N.I.C. (The Almost Series Book 3) Read online

  Floor Six.

  Ding.

  I took a deep breath. My bangs stuck to my forehead and Darla grasped the wall behind her. The hunter stood, with her club lowered. She did not appear exhausted in any way. She did not smile and her eyes were a deep-set brown.

  The yellow was no longer evident.

  Amie let out a sigh of relief. “She is not hunting you right now. Her eyes are in a dormant state.”

  I stepped out. “Close the doors,” I said. Darla obeyed. The elevator doors shut behind her, and she and the elderly couple began declining to the ground floor.

  The hunter pointed to my trembling hands. “Your heart rate is erratic and you’re not sure what to do next.”

  I nodded. “I’m not a physical S.H.A.Y. and I’ve been told that I do not devise well.”

  “Your silly inventions have made our facility quite profitable. You have more sponsors than any other S.H.A.Y. Not even Dr. Cole was able to collect so much support.”

  I glanced at Amie. She frowned. “The hunter is correct. I’m afraid my desire to create an ‘optional’ S.H.A.Y. caused quite a controversy. It drew in some seriously dangerous sponsors—the least moral bunch of them all.”

  “You’re still wondering if you should kill my human parent, aren’t you?”

  A shimmer of yellow flashed as she stepped closer. She sniffed the air around me. Her upper teeth were sharp and pointed. “I am willing to hear your side of things,” she said. “I make no promises.”

  “That’s fair,” I said. “Can we sit down? I’m not used to running around like this.”

  She nodded, grabbing a doorknob to one of the rooms. She pushed, forcing the door ajar. Metal pieces fell onto the carpeting. I looked down. It was the lock.

  “After you,” I said, motioning for her to step inside first.

  She shook her head. “That’s unlikely. You may enter.”

  I obeyed, coming to stand in the center of the room. There were wicker chairs and two full size beds divided by a tiny nightstand. Across the room was a club chair with bright yellow flowers on the armrests. “Why are you chasing after me?”

  She closed the door behind us and pointed at the bed. “Sit.”

  I obeyed.

  “Your Optional Human Parent is downstairs, panting in the lobby.”

  I closed my eyes, trying to slow my heart. “Please do not kill her. We need her to stay alive.” I lay back on the bed. My muscles twitched, happy to relax, even if for just a moment. If I could’ve, I’d have passed out right then and there and never awakened again.

  The hunter sat in the club chair. She crossed her legs. “You have five minutes to convince me to betray my Amie.”

  “I’m connected to my Amie,” I said. “She will give birth soon to S.H.A.Y. 319. We have agreed that the best way of life for her is to live here with Darla, my Optional Human Parent.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m full aware of my limited life span,” I said. “Before I die, I want to ensure that my Pop, the N.I.C., and many of the P.A.T. programs are preserved for a more responsible scientific team. I wish to give the programs’ memories to the last S.H.A.Y.”

  “I am S.H.A.Y. Subject 31,” she said. “I was the first to survive the experimental phase. My Eric did terminate his Optional Human Parent, but he did not mean to. He left me once he came to his senses. I searched everywhere for him and the other E.R.I.C. programs. Once they kill their human host, they tend to go into hiding. When I was released to track you, the N.I.C.’s keeper helped me cross the waters in his emergency raft. While with him, I caught scent of my Eric along with the others. I’m listening to you because this is the first time anyone has been able to locate them. I feel you have something to do with this.”

  “What was your Eric like?” I asked. “Did he have dark hair and eyes?”

  “No, he was blond with green eyes and freckled skin.” The hunter leaned back in her chair. She smiled at her memories.

  “Did you fall in love with him?”

  Her eyes watered. “Yes.”

  “Maybe, since he’s still alive, maybe if we work together, we can save them from the scientists and be reunited with our E.R.I.C.s.”

  The hunter frowned. “Once, I was a good person. That is not the case anymore. My Eric would never love me the way I am now.”

  “If you weren’t a good person then you would’ve just killed Darla and captured me. Even if your motives are not entirely in my favor, it shows somewhere in your heart that you still care, at least a small, tiny bit.”

  “No, I’ve agreed to enter phase four once I return.” The hunter’s eyes glowed yellow. She leaned forward and I recoiled, covering myself with a pillow. “I’m to return with you and assist in making my Amie real. I won’t go back in that box ever again, no matter the cost.”

  “Can’t you do that and help me? We’re both going to die. Can’t we work together until it no longer benefits you? I promise to try my best to help your Eric if you just let me save the last S.H.A.Y. and the programs. You don’t have to betray anyone. I won’t ask for your help once you return with me. I will go back with you. I give you my word.”

  “You’re not lying,” she said. Her eyes darkened and she tapped her fingers on the flowered armrests. She stood, stepping closer. “Sit up, girl.”

  I leaned forward, my feet dangling over the edge of the bed. The wolf girl bent so that her face was inches from mine. “What are you going to do to me?” My voice quivered.

  She smiled. “Never show your weakness to me. I’ll devour you once my Amie controls me.”

  “Warning noted.” I grinned, raising my hand and holding it out. “Do we have a temporary alliance?”

  “My name is Isabella,” she said. Her fingers touched mine. I could feel the feverous adrenaline that coursed through her veins. She truly was a monster. “I’ll agree to an alliance only because the keeper is certain that you will save my Eric.”

  My Amie had said nothing while we bargained. Now she stood at the door with her arms folded. She shook her head. “I do not like this Amie in room 217. She’s a dreadful monster who is willing to sacrifice her own children’s lives for her own. Does she not enjoy creating life?”

  “My Amie wants to know, does your Amie still enjoy creating life?”

  Isabella nodded. “Once, yes, she did. The AM.I.E.s learn to feel from us. After so many years, they wish to be like us. This selfish human thing called desire takes over and they no longer wish to be mothers, but in physical bodies that emote. It’s a horrible feeling for them to not be able to contain their desires.”

  “I will never become this way,” Amie said. She pointed to the door. “Let us seek shelter and find your Darla.”

  “Thanks for calling her Darla,” I said.

  Amie smiled. “I try to accommodate you. I wish to be a good parent.”

  “You’re a wonderful mother.”

  Isabella smirked. “Well, of course she is. All A.M.I.E.s are wonderful in the beginning. Just wait. Your Amie will turn on you as well. She won’t care about you after a while. Once that fetus is out of her body she will become selfish and use you to attain all that she desires. You’re going to be her little pawn. Why do you think the scientists stopped allowing the S.H.A.Y.s to link to their A.M.I.E.s?”

  I glanced at my Amie. She lowered her eyes.

  “My Amie may turn on me,” I admitted. Isabella’s eyes widened. “But does it really matter? My fate is sealed. It’s not about me, it’s about the ones that can be saved. I’m doing this for them, not my robotic mother.”

  The wolf girl laughed, slapping my leg. My mouth opened at the sheer pain of her slap. My flesh swelled and reddened instantly. Had she wanted to destroy me, there would be nothing I could do to stop her.

  “You’re strong.”

  “Are you going to inform me of things I already know, or are we going to set up your human pet for her new assignment?”

  I nodded, walking towards the door. Hotel staff lingered outside with D
arla in their clutches. When they saw us, they gasped, pointing our way. “We need to get out of here before the police are called.”

  “They’ve been called, but this is Miami and it takes forever for them to come.” Isabella pointed for the stairwell. “I’ll take the human this way. Please follow.”

  “Where are we going to go?” I asked.

  Amie pointed out the window. “Anywhere but this Miami city. It’s unsafe for the fetus to grow around such vulgar human beings. There must be a safer environment close by.”

  “Maybe Darla’s mom will forgive her and help us out.”

  Amie nodded. “Yes, I would love for my last S.H.A.Y. to have a grandmother. It will feel much more secure as she grows.”

  Isabella grabbed Darla and hoisted her over her shoulder. The security officers stumbled, struggling to pull out their Tasers. “Amateur technology,” she said. “Follow me.” She disappeared through the emergency exit. I raced after her.

  “Stop!” one guard yelled. He pointed a Taser at me. But it was too late. I was already closing the door behind me.

  Chapter Six

  Almost Rescued

  N.I.C.K.

  My father said I must find the E.R.I.C.

  I wanted to find him. When I first met him, I was set on learning whatever I could about him for N.I.C. Over the years, he became what humans call a friend.

  I’d watched his body sink deep below when Shay hit him with a hammer. I tried to lock in on his location, but he drifted quickly and I kept losing him.

  I dove. My feet didn’t web like Eric’s and I couldn’t adapt with gills for breathing but, I still kicked as hard as I could and held my breath as long as possible.

  I didn’t need air the same way humans did. I needed it like most machinery needed lubricant. Without oxygen, my arms and legs froze and tightened, causing me to lose all ability to function.

  My flesh was synthetic and flotation devices were implanted in my feet, which fought me as I swam deeper. My body was made of new age metal, lightweight but strong, able to hold up a building if necessary. But I couldn’t crush things as my robotic predecessors could. I wasn’t equipped with that sort of strength. I was a new type of bionic man. The scientists, alongside Shay’s P.O.P., created me to be as human as any robot could be, and that included physical strength.

  I felt human most of the time, forgetting I was just mechanical. The floatation devices in my feet that refused to allow me to sink, they reminded me of what I was. So did my obedience to N.I.C. when he instructed me to kill the S.H.A.Y. Instances like these made me very aware of what I truly was…

  N.I.C. explained that it was not a human scientist who programmed me with the ability to feel. It was Shay’s P.O.P. Why did he do this to me? It was hard to be a robot with thoughts and feelings.

  N.I.C. and I were equipped with free mental mutation abilities, able to resist any initial programming, to grow and learn along with our environments. He was the final word on all things and I, his physical “hand,” or way of accomplishing things.

  I learned well from Eric how to feel, how to laugh, and even how to play. Now I was alone, unable to fight the flotation devices in my feet. I struggled upright, and bobbed with my head sticking out of the waters, just observing all the empty landmarks around me. Abandoned masses of land populated my surroundings.

  Would I become an abandoned project soon?

  I had to find Eric.

  “Please stop contemplating,” N.I.C. said. His thoughts melded with mine.

  “What sort of plan does Dr. Cole have in mind for us?” I asked.

  “She has been commissioned by a human sponsor to terminate my program in twenty days.”

  “And here I am spending my days searching for Eric?”

  N.I.C. said nothing at first. “We all need the E.R.I.C. He is essential to our survival.”

  “What if he never adapted from that blow to his head from the S.H.A.Y.? What if his programming is ruined and he’ll never be the same?”

  “P.O.P.’s programming of human emotion is flawless,” N.I.C. said. “You must find the E.R.I.C. Time is limited.”

  I scanned the ocean floor for him. “His body seems to move so rapidly. My senses can smell his human blood.”

  Blood.

  Sharks.

  If he was bleeding, then the sharks would be swarming about him. How was I supposed to get around sharks?

  I saw him! A shark swam, circling his limp body, and I could see a cloud of red around him. Sharp teeth grabbed his arm. The shark struggled; it pulled and tugged on my brother.

  I kicked my feet as hard as I could and grabbed it by the tail. The beast whipped its head, sending me and a gush of water sideways. The creature released my brother and made its way towards me. It didn’t falter, opening its jaws wide. My feet forced me upwards, floating higher and more out in the open. I kicked them. This just sent me forward, my face exposed.

  The shark latched onto my face, ripping my synthetic skin off. I could feel salty water leak inside me. Electrical currents shorted in my face and my left eye went blind.

  I wrapped myself around the shark’s torso. We struggled, barrel-rolling amongst the waves. I could barely breathe. My body rose up higher and higher and I gasped for air once my face cut through the water. The shark broke free, swimming off with nothing but my synthetic skin.

  My good eye twitched from the saltwater. It was getting into my organs and I knew they were going to shut down soon.

  Just below me lay Eric; his body was snagged on some seaweed.

  I had to retrieve him. I kicked furiously, forcing my body to go against my flotation devices. My jaw locked and my legs cramped.

  “Focus,” N.I.C. said. “Retrieve the E.R.I.C.”

  I grabbed Eric by the arm and tugged. The weeds held him tight and I had to twist him around a rock to release him. My arm locked. It was bent over my shoulder and my hand was clasped to his.

  It was now or never. If I didn’t get him to shore soon, we’d both become obsolete programs. I put my feet on the ocean floor and pushed off towards the surface, allowing myself to rise upwards.

  Eric was heavy and lifeless. Was I too late?

  I swam ashore and dragged him through the sand. I dropped him onto the bank. His arm had been ripped off by the shark. The remaining flesh twitched around his shoulder blade. I could see the workings of his electronics sticking out, some seizing, and I jumped as sparks zapped my ankles.

  His arm was growing back slowly but his head was covered in blood. I could see the skin healing and his bones repairing. Flesh stitched itself together and calcium cracked inside the marrow-filled bones. Sure, he was built to adapt, but would he live through this?

  “Eric! Wake up!” I shook him as hard as I could. He didn't respond. His body lay limp on the shore. “Eric?”

  He groaned.

  I shook him harder. “You need to help me. My father is in deep trouble with Dr. Cole. I can just feel it in my circuitry. What should we do? Should we stop her? And, if we need to stop her, how do we do it?”

  Eric groaned again. This time he tried to lift his head but fell back. “Trust Shay,” he said.

  I stumbled back, recoiling. Shay? Trust Shay? Was my friend dying? I didn't know what to do. He was more human than robot. Hadn't he resisted his reprogramming? Didn't that mean something? If he could resist them, then he could surely survive a mishap like this, right? I sat above him, leaning close to his face. I pressed my ear to his chest. I could hear as he forced himself to breathe. His chest rose and fell. He trembled with each breath.

  What was I to do?

  Messages ran before me in the sand like wild snakes. They intertwined with each other but all read the same.

  Obey whatever the E.R.I.C. says. Obey whatever the E.R.I.C. says.

  Obey whatever the E.R.I.C. says.

  The words slithered away and up into the trees. I covered my face in my hands, slowly gaining flexibility back in my arms and legs. Warmth would help us.
/>   I grabbed twigs and grape leaves, stacked them together, and started a fire. The heat would warm his sensors.

  “Eric, wake up,” I said. My fingers bent easily once more. I shoved him. “What should I do? Where is your girlfriend?”

  He did not move. His body was lifeless, lying in the sand as if he were dead.

  “Eric, why can’t you move? You’re supposed to adapt. I need you to help us.”

  “Find S.H.A.Y.,” N.I.C. said. “Locate the hybrid hunter on the satellite.”

  “The what?”

  My father sent vibrations through my body, forcing me to pay attention to his thoughts. “S.H.A.Y. 31 was released to hunt S.H.A.Y. 318. Contact the hybrid before she assists Dr. Cole instead of us.”

  “Okay, fine, I get it. We’re going to make her our double agent.”

  I glanced back at my friend. Eric still did not move. What had I done?

  “Stop dwelling on our past choices. We obeyed our programming. We have learned from it and will not comply again.” N.I.C. embedded new code inside my ocular sockets. My hand covered the area where my synthetic skin had been ripped away. I glanced at my reflection in a pool of water beside us. A red robotic eye and mechanical pieces sat exposed. There was no question as to whether I was human or bionic now.

  I needed to find the S.H.A.Y. who called me a Romeo. When we first met, she knew right away that I was not what I seemed—thus my new nickname. She claimed I appeared to be loving, but in actuality I was just a glorified spy. She’d figured me out immediately. Only, I wasn’t acting alone. I did not wish to harm her or Eric. He was my friend.

  I touched my face again, feeling my exposed metallic body, and then I glanced down at my chest where the shark had attacked me. Yes, I was a robot. I was made of metal even though my touches were programmed to be warm and loving. Did I even know what love was? I could feel the retina lens in my eye twitch, exposed to the elements. Even though my synthetic oculars had been torn away and all that was left was my scanner; would that frighten the human race?

  Why did I care? I wasn’t human.

  I scanned Eric’s vitals once more. They’d barely moved. Was he going to die like those with actual flesh did? I didn't quite understand death. I knew what it meant to see a program face termination. Eric was more than just a program. If he was shut down, he could not be fixed or reinvented later. Termination for a machine was much different, indeed. Our source code could be reactivated.