The Sentinel

by C Cato

  The two men returned quickly, and Risa led the way. A steady shower of rain began, the droplets stinging and large.

  An old freeway overpass stood tall in the surrounding evergreens. Like the buildings in the city, vines and plants had made it their home. The remains of a passenger train draped over the top and dipped down to the ground, like a giant python hanging from a tree branch. Cole waited with her again while the others search the cars for a suitable one.

  One of them wasn’t too overgrown. Inside, cloth seats hosted green molds and a host of plant life. Soren was busy ripping out seats in the center of the train, his glowing body illuminating the dark cabin. Water dripped or poured through in several places inside, but Soren had chosen a dry patch in the center. Ditre joined him and together they cleared a large enough area for everyone to lay down comfortably.

  Sonya waited by the door, but hated feeling like an anchor. She joined Risa and Cole in shoving the rotten seats out of the way. Risa smiled at her when they were done, and Cole nodded. She was disappointed at his response, but why did she expect something different? She’d already proven to be a difficult person.

  There was an open door at the other end of the car, but Sonya couldn’t make out what was on the other side. Drawing closer, she saw that it was the connecting area between two cars, but the next car had twisted when it had collapsed so the space was impassable. There were holes in the heavy material that spanned the distance. Another casualty of time.

  Soren was handing out small packages to the others in the newly cleared area. Two solar powered lanterns were set in the middle of them. The light cast long shadows in the car but removed the need for night vision. Soren pressed a silver packet into her hand when she sat down beside him.

  “MRE,” he said with an apologetic shrug. “We didn’t have anything else. Not sure these are any good either. Didn’t disintegrate with time, so we’re hoping for the best.”

  Sonya eyed the package in her hand dubiously. In the end, she decided to wait it out. Now that she wasn’t running for her life, she was acutely aware of her soaking bodysuit. At first glance she thought it had been some kind of jumper, but on closer inspection found the fabric had a stretch, but felt like soft wool. Since she didn’t smell like a wet dog, she assumed it was synthetic. It behaved like a wetsuit, absorbing the moisture, but regulating her temperature. That coupled with the nanobots would have kept her comfortable if it not for the squishing, swampy sensation she had from sitting in the thing. She was not interested in dealing with skin fungus. Even if her nanobots healed it.

  Risa had risen, having wolfed down her MRE, and had pulled out another white suit from her pack. The woman had to have an iron stomach and apparently, there was no shortage to the supply.

  “Sonya, we have a couple of spare suits for you, too. We don’t need to worry about hypothermia, but there is no reason for you to be uncomfortable all night.” Unashamed, Risa unbuckled her boots and toed them off before unzipping her suit and peeling it off. She wore no underwear. Naked, she used the dry suit to wick up any lingering moisture.

  Sonya turned away to give her privacy only to see the men were all doing the same. Thankfully, they were all faced away, but Sonya couldn’t stop staring as Cole revealed his naked flesh. He wore nothing beneath his suit. No one did. Including her.

  A thorny vine of roses started at his shoulder and traveled down the right side of his back before wrapping around his right thigh. The petals were a vibrant red. She wondered what the story behind the tattoo was. Cole’s back flexed as he pushed his suit down to his ankles. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. Lean muscle decorated his broad frame and danced in time to his movements. Wide shoulders tapered to narrow hips and she lingered on his toned ass before admiring his meaty thighs.

  Sonya was glad of her dark skin, hiding the blaze beneath. If he could’ve seen her blushing, it would’ve been humiliating.

  He glanced up in time to catch her staring. Almost as bad as being caught blushing. Risa cleared her throat, and Sonya whipped her head around to find the woman smirking.

  If she’d gotten any hotter, she would’ve melted through the floor. She shuffled her feet, self-conscious about the knowing grin from the petite blonde.

  Once everyone else had dressed, Sonya retrieved the bag Risa had indicated and pulled out one of the dry suits. Then she held it, not sure what to do. The rain was still coming down hard so she couldn’t go outside, and there was nowhere in the train where she could hide. No that she was ashamed of her body, but these were strangers.

  “Sonya?”

  When she turned around, Cole and Ditre were stringing up a sleeping bag across the back of the train.

  “Thank you,” she said, passing them. The cover allowed her to change in relative solitude. Task complete she found Soren, Ditre and Risa laying in a rough circle on thin silver sleeping bags.

  “I’m at 80%,” said Risa.

  “Same here,” replied Ditre.

  “It’s 82% for me,” added Soren. “Sarge?”

  “I’m good.” Cole sat at the open door. He’d draped a dark blanket over his white suit.

  She wanted to join him, to be closer to him. Why was the man so compelling? Closing her eyes, she analyzed what she was experiencing. The almost magnetic pull was only coming from one source. Cole. If that was the case, what did it mean?

  Sonya had to concentrate to rip her focus from the handsome man at the door. She hated that Cole could affect her so much.

  “So, how do we make this Halo work,” she asked joining them on an empty blanket.

  “It’s a smart interface,” said Ditre sitting up. “Ask the Halo for what you want to see. Just say in your head, ‘Halo, show power supply’ and it will show you. Always use the word ‘Halo’ first in the command. It would be chaos if it responded to everything that ran through your head.”

  Sonya didn’t even want to imagine. Giving the command, words appeared in front of her eyes just on the edge of her periphery.

  Power: 98%

  “I’m at 98%. I suppose that’s good.”

  Ditre nodded, and lay back down on his back, pillowing his head on his arms.

  The storm continued to rage outside. Wind whipped through the open doorway and across the few broken windows. The sun had set, plunging them in total darkness, the lanterns were off, and the telltale green glow of night vision had taken over.

  Cole pointed to his pack. “Ian’s journals are in there. I didn’t find anythin’ especially useful to our situation, but maybe you’ll find somethin’ I didn’t.”

  Ditre rolled over, pulled them out and placed them in front of Sonya before resuming his relaxed position.

  Picking up one of the journals, she opened it to the first page, hoping it would be the distraction she needed.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Sonya

  Sonya settled under her sleeping bag in the dark, pulling it over her head. Risa had curled up, instantly asleep. Ditre and Soren were playing cards.

  She flicked on a small pen light that Ditre had given her. The same one he’d used to check her eyes when she woke up. Being able to see in the dark was a strategic advantage, but it wasn’t the best for reading.

  September 20, 2021

  Today Sonya and I met with the Board of Directors to inform them that the Sentinel program would be delayed.

  Sonya didn’t want to tell them that of course, she has always been an optimit when it came our projct. For the most part it has paid off, but today it was importat to tell the board the truh. I’ve been receiving so much pressure to sell the company, and it has only become worse wth the discoveries that Soya and I have made. The board stands to make billions in the transaction. I’m hoping that by disclosing the truth it will dlay their hounding to pursue a sae. We have worked too hard for our work to be stolen from us now.

  I also learned that the asshole that made Sonya leave medicine is now working with Vilitex Pharmaceuticals. The weasel! I hope that prick falls on a needle with E
bola on it. Would serve him right for what he did.

  Sonya laughed at his indignation on her behalf. It was sweet. She turned to the next entry.

  September 22, 2021

  It’s been two days snce Sonya was almot taken from me. I know it was them. That basard Colby and his cronies at Vilitex. I didn’t give them what they wanted, and they decided to retaliate.

  She is so broken.

  I’ve already injected her with the nanobots to try and start the repairs. Since they are so extensive, I think I’ll have some time to figre out the repliation issue before it becomes a problem.

  I wonder if she’ll ever wake up and share her stunning smile with me again. My beauiful fierce Sonya. I always kept you at a distance. Maintaining the mentor/mentee relationship that we had originally established, but it was more. So much more.

  I’m so sorry I never told you how I really feel.

  Wiping the hot tears from her face, she read the message again. He must have known she would read it, or else why leave it in the bunker. Were these notes meant to tell her something? She reread both entries again. Then it clicked.

  Sonya threw the blanket off her head.

  “Something wrong, Doc?” asked Ditre, moving to sit beside her with enough room that she didn’t feel crowded or uncomfortable.

  Was there? “Ian was impeccable at taking notes. There are misspelled words everywhere.”

  “What?” Soren came to join them, settling on Sonya’s other side. Like Risa, the man had no personal boundaries. He snatched the book out of her hands.

  Grinding her teeth, she had to count to ten twice to calm down her anger. Soren needed some lessons in polite behavior.

  “Deets, do you have a pen in your sack?”

  “Sure,” he said, rolling onto his knees then down to his stomach to reach his bag. He pulled a pen out of a side pocket and rolled back to them, handing it over.

  Soren wrote in the margins of the book, and she leaned in to see what he was doing. “Ian was awful at encryption, but I guess it’s no big deal. Most would just assume he was terrible at spelling.”

  Ditre leaned in closer, and Sonya wanted to fidget, caught between the two men. They were all so free with touching and being close to each other. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that, but she appreciated Ditre’s effort to include her. Stiffening, she leaned away from him. Catching the hint, he sat up straighter. Able to relax, she glanced down at the page and the letters Soren had scribbled on the side: genesis.

  “Why would he want me to know the word genesis? That makes less sense than the fact that he tried to hide the word.”

  “Good question,” said Soren, chewing on his bottom lip in concentration.

  “Try the next one. It had errors, too.”

  He scribbled some more and handed the book back to her. “Instruct?”

  There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the words. With a sigh, she set the journal aside. It would have to remain a mystery for now.

  Ditre and Soren had already returned to their beds. Still lost in thought, she crawled back under the cover, closing her eyes and willing sleep to come.

  It eluded her for several more hours. When she woke up and pulled the blanket off her head, her breath puffed out in a white cloud. Risa was an indiscernible lump in her own sleeping bag. Soren lay on his back, his head propped up on his pack and at his feet was Cole. The severe countenance was gone, replaced by the soft serenity of a peaceful sleep. Desire to touch him was overwhelming. She sat on her hands to keep from reaching out, but when that wasn’t enough, she forced herself to get up. Ditre was on guard, in the same position that Cole had taken the night before. Sonya stretched and then dragged her blanket to the door.

  Outside the rain continued to come down on the surrounding forest. It was growing lighter—enough for her night vision to kick back over to normal—but it did nothing to relieve the gloom of gray that filled the sky.

  “Anything?”

  Ditre chuckled, but his eyes never left the surrounding forest. She admired his focus. A trait they all seemed to share. Sonya found herself liking him. If she’d met him while she worked in the hospital, they would have been a good team.

  Sonya shook her head. She shouldn’t become attached to them. She was just an assignment, and she still wasn’t sure she believed their true motivations for undergoing the transformation.

  Some of Ian’s paranoia must have rubbed off on her.

  Her stomach grumbled loudly, echoed by his. “Sorry. We need something to eat other than old MREs. I’m sure there are some berry bushes down there. The nanobots are protecting us, but they can’t prevent scurvy. Deficiency is still deficiency.”

  “I can’t let you go out there alone, Doc.”

  “I’ll go with her,” said Risa, surprising a gasp out of Sonya.

  “Sorry for waking you,” muttered Sonya. She’d hoped to have a moment alone.

  Risa laughed. It was deeper, more masculine than she would have expected from the petite woman. “Nope. You didn’t. Well, not directly anyway. I’ll take her, and we can be back before Sarge wakes up.”

  Ditre appeared skeptical. “Right. It’s my ass if anything—”

  “Chill out, Deets. We won’t go far, and I’ll hear anything coming before they see us. My hearing is insane.”

  “Really?” Sonya asked at the same time as Ditre.

  “Yep. Would be interesting to know what my range is, but I definitely have super powered hearing since the operation.”

  Sonya bit her tongue to stop herself from asking questions. She wasn’t going to maintain professional aloofness, if she asked a bunch of questions like a geeky schoolgirl.

  Ditre nodded slowly. “Fine, you can go. One hour. No more. Sarge just went down an hour ago, so you have maybe two before he’s coherent again. Make it fast.”

  Risa gave him a crisp salute. “Will do. C’mon, beautiful. Let’s go find some berries.”

  Once outside, soaked to the skin again in seconds, Sonya hoped there was another dry suit in the packs. Trying to orient herself, Sonya spun in a slow circle. She did it twice before she decided she had no idea what she was doing. Tapping her temple, she closed the comm to just Risa. There was a loud click in her head. “Which way? I’m not much of an outdoors person.”

  “No idea.” Risa smirked and started hiking. Sonya had no trouble keeping up. “I’m pulling your leg. You think I would have survived in a unit with those guys without having outdoor survival skills? Please! We’ll stay close to the train, but there’s bound to be something in those trees.”

  They found the remains of a road that ran parallel to the decaying overpass. “How did you get to be with them?” Sonya asked, hoping it wasn’t rude, but needing something other than her own thoughts for a little while.

  Risa scrunched her face up and then smiled, her eyes sparkling. “You mean because I’m so gorgeous and all?”

  There was no denying that the statement was true.

  “Met Cole while I was in training to go into Intelligence. We hit it off. When I finished training, I asked to be assigned to his unit instead of taking the MI gig. Going into the military was a no-brainer for me. Kicked out of the house at sixteen. Spent a little time on couches and on the street and then signed up.”

  Sonya stopped in her tracks. “Kicked out? Why?”

  Poking out her bottom lip in a mock pout Risa tugged on Sonya to get her moving again. “Lesbian. I guess you didn’t notice me checking out your ass? Can’t blame a girl for looking. You have a seriously hot body.”

  Sonya wanted to fall into a sinkhole and disappear.

  “Don’t be embarrassed. You’re stunning.”

  Shaking her head, she said. “I’m not ashamed of my body, but I don’t go around showing it to everyone either.”

  “Shame. Okay, if I ask a personal question?”

  Sonya was immediately on her guard. “Okay.” She drew the word out.

  “Did you have a boyfriend or something,” she said, e
mphasizing something.

  “I’ve never been with a woman, if that’s what you’re fishing for. Never considered it really. Intriguing idea, though.”

  “Nice! I’ll consider it possible then, but that’s not what I meant.”

  “No. No boyfriends.” She hated saying it out loud. It had been something she and her mother had argued about again and again. Momma had wanted to know when Sonya was going to settle down and find a husband. When she cited her work and the lack of interest from men in a woman at her professional level, the arguments would just get worse. “Momma always thought I put more effort into my work than finding a nice man to marry, but the truth was, they weren’t knocking down my door before I became a doctor either. Once I received my PhD in Nanobiology…forget it. It was just easier to focus on my work.”

  “Is that why you’re so distant all the time?”

  Sonya rolled her eyes. “Do you have a nonblunt mode?”

  “Nope. Answer the question.”

  “I’m not sure I can. Maybe? I’m aware that I’m like that. I think it’s more the fear of rejection than the desire to truly be alone.”

  “Bad breakup?”

  “Don’t really want to talk about it.”

  “It has to come from something. You’ve been arctic level cold with us since you woke up.”

  Sonya tried to move faster, but Risa linked their arms at the elbow and held tight. “Nope. Not getting out of it that easy.”

  “Do you blame me,” she replied, her tone sharp. “I don’t know you people, but you have dragged me out in the middle of nowhere and expected me to believe a crazy story, I got shot, and you drugged me.”

  Risa regarded her intently, her lips slightly pursed. “Do you do that a lot? Lash out when you’re uncomfortable?”

  “Are you a psychiatrist or something?”

  “Or something. I get the need to protect yourself Sonya. I really do, but we aren’t going anywhere no matter what you think. We left everything behind to protect you and that’s what we’re going to do. There’s nothing in the rulebook that says we can’t be friends, though. I would like to be.”