my head, providing me with both information and encouragement. The assignment is difficult—I have to rely on instincts I don’t understand to keep myself from being seen. I’m actually surprised as I grab the briefcase I was sent to retrieve and make my way out undetected.
The grey fog fills the area as I succeed. Riley removes the interface, and I look to her smiling face.
“One of your best times,” she says.
“All part of the service,” I reply with a grin.
“Get yourself unhooked,” she says. “We’ll head back to the lab shortly. Captain Mills will probably want to talk to you.”
I nod and Riley joins Captain Mills on the other side of the glass. As I remove the sensors, I watch them talk together.
“The increased dose had a major impact on him this morning. I was afraid it was too much, but I think his performance shows it was worth the risk.”
“How did he react after the new injections?”
“He became comatose for a few minutes. Once I brought him out of it, his stress levels were still very high. I honestly thought he was going to force himself on me for a moment.”
It takes me a moment before I realize I can’t hear them speak. I’m a little startled to realize I’m actually reading their lips. I don’t know where the skill came from, but I focus on their mouths as they continue their dialogue.
“I saw the requisition for a prostitute.”
“I didn’t see another option.”
“There is one, you know.”
“I realize, but I’m still not sure how I feel about that. It seems…unfair.”
“Fair is irrelevant, Dr. Grace. You’re here for a reason. You’ve got the best specimen in the whole group. Think about how far he could go if you added that little bonus and strengthened the bond to the maximum.”
They stand and move out of the windowed room, out of my view. It’s several minutes before they come back into the training area, both smiling.
“How do you feel?” Captain Mills asks.
“Good,” I tell her. “Ready for more.”
“Excellent.” She turns to Riley and motions toward the door. I follow them both back to the lab where I sit on the edge of the bed, and they both stand before me.
“I have some questions for you,” Captain Mills says. She pulls out a small, hand-held computer and glances at the screen. “Can you tell me why you’re here?”
I glance at Riley, but she gives me no clue as to how I should answer.
“I’m a volunteer,” I say.
“Go on.”
“I’m training to fight against the Carson Alliance. I’ll be able to get behind their war machines and maintain a tactical advantage. My senses are heightened, and the cyber implants in my head allow me to learn faster and perform better. I adapt quickly, get fatigued slowly, and I’m able to go without sleep or sustenance for long periods of time. I am the ideal soldier.”
“Anything else?”
I look to Riley again. She’s rubbing her lower lip with her teeth, and I’m reminded of the last time she talked about her father. My thighs tense and I curl my fingers back toward my palms as the now-familiar rage dances inside my skull.
“And I’m going to kill Peter Hudson.”
Captain Mills tilts her head and narrows her eyes slightly.
“Are you now?” she murmurs quietly. “Isn’t that interesting?”
Chapter 6
My dreams continue.
Most of them tell me nothing I haven’t already figured out. I once lived on a farm with my sister. Our father was gone, but I don’t know if he left or if he died. I only know I was responsible for my sister and for getting the crops to grow.
When I wake, I try to reconcile the images from my dreams with what I have been told—that I am a volunteer in this experiment. It doesn’t fit. Why would I have left my sister, and why did I have a farm if my family worked for Mills, the health and technical conglomerate?
The information doesn’t fit.
One thing I do know for sure—ever since I
The grey fog fills the area as I succeed. Riley removes the interface, and I look to her smiling face.
“One of your best times,” she says.
“All part of the service,” I reply with a grin.
“Get yourself unhooked,” she says. “We’ll head back to the lab shortly. Captain Mills will probably want to talk to you.”
I nod and Riley joins Captain Mills on the other side of the glass. As I remove the sensors, I watch them talk together.
“The increased dose had a major impact on him this morning. I was afraid it was too much, but I think his performance shows it was worth the risk.”
“How did he react after the new injections?”
“He became comatose for a few minutes. Once I brought him out of it, his stress levels were still very high. I honestly thought he was going to force himself on me for a moment.”
It takes me a moment before I realize I can’t hear them speak. I’m a little startled to realize I’m actually reading their lips. I don’t know where the skill came from, but I focus on their mouths as they continue their dialogue.
“I saw the requisition for a prostitute.”
“I didn’t see another option.”
“There is one, you know.”
“I realize, but I’m still not sure how I feel about that. It seems…unfair.”
“Fair is irrelevant, Dr. Grace. You’re here for a reason. You’ve got the best specimen in the whole group. Think about how far he could go if you added that little bonus and strengthened the bond to the maximum.”
They stand and move out of the windowed room, out of my view. It’s several minutes before they come back into the training area, both smiling.
“How do you feel?” Captain Mills asks.
“Good,” I tell her. “Ready for more.”
“Excellent.” She turns to Riley and motions toward the door. I follow them both back to the lab where I sit on the edge of the bed, and they both stand before me.
“I have some questions for you,” Captain Mills says. She pulls out a small, hand-held computer and glances at the screen. “Can you tell me why you’re here?”
I glance at Riley, but she gives me no clue as to how I should answer.
“I’m a volunteer,” I say.
“Go on.”
“I’m training to fight against the Carson Alliance. I’ll be able to get behind their war machines and maintain a tactical advantage. My senses are heightened, and the cyber implants in my head allow me to learn faster and perform better. I adapt quickly, get fatigued slowly, and I’m able to go without sleep or sustenance for long periods of time. I am the ideal soldier.”
“Anything else?”
I look to Riley again. She’s rubbing her lower lip with her teeth, and I’m reminded of the last time she talked about her father. My thighs tense and I curl my fingers back toward my palms as the now-familiar rage dances inside my skull.
“And I’m going to kill Peter Hudson.”
Captain Mills tilts her head and narrows her eyes slightly.
“Are you now?” she murmurs quietly. “Isn’t that interesting?”
Chapter 6
My dreams continue.
Most of them tell me nothing I haven’t already figured out. I once lived on a farm with my sister. Our father was gone, but I don’t know if he left or if he died. I only know I was responsible for my sister and for getting the crops to grow.
When I wake, I try to reconcile the images from my dreams with what I have been told—that I am a volunteer in this experiment. It doesn’t fit. Why would I have left my sister, and why did I have a farm if my family worked for Mills, the health and technical conglomerate?
The information doesn’t fit.
One thing I do know for sure—ever since I
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