The Gene Rift (Destiny by Design Book 2)

by J. Andersen

  He’s right. Deep down, I know it. But all I want to do right now is take Brody and Micah and get as far from here as I can. But looking at Micah, I know I can’t take all this from him. This is who he is; fighting against The Institute is what gives him passion. And I love him too much to do that to him.

  I let out a deep sigh. I have no choice. “One condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Don’t kill Saul.”

  He narrows his eyes at me.

  “I’m serious,” I continue. “I won’t be responsible for his death.” Micah takes my hand. “You realize if he doesn’t die, he’ll continue to come back for Brody, no matter how many times we win.”

  “You can imprison him, or whatever, but you can’t kill him. I won’t have that on my conscience for the rest of my life.”

  He clenches his jaw and scowls. “Why? What good does it do to leave Saul alive? Why on this earth would you want him alive after what he wants to do?” He clenches and unclenches his fists.

  I remain silent, steadfast. Both of us, staring, not giving in.

  His lack of response makes me nervous.

  With his face a flurry of emotions, he finally takes a deep breath and mulls over my stipulation. Finally, he nods. “Okay. We won’t kill him.”

  “So when do I get to see this fake baby?” I ask in an effort to break the tension.

  “Right now.”

  ****

  The office is lined with books. A pudgy, middle-aged man sits at a circular table at one side of the room, using a screwdriver to tinker on the back of a child. It’s a gruesome sight, a creepy futuristic human experiment on the thing that is my fake baby.

  Twisting the screwdriver one last time, he flips the doll over. It’s freaky. So much like Brody, if I didn’t know better, I’d have thought it was him. It even has his hair and eyes and the odd-shaped mark behind his ear.

  Micah introduces us. “Kate, this is Mr. Wright. He helps Jaxon with all of his crazy inventions.”

  The man lays the child down on the table and extends a hand to me. “Call me Magnus. I’m honored to meet this creature’s mother.”

  I know he’s innocent, but calling me that thing’s mother sends a chill up my spine.

  “Wanna see him?” Magnus holds him out to me, and I take him into my arms. It’s crazy how lifelike he is. The synthetic skin feels more real than I imagined. In my head, it was rubbery feeling, but here, under my fingertips, it’s soft, even warm. When his chest moves suddenly in a breathing motion, I nearly drop him.

  “Oh, my!”

  “Pretty realistic, don’t you think?” Wright runs his fingers over the skin of the child.

  I nod. A little too realistic.

  Respect spreads over Magnus’s face. “Jaxon is quite talented.” I look to Micah for an explanation.

  “Jaxon doesn’t just tinker with cars. Anything mechanical, he’s got it covered.”

  “Jaxon made this?”

  “And Magnus. He fine tunes it. Jax designed the main mechanical parts, the breathing apparatus and even programmed the body to react to touch. Here, run your finger along its cheek.”

  When I do, fake Brody’s eyelids flutter. Maybe this will work after all. If we can convince Saul that Brody is sleeping, we might be able to get him away from us long enough to … I don’t even want to think about the possibilities. “So even if Saul believes it at first, what happens when he takes a closer look? What then?”

  “We’ll make sure Saul won’t return for Brody,” Micah says. “And you aren’t going to tell me, are you?”

  Micah is silent. He looks at his hands, which are folded in front of him before he shakes his head. “It’s better if you don’t know the details.”

  “Micah, you should know better. The last time you didn’t let me in on the full plan, I almost died. Brody almost died. You almost died. I’m not going to let that happen again. You need to break this horrible habit of keeping me in the dark.”

  Lifting his head, he inhales, puffing out his chest. He looks from Wright, who has been watching our interaction with silent interest, to me.

  I set the doll back on Magnus’s table and turn to Micah. “Well, you gonna tell me what scheme you’ve dreamt up?”

  His lips crack open as if to say something, but nothing comes out.

  “She has a point, Micah,” Wright says.

  But Micah remains silent.

  “Fine. Don’t tell me. But you can scrap your crazy plan. Remember our deal? The one you made only an hour ago? Nobody dies.” I’m only a few feet away from walking out the door when Micah finally speaks up.

  “It’ll be an accident. A casualty of war. He won’t even make it back to The Institute.”

  I’m still facing the door. “So you’re still planning to kill him.”

  “It’s the only way, Kate. Can’t you see that? Until he’s dead, he’s going to keep trying to get Brody. Every time he comes for your son, he’ll endanger all of us. All of Arcanus. If you truly want to keep Brody without worrying about when he’ll be kidnapped or without looking over your shoulder all the time, Saul has to die.”

  Finally, I turn around. As I speak, heat rises up in me, and I’m pointing at his chest. “There has to be another way. I’ll not let you have Saul’s blood on your hands. I can’t look at you for the rest of my life and know you were the one who killed Brody’s father.”

  It’s like all the air has been sucked out of the room.

  “Brody’s father.” Micah rubs his chin.

  The blood rushes from my ears, and I’m left stammering. “I, um—” I reach into my thoughts for the right words but can’t find them. “That’s why you don’t want me to kill him. Saul is Brody’s father.

  He told me before, but I didn’t believe him.”

  “It’s why he wants Brody back. He’s going to raise him to be an Institute robot.”

  “That’s exactly why we can’t let him go alive.”

  “What’s happened to you?” I snap. “The man I fell in love with would find another way. I don’t care how evil Saul is, he’s still a part of my son, and I won’t allow you to take that away from him. I’m not going to be the one to tell Brody when he’s older that you killed his father.”

  He swallows loudly. I’ve sucker punched him with my words.

  “There isn’t another option, Kate,” he says.

  I shake my head. I can’t think about this anymore. There’re only two days to figure out another strategy, so I walk out, leaving Micah and Mr. Wright in the office while my brain churns with anything that might work to keep both my son and Saul alive.

  Maybe we won’t show up. If we stay down here in the Arcanus, he won’t find us. We can live a normal life without The Institute’s interference. Except Saul isn’t the type of guy to give up that easily. And he knows where the entrance to this hidden city is, at least the general vicinity of it. I wouldn’t put it past him to bring in machines to tear up the entire forest to destroy all of us.

  Even if Micah were willing to leave with me and Brody and find other rebels in other cities, Saul would still destroy our secret home just to spite us. Micah’s right, we’d be on the run for the rest of our lives.

  Perhaps I could offer myself in Brody’s place. A trade. Take me back and do whatever in exchange for Brody being left alone with Micah. But I doubt Saul would go for that either. He knows the worst torture he could possibly do to me would be to take my son away. As much as it might please him to throw me in jail or to use me for some fandangled new experiment, at this point, it’s about revenge. Personal retribution. I saved his son from The Institute, now he’s trying to save his son from me.

  No one says no to Saul. From our first date to me escaping, every-thing I’ve done or said has been a ‘no’ to him. I’ve enraged him, and this is the consequence of all my actions over the past year.

  My only hope is that there’s some good in him. Something that can see reason and know that a baby belongs with its mother. Saul can’
t be entirely evil. Can he?

  “What’re you thinking about?” Jessica asks.

  Startled, I turn around. “How long have you been following me?” She brushes her hair behind her ear. When she keeps it down, we look identical. We are identical. “Long enough. What’s on your mind? You were so lost in your thoughts, I thought you might run into some-thing and hurt yourself.”

  My feet halt, and I twist my head to look at her. “Do you think there’s any good left in Saul?”

  Her eyebrows rise in surprise, and she sticks her neck out just a tiny bit. “What kind of a question is that?”

  “He can’t be all bad.” I shake my head. “It’s not possible for one person to have that much hatred toward someone else. Toward life. Right?”

  “Sure it is. Happens all the time. Why do you think we live down here instead of up with everyone else? Because people hate us. The Institute hates us, and if they catch us, they make darn sure to make an example out of us. They don’t care one lick about us. You think they’d show you mercy if you ever got caught? No. Because they hate you. It’s what they’re made of. We represent everything they hate.”

  “But Jess, I’ve seen a glimpse of Saul’s kinder side. That night we went on a date before I started dating Micah. He was … sweet. And when he was here meeting with the elders and I got dizzy for the first time, he asked me if I was okay. He was concerned.”

  Her look is quizzical like she’s trying to figure me out. “You’re serious? Two whole times he was nice?” She sighs. “Anyone can fake concern. You sound like you’re in love with him or something.” Her nose wrinkles up in disgust. “Kate, you’re grasping at straws here. Psycho-paths can act sweet if it helps them get what they want.”

  “That’s just it. What does he want? Think about it, Jess. Does he really want to be a dad? To take care of an infant? That would ruin everything he has going for him. So what is it that he really wants out of this?”

  “It’s simple. Revenge.”

  “That can’t be it. I don’t want to believe that.”

  She grasps me at the elbow and whips me around to face her. “Believe what you want. It’s the truth. There’s nothing redeeming or redeemable about Saul Goodman.”

  I yank my arm away from her. “So it’s either him or Brody then? I can only save one of them? The other has to die or leave?”

  “Look, Kate, I know you don’t want anyone to get hurt, including the man who’s been making your life miserable, but there’s only one way out of this as I see it. Go with Micah’s idea. The fake Brody will buy us a few minutes. His car will be far enough away not to cause us any damage. When it blows, he’ll be gone, and you’ll have both Brody and Micah.”

  “That’s it then? We give him a fake baby, make sure he’s far enough away to blow him to smithereens and then go back to life as normal?” I’m shaking my head. “I can’t do that.”

  She nods. “I’m sorry, Kate. I don’t see any other way.” The silence between us is heavy. “Look, I have to get going. I just wanted to check in to make sure you were all right. Are you going to be okay if I leave you here?”

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll be fine.” I brush her off. I’ve been wracking my brain to think of an alternative to killing Saul, but I think she’s right. There’s no other way. And if it comes down to him or Brody, I’ll pick my son every time.

  ****

  The morning we’re supposed to meet Saul comes way too fast. I’ve not slept the entire night and by 5:00 a.m., I’m up and standing over Brody’s crib in the dark. The idea that if this doesn’t go down right, I may never see him again makes me sick to my stomach. It’s tearing me up inside, but I make a mistake when I speak my thoughts aloud to Micah.

  “It’s not a good idea, Kate.”

  “Micah, you don’t seem to understand that I have to know he’s okay, and if he’s not with me, I can’t know that.”

  “So we’ll give you a visual monitor. Look, I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now. You want to keep an eye on your son and no one’s eyes but yours will do, but if Brody is anywhere near us and Saul catches on to what we’re doing, Brody will be the one who pays. What if he cries and gives himself away? No. Silas will watch him for you. He’s not going to let anything happen to him. Besides, you didn’t take him on the raid to The Institute, why would you take him here?”

  “I know. I know.” It’s one of the stupidest ideas I’ve ever had, and when I think rationally about it, I’d never actually do it. But the fear of losing him is causing me to do crazy things.

  I’m trying to hold in the torrent of emotions that’s flooding me right now, but when Micah puts his arms around me and holds me close, I can barely keep it together. “I’m so scared, Micah. What if something happens and I lose Brody? I can’t lose him. It’ll kill me.”

  “Hey, hey, now.” He pulls me away from him and holds my face in his rough hands. “Nothing’s going to happen. That’s why we’re doing this. To keep him safe. You hear me? He’s gonna be okay.”

  “I know. I know. But I have this feeling I can’t shake. Like it won’t work. I feel like everything we’ve worked for is on the cusp of falling apart.”

  His eyes narrow. He’s concerned for me, I guess, but I also see fear hidden deep inside. “Listen. After today, Saul will be out of your life for good.”

  We spend the next few moments packing our things in silence. But his occasional looks from across the room do nothing to comfort the dread that pervades my spirit. I hand him a bag of Brody’s belongings: food, formula, a toy. Including a few personal items with the fake baby will make it look more real.

  “We better get going,” Micah says, peeking his head through the doorway. “Silas is here to watch Brody.”

  “Give us a minute,” I say.

  He nods and closes the door behind him.

  Brody is resting in his bassinet, but when I approach, his eyes open and a toothless grin greets me. “Come here, little man.” I pick him up and press his head under my chin, rubbing my cheek across his hair. “I love you. You know that, right? You’ll be safe here with Silas, and I’ll see you when we get back.” He gurgles a few spit bubbles before I kiss his head once more and sniff as I wipe away the tear on my cheek. Then I head for the other room where Silas and Micah wait.

  TWENTY SEVEN

  THE EXCHANGE

  (KATE)

  Walking away from that front door while my grandfather holds my son is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. There’s a good chance this will all go awry, and I’ll never see him again. But I can’t let myself think that way. No. It has to go as planned.

  The ride to the cabin is quiet, and I’m thankful it’s just me and Micah in the car. The rest of the group follows behind. In the back seat is the fake baby, conveniently strapped into a seat and wrapped with blankets. At first glance, it’s easy to see why Micah is convinced this scenario will work. Even the baby’s eyes flutter every once in a while, thanks to Jaxon’s ingenious way with mechanics. Totally freaky.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Micah begins. “If there’s any indication, any-thing whatsoever that might tell us Saul would be willing to leave it all behind and join us, I’ll take it. I’ll make sure we don’t hurt him, but he’d have to leave The Institute and come to Arcanus to live.”

  My eyes focus on my hands in my lap, and I pick at a fingernail as he talks.

  “But it’s a long shot. And I’m not going to risk your life or Brody’s. Or we’ll move away. I’ll take you somewhere safe. Anywhere you want to go.”

  “You’d do that? You’d leave everything behind. Even your sister?” He glances from me to the road then places his hand over mine. “I’d do anything for you, don’t you know that?”

  I know it’s true, but I can’t ask him to leave. Not with everything he’s already sacrificed for me. His whole life is changed, and he’ll never be able to go back to The Institute to work. He’s an enemy of the state now. From now on, any work he does for the rebellion will be from Arcanus. I
can’t help but feel it’s my fault he’s stuck here. Maybe it would be better to get away, go to a new Sector, find another group of rebels. Silas surely has friends in other places around the country. If we can make it through today, maybe we can talk about it. But I can’t think about that now. I have to focus on surviving and keeping my son safe.

  My hand squeezes his, and he cranes his neck to see me. “Thank you, Micah.”

  He smiles and nods his head the tiniest bit before turning back to the road. As soon as his eyes see the path, his stone face returns. “We’re here.”

  Saul is lounging on the cabin’s porch, one arm hung over the back of a chair like he’s relaxing on vacation. Seeing our vehicle doesn’t make him move, but he stiffens for a moment before he breaks into a sadistic smile.

  No one else is in sight, but there must be eyes on us already. There’s no way Saul would come here alone. A few minutes later, Jaxon’s vehicle pulls up beside ours, and we exit the cars.

  “I hope you aren’t expecting any trouble,” Saul calls as he sits forward. “Honestly, there’s no need for extra men. If you give me Brody, we’ll leave here peacefully, and you can go back to doing whatever it is you do in your secret hideout.”

  “Don’t mock us, Saul,” Micah says. “You have just as many eyes on us as we have on you.”

  “Fair enough.” He makes a motion with his hand and after the rustling of leaves and twigs from several yards away, seven or so men step out from their hiding spots behind the trees and gather closer to us.

  One slides down the roofline of the cabin and hops off onto the dirt next to Saul. “You have your men; I have mine. Now, with courtesies out of the way, let’s get down to business. Here’s how it’s going to go: you give me Brody, and I drive away while my men make sure you don’t do anything stupid. When I give them the word, you can leave. Until then, you’ll stay here in the cabin. Got it?”

  Already, my heart is beating fast. I’m doing everything I can to control my face and keep my emotions under wraps. Micah uses one arm to push me behind him but holds my hand to keep me close. I follow him to the other side of the car where he opens the door and reaches in to unlatch a car seat with Fake Brody in it. When he lifts the seat out, the doll flutters his eyes. The sight creeps me out, and I swear I see the chest move like it’s taking a real breath.