Farryn was waiting for them by the water. “We only have a minute,” he said. “I have to get back before they notice a vid screen is missing.”
“What is it?” said Nick.
“It’s Cass!” Farryn said, in an excited whisper. “She’s alive! But—” Farryn cut himself off.
Nick hadn’t let himself think about Cass, he had tried to push that back, force himself to believe she was okay, but now . . . “What? But what? What are you talking about?” he said.
“Broadband broadcast. Wide-spectrum,” Farryn said, talking fast. “Totally unsecure. They’d never use it for internal comm, they have to be talking right to us. . . .”
“You sound just like Kevin,” said Lexi.
“I still have no idea what you’re saying,” said Nick, starting to grow frustrated.
“They sent a message, the bots,” said Farryn. “From the City. It has to be for us.”
Farryn began tweaking the settings on the vid screen, then after a few moments he held it out for Nick and Lexi to see. Cass was on the screen, a 2D still image. She stood on a street corner, smiling, wearing a bright red City-style dress. She was with a man, a woman, and a younger girl. She looked genuinely happy.
“The rebels monitor whatever comm networks they can access, to try to get intel,” said Farryn. “Mostly it’s all scrambled and encrypted. Useless. I was helping them tweak their reception, see if maybe I could pull in a bit more clarity, maybe even try to help unlock something, and then”—Farryn waved the vid—“this came through. Completely clean, sent out over a wide-open channel. Anyone within a hundred miles, bot or human, could pick this up.”
Nick could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He was barely listening to Farryn. He felt dizzy, and his eyes started to sting and threatened to tear. She was alive. Cass was alive. But who were these people she was with?
“That’s the only one I showed Ro,” said Farryn. “I told him I had tapped into a street camera and just happened to come across that image. He’d think it was too suspicious, the way it was being broadcast so openly—it is so odd—but there’s more in the feed that Ro didn’t see.” He tapped the screen, and the image shifted. Nick clenched his jaw to keep from groaning. In the picture, Cass was in a re-education jumpsuit, standing in a small white cell that looked just like the room Nick had been kept in. To her left stood a Lecturer. To her right floated a small sphere bot. Cass stood between the two bots with the same genuine smile on her face.
Nick squatted, resting his elbows on his knees, suddenly feeling too weak to stand. How had they broken her so fast? What had they done to his little sister?
“And one more,” Farryn said quietly. He tapped the screen again, and the new image showed a map of the area with a red star over the City they had just escaped.
“They’re taunting me,” said Nick. “They have her, she’s back in the City, and they’ve re-educated her.” He stood up. “I have to go get her.” He began hurrying back to the camp.
“Where are you going?” said Lexi.
“To Ro,” said Nick. “He needs to help me save Cass.”
“Nick, that’s not smart,” said Farryn, but Nick wasn’t listening. He rushed through the camp, Farryn and Lexi at his heels, and walked right up to Ro’s tent. Ro was standing outside, talking to two men.
Ro watched Nick approach and held his hand up to cut Nick off. “You’ve seen the picture,” he said. “This is indeed your sister?”
“Yes,” said Nick. “We need to get her out of there. You must have some intel—”
“Stop,” said Ro. “Your sister is safe.” He shook his head. “There’s nothing you can do.”
Nick stared at Ro, fighting back his anger. Ro looked back at him calmly.
Lexi put a hand on his forearm. “Ro’s right, Nick. She’s alive. That’s a start.”
“We need to help her,” said Nick.
“No!” said Ro. “I won’t have you do anything stupid.” He looked meaningfully at Nick. “Your sister needs you alive. Be patient. Soon we’ll be launching a small strike on the City where your sister is being held. The time will come when we can help her.” He hesitated, about to say something more, then stopped. “For now, you wait.”
Nick nodded, although he was already forming different plans. There was no point arguing with Ro about it.
“Okay, you’re all dismissed,” said Ro.
As they walked away, Farryn stepped close to Nick and whispered, “I’m going with you.”
“What are you talking about?” said Nick.
“To rescue Cass. When are you leaving?”
Nick considered lying, but instead said, “Tonight. Soon as it gets dark.”
“Idiots!” hissed Lexi angrily. “What do you expect to do?”
“I have to try,” said Nick.
“We can’t just leave her,” said Farryn.
“Well, there’s no way you’re just going to walk into the City, find your sister when you don’t even know where she is, and walk back out,” said Lexi.
Nick shrugged. “We’ll figure it out.”
Lexi sighed. “You know I’m coming with you, right?”
“Lexi . . .” began Nick sharply.
“Shut up,” she said. “End of discussion. What am I going to do, hang out here and become best friends with Erica?”
CHAPTER 21
OTTER AND PIL WERE UP EARLY. IT WAS THEIR BREAK DAY, AND THEY were looking forward to spending it with the girls. Cort, on the other hand, was even quieter than usual and wouldn’t get out of bed, although he was awake. “You just going to hide in bed all day?” said Pil. Cort ignored him.
Otter was actually spending time in front of the mirror in the shower room, brushing his hair with his fingers. Kevin even saw him flex his biceps and study his arm. He was begging to be teased, but nobody was brave or stupid enough.
Kevin thought about what that girl Wex had said to Otter—that the hunters might let them tag along. Would they actually let Kevin outside the Island? He doubted it. But if they did, Kevin vowed that he would escape.
A knock sounded on the front door. Pil was reading something on his vid, Otter was still busy in front of the mirror, now shaving his nonexistent facial hair, and Cort wasn’t moving from under his sheets, so Kevin went to answer it. Before he could get to the door, it swung open and a bot stepped inside. Kevin recognized the patch pattern—the small patch just above the left eye, the larger patch on the right cheek.
“Work assignments have been reinstated today,” 23 announced. “Report to the Wall gap after breakfast.”
“What are you talking about?” said Otter angrily. He was wearing only a towel, and he had shaving cream on half his face.
“Yeah, come on!” said Pil, standing up from his bed.
“I repeat, work assignments have been reinstated today. Report to the Wall—”
“Yeah, I heard you the first time!” interrupted Otter. “But it’s our break day!”
“The schedule has changed,” said 23. It turned to Kevin. “Kevin, you will come with me.”
Otter took another step toward 23. His fists were clenched. “It’s our break day. I don’t take orders from a damned bot.”
“The schedule change comes from the Governor, not from me,” 23 said, its voice maddeningly calm. “I am only the messenger.”
Otter didn’t move. He was struggling to control himself, Kevin could see.
“Do you wish to ignore the Governor?” said 23.
“You should all be scrapped, you pig-skinned bastards,” said Otter. “We don’t need you.”
Cort yanked his sheets off and jumped to his feet. Pil took a step closer to Otter, who still had his fists clenched. Everyone stared at 23, waiting silently, Otter’s words still echoing in the air. Kevin eased away from the bot. He didn’t want to get caught in any cross fire.
23 said nothing, quietly observing the room. “You will report to the Wall gap after breakfast,” it finally said. “If you fail to report to the duty ass
igned to you by the Governor, you will be disciplined.” It turned to Kevin. “Come with me now.” It turned and stepped back outside. Kevin followed, feeling Otter’s eyes burning into his back.
Kevin expected to be led to the tech shed, but instead 23 followed the path that led toward the Governor’s office. The two bot guards nodded when they approached the cabin, and one opened the door and motioned for Kevin to enter.
“Welcome back, Kevin,” said the Governor. He was again sitting behind his desk. This time a chair had been pulled up in front of the desk. The old man pointed at it. “Sit down,” he said.
Kevin sat. A bot entered from a side hall, carrying a tray. It set the tray down on the desk, placed plates with scrambled eggs, bacon, and a biscuit in front of the Governor and Kevin, poured water into two glasses, then retrieved the tray and departed.
“Thank you, 18. That will be all. Eat,” said the Governor to Kevin.
Kevin ate hungrily. The Governor took a forkful of egg, a bite of bacon, and then pushed his plate away. “The initial reports from 23 indicate you have a strong aptitude for technology, as well as some training,” he said.
Kevin nodded warily, continuing to shovel eggs into his mouth.
“Who instructed you?”
“Tech Tom,” Kevin said, around a mouthful of food. No point lying about that; he had already shown he knew his way around tech. “He ran the grid in our Freepost.” He thought of Tom and the way he had died, according to Nick—strapped to a table, helpless, injected with poison. “The bots killed him,” he said softly.
“Ah, very sorry,” said the Governor, seeming honestly upset. He sat forward in his seat. “That’s what the Island is all about, Kevin,” he said, gesturing around him. “Protecting us from the robots. Creating a safe, impenetrable haven. That is why we work so hard on the Wall. Once the Wall is complete, we will be safe.”
“Yeah, about that. Everyone’s pretty upset about losing their break day,” Kevin said. He took a bite of the biscuit. It had butter and honey on it; it was delicious.
The Governor slammed his palm onto the table with a crash, making Kevin flinch and drop his biscuit onto the plate. “Are you not listening?” the Governor said angrily. “We won’t be safe until the Wall is finished. We can rest when we’re done.” The Governor took a deep breath, then sat back in his seat and seemed to calm. “Your family,” he said. “Tell me about them.”
“I already told you, the bots got them in the raid.”
“Siblings?” said the Governor.
“A brother and a sister,” said Kevin.
“Ages?”
“My brother is—I mean was—seventeen, and my sister was fifteen.”
“Names?” said the Governor.
Kevin pushed his plate away, the food all gone. “Like I told you, they’re gone.”
“Names?” insisted the Governor.
“Nick and Cass,” he said. He probably should have made up names, but what would it matter, really?
The Governor leaned forward in his seat again and looked at Kevin intently. “Last name, Kevin? What is your full name?”
Kevin froze. He tried to come up with something plausible and generic . . . maybe Smith, or Harrison, or Adams . . . but instead, frozen by indecision, panicking that he was taking too long, he found the truth coming out of his mouth. “We didn’t have one,” he said. “I mean, we did, I guess, my Dad did, of course, but he never told us.” He shrugged. “We never really needed one, in the Freepost.”
The Governor smiled. It seemed forced. “Right. Of course. Now, are you ready to tell me about your time spent in a City?”
“I told you, I’ve never been in a City,” said Kevin. It still felt too dangerous, talking about the City. . . . He still knew so little about the Island, and what he was doing here, and what the Governor wanted with him.
The Governor raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “Fine, Kevin No-Last-Name. We don’t torture here, unlike in the Cities. Eventually, when you’re more comfortable, you can tell me the truth.”
18 came into the room and gathered up the breakfast dishes onto a tray, then walked back out.
“Mr. Governor, uh, sir, how did you make the bots?” said Kevin. “And what happened to their skin?”
The Governor didn’t answer for a few long seconds, and Kevin thought maybe he had been too bold, but then he spoke. “Cured animal hide, pigs mostly,” he said. “My neo-plastic supplies were low. I had the basic framework for thirty machines, but I had to improvise a bit.” He frowned, and his voice had an edge of anger. “These are not the same as the robots who revolted,” he said. “These are not killers. They have no blood on their hands.” He looked at his own palms, and rubbed them on his legs. “These robots with us in the Island are simply tools for our use. What was always intended.” The Governor looked very sad. “Go now,” he said. “We’re done for today.”
“Um, sir, I think what you’ve done is really amazing . . . but I just don’t belong here, in the Island, I mean,” Kevin said.
“Give it a chance, Kevin. Where else are you going to go?”
The Governor stood and turned his back to Kevin, ending the conversation.
Kevin hurried out of the building. 23 was waiting for him outside. It escorted him to the Wall gap, where the rest of the crew was already at work. Otter was obviously still angry, tossing the lumber around with unnecessary wildness. Even the adults seemed sullen. The woman at the table lase turned her back on 23 as it approached.
Kevin went back to stripping wood. 23 left. And then Kevin stood, laser planer in hand, staring blankly at 23’s departing back, struck dumb by a suddenly obvious realization.
CHAPTER 22
THE BOT CAME FOR CASS JUST BEFORE DESSERT.
Cass and Penny and their mother had made the apple pie together. Rehydrating a store pie would have taken about thirty seconds, but Cass’s mother had made a special trip to the store and brought home the ingredients for a truly homemade pie. It was their father’s favorite, she explained to Cass. She showed her daughters how to roll the dough, peel and slice the apples, add the sugar and cinnamon. . . . They even dialed the oven way down, to what their mother called a “slow bake.” It actually took fifteen minutes to cook, which seemed like an eternity to Cass and Penny. Cass wondered, bitterly, if her foster mom had ever cooked with her, if she had ever patiently helped her make a pie from scratch. She doubted it.
The pie cooled on the kitchen counter all through dinner, and Cass could smell it as she ate her chicken and potatoes.
When they finished the meal, Cass’s mother stood and began gathering the plates. “It’s time for the surprise,” she said to her husband. “Honey, you’re in for a treat.”
“I’ve been smelling it all evening,” he said. “If it’s half as good as it smells, I’ll be a happy man.”
The front door alarm buzzed, and the vid screen in the dining room lit up, showing a sphere bot hovering outside their door in the hallway. Cass’s father stood, frowning. “Strange,” he said, as he walked over and opened the door. “Greetings,” he said.
“Greetings,” said the bot.
Cass suppressed a shiver. She hated the voices of the bots, their flat, overly clipped enunciation, the slight tinniness and reverb. It made her feel guilty, her reaction to their voices. . . . They were mankind’s greatest allies, she knew, and she was just being petty and silly . . . but she couldn’t help it. Their voices made her feel like someone was trickling cold water down her spine.
“We have come for your elder daughter, the one recently assigned to you,” said the bot.
“Is there a problem?” said her father.
“What is this about?” said her mother, stepping forward to join her husband at the door.
“We regret the disturbance, but your daughter has been reassigned,” said the bot. It swiveled toward Cass. “Dress warmly, for the outdoors,” it said.
Cass slowly got to her feet. They couldn’t be taking her away, not now . . . “How l
ong will I be gone?” she said quietly.
“The reassignment is permanent,” said the bot.
“No!” said her mother, taking a step toward the bot. Her husband put his hands on her shoulders. “We just got her back!” she said.
“Again, we regret the disturbance,” said the bot. “But the decision is final.”
“They know what they’re doing,” said Cass’s father. “You know that, honey.”
Cass’s mother turned to her husband and nodded. “Yes, yes of course,” she said weakly. Then she stood up straight and smiled. “Of course,” she said more firmly. “We trust in the ultimate wisdom of our robotic partners.” She looked at Cass and beckoned for her. “Come here, Cass. Give me a hug.”
Cass couldn’t even feel her feet on the ground as she walked over to her mother and hugged her. She was being taken away? She was losing her parents, her sister, again? She smelled the faint flowery scent of her mother’s hair. I will remember that smell, she vowed. She hugged her father, and then turned to Penny, who was still sitting at the table, weeping silently.
My little sister, thought Cass. Am I losing her forever?
“It’s not fair!” said Penny. “I finally had my sister!”
“Penelope,” said their father sternly. “We do not question the wisdom of the Advisors, do we?”
Penny said nothing, then finally took a deep breath and shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “No, we don’t.”
Cass rushed over to Penny and gave her a fierce hug. She felt like bursting into tears too, but her little sister needed her to be strong. “It’s all right, Penny,” she said. “The robots know best. I’ll see you again soon, I’m sure.”
“Don’t forget me, Cass,” she said.
“I won’t,” Cass said. “We’re sisters.” But they could take away these memories too, Cass realized queasily. They could strip it all away if they wanted. She clung tightly to her sister, not wanting to let go, until finally her father gently pulled them apart.
Cass grabbed a sweater and a jacket, put on boots, and followed the sphere bot down the hall to the elevator. As the doors closed, her sister waved good-bye. Cass waved back, forcing herself to smile until the doors shut, and then she let herself cry.
Fugitive X Page 9
