Girl of Stone (The Expulsion Project Book 2)

by Norma Hinkens

  My eyes dart everywhere at once, frantically sizing up the other scientists, on the off chance that I’ll instantly recognize my mother or father. I study the drawn faces, rejecting each one in turn, and then panicking and backtracking, terrified I had overlooked them. I search for red hair, the only obvious link I can think of, but most of the scientists are gray-haired or balding. Every face becomes a candidate in my confusion.

  “We need to talk to that man,” I whisper to Velkan. “If he is Phin’s father, he’ll know where our parents are.”

  “How?” Velkan asks. “We’re not allowed to interact with the scientists.”

  “They have to go to the cafeteria to eat,” I mutter. “We’ll find a way to talk to him there.”

  “This way,” Dr. Worister calls to us. His impatient tone reminds me that we must be more diligent in maintaining our facade.

  We follow him across to a cluster of smaller tubular tanks on the other side of the warehouse. The breath vacates my lungs. I press a fist to my mouth, unable to tear my eyes from the numbing sight. The compact tanks on this side of the room are filled with children. A wave of nausea gurgles up from my stomach, the fetid odor in the dank space suddenly overpowering.

  Velkan turns to me. “We have to destroy Preeminence,” he mouths, his face twisting in anger.

  Hot tears spring to my eyes. A blanket of despair is smothering the fire in my belly. I feel lost and helpless in the face of the heinous reality of the processing plant. “I want to believe we can stop it, Velkan, but I don’t how,” I whisper. “We’re dealing with a machine with a heart of stone. I can’t fight this.”

  Velkan leans over me. “Yes, you can, and you will. Use what this place has done to you against it. You can be a fortress for the weak and a rock for those who have nothing left to cling to. Be their Girl of Stone—unflinching in the face of evil. You and I are their only hope.”

  A wave of fresh resolve washes over me. I tighten my hands into fists at my sides. Velkan’s words are exactly what I need to pull myself together and use the horror around me as motivation to fight harder for these children. I won’t give up on them, or on our birth parents, or on my people on Cwelt waiting for me to return and lead them.

  Dr. Worister clears his throat to get our attention. “We see the best results in younger subjects,” he calls to us brightly as he passes between the tubes. “Recovery rates are much more efficient if we can complete the extraction process before puberty. So we are doubling our efforts to procure younger subjects as we move forward. In fact, Preeminence recently initiated a new selective breeding program for this very purpose.”

  A vortex of fury boils up inside me where moments earlier I felt only numbness. “How can you—”

  Velkan grips my arm tightly as several military robots troop by, their orbital lasers automatically scanning our IDs.

  “Did you have a question?” Dr. Worister peers at me.

  “No.” I squeeze the word out through my teeth, fighting the urge to shove him out of my way, smash open the tanks and pull out the children. My rational self knows that such an outburst would be futile, surrounded by so many military robots. I need to contain my fury and wait for Ayma to breach the final layer of security protecting Preeminence. Then I’ll become the fortress these children need and rescue them from this twisted fate.

  “Very well,” Dr. Worister says. “That concludes our tour. The last cluster of tubes over there is unoccupied at present. It’s time to head to the cafeteria for dinner anyway.”

  My brain feels like it’s short-circuiting as we walk back to NeuroOne, the sickening images we’ve endured rewinding in my head in slow motion, tormenting me with each vivid retelling. Surely our parents would refuse to participate in something this evil. Could that scientist really be Phin’s father? He walked like a man whose spirit was broken, but he was still functioning, capable of understanding what he was doing. Which means he caved and became a cog in the system to save himself. How can I tell Phin, the brave soldier whose courage knows no bounds, that his father is a coward? And worse, what if all our parents gave up and capitulated to Preeminence?

  When we reach the cafeteria, Velkan and I fall in behind the long line of people at the buffet to select our dinner, and then carry our trays over to our department’s table. I jab a fork into my food, all the while scanning the buffet line for the scientist who looked like Phin.

  Dr. Petrop sits down at our table, along with Dr. Worister and Dr. Indiva. They ignore Velkan and me, embroiled in some convoluted scientific debate. I’m supposed to be paying attention to their conversation, but I don’t understand the endoplasmic protein sequences they are talking about, and I’m distracted trying to watch the buffet line. Finally, I spot the scientist I’ve been waiting for walking into the cafeteria, his broad shoulders hunched in the same defeated posture he presented earlier. I keep a close eye on him as he proceeds along the buffet, noting the table he sits down at with his food. It’s too far away from me to offer any chance of spontaneously interacting with him. I’ll need to figure out some reason to go over there.

  A sudden kick in my shin grabs my attention, and I turn to see Velkan frowning at me. I hurriedly scoop up a forkful of beans and shovel them into my mouth to cover my slip. I hadn’t realized I was staring quite so openly at the scientist.

  Dr. Petrop rubs her brow in an irritated manner in response to something I missed entirely. “Probably just some new fashion from the CentroZone.”

  Dr. Indiva raises her brows. “The material they are constructed from is most intriguing. I magnified the images they sent over. I’m certain those suits weren’t manufactured on Mhakerta.”

  My chest constricts. They’re talking about our jumpsuits. I chance a sideways glance at Velkan. He gives a subtle frown and I fix my gaze forward again.

  “Preeminence has mandated a full report within forty-eight hours,” Dr. Worister says. “The collective is obligated to send the suits over by tomorrow at the latest. Our DNA analyzer will trace them back to their original owners.”

  Sweat trickles down the back of my neck. They’ll realize Velkan was lying about finding the suit while foraging. And once they put it together that the second suit belongs to me, Dr. Petrop won’t waste any time sending me for protein extraction.

  The scientists push out their chairs and gather up their belongings to head back upstairs. When they move away from the table still engrossed in their conversation, I reach for an unused paper napkin, fold it in half, and slip it into my pocket. I walk briskly over to the table where the tall scientist is sitting alone, and bend down behind his chair as if I’m picking something up from the floor. “Is this yours?” I lean over him and set the napkin on the table in front of him as I whisper. “I know who you are. I know your—”

  Alarm clouds his eyes. He reaches for his tray and stands abruptly, throwing a nervous glance around him before darting off.

  I eye the cameras monitoring us and decide against following him. He’s obviously spooked and he won’t talk to me now. I rejoin the rest of my department—busy clearing off their trays at the trash chute—hoping my absence hasn’t been missed by Dr. Petrop. As we make our way out of the cafeteria, a firm hand grasps my shoulder.

  Sucking in a breath, I spin around, but it’s not the grip of a robot restraining me. Lira’s calculating stare sends a sharp shiver through me. “Forget something?” she snips with a mocking tilt of her brow.

  “What are you talking about?”

  She slaps a paper napkin against my chest and sticks her face up close to mine. “I’m watching you, remember?”

  I glare back at her and elbow her aside. She gives an indignant yelp, then stands there looking affronted.

  Dr. Petrop spins and glowers at me. “When you’re done harassing the other auxiliaries, I need to go over your schedule for tomorrow.”

  Lira curls one side of her lip into a satisfied smirk as she walks off.

  I fall in behind our group as they approach the elevachute, an
d discreetly tug Velkan’s sleeve. “I’m going to slip into the bathroom and link to Ayma once we get upstairs,” I whisper. “I need to tell her we might have found Phin’s father. If she’s managed to access the personnel records by now she can confirm it for us.”

  Velkan rubs a hand across his jaw. “Make it quick. Dr. Petrop’s not going to be happy if you’re missing in action when she gets back to her office.”

  We exit the elevachute and the scientists move off along the skywalk toward their offices with Velkan in tow. I drop back, push open the door to the bathroom and activate my MicroComm. “Any progress yet, Ayma?”

  “Nothing, but I’m not giving up. Any news on your end?”

  I swallow hard. “We toured the rest of the processing plant today. It was horrific.”

  There’s a long pause. “I’ve seen the camera footage. I’m sorry you had to see it in person.”

  “There was a scientist there who looked eerily like Phin. Velkan and I think it could be his father.”

  “Don’t make contact yet,” Ayma says. “We can’t take any chances until I’ve accessed the personnel records.”

  “Too late. I spoke to him in the cafeteria and told him I knew who he was. It scared him off before I could explain.”

  Ayma groans. “You’ll need to be extra cautious from now on. He might report the incident.”

  I scrunch my eyes shut. “They’re closing in on us. The collective is sending our suits over tomorrow for DNA testing. It won’t be long before they trace them to us.”

  “Give me a few more hours,” Ayma says. “I’m doing everything I can.”

  The link clicks off and I straighten up and take a deep breath. I need to stay strong and believe that Ayma will crack this soon. If she can’t pull it off, Velkan and I will have no choice but to try and escape from here before one or the other of us ends up in a fish tank getting our brains sucked out. I splash some cold water on my face, turn off the faucet, and exit the bathroom.

  When I reach Dr. Petrop’s office she’s nowhere to be found. I wait for almost twenty minutes before a message flashes across my CipherSync.

  Called to a meeting. Will discuss schedule tomorrow. You are dismissed for the evening.

  I take the elevachute down to our housing and look around the communal area for Velkan. There’s no sign of him so I settle down in a seating area to wait. The sandy-haired clerk who gave us directions to the med station earlier is in the adjoining seating area. He gets up and walks over when he notices me. I groan inwardly. I don’t want to answer any awkward questions. I just need to keep a low profile for a few more hours until Ayma can get us the information we need.

  “I’m Tova,” the sandy-haired clerk says, more exuberantly than I’d like. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

  “Uh, yes,” I say, making a point of peering over his shoulder at the entry to let him know I’m waiting on someone.

  Either he’s oblivious, or he chooses to ignore my pointed attempt to shut him down, because he presses on.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Trattora.”

  “Well, Trattora, congratulations on your promotion to NeuroOne. Some of us here have been after that job for quite some time.”

  I frown stupidly at him, but quickly correct myself. Of course! He thinks I was a guard at the collective. “Thank you. It’s a thrill to be here.”

  He chuckles, and I shrink back from a puff of skanky breath. “The accommodations aren’t exactly luxurious out here in the marshes. Not like in the CentroZone. Half the time there isn’t even hot water. It’s out again today.”

  “Uh-huh,” I mumble in response, eying the door and willing Velkan to walk through it and spare me any further conversation with Tova.

  He crosses one ankle over his knee and leans forward, bouncing his foot in my face. “So, which part of the CentroZone did you grow up in?”

  I get to my feet hurriedly. “I’m sorry, Tova, I have to go. Nice chatting with you.” I turn on my heel and walk off, disappearing down the bedroom hallway before he can stop me. I push open the door to my room, but think better of it. Tova might come knocking on my door. I’ll wait for Velkan in his room. I hurry on down the corridor and come to a halt outside his half-open door.

  The soft murmur of voices drifts out into the hallway, followed by Velkan’s throaty chuckle, and then a high-pitched syrupy laugh.

  25

  I peer through the door jamb and my eyes widen in horror. Lira! She flicks her hair over her shoulder and laughs again at something Velkan said. My skin crawls when she lays a hand on his chest and leans in to whisper a response in his ear.

  I shrink back, slowly stepping away from the door as I struggle to process what I’m seeing. What is Velkan playing at? More importantly, what is Lira after? She’s jealous of our sudden arrival and promotion to the research floor, but maybe it’s more than that. I saw the look she gave Velkan when she first set eyes on him.

  I backtrack down the hall to my room and close the door behind me. I’m shaking all over, partly from rage at Lira’s audacity, partly from the unfounded fear that Velkan might actually be enjoying her attentions. I pace across my bedroom floor like a demented animal in a trap. I don’t want to barge in on them, but I resent every second he spends with her. For several agonizing minutes I go back and forth on whether to confront them. What if Velkan’s getting valuable information from her?

  In the end, the decision is made for me when someone knocks on my door.

  “Come in!” I say, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.

  The door opens and Velkan leans against the doorframe. “Are you done for the evening?”

  “Yes, come in.” I gesture to the chair in the corner to avoid his gaze. “When did you get back?”

  He flops into the chair. “About a half hour ago. Dr. Worister didn’t have anything more for me to do. How about you?”

  I sit down on the edge of the bed and raise my brows, unsmiling. “Same.”

  “Are you all right?” Velkan asks, a puzzled frown forming on his face.

  “What were you doing all this time?” I ask. My tone is anything but nonchalant and Velkan’s frown deepens.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I overheard Lira in your room. Sounded like you two were getting friendly.”

  Velkan lets out a snort. “She was trying to come on strong, but I held her at bay.” He grins at me, a twinkle in his eye, but I can’t bring myself to smile back.

  “Come on, Trattora, she’s spying on us. I couldn’t exactly make an enemy of her.”

  “You certainly weren’t doing that.”

  “I’m not going to argue with you over a snake like Lira.” Velkan’s tone is decidedly cool. “How could you think for one minute that I would be attracted to her?”

  I shrug. “I only know what I saw.”

  “You saw her trying her charms out on me in an attempt to finagle information from me.” Velkan gets to his feet. “But you didn’t stay around long enough to see me walk her to my door and ask her not to come in again.”

  “I’m sorry, I just—”

  Instead of storming out of the room like I’m afraid he’s about to do, he wraps his arms around me. “If it makes you feel any better, she probably hates me now more than she hates you,” he whispers into my hair.

  “We need to be careful then,” I say. “She’s already tracking my every move and waiting for me to slip up so she can report it. Now she’ll be on double duty.”

  “Don’t worry, she won’t get the better of us. We make a good team.” Velkan kisses the top of my head and releases me with a sigh. “Did you manage to reach Ayma?”

  “Briefly. I told her we saw someone who looked like he might be Phin’s father.” I frown up at Velkan. “She’s worried that if we’re wrong he’ll report me for what I said to him. I didn’t get a chance to explain who I was.”

  “Don’t approach him again,” Velkan says. “If he is Phin’s father, let him make contact next time.
”

  “And if he doesn’t?”

  “Then we wait for Ayma to access the personnel records before we sound out anyone else.” Velkan stretches his arms above his head and arches his back. “It’s been a long day, I’m going to take a shower.”

  “There’s no hot water,” I say. “Tova, that sandy-haired kid, said something about it earlier. Sounds like it’s always going out.”

  Velkan frowns. “Maybe I can take a look at the water heater. It could be just a valve or something that needs to be replaced.”

  “You can talk to Tova about it if you want,” I say. “I’ll come with you.”

  We wander back out into the main communal seating area and look around for Tova. His face brightens when he sees us heading his way. “Settling in okay?” he asks, eyes firmly fixed on me.

  “Yes, thanks, but we could use a shower. Do we have any hot water yet?”

  Tova lets out a snort. “Not a chance. It’s usually out for days when it goes down. Maintenance on our floor is a low priority.”

  “I can take a look at the heating system,” Velkan says. “Where’s the mechanical room located?”

  Tova raises his brows. “In the basement. What do you know about heating systems?”

  “Nothing, yet,” Velkan says, with a grin.

  “It’s restricted access,” Tova says disapprovingly. “Auxiliaries can’t go down there.”

  Velkan shrugs. “In that case, we’ll just have to wait on the establishment. Nice talking with you, Tova.”

  Velkan grabs me by the arm and steers me out of the room and into the hallway.

  “Where are we going?” I ask, bewildered.

  “You’ll see.” He depresses the call button for the elevachute. Inside, he wastes no time activating his MicroComm. “Ayma, I need access to the mechanical room in our housing basement. It’s a restricted area.”