by Jus Accardo
God forbid Ginger tell me she had people on the inside. Cause, ya know, I couldn’t have used the help or anything.
“I can tell if you’re lying about something,” she continued. “I’ve written a sentence for you, please read it out loud.”
I hesitated for a moment before complying. “My name is Dez, and I’m a seventeen-year-old honor student.”
She smiled. “See? A lie. Your aura spiked black—it does that when you lie. I can see it.” She watched me for a moment, all smiles. “I can also tell when you’re hiding something.”
§
I stood in lot B where Mercy told me to meet her. She told the clerk on level four when she escorted me to the elevator that she’d called and arranged my transportation to arrive early. I still didn’t know what to think, or if I should really trust her. This could easily be a trick or some kind of test, but since I was running out of time, I decided to give it a shot.
Mercy didn’t keep me waiting long.
“I have clearance for level nine where they’re keeping your friend. He’s scheduled for one last questioning this afternoon. This will be your only chance to get him before he’s destroyed.”
“Whoa there, lady. Slow down.” I eyed her, feeling nothing but suspicion. Just ’cause she’d said she was with Ginger didn’t make it true. I could name drop, too. “How do I know this isn’t some huge setup? Not like you guys here at Denazen are known for playing it straight. I go along with this and, boom, next thing I know my new address is one of those nifty glass boxes.”
“You’re going to have to trust me. There’s not a lot of time. Your father knows why you’re really here. He knows about you and 98.”
“Kale,” I snapped. “His name is Kale, not 98.” It was stupid, and in the face of this revelation, ridiculous to harp on a name, but it annoyed me. “And how the hell does he know anything?”
Mercy laughed. A dark, grating sound that came from deep in the pit of her stomach. “Your father has spies everywhere.”
“Someone told him? Who?” The only ones who knew what I was doing were Ginger and her people, and Kale. Could Ginger have a double agent in her ranks?
She shook her head. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. He’s on to you, so we have to move fast.”
I folded my arms, eyes narrowing. “If you’re one of Ginger’s people, why can’t you get her the list?”
“She didn’t ask me.”
Seriously? I wanted to scream. These people were enough to make my head implode.
She held out her hand. “There’s no more time. Hurry!”
“Hurry and what? Hold your hand? Sorry, didn’t we go over this the other day? You’re not my type.”
“Mimic, you idiot!”
Oh. “OH!” I could be a bit slow at times. “Wait. That’s not gonna work. Don’t you have a car coming to bring me home? If Dad knows what’s going on, he’s gonna be keeping a close eye on what I’m doing and where I’m supposed to be.”
“I’ll go in your place.”
I stared at her. “Um, no offense or anything, but other than the fact I’d never be caught dead wearing that, you’re a little too tall, and a lot too old.”
“I mean, we switch places,” she rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder. “You be me, go in and get 9—I mean, Kale. And I’ll be you and take the ride.”
“You mean mimic us both?” My brain screamed No way, and I shook my head. Rick. Ripping insides. Blood. No. Not again. “There’s no way… It’ll kill me.”
She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook. “This is your one chance. If you don’t go in there and get him, he’s dead.”
She was right. This was my one shot. But mimic two people? One had been nearly impossible. What were the odds on two? I had to try, though. For Kale. And if it worked, if I survived it, maybe I wouldn’t need the Reaper to get Mom out. Maybe I could do it on my own.
I grabbed both her hands and closed my eyes, concentrating on what I wanted. The pain surged and a scream built. This time, though, there was no holding it back. Clammy hands clamped over my mouth as tears trailed down my cheeks.
And then it hit me. Like a jet falling out of the sky…and then passing through me. It felt like being ripped in half. Slowly. Cell by cell.
“Deznee? Dez, get up.”
I opened my eyes and saw—me. Mercy. Mercy as me. Wow. Someone needed to get some sun. I let her help me to my feet, clinging to her arm for support. The pain in my head buzzed, almost drowning out her words, and the ground felt like it was tilting sideways, determined to flip me over. “I guess I lied. I would be caught dead in something like this.” The cheap material made my legs itchy, and the blazer was stuffy and too confining.
Mercy snorted and pulled away, tugging at the bottom of my shorts. “You? How do you think I feel? These shorts are downright indecent! I look like a harlot.”
Managing to stay upright on my own was a chore, but I managed. I snorted. “Are you high? I’ve got killer legs and a great ass. I’d be an idiot not to flaunt ’em.”
A black sedan pulled into the lot. “Showtime.” She slipped me her security badge. “All you need to do is go up to the ninth floor and tell them you’re taking 98 for questioning. Bring him back to my office. Then make an excuse and take him outside.”
Make an excuse? Like it’d be that easy? “Then what?”
“Then I suggest you both run like hell. It won’t be long before they realize I’m not where I should be. Well, you’re not where I should be.” She stepped up to the car as it pulled along the curb. “Is there anything I should know?”
“Stay up in my room. I don’t know when Dad will be home but if he does get there before me, ignore him and lock the door. Flip him off if he tries to barge in, whatever.”
Mercy looked mortified. It weirded me out to see the expression coming from my own face. I didn’t do mortified. “Flip him off?”
“There’s a key taped to the underside of the front porch. Have a nice trip.” I waved and pushed her to the car. She slid in and closed the door. As soon as the car left the lot, I slowly started back to the building—miraculously without collapsing. I didn’t know how long I had, so wasting time wasn’t an option, but moving faster than just above a crawl was impossible. The mimic had sapped all my energy. The only thing keeping me from passing out was the thought of Kale. If I didn’t keep it together, he’d be lost.
Pulse pounding in my ears, I strolled past the first floor desk clerk and to the white elevator doors. Once inside, I swiped Mercy’s card and told the elevator to take me to level nine. I’d half been expecting sirens and flashing lights. Blaring alarms and gates crashing down from the ceiling to trap me in the car. Maybe even those laser beams you see in the movies—the ones to keep jewel thieves away. But when the car began its ascent without incident, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. So far so good.
As the doors opened to the red walls and concrete floor of level nine, I did my best impersonation of the uptight, stick-up-her-ass Mercy.
“Morning, Mercy,” a small-framed woman said from behind the main desk. I nodded and made my way around the corner and down the hall. Thank God I’d been here with Dad or I’d be screwed. Someone probably would’ve noticed if Mercy asked directions.
“Who’s getting questioned today, Merc?” the guard at the end of the hall asked. He turned his key to open the door, giving her a flirtatious smile. Maybe Mercy wasn’t as frigid as I thought. I winked and returned the smile. He seemed surprised—but happy. “One last round for 98 before curtain time,” I said. The man raised an eyebrow, but waved me ahead. Crap. I needed to think like Mercy. Talk like her. Think long-winded and boring.
“I’ll send Jim up with a suit to bring him down. You can meet him in your office.”
“That’s fine. I’ll wait here and go down with them. I
’d like the extra time to—observe him.”
Apparently, it was the right thing to say. I started down the hall full of glass cages while the guard picked up the phone to call for someone. Everyone sat exactly as they had been the other day. Like they never moved. All in the same place, with the same expressions on their faces. Even the blankets on their cots looked undisturbed.
All except Kale.
Wedged in the corner of his cell, he stared straight ahead. When I stepped in front of the glass, he didn’t blink and I worried he might be drugged. I was about to say something to let him know it was me, but he spoke.
“I told you everything I had to tell. More questions won’t change that.”
At the far end of the hallway, a man in one of the moon-man suits came through the door. So much for giving Kale a heads up. “There are always more questions to ask, 98,” I said as the man approached.
“Level five?”
“Yes. My office, please.”
The man opened the door and hauled Kale up. His color seemed a little better than last time I’d seen him, but he still wobbled on his feet. A little bit further and with any luck we’d be clear.
Back at Mercy’s office, the man deposited Kale in the chair and handed me a tazer. “In case he makes a lunge for you.”
I nodded a silent thanks and waited for the door to close behind him. I knew there were cameras in Mercy’s office, so I couldn’t just rush forward and tell Kale what was going on. I could have written a note, like Mercy had done with me, but anyone watching might get suspicious.
“You are aware they’re going to terminate you, correct?” I asked. If anyone was watching—and I’d bet my favorite Mudd boots they were—they had to see Mercy doing her thing.
Kale didn’t answer.
“Why did you run away?”
Silence.
What would Mercy do? She’d try to get some kind of reaction and build on it. “Did they tell you about the girl? Deznee, is it?”
That got a reaction. His head snapped to attention and his eyes narrowed. “What about her?”
“She wouldn’t do well here at Denazen, don’t you agree?”
Kale’s face paled. “What?”
“You don’t look well, 98. I think you would benefit from a breath of fresh air.” Were they really going to let Mercy take Kale outside? Without supervision?
“What about Dez?”
“Let’s go for a walk.”
He stood, the muscles in his jaw twitching. Fingers flicking, he took a step closer. “What happened to Dez?”
I glanced nervously at the camera in the corner of the room. Kale looked ready to lunge. My mimics seemed to be on a molecular level. If Kale attacked me while I was Mercy, would it kill me? It wasn’t a chance I could take. Grabbing the phone, I gave him my—Mercy’s—don’t even think about it glare. I pressed the button on the phone that said main desk—five.
A gruff voice answered. “Yes?”
“This is Mercy. I’d like to take 98 outside.”
The voice on the other end hesitated. “Is that wise?”
“I feel we’ll get more out of him that way. He’s been on the outside once already. He knows what freedom tastes like. A little crumb won’t hurt.”
“Would you like us to bring you a suit?”
“That won’t be necessary.” I winked at Kale. “He’s going to behave if he wants me to tell him about the girl.”
“Your funeral. Come out whenever you’re ready.”
I hung up the phone. “Now, let’s set some rules. I’m going to do you a favor by taking you outside into the nice, fresh air. Think of it as one last parting gift. You’re going to return that favor by behaving. You’re going to go along peacefully and touch no one. If you behave and answer all my questions, Deznee will remain unharmed.”
Kale’s face fell. His fingers froze mid-flick. “You have her? She’s here?”
“She’s here and unharmed. For now. But understand, if anything happens to me, or another member of the staff while outside the building—if we fail to return—well, I think you know all the ways we can make your friend uncomfortable.” I hated to torture him like this, but it was the only thing I could think of to make him cooperate.
He stood, clasping his hands harmlessly in front of him. The hate in his eyes sent shivers up and down my spine. I had to remind myself—repeatedly—the look was meant for Mercy, not me. “Understood.”
I opened the door and gestured for him to move ahead. My heart raced, and I had to focus on every step—left—right—left—right—to be sure I didn’t trip. The blood pounded in my ears, and I had to fight back a smile. The rush was unlike anything I’d ever felt. Bungee jumping from the Westend Bridge right outside of town, bumper sledding down the highway at sixty mph, even breaking into the school and making out on the principal’s desk, they all paled next to this. Next to the thrill of being with Kale, nothing had ever jolted my system like this.
I led him past the desk and to the elevator.
Inside and down to the first floor.
Off the elevator and out the front door.
It was all too easy.
The moment we stepped out of the building and into the sunshine, it started. A tiny voice in the back of my head that told me something wasn’t quite right. Like I was missing something—something huge—but I couldn’t place it.
I nodded to a set of picnic tables to our left. “You can sit.” A quick peek over my shoulder at the building and I could see the first floor desk clerk watching us.
“Listen to me very carefully,” I said taking a seat across from him. “We’re going to sit here and chat for a few minutes, then we’re going to stroll across the lot and to the back of the building to where the gardens are. After that, we’re going to hop the fence and book like hell.”
Kale blinked several times. “You’re bleeding,” he said, understanding.
I cringed and swept my thumb under my nose. Crap. Had anyone else noticed? “It’s me.”
“You’re bleeding,” he repeated, reaching forward.
I jerked my hand back and swiped it under my nose. Sure enough, my hand came away with a thin streak of red. Shaking my head, I said, “I’m Mercy. If anyone sees you touch her they’re gonna put two and two together pretty damn fast.”
He pulled his hand back, smile fading. “Are you all right?”
“You’re the one locked up in hell and you’re asking if I’m okay?”
“You’re the one—”
It felt like there was an army of men with jackhammers digging through my skull and I could probably sleep for a month, but having Kale in front of me somehow made it okay. “Bleeding. Yeah, I know. I’m fine.”
His lip twitched and he frowned. “They know everything. She questioned me as soon as I got back. I didn’t answer, but that was enough of a confirmation for them. They asked me if you knew about your mother. I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “It’s okay. There’s nothing you could have done. Believe it or not, Mercy’s on our side. She set it up. We switched places. She’s at my house waiting for us.”
“On our side?”
I nodded. Kale wasn’t convinced, but I could hardly blame him. The idea that someone at Denazen might want to help us had to be unreal to him after everything he’d been through at their hands.
“Okay, get up slowly, try to look sad or something, and let’s walk to the garden.”
We both stood and began to walk, each step bringing us closer to freedom. Everything was going great—until we rounded the corner and saw the two guards standing there, waiting.
“Afternoon, Mercy,” the taller of the two said. The other pulled out a tazer. In his other hand he held a large white blanket.
“Afternoon,” I said lightly, hoping they
didn’t expect me to call them by name. Denazen didn’t believe in nametags. It was really inconvenient.
“I’m afraid we’ve been ordered to take 98 back inside.”
“We’ll be done in a few minutes.” I tried to sound casual but failed.
“It can’t wait,” the short one chimed in. “Move aside so we can subdue him.”
I turned to Kale, who backed away. The fence—and the forest—were only ten feet beyond the two guards. Ten feet. That’s all that separated Kale and freedom. Now that he’d had a taste of the outside, Kale wasn’t going to let a small thing like ten feet stand in his way.
No matter what.
I blinked, and Kale charged.
24
The tall guard, the outspoken one, proved himself a chicken by diving off the path and out of Kale’s way. Smart considering the alternative, but so damn spineless. The smaller one, not so much. He spread his legs apart and fired the tazer—thankfully with crappy aim. When that didn’t work, he threw the gun to the ground and charged to meet Kale.
I found it hard to believe these men were sent out to bring him inside without knowing the consequences of skin-to-skin contact. And yet, the obvious aside, this moron charged Kale like a bull would a toreador, arms outstretched and fingers reaching for his throat. They collided mid-way.
Arms up, the man delivered a well-executed high kick aimed for Kale’s head. Kale dodged it with ease, spinning around to the man’s back. If I’d blinked, I would have missed it. The man whirled and tried again, but this time, instead of dodging the blow, Kale caught the man’s foot inches before it collided with the side of his face. Out of what I could only guess was stupidity, the man’s hand shot out, clamping onto Kale’s neck. There was a single twitch of his fingers as he exhaled sharply, released his hold on Kale, and fell to his knees. His skin grayed and cracked, hair dulling and falling to the floor in dusty clumps. A scream died on his lips as, within a matter of moments, he became nothing more than a pile of dust scattering in the breeze.
