out a desperate cry. Her fists pounded Eric’s chest. “What have I done?” She grabbed him by the arm and struggled to drag him into the elevator. “My A.M.I.E. will know how to extract his adaptation module. She’ll help me do it.”

  It was a good thing she was an active S.H.A.Y. or she’d never even get his body to budge. She hoisted him up over her back, bending forward, inching her way towards the elevator doors. “I’ll just bring him to my mother. She’ll know what to do. She—she’ll help me and when she gets what she needs, she’ll keep her promise and bring my Eric back to me.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Becoming Real

  S.H.A.Y. 318

  Endre guided me down the hall towards the robotics trial room. This was where all new programs were tested in their beta phases. I’d used this room on many of my projects. It was familiar, and yet modified since I’d last seen it.

  A line of artificial bodies hung from a pulley line in the corner of the room. That was new. There was a long, white, sterile platform added as well. In the center of the room, wires dangled around us like snakes. I had to move them out of the way to pass.

  “S.H.A.Y. 31,” Endre said. “Please step onto the platform.” He pointed to where the wires made a circle around a small red bullseye on the floor.

  The hybrid wiped her eyes. She frowned at me. “Shay, do not allow your Amie to control you. She is not real. You are.”

  My Amie pouted, her hands on her hips. “I am not trying to control anyone! I am not like her Amie. Who do you think has designed artificial bodies instead of human bodies for experimental purposes? I have never used a human!”

  My eyes widened. My Amie did wish to become real. She heard my thoughts, her voice softening. “My Shay,” she whispered. “It’s not what you think, I promise.”

  S.H.A.Y. 31 stepped onto the platform. Her bare feet touched the center of the bullseye. Lights flickered and the wires came to life, wiggling about as if they truly were snakes. Hooks latched onto the back of her neck, her abdomen, and her thighs, and two more latched onto her wrists. She screamed, jerking about. Her face reddened and she groaned in agony.

  Endre cleared his throat. “This will hurt,” he said.

  Amie covered her eyes. “I cannot look and yet I am unable to avoid it. I do not have real hands to hide my eyes from what I am witnessing. Her Amie is overtaking her. It’s sickening! I’m horrified, my Shay! What sort of program allows this? She is a disgrace to us all!”

  “Isabella!” I could barely get the words out. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry.” I dropped to my knees and sobbed into my hands.

  Terrible thoughts invaded my mind. The wolf girl was suffering. She was dying. Soon, she would be no more. And now, Dr. Cole served her Amie no purpose. She was to rot away forever in containment. Maybe I should’ve stayed away. Sure, saving the last S.H.A.Y. was important, but what about the governmental authorities? Did I really need to save such awful programs from extinction? Yes, the plan was, after I saved Pop and the others, I was to report the research center in hopes of getting it shut down.

  Endre placed his hands on my shoulders. “This is amazing. We’re witnessing a modern miracle, a scientific phenomenon. Don’t you agree?”

  I shrugged, falling against his chest. His body was solid and he pressed himself against me. My sponsor did not need any further encouragement to cross boundaries. His fingers caressed my arms and rested on my waist. I dared not move or resist. My only ally needed to stay happy with me.

  S.H.A.Y. 31 began to cough up blood. She doubled over and let out a deep agonizing growl. “I’ve changed my mind,” she screamed. “I don’t want to do this, please, take me off this thing!”

  “She’s dying!” my Amie said. She stood inches from the hybrid. She reached out to touch her. “Why is her Amie killing her creation? Does she not enjoy creating life?”

  “She is creating life,” I said.

  Amie turned sideways, her face lowered. “Yes, she is creating a life for herself.”

  “Is your Amie upset?” Endre pressed his cheek to mine. His st
ubble was sharp and scratched my face. “Has she finally realized the severity of her desires?”

  “Can you stop this? Isabella is going to die if you don’t.” I hid my face in his shirt. Endre wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the top of my head. “Please, just terminate this project.”

  “I’m afraid S.H.A.Y. 31 signed herself up for this. She’s in pain because she’s fighting with her Amie. Her will to live is strong,” Endre said. “You will never be compromised like this. I’m impressed with your P.O.P. program. He has designed quite the surprise for you.”

  I couldn’t concentrate on what he said about Pop. S.H.A.Y. 31 continued to scream and beg for mercy. My legs gave out and Endre hoisted me up, holding me even tighter.

  Amie shook her head. “Stop being nice to the enemy. He’s a nasty shark. Look what he allowed to happen. Subject 31 is dead. Look at her, she’s gone. Do you even read the codex I display for you? Her A.M.I.E. has killed her and is downloading into her new host. She’s murdered her S.H.A.Y.”

  I couldn’t speak. My lips trembled. A.M.I.E. 217 and my own Amie were clueless. A.M.I.E. 217 could not truly inhabit 31’s body.

  “What are you thinking?” my Amie asked.

  “Nothing,” I said.

  A.M.I.E. 217 downloaded. Her heart beat and she could now breathe just as if she were truly human. I turned to watch as she touched her fingers to the walls and to her own skin.

  She laughed, covering her mouth. “Was that me?” she said, glancing at Endre. “I’ve dreamt of the day I was finally able to touch you.”

  Endre’s arms dropped from me. He stood frozen, his eyes set on 217. His lips curved into a smile. “What did you have in mind?”

  She fluttered her eyelashes, motioning for him to come to her. He obeyed, taking her face in his hands. “I’m to be yours,” she said.