Orphaned warrior dragon.., p.20
Orphaned Warrior (Dragon Spawn Chronicles Book 5), page 20
She heaved a sigh. Her eyes welled with tears. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “For you, anything.”
Her smile brightened, then turned sad. “What about the Stenson doctors?”
“Who?”
“Doctor Stephen and Celine Stenson?”
It registered, but not because she’d said their first names. He knew who they were, but it took him a moment to understand why she’d asked. “I’m not sure if I can risk getting four people out. It will be difficult enough helping you and Jori away.”
Her features turned down. “But they don’t want to be here either.”
He clenched his teeth. Pretending to help the Stensons would increase his chances of getting caught. Besides, he only wanted Vance and Jori to die. A glorious image of their shuttle exploding while on the way to the asteroid bloomed in his mind and stifled his frustration. “I understand, but it will be challenging enough to convince the base to take two people.” Her hand jerked like she wanted to pull away, so he held tight. “I’ll tell you what. I promise I’ll help them after I help you.”
“How?” Her brows curled in a challenge.
“I’m not sure yet, but please trust me.” For goodness’ sake, woman! Trust me.
“I don’t know if I can leave them behind knowing they’ve already been kept here against their will for so many years.”
Blakesley wanted to snap at her, but he gritted his teeth to hold back his harsh words. “They are not in as much danger as you or Jori. They will be fine for a little while longer.”
Her obstinacy wavered at the mention of the boy, so he enhanced his plea with raised eyebrows. “Please. You must trust me.”
“What about Rodrigo?”
“He doesn’t want to leave.”
“No, I mean about his enhancements. He has such a kind soul. I’d hate for him to lose it.”
Blakesley huffed and almost spit out a curse. Actions. He needed to prove himself with actions, but how? Damn this woman. He felt like a student undergoing a finals exam.
Zaina must’ve seen his hesitation because her anxiety ticked up. “You can’t let Rigo do this.”
He was all for self-improvement—especially for a fool like Rigo—but Jori had made a good point when he’d tried to talk the mouse out of it. People with too many brain implants lost something of themselves. It was one reason Blakesley had never considered anything more than an internal communication chip. Although he agreed about the soul, he didn’t care a whit about Rodrigo. But for Zaina, he had to try.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Her grateful smile was stunning, but he hated the reason for it.
Ugh. How in the hell do I convince an idiot not to be an idiot?
34 – Qualms
An eerie hush pervaded the gymnasium. About a dozen people worked out here today, but none did anything more strenuous than lift weights or jog on the treadmill. All the sounds Jori would hear in the communal gym back home were absent. No clacking of hand-to-hand combat weapons. No grunts, smacks, or fighting yells. And no words of camaraderie or dispute. This place should’ve been peaceful, but even with Zaina beside him, he felt isolated.
The two of them strode around the track encircling the gym. Jori preferred to run and let the strain of it clear his mind, but Zaina wanted him to join her so they could talk. Jori’s curiosity was piqued but it wasn’t enough to bring him out of his funk. Although the job Vance offered presented some possibilities, it implied a permanency that he wasn’t at all comfortable with.
“It’ll be fine,” Zaina said in an annoyingly upbeat tone. She was in a great mood.
“Maybe. But I can’t help but wonder if this is another test, though.”
“As far as his tests go, getting to do something you enjoy doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Not that kind of test. He might be setting me up.”
“Setting you up for what?”
“To see if I’ll try to escape.”
She giggled. “I don’t think we have to worry about that anymore.”
He shot her a questioning look.
“Abelard has a plan,” she whispered. A smile stretched across her face, turning her cheeks pink.
Jori soured at her use of Blakesley’s given name. “Careful. If Vance is watching us, he’ll hear you.”
“Abelard said the chances are slim since there’s a five-day blind-spot between our thoughts and actions—or something to that effect. I’m not sure I understand it, but he said—”
“Stephen mentioned the same thing.” Hearing this from two different sources gave Jori hope, but he remained wary. It wouldn’t hurt to hear her out, though. “So what does he have in mind?”
She outlined the details as they strolled, passing a metal-armed cyborg testing her strength on the bench press, a well-built man Jori recognized as one of the cyber soldiers practicing on a speed bag, and a woman with no apparent cybernetics and also no lifeforce working on the rowing machine.
The plan seemed promising but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Vance had foreseen this very moment. Surely it wasn’t as easy as exploiting a five-day limitation—especially since it made little sense for a man who could read thoughts to be blind to an event just because someone had thought of it longer than five days ago. Too bad he couldn’t risk asking Stephen for more details.
“How will I get away from Vance?” he asked anyway. No one ever won a battle without taking risks.
“Check the toolbox in your workroom later,” she said with a wink.
He imagined a weapon of some kind. He hoped for a phaser powerful enough to send Vance to hell, but it was probably something less obvious. Despite his misgivings, he itched to find out. “How does Blakesley know Vance will want me to go with him?”
Her brows drew together. “Not sure, but he’d know better than anyone.”
“I don’t like it. What if one of us gets away but the other doesn’t?”
She sighed. “I don’t like it either, but now long until we get another opportunity?”
True, but… “I don’t trust him.”
She halted. “Who? Abelard?”
“Yes,” Jori replied with a pointed look.
“Why ever not?”
“He doesn’t like me, and I don’t trust people who dislike me for no reason.”
“Oh, I’m sure he likes you just fine.”
Jori wagged his head. “I can sense emotions, remember?”
Her expression warred as though trying to reconcile the difference between how he treated her and how he viewed Jori. “Well, I trust your instincts,” she said, still emitting uncertainty. “But why would he try to help you if he didn’t like you?”
Jori frowned. “Because he wants me gone.” Considering the importance MEGA-Man attached to him, it came as no surprise that the major had a lifeforce tainted with envy. Though jealousy might serve as a plausible explanation for the desire to aid in his escape, the possibility of a darker motive lurked beneath the surface.
“Well, that still doesn’t sound so bad.” Zaina’s emotions spiked, indicating her trust was almost blind. Whether she believed in Blakesley because she was desperate or developing a strong attachment toward him, Jori couldn’t tell. He didn’t want to dash her cheerful mood, so said nothing.
Something else occurred to him. Had Blakesley only spoken to Zaina about this plan because he knew Jori could detect deception? Asking the major outright might dispel the doubt that niggled in the back of his mind.
“Just look at it this way,” Zaina said. “We can escape without having to fight.”
Her words stung. Did she think he was incapable of coming up with a plan that didn’t include violence?
He tried to disregard the hurt but between her and Blakesley, his stomach ached. The urge to do strenuous exercise took over. Racing around this track would be a poor substitute for the holo-fighting machine but was better than nothing, especially since he needed to get his head in order before taking on the new job for Vance.
35 – Blind Mouse
Major Abelard Blakesley swooped into the cyborium with the urgency of a hungry hawk. His haste fueled his muscles and kicked his pulse into overdrive. The medics and assistants jerked to a halt. He swept by, ignoring them. They weren’t the prey he was after. His target was a mouse.
He finally glimpsed his quarry through a prep-room window. Rodrigo lay on a hospital bed, eyes closed.
Damn. He hoped he wasn’t too late. He smacked the button to the door, then slid inside and shoved aside a slow-moving med bot. “Stop!” he said to Doctor Stephen Stenson as he neared Rigo’s face with an oxygen mask.
Stephen jerked to a halt. His emotions reflected more relief than surprise. Apparently, Zaina wasn’t the only one who didn’t want that brainless pest to go through with this.
“Hey, Major,” Rodrigo said with his usual idiotic expression.
The doctor’s brows drew upward. “Is everything alright?”
“No, it’s not,” Blakesley snapped. “You can’t possibly be ready to do this procedure already. If I remember right, it took you months to isolate my genes before you imposed them onto someone else.”
Stephen lowered his chin. “You are correct, Major. I’m not ready. But…” His chest heaved. “… You know… Orders.” He waved his hand toward the exit even though Vance was likely on the bridge a few decks up and behind him.
Orders. Of course. No one did anything on their own around here without permission from the madman. “Did he specifically say you had to proceed with Rigo?”
“No. But…” The man sighed. “I don’t have anyone more willing.”
Because nobody is stupid enough. “Rodrigo. You can’t do this.”
Rigo lifted his head. His thick brows furrowed and his ridiculous grin quirked. “Why not?”
“Didn’t you hear? The doctor said it’s not ready.”
“It’ll be fine. I trust the doc here.” Rodrigo shot Stephen a confident smile.
Blakesley ground his teeth. “Jori is right.” He worked the sourness from his tongue. “This procedure will make you as good as dead. It’s life without a soul.”
“Naw.” Rodrigo flicked his hand. “I don’t believe in stuff like that.”
“Even if you don’t,” Doctor Stephen Stenson interjected, “this will alter your brain in such a way that you won’t be the same person.”
“Well, that’s the point, ain’t it, doc?”
Blakesley puffed. He should’ve known the mouse wouldn’t budge. “At least take it slow, like you’ve been doing. Upgrade your eye. Didn’t you say the other day that you wanted full spectrum vision? Or what about another cybernetic hand?”
“I don’t want those things. It’s the gene stuff that I need. I wanna be as smart and as athletic as Jori.”
“So just start with a few mechanical enhancements. You can get bionic legs or enhance your endurance.”
“They don’t do enough. I’m tired of being useless,” Rigo said.
You’re useless because you’re an idiot.
“I want to be like Jori,” Rodrigo continued.
Blakesley growled and shot a glare at the doctor. “Isn’t there anything we can do or say to convince him?”
Stephen cleared his throat. “You know, Jori doesn’t want you to do this.”
Ugh. He hated how everything seemed to revolve around that damned imp, but the argument was sound. “That’s right. He has the same sentio ability as I do, so he knows what this procedure does to people’s brains.”
“He calls it a lifeforce,” Doctor Stenson added.
Rodrigo only smiled. “He’ll change his mind once he sees how much his genes will improve me.”
Blakesley suppressed the urge to slap the man. “Or he’ll be so horrified, he’ll turn away from our cause.” Which was what he wanted, but it wouldn’t matter in a few days anyway since the boy would be dead.
“Naw, it’ll be alright. You’ll see.”
Blakesley tightened his fists. It was like having a conversation with a fabricor. Only Rigo was dumber.
Enough was enough. “That’s it. I won’t let you be experimented on like some sort of lab rat.” Or lab mouse, in this case. “Since you won’t listen to reason, I’m giving you a direct order. Get the hell off that bed and go to your quarters.”
A stricken expression twisted Rodrigo’s face. “But—”
“No buts! I gave you an order.” To Stephen, he said, “Cancel the procedure.”
The doctor brightened. His gaze targeted something over Blakesley’s shoulder, and his features fell. Blakesley turned around and stiffened.
“Proceed,” Vance boomed.
“B-but, Sir!” Blakesley blurted, remembering too late that he had to be careful when challenging Vance’s orders. He yanked at the hem of his jacket and composed himself. “What about the boy? He already disdains our objectives. Once he sees how dramatically this procedure—”
Vance stomped into their midst. “Proceed. I’ll see that Jori becomes a champion to our cause.”
The man’s hot breath sent a shiver down Blakesley’s spine. Unable to back away, he forced himself to remain calm. He doubted Vance would ever convince the boy of anything other than that he was a homicidal psychopath, but he dared not say so.
“And you,” Vance said as he jabbed his finger at Blakesley’s chest, making it smart. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Letting a woman blind you to our purpose.” Vance shot a blob of spit off to the side and planted his hands on his hips. “We are MEGAs. Trying to talk people out of becoming like us is offensive. No wonder MEGA-Man is seeking a mere child to replace you.”
A fire spread from Blakesley’s cheeks and sizzled through his entire body. Had it been anyone else who dared insult him, he would’ve lashed out and beat them to a bloody pulp.
“Proceed,” Vance said once more, then left.
Blakesley shook with fury. He remained rooted in place as he struggled to put out the flames of his outrage. This was all Jori’s fault. Rodrigo’s idiotic decision was for his sake, no one else’s. Zaina wouldn’t see it that way, though. She’d blame him and deny her affections.
Damn it all to hell! If only he could fast-forward to that asteroid and get rid of the imp.
His temper didn’t cool, but he forced his features to loosen as he faced Doctor Stenson. “If you get a chance, please tell Zaina that I tried my damnedest to stop this madness.”
The doctor barely met his eyes but dipped his head.
“It’ll be alright,” Rigo said. “You’ll see.”
Blakesley snarled. “Shut the fuck up, you imbecile.” He stormed out of the room with his fury raging like a tempest.
36 – Battle
A rancid oil smell had settled within the layers of grime that had coalesced into the carpet on the maintenance room floor. Everything from simple cleaning bots to sophisticated mechanic bots cluttered the corners, shelves, and rear wall. Some had been there so long enough to collect dust.
Jori frowned. Considering the efficiency of the rest of the ship, it surprised him that no one kept up with this place. A 20CAPAI med bot was covered with greasy residue. Same with the obsolete cleaning bot that might’ve lasted several more years had anyone bothered to fix its loose wheel. And the foodstuff on the fabricor had long since rotted and dried.
Jori leaned over the workbench and reviewed a tool bot’s coding. He scrolled through the stack trace of the most recent memory dump, trying to understand what had gone wrong. After cross checking against the code, he found an expression that looked unusual. He stepped through it and decided this was what had broken the program. A few simple tweaks should fix the bug.
The repair was too easy to trigger the excitement that often arose whenever he solved a puzzle. With the changes made, he reran the diagnostics.
> No Errors Found
Good. He tested the bot’s applications to make sure. The smaller of the two mechanical arms adjusted its digits into a mini screwdriver. The larger arm detached its multimeter and put it in its proper slot, then inserted its drill. A whir sounded as it activated.
Everything seemed in order. He leaned back in his chair and eyed the other machines. A small toolbox caught his eye. Its red handle indicated this was the one Blakesley had referred to. Something inside would supposedly help in his escape, but he didn’t trust the major enough to retrieve it yet. Nor did he like the idea of leaving the Stensons behind.
That Vance might still be watching him also fed into his reluctance. How reliable was the five-day rule? He’d gotten the impression the man could foresee him at any time, even when nothing significant happened.
Despite the slow burn of trepidation, he decided on another experiment. After accessing the bot’s functional parameters, he inputted a set of instructions. If it worked, the bot would go to a maintenance tunnel and disrupt the circuitry so that the fabricors in the cafeteria went offline. Although Vance might still foresee it and not care, Jori hoped no intervention meant he wouldn’t expect it.
The door swished open. Jori’s breath jolted to a halt as though he’d been struck in the chest. Vance blocked the doorway, feet planted at shoulder width, hands clasped behind his back and a smile plastered onto his face.
Jori forced himself to rise and take the same stance. If he had been standing before his father, he would have jutted his chin. Instead, he stood on shaky ground, waiting for violence to strike. Maybe it wouldn’t come. Or… Chusho! What if he went after Zaina?
Tendrils of fear coiled around his heart as Vance glanced about. The man wore his usual smile, but Jori couldn’t tell if it was triumphant, amused, or just there.
“I see you’ve found your calling,” Vance said.
He doesn’t know? “It’s easy,” he replied, wondering if his tone had given away the jumpiness of his nerves.
“I expected as much. I have another task for you.”
Jori swallowed, suspecting the man had something sinister lined up for him. He studied Vance’s expression, wishing it wasn’t so bland.
