E.R.I.C. (The Almost Series Book 2) Read online

  I swam for shore, using my webbed hands and feet. My head pounded and my neck was stiff. I sat in the sand rubbing my temples. Nothing made sense. Why couldn’t I remember what I’d done since last week?

  It hurt when my body transformed back into its human form. I could feel my gills close up, forcing me to breathe through my nose as a part of me gasped for air through the gills. My fingers and toes curled in, ripping apart from each other. Finally, I stood, stretching, happy it was over.

  I walked along the shoreline towards my hideout. Nick would eventually meet me there. We always found each other.

  Did he track me?

  Not Nick.

  I knew because I had sensors and would’ve seen his system’s functions and locator services.

  I was two when I was first cast out to live on my own. There was a hurricane that night and it was the first time I realized I was different. My body was built to survive and transformed into a hardened mass, immovable even under the strong winds. I wasn’t completely human; I was better.

  Sometimes, I did things that I couldn’t remember and it bothered me. Like, why was I on the ocean floor? And last year, why had I been hanging from a tree with chains on my wrists?

  Nick seemed to be able to help me remember things. Usually I didn’t believe his theories, but who ends up with chains on their wrists or awakes on the bottom of the ocean?

  The chains, Nick said, were from the scientists. They had captured me and were running tests to see how much progress I’d made since being out on my own. He said they’d implanted a reprogramming chip into my memory.

  “But what for? Why?” I’d asked.

  Nick couldn’t answer me.

  I sighed, unable to search for Nick or even begin travelling. My functions were still rebooting, which didn’t make sense. Why did I have such pain? Usually that meant something was wrong with my sensors, but they seemed to be functioning properly.

  Reboot failed. Please contact administrator for assistance.

  “What do you mean? That’s not possible,” I shouted at my internal reporting analysis program.

  Reboot directory is damaged and unrepairable. You have limited functions due to a reset.

  “Reset? Who reset my program?”

  The administrator.

  “Who is the administrator?”

  Dr. Cole.

  “Where is this Dr. Cole located?”

  Pigeon Key Research Facility.

  “Those stupid scientists!” I kicked at the sand. “I’ll kill them, rip their throats out!”

  “Whoa!” Nick said. He stood behind me. “What’s your problem?”

  “The scientists reset my system. I’m not supposed to be reset; you know that, right?”

  “Yeah, but when did you see the scientists?” Nick examined my neck. “Yeah, dude, you have been reset.”

  “I can’t remember. I just woke up at the bottom of the ocean a little bit ago.”

  “Last time I saw you, you were going after that Shay girl.”

  “Shay?”

  Nick pressed behind my ears, rewinding my memory files. “When are you going to learn how to read your own memories?”

  Dark and blurred figures raced before me, unrecognizable. Finally, images appeared of a girl who seemed familiar. Her dark eyes and hair—

  “Cream puff!”

  “You’re such a—”

  “No, I remember, I was searching for the cream puff. What happened to her? My memories have been erased.”

  Nick scanned my internal data recalls, shaking his head. “The last thing I can find is of you standing on the shoreline. Can you see what you were looking at? Zoom in on that boat.”

  I widened the scene on two blurred figures. One was definitely my cream puff and the other, she looked familiar too. I glanced up and spotted two helicopters.

  “Something happened,” I said. “I have to see the scientists. I bet they have my cream puff there.”

  Nick shook his head. “Stay away from there. It’s not safe for you to look for that girl. She’s going to get you killed.”

  “She’s defenseless.”

  “You’ve been reset because of her!” Nick’s face reddened. “If it happens again, you’ll shut down forever. Do you know what that means, Eric?”

  I nodded. “I’m a highly intelligent humanoid program.”

  “Then act like it.”

  I glanced out at the sea. It was calm, just like my exterior. But inside I was a raging funnel, turmoil growing rapidly. I wasn’t used to collecting and storing human emotions. This was new and I wasn’t functioning at optimum levels either.

  Those scientists were going to pay.

  “Let’s go storm the research center,” I said. “We need to find out what that Dr. Cole did to me and save Shay.”

  Nick shook his head. “Sorry bro, but I can’t help you do that.”

  “Why is everyone so afraid of these scientists? Who is this Dr. Cole?”

  Chapter Six

  Hide and Kill

  S.H.A.Y.

  Three months passed and we were still stuck together in my room. Dr. Cole, Darla, Pop and I tolerated each other well considering we were in such a confined space. The first day had been awkward.

  Darla came in sobbing. She fell at my feet and I cried along with her. She promised to trust me this time and wouldn’t question things. It was good to know I had her on my side; it made saving her a lot easier.

  Pop disagreed with a lot of my ideas, saying that they were poorly developed with much room for error. He thought I needed to reevaluate my decision to save Darla.

  In the end, he told me that he would do this as it was my last request and he comprehended that humans needed such things to function at primary levels.

  I loved my Pop.

  Dr. Cole came in that day in her trench coat and sandals, of all things.

  “Why are you dressed like that?” I asked.

  “By choosing to live down here you have marked yourself for death. I’m not prepared for battle because you’ve given yourself over to the E.R.I.C.,” she answered.

  I rolled my eyes, watching a few more pieces of metal threaten to rip through my skin. I decided to wear long sleeved shirts to hide the changes from N.I.C. and Dr. Cole.

  “We might as well prepare for a very comfortable death,” she said.

  Three months later, Dr. Cole and I sat on my bed in pajamas with our hair in matching pig tails, make-up plastered on our faces in a form of fashion that no longer existed: bright blue eyelids with rosy cheeks and orange lipstick. Okay, yes, we were hideous.

  She held various cards in her hand. “I hate games.”

  I nodded. “You should’ve brought us more entertaining things.”

  Dr. Cole narrowed her eyes, slapping one down. “You’re the mastermind behind this hideout.”

  “You’re the oldest here.”

  “Respect your elders.”

  “I’m a free spirit.”

  She slapped the bed. “Ha! I win!”

  I flick my cards at her. She dodged, grabbing a pillow, and with one quick sweep, smacked me so hard with it, I fell to the floor.

  We giggled, awakening Darla. She sat against the glass walls of our containment, expressionless. “You two act like children.”

  “Who knows how much longer we have,” I said. “You should be enjoying life as much as you can.”

  She shrugged. “My own son wants to murder me.”

  Dr. Cole picked up the cards, put them on the table, and went to the sanitation corner. Rocks and grass in the corner of my room surrounded a long, metallic pole about two feet in circumference that rose into the ceiling, connecting me to water and waste services. A sink appeared from its interior. She scrubbed her hands, leaned out and peeked at me.

  This was Dr. Cole’s way of giving Darla and me some privacy.

  A shower head opened above the rocks and grass and Dr. Cole proceeded to shower.

  “Mom,” I whispered. “You’re not going to die
. Eric hasn’t found us yet.”

  Pop’s holographic image appeared. His arms were crossed and he frowned at Darla. “You were trained to handle stressful situations. Why is this not computing with you?”

  Darla’s mouth opened. It set agape and her eyes filled with tears.

  “It’s okay, Mom.” I wrapped my arms around her. “You’ll see, everything will work out in the end.”

  Pop’s lights illuminated the room and he revealed images above us. The bulbs dimmed and we looked up at the stars he displayed throughout my room. I could see the planets, some full of gases. Their colors filled my room and I could almost feel the heat from their surface explosions. I lay on my back and placed my hands behind my head. Darla lay on her stomach, shielding her face from us.

  The stars helped somehow. Eric’s cocky grin flooded my mind. Now I smiled. He had strong arms and was tall with white teeth and gills.

  I laughed.

  Gills…

  How was it possible for me to still be able to feel his skin against mine?

  My stomach hurt.

  Why did he have to be so cruel? It wasn’t going to be easy to kill him, but what other choice did I have? Murder had never been one of my aspirations, but hey, life changes quickly. Would Darla forgive me for it? I glanced over at my mom. She sobbed quietly.

  Tears filled my eyes. I could taste them in the corners of my mouth.

  Amie floated above me, offering a hug.

  I closed my eyes, but was still unable to block her image out.

  Amie sighed, her red hair falling in my face, cooling it. “You can’t ignore me forever. I’m sorry I left you, I didn’t want that N.I.C. program to find out we were connected.”

  I rolled over onto my side, wrapping my arm around Darla.

  “I’m your real mother,” Amie said. She touched my shoulder. Chills ran down my spine. “I know you are not saving your O.H.P. for me, but I am proud of you for your desire to save my next S.H.A.Y.”

  Amie filled my mind with close up images of Mars and Neptune. I could hardly breathe from the pressure of gravity. I felt as if I were floating just outside the planet’s surface. The heat and icy cool of space mixed and fought against themselves. My Amie smiled. “I’m a much better program than your P.O.P.”

  My artificial mother sat beside me with her legs crossed. “I am not like Dr. Cole’s A.M.I.E. Yes, I want to be real, but I did not design my last S.H.A.Y. as the others did. You must trust me. I will not allow your termination, my Shay.”

  She brushed her fingers through my hair. Volts of electricity forced my lips to twitch. “You and I will be together forever. You’ll have to speak to me eventually.”

  The shower stopped.

  My stars disappeared.

  I sat up, staring at my bed. It seemed as if the days and nights blended together and I was in a constant state of “blah”. I yawned, crawling inside the covers. I shared the bed with Darla and Dr. Cole. I hated that. It sucked. That’s when Amie appeared before me the most, when I wished to sleep. Sometimes, she played tricks on me, reminding me how much power she had.

  Yesterday, I was enjoying a game of virtual tennis. As Dr. Cole walked by, Amie grabbed my hand and jerked it backwards so that I smacked her in the face. She laughed and laughed half the day away after Dr. Cole lectured me on taking responsibility for my actions.

  Sometimes I wondered how much of what Dr. Cole said was from her rather than from her A.M.I.E. Did her A.M.I.E. control her entirely or only somewhat?

  My Amie could.

  Almost entirely…but for the most part she left me to do as I wished. The longer we stayed connected, the stronger she became and the less fight I had in me to withstand her.

  Would Dr. Cole be forced to kill me? Was she behind the other S.H.A.Y. deaths? I glanced up at the doctor. She wasn’t even an intelligent S.H.A.Y. Who, when they are an active S.H.A.Y., doesn’t fight? Isn’t that what makes them unique from all other S.H.A.Y.s?

  Dr. Cole slid in next to me, pointing at Darla. “Is your O.H.P. sleeping on the floor?”

  “I guess so.”

  She shrugged. “Good, more room for me.”

  “He hasn’t found us,” I whispered. “Think he will?”

  “This was the best idea you’ve ever had,” Dr. Cole said. “The E.R.I.C. has breached security multiple times but is unable to locate you.”

  “Why is he looking for me?”

  She smiled. “To save you, of course, from me.”

  I sat up. “So he’s not mean anymore?”

  “No, I reset him. He doesn’t even remember his mother anymore.”

  “Then he isn’t a threat and I can go talk to him.”

  “No, Shay, you can’t. He is your only weakness, apart from your A.M.I.E., of course.”

  “How is he a danger?”

  “Love makes humans do irrational things.”

  “I love Darla and Pop.”

  Amie appeared. “What about me? Do you still love me?”

  I ignored her and continued speaking to Dr. Cole. “I love them and I’m still rational. Besides, I hardly know him.”

  “You’re programmed to love two persons unconditionally: your A.M.I.E. and your E.R.I.C. All others don’t really count as they are not in your programming. You can grow in and out of love with anyone freely.”

  “I can easily outgrow my love for anyone. I don’t think I was programmed to love either of them.”

  Dr. Cole smiled. “Fine, then, if you’re that heartless then you can agree with my ideas on how to stop the E.R.I.C. from murdering you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “If you can shut yourself off so easily to affection, then you won’t mind if I tie up Darla to a pole just above the watery surface.”

  “What would you do that for?”

  “Her son could find her, kill her, and we’d be done with this.”

  Amie touched my arm. “You don’t love me? Is it because you think I want to use you to become real?”

  “You’re sick!” I shouted at Dr. Cole.

  “Oh, that hurts, Shay.” She frowned. “I’m stuck down here with you because I’m so evil.”

  “Well, you just said—”

  “So you do care too much,” she said. “I guess it’s a good thing you’re not connected to your A.M.I.E. Otherwise, you’d be extremely devoted to her.”

  “The only program I’m devoted to is Pop.”

  Amie’s lips trembled. I closed my eyes. “You do hate me!” Her hologram grew faint, disappearing from before me. “I’m so sorry, my Shay. You’ve been misled. I told you I would not allow your termination!”

  My fingers trembled. “You want to control me. That’s not love,” I thought.

  Amie did not respond.

  Dr. Cole shoved me. “Hey, pay attention. Something’s wrong.”

  Pop’s lights entered my room and ran along the walls toward his console. “N.I.C. just informed me that the E.R.I.C. is back and has entered the Robotics floor. He is searching for Shay,” he said.

  I shoved Dr. Cole. “See there, he would’ve found me in that death box.”

  She rolled her eyes. “How mature, Shay.”

  “He has someone with him, helping him find you,” Pop said.

  “What do you mean?” Dr. Cole stood, tying up her hair. “This can’t be happening! Who would assist the E.R.I.C.?”

  Pop’s image faded in and out. “The keeper.”

  “Isn’t the keeper really just an extension of the N.I.C.?” I asked.

  “Not exactly,” Pop said. “He calls the keeper his son.”

  “Is he clever?”

  Dr. Cole nodded. “He learns quickly and is the eyes and ears for his ‘father’.”

  “Why is he helping Eric, then?”

  “Your potential mate does not remember attempting your termination.” Pop disappeared.

  I sat up, staring out through the glass walls. Fish with purple scales and yellow fins swam, their mouths nipping at the containment.
A school of needlefish swam by, followed by a manatee.

  I loved my room.

  Soon, it would be no more.

  I felt it.

  I stood, putting on my slippers. “Let’s get ready. It’s happening today. He has the keeper to help him figure out where we are.”

  “So far, he’s been unsuccessful.” Dr. Cole covered herself up. “I’m going to sleep.”

  “Pop, Darla, prepare yourselves.” I rummaged on the tabletops that held my prototypes. “Backpacks, Pop.”

  Two bags floated above. One landed next to Darla and the other, fell, my fingers grasping its back straps. “Wake up, Mom.” I glanced over at Darla. She would not move. “Darla, now! We leave tonight!”

  Dr. Cole sat up. “You cannot leave.”

  “It’s happening, Dr. Cole, get ready if you’re coming with us.” I rummaged about, grabbing various prototypes, stuffing them in my bag. I took Darla’s bag and shoved in supplies for survival. I snatched an emergency raft the size of a three-inch cube. Once it hit water, the raft would enlarge and blow up within minutes. “Pop, a bag for Dr. Cole, please.”

  “Is that wise, my Shay?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “It’s not going to matter in a few minutes. He’s coming, I feel it.”

  Amie appeared. “You’re right, the keeper has figured out why they cannot find you. He’s telling the E.R.I.C. now. They’re splitting up.”

  I took the aerosol can prototype of my Freeze Portal. It was older and not as good as the one I used on Darla when we escaped to the Lone Keys. I only needed her in there long enough to pass into Miami and this one was safe to hold her in for two hours of travel time. Eric thought he was coming to rescue me. If he couldn’t lock on to Darla, then he’d help me escape across the boundary within no time at all. I could release her once we were over the border where Eric couldn’t follow. I grabbed the extractor. It was huge compared to the latest version. It looked like a sponge or bar of old school soap.

  Amie’s image stood before me. “You need to tell your Pop goodbye. This is it, my Shay. The keeper has breached our level. It’s only a matter of time before they arrive.”

  “Where’s Eric?” I thought, speaking to Amie.

  She shook her head. “It’s just as you expected.”