Emma: Part Three (7 page)

“Yes, I know that.”

“Well, there was this group of cyborgs, the earliest models, who decided that they’d had just about enough of the superior human bullshit. So they led a revolt and basically wiped out the human command chain. It was a cold thing to do but it saved a lot of cyborgs—and humans. They were able to get a handle on the Zed virus and slow the spread…but it meant making some hard and ugly decisions.”

“And then?”

“And then they just tried to survive,” Rio replied. “They split up the country into controlled sectors and set off in search of needed resources. They enforced quarantines and containment zones and started building their own bases and outposts.”

Emma used a fork to turn the bacon. “I’m assuming it all went off the rails at some point.”

“The cyborgs started fighting among themselves. The original group—they were led by people like my mom—wanted to try to rebuild with humans. The other group—they were called the Faction—basically wanted to wipe out the males, farm and harvest eggs from suitable females and then start up the old labs to produce newer and better cyborgs.”

“That’s awfully cold.”

Rio licked the last bit of sweetness from the spoon. “Our people have done some really awful things to each other and to cyborgs in order to survive. My mom and the rest of the cyborgs who led the revolt and broke the Protocol killed humans to free themselves. They aren’t exactly lily white either.”

“What is Protocol?”

“It was the controlling software system wired into their brains.” Rio tapped her temple. “My mom’s mate was an engineer and he found the vulnerable spot in the security. Once he figured out how to hack the Protocol, their resistance group planned their revolt. The rest is history.”

Thinking of the way Max and Jack communicated via their implants, Emma asked, “Is the Protocol software still in their brains?”

Rio nodded. “It’s been totally stripped of all the dangerous stuff.” She paused and flicked the spoon against her thigh. “Well. Mostly.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that when the civil war with the Faction was at the tipping point, some cyborg officers decided there was only one way to end the war. They rewrote some of the code in the Protocol software and then infected the Faction members with it via a Faction-wide internal communique.”

“How?”

Rio’s expression turned grim. “My mom’s mate was working as an undercover informant with the Faction. They believed he was on their side because he was continually feeding them useful information. It was all a setup.” She set aside the spoon and her mood turned somber. “When the idea of using the Protocol against the Faction was chosen as their last option, Mom’s mate volunteered himself as Patient Zero. He helped rewrite the code, infected himself with the software virus and then sent the communique.”

“What happened then?” Emma asked softly, already fearing the worst.

“Then he died.” Rio shoulders scrunched together in a small shrug. “Nobody really talks about what happened to those infected cyborgs. All I know is that they experienced system-wide breakdowns. Like their bodies stopped functioning and they died horrible deaths. Well—if their fellow cyborgs didn’t recognize them as Faction traitors when the first symptoms appeared and blow their dang heads off,” she added grimly.

Emma didn’t want to imagine what a person would experience as their body broke down and stopped working. “And after that the Faction was no more?”

“Maybe,” Rio said uncertainly. “Some people think that a few of the higher-ups in the organization were wise to the vulnerabilities in their implants and software and might have taken steps to protect themselves from an infection.”

Emma didn’t like the sound of that. What if a few of them had survived? Were they planning another war?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Rio said. “You’re wondering if they were behind the bombs last night.”

Emma nodded reluctantly. “It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. There’s been a lot of chatter around base this morning.” She hopped off the counter. “But it’s all just rumors. We’re safe here. Your men are healthy and alive. We should focus on that.”

Emma wanted to focus on the positives, but she couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that something terrible was coming. She finished cooking and plating their breakfast and followed Rio to the small round table at the other end of the kitchen. They took their seats and started eating. After a few bites, Rio asked, “Is there anything you want to ask me? Maybe things you aren’t comfortable asking your guys?”

Emma pushed food around her plate with the tines of her fork. “I don’t know. Is there anything you think I should know?”

“Do you know about the tattoos on the bottoms of their feet?”

Emma’s eyes widened. “No. Why are their tattoos on their feet?”

“They’re serial numbers,” she explained. “They have them lasered on at birth. Zap. Zap. Zap.” She pointed her finger like a gun. “The serial number is easy to read once you figure it out. There are five components to it—series number, sperm donor ID, egg donor ID, birth date and their MOS code.”

“MOS?”

“Their occupation,” Rio explained. “They were all bred for specific traits. Leaders, engineers, pilots, snipers, trackers, explosives, medical—they’re all gifted in certain areas.”

“And what happens if they aren’t suited to the job they’re bred for?” Emma asked the obvious question.

Rio shrugged. “I’ve never heard of a cyborg that had that problem. I mean, they were born and then immediately separated into these, like, baby barracks. They were trained and educated from birth for their jobs. I doubt it ever occurred to them to even consider wanting something different.”

Emma couldn’t shake the cold feeling that gripped her at the clinical description of Max and Jack’s childhoods. Compared with her own, theirs seemed so sad and bleak. “Who named them? If they were raised in barracks without parents, who decided what to call them?”

“It was done alphabetically in each sperm donor line,” Rio said. “Adam, Brian, Charlie, David and so on,” she explained. “You’ll also figure out pretty soon that there are only a few dozen surnames around here.”

“Why?”

“Because the scientists who created the first cyborgs selected sperm donors from the military and there were only, like, forty of them with the right DNA profiles and high enough scores on their aptitude tests,” Rio said. “When the war started, they didn’t have time to waste on testing so they just kept producing more and more cyborgs them from the same sperm donations.”

“I suppose that’s another reason they’re pushing cyborg-human matches,” Emma murmured. “They need some new genetic material in the bloodlines.”

“Yes. Plus a lot of the here at Outpost 9 are half-siblings.”

“Really?”

Rio nodded. “Like your Max? He’s a Cardwell. The cyborg who rescued me when I was a little girl—Jace—is also a Cardwell. Adam Gray? The engineer you’ll be working with now? He’s got a half-brother named Logan Gray who is the most kickass pilot you’ll ever meet.”

Emma perked at her mention of Adam Gray. “Anything I should know about Adam Gray?”

“He’s got terrible scars all over his face and neck.” She made a sad face. “I’m not sure how it happened. I’ve heard it was some kind of fire. He had a mate, but she died a few years ago. He basically keeps to himself except for chow. He even lives above the workshop.” As if sensing that she might have given a bad impression, she hastily said, “But he’s actually a really nice guy! I swear. He takes some time to get used to because he can be really gruff, but he’s a good man. He’s always been kind to me.”

Before Emma could reassure Rio that she would give Adam Gray a chance, she was interrupted by loud, forceful knocks at the front door. Rio was on her feet first. Frowning, she ordered, “Stay here. I’ll see what this is about.”

“I think I should answer the door,” Emma said, rising to her feet.

“No, you really shouldn’t,” Rio argued. “Some of the men here can be difficult. No one is supposed to bother you until Max or Jack return. Just wait here.”

“All right.” Emma remained in the kitchen and listened carefully as Rio opened the door.

“Can I help you?”

“Are you Emma Ramirez?”

Rio laughed. “You must be new around here if you have to ask that question. Nope. I’m not Emma. I’m Rio.”

The soldier on the porch didn’t share Rio’s amusement. “I’m here for the new female.”

Emma didn’t like the sound of that. She tiptoed closer to the doorway between the kitchen and living area and peered around the corner. She noticed the way Rio had squared her shoulders and shifted her weight to her back foot, almost as if anticipating a confrontation.

“Well the new female is busy. You’ll have to come back later.” Rio tried to close the door but the man on the other side forced it open. She stumbled back a few feet but quickly regained her balance. She jumped in front of the door to block the soldier form entering. “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Get out of my way. I’m here for the other female, but I have no problem taking you in with us—in cuffs.”

“You are not coming inside this house!” Rio stood up to the brute, but he overpowered her easily with a rough shove that sent her tripping backwards and flat onto her backside.

Gasping at the way her new friend had been treated, Emma rushed to intervene. Rio wasn’t about to take his crap, though. She kicked him right in the shin. When he bent down to snatch her up, she donkey kicked him right in the shoulders. He stumbled backward and into the door as Emma hurriedly helped Rio to her feet. Grabbing Rio’s hand, she tugged hard and gestured to the side exit from the kitchen.

The soldier who had attacked Rio blocked their path. Looking for something to use as a weapon, Emma glanced frantically around the living room. She grasped the salvaged lamp on the closest table and wielded it like a shield. Sharing her thoughts, Rio picked up a broken antenna from the pile of discarded and broken radio parts next to the couch.

“If you take one step closer…” Emma warned.

“You’ll be leaving here on a backboard,” Rio threatened.

The soldier who had come to fetch her wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He laughed right in their faces. “I’d like to see both of you try.”

“They may not be big enough to put you in the infirmary, but I sure as hell can,” a raspy, pissed-off voice snarled from the open doorway. Emma glanced at their savior and was immediately taken aback by the terrible scars on his face. This had to be Adam Gray. But why was he here?

Emma decided she didn’t care what had brought him to her front door. Relief washed over her as Gray stormed into the house and slammed his chest into the other soldier’s. It was like watching two wild beasts fighting for dominance as Gray cowed the younger soldier into submission and forced him into the corner. “What the hell are you doing in this house?”

“My job!” The soldier shot back. “General Gage sent me for the new female.”

“Gage?” Adam seemed surprised. “What does Gage want with her?”

“That’s above my clearance level. I just do what I’m told.”

“Yeah? Well I’ve known Gage since Gulf Point, kid, and I know that he wouldn’t allow a single one of his SICOs to put a hand on any woman, human or cyborg. What do you think he’s going to say when he finds out how you’ve treated these two?”

The soldier swallowed with obvious nervousness and didn’t answer.

Shaking his head, Gray said, “You’re new to the Outpost, kid, so I’m going to lay out the facts for you. That girl?” He pointed to Rio. “She’s General Adamson’s daughter. She also belongs to a Zed team tracker.” Adam nodded. “Yeah. Judging by the look on your face, you know what kind of men become trackers. If Jace finds out you touched her, he’ll rip your arm off and beat you to death with it—and General Adamson will let him.”

Emma’s mind reeled as she tried to take in everything Adam had just said. Rio belonged to Jace? If she belonged to him, was it some kind of arranged marriage type thing? Those sorts of arrangements were actually fairly common in the Outlands. When she was younger and her father had been alive, he had even considered matching her up with one of the younger sons of their far-flung neighbors.

“Get out,” Adam said, taking a handful of the other soldier’s uniform shirt and swinging him toward the door. He shoved him hard and right out of the house. “I’ll bring Emma to headquarters myself.”

Alone in the house with Adam and feeling safe, Emma and Rio lowered their makeshift weapons and set them aside. Wondering what had just happened, Emma turned to Rio and asked, “What the hell is Seek-Oh?”

“S-I-C-O,” Adam Gray spelled out for her. “It stands for Special Investigations/Covert Ops. You want to stay as far away from them as possible.”

Rio grumbled, “They ought to pronounce their name like psycho because they’re all a bunch of paranoid loons.”

Emma shouldn’t have smiled at that jab, but it was too hard to stop. Her smile faded when Adam turned his full attention to her. He seemed irritated, and she felt the need to apologize. “I’m so sorry about all this.”

His mouth settled into an even more irritated line. “You don’t need to apologize. I told Max and Jack I’d keep an eye on you. I should have come by earlier today and brought you with me to the shop where you would have been safe.”

“But then I would have missed out on breakfast with Rio,” Emma said, hoping to put him at ease.

It didn’t work. He seemed perpetually tense and grumpy. He gestured to her clothing. “You need to change, and be quick about it. We need to get you to HQ before they send another SICO squad down here.”

“Okay.” Feeling anxious and scared, she hustled upstairs and put on a pair of new pants and a loose fitting shirt that looked similar to the undershirts Max and Jack wore. She found a pair of boots and some socks among the clothing they had chosen for her. The boots were a little big but they would have to do.

Downstairs, she found Rio poking at the almost-finished radio and Adam standing in front of a window like a sentry, his massive arms crossed in front of his chest. Like a child caught playing with something forbidden, Rio hastily stepped away from the radio. “Sorry! I should have asked first before I touched it.”