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Authors: CM Doporto

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BOOK: The Arrival
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“Rock on, Miranda.”  Gaby pumped a fist
in the air. “Thank you for being a Mays.”

I immediately turned to Kate. “Don’t
worry. I don’t expect you to come along with me, but I do expect you to help me
as much as you can.”

“Of course, I will.”  Kate nodded. “And
Gaby’s right, Miranda.  I’m not gonna let you go alone.” She appeared
determined. “Yea, I’m scared, but I’ll take the stuff, too.  Besides, he’s my
uncle, so he should listen to us. I may not be as brave as you, but I’ll do
whatever I can to help you and every female in this world. I have a question,
though.” She glanced at Gaby. “What the heck is
cojones
?”

θ

Chapter 6

 

The next morning I woke up early and
packed. I wanted to be ready for my six o’clock or my eighteen-hundred hours
departure. I still couldn’t get used to military time, even though I had been
there nine months. I spent all night thinking of a way to steal one of the body
trackers the Eslites used to locate girls outside of Nidus. Gaby insisted that
I have one. She said I’d need it to check our blood levels to be sure the
nanocytes were inactive. We had to know before Kate and I left for Columbia to
talk to Kate’s uncle, Senator Wesley Bosch. Otherwise, the mission would fail.
Since I didn’t have to work, I had to come up with an excuse as to why I needed
to go to the Technology Lab.

I opted to eat a bowl of cereal in my
room and suggested that Kate do the same. After yesterday’s episode in the
dining room, I thought it would be best to keep a low profile until we departed
Nidus. I didn’t want Dimas changing his mind about allowing us to go, or worse,
sending the guards to ransack our room for the letters and trinkets. If he
found out about our plan, it was over. He’d never let us leave and might even
kill Kate or me.

The minute I stepped out of my room, all
eyes navigated to me. Girls that I had never seen before stalked the hallways,
as though waiting for us to make our appearance like the paparazzi does a movie
star. I knew they didn’t stay on that floor and figured they either wanted to
speak to us or give us something. And although I wanted to talk to them and
take their notes, I had to remain inconspicuous.

As I waited for the elevator, a few girls
surrounded me. I held the straps of my backpack and stared at the floor,
wishing they would go away so I could concentrate on my next tasks. But like
the girls in the dining room, these girls also had something to share. Each of
them whispered words of encouragement in my ear and slipped me letters. They
did it fast and sly, as if they knew what I was thinking. Those girls were
smart and without me saying anything, they knew they had to protect us. The
second the doors opened, they turned and strolled down the hallway, chatting
and laughing as if nothing had happened.

I stepped into the elevator and exhaled
a sigh of relief. The smell of victory rising through the air made it hard to
breathe. Those girls were counting on me. I had to save them. Kate and I had to
do whatever we could to help them. But could I keep it together? I wasn’t sure
if I would make it to six o’clock. That’s when a valid excuse for my appearance
in the lab hit me. I would simply say that the girls were overbearing and
bothering me, and I needed to get away so they would leave me alone. I pushed
the button for the seventh floor and prayed for the best.

I walked toward the lab, accepting a few
letters and hugs along the way. I rushed past a few girls and nearly collided
with a Leopard Bot. His digitized voice recited an Eslite order about running
being prohibited in the hallways. I held back a smirk and kept going, without
slowing down.

I stopped in front of the doors to the
Lab Center, typed in my identification number on the digital keypad, and waited
for the scanner to verify my identity. The display showed,
‘Confirmed,
Miranda Mays. ID #6245,’
and the door slid open.

I passed through a dark tunnel, allowing
the blinking red and green lights from the computer servers behind the glass
walls to guide me. Regardless of the cold air that blasted through the passage,
my blood circulated with a heat that awakened every muscle and alerted every
sense. Before I entered the command area, another ray scanned my body,
authorizing me to enter the war zone.

The area buzzed with the typical hum of
computers and neon lights. Eslite technologists, along with several female
interns, worked diligently behind holographic computer screens, ensuring
anything controlled by computers in the three facilities worked smoothly. I
volunteered for any opportunity to linger in that main area. It’s where all the
action unfolded and made the hellhole not so bad at times.

In the middle of the room sat Cyrus, leader
of the technology center, at his command station. He did a double take as I
approached him. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I inhaled a deep breath,
reciting my excuse for reporting to work.

“Good morning, Miranda. You’re not
scheduled to come in today.” His blue eyes narrowed, and he pursed his lips.

I broke out in a sweat despite the icy
chill in the room. “Hi, Cyrus. Do you need any help today? I wanted to pass the
time before I leave. You received the message that I’m going home for a few weeks,
right?” I stammered for a second before finally gaining control of my thoughts
and words. I frowned when I realized it wasn’t what I had rehearsed.

“Yes, I did. That’s why I’m surprised to
see you here but relieved at the same time. A few girls didn’t report for duty,
and I can use you.” The tightness around his lips softened, and he gave me a
partial smile. His response put me at ease and relief flowed over me.  I hated
that I watched his every move. From his tanned skin, to his dark wavy hair and
perfectly sculpted nose, and his high cheekbones, he reminded me of a guy on
one of the cologne commercials.

 “Okay, great.” Things were going easier
than I expected. I quickly stopped that thought before jinxing myself.

He stepped from behind his desk and
faced me. “Are you all right? You seem a little flustered?” Cyrus said, placing
a hand on my shoulder.

Crap. So much for that thought.

“I’m fine. Just a little excited about
going home.” He rarely laughed or smiled, and we didn’t talk much. He
instructed me what to do, and I followed his orders. If I had questions, I
usually asked one of the girls or an Eslite technician. I avoided contact with
Cyrus as much as possible, but it was nice to chat with him, even if he did
make me somewhat nervous.

“I understand. Eighteen-hundred hours
will arrive faster if you keep busy.” He gave me a manly pat on the back.

“Exactly.”

He picked up his digital tablet from his
desk and swiped his fingers across the screen. “I need you to report to the
Delta Computer Lab and continue work on the database extraction. Test the file
on a tracking device before uploading it to the main system. Is that clear?” He
typed some information into his tablet.

“Sure, no problem.”  I started to walk
off when he stopped me. 

“Miranda?”

I held my breath. Slowly, I turned
around. “Yes, Cyrus?”

“If I do not see you before you depart,
have a restful time with your family.” He inclined his head and then returned
his attention to his tablet.

“I will. Thanks.” I exhaled in relief
and hurried down the walkway. Fortunately, I had been assigned to one of the
smaller computer labs. The pod workstations had more privacy than some of the
larger labs, which meant it would be easier to snatch a tracker without anyone
noticing.

I made my way to the back of the room
and sat behind a few girls. I slouched in the black oval chair and typed my
information into the system. The workstations in those pods used flat
stationery touch screens instead of the holographic computer screens. Again,
allowing me to execute my plan. A blue neon beam emanated from the side of the
screen, scanning my eyes, before permitting me full access to the system. I
placed the wireless speaker in my ear and began working.

I did what Cyrus asked; expunging
females that didn’t meet the donor qualifications from the tracking system. The
information was a Godsend. That confirmed what I had to do. It didn’t take me
long to find the right girls with whom to switch identities for Kate and I. The
question was, would it work, and could we make it out of Nidus before the
upload completed?

A few hours later, I finished the
assignment. I removed the no-donors and tested the updated file on one of the
body trackers. And that led me to my last task, which was the most difficult
and dangerous. Stealing a tracking device. Even though the unit was the size of
a cell phone, it wouldn’t be easy to sneak out.

Carefully, I removed the back cover of
the device, exposing the internal electronic components to the humid air. When
the screen went blank, I replaced the cover and turned on the unit. When it
failed, I logged into the system that it needed repairing. I set the
temporarily defective unit on my desk and retrieved another unit.

“I don’t know what’s going on today.
Several of these trackers aren’t working,” I commented to one of the girls.

“I’m having the same problem, too. It
has to be the moisture in the air,” she replied. “I guess I should inform the
lead tech to adjust the thermostat.”

“Good thinking,” I responded.

When the West Virginia humidity surged,
those devices were known to glitch out at times, so testing a few of them
wasn’t a big deal. That’s what made it easy for me to take it. Initially, no
one would notice, but within time an alert would be broadcast. It had happened
before when several devices went missing. Eventually they found them, either
mixed in with other devices or turned in by Eslite guards. What I didn’t know
was how long it would take before they noticed the one I had was gone.

I shuffled around the faulty units and
placed a few of them in a padded pouch. The special wrapper protected the
tracking device from damage during transport and from the beams of the scanner.
In order for me to leave the Tech Lab, I’d have to go through the scanner. I
didn’t know if the device would be seen on the screen while in the protective
covering. There was only one way to find out. I grabbed another unit off the
shelf and took a pouch to my pod.

I slid the faulty tracking device from
my desk and placed it into one of the sleeves. With the device flat in my palm,
I eased my hand along my thigh and dropped the tracker into the pocket of my
pants.  My hands clammed up, turning cold and sweaty, and every muscle in my
body tensed. I didn’t like taking something that didn’t belong to me.

The next step was to upload the new
files into the Nidus system, and I wasn’t sure how long it would take. To be on
the safe side, I decided to schedule the data migration to start after I left
the facility. I double checked my work and logged out of the system. I hooked
my backpack on my shoulder and exited the lab.

As I headed toward the common area, my
digital tablet sounded, reminding me of my appointment with Dr. Ridus in
fifteen minutes. I hoped and prayed he had the deactivation serum ready for me.
Unable to communicate with Gaby, unless we wanted to leave behind a string of
evidence, I stayed on track with the plan we discussed last night.

I entered the command area and noticed
Cyrus was gone.  Karpos sat at the desk. The older Eslite, with gray hair and
faded green eyes, reminded me of my grandfather who died when I was ten. He was
more laid back than Cyrus, and many interns, along with Eslite techs, joked
that he slept most of the time while at work. I relaxed. It might not be as
tough as I thought. I walked past him, hoping he didn’t notice me, and headed
to the exit when I heard him call out.

“Excuse me, young lady.”

Paranoia surfaced throughout my body. My
heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, and my lungs seized. Did he know I had
the tracking device? Should I kick the old man and make a run for it, or give
up and hand the device to him? I wanted to go home so bad. I turned, as the
weight of the tracker in my pocket seemed to bolt me to the ground.

Clutching the straps of my backpack, I
peered at him. “Who me?” I asked in a dumbfounded manner, even though I knew he
was talking to me because I happened to be the only person within a few feet of
him.

He narrowed his stare, causing his thick,
fuzzy brows to become one solid unibrow. “You’re Miranda Mays, correct?” he
asked, pointing a shaky finger at me.

“Um, yes, that’s me. I…um…need to go. I
have an appointment in the Med Center in fifteen minutes. I can’t be late.” I
held out my tablet, showing him the alert. He gave me a confused look and
walked toward me. My knees shook, as my plans fell apart with each step he
took. My heart pumped, faster and faster, waiting to explode.

He disregarded my tablet and instead
motioned for my backpack. “Dr. Ridus said no thermal scans before your
injection. I’ll need to do a manual check before you leave.”

“What?” I hesitated to give it to him.
Then I remembered I didn’t have anything to hide. “Oh, okay.” Had my butt been
saved? Had Dr. Ridus called or sent a message? Or did Gaby have something to do
with that unexpected but fortunate development? I assumed they had the serum
ready.

“Sorry. I have to follow protocol.” He
unzipped each compartment and searched the bag, ignorant of the tracking device
that I concealed by a mere piece of black fabric, only a few feet from him. He
patted down the bag one more time before returning it to me.

“Thanks.” I took the backpack and slung
it over my shoulder.

“One more thing.”  He motioned for me to
hold out my arms. “I’ll have to check you manually as well.”

“Oh.” I bit my lip. How in the world
would I get out of that one?

“Miranda, shouldn’t you be at the flight
deck?”

BOOK: The Arrival
13.51Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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