The image of Cody thrashing about as his body rippled with electrical arcs flashed through my mind. It was my own memory, not Zoe's.
Dustin!
"I'm not sure," I said, trying to buy myself time to think.
Okay, I got it. The Mekanics are the enemy. But can we trust whoever is listening right now? Preston somehow knows you're a higher Chimeric. Even with all the precautions Dr. Hill took.
Zoe moved to my side, nudging me gently with her head. Fine.
"Well, what do you remember?" Dr. Hill prompted.
"The…the computer started talking to me."
"What was the voice like?"
"No, I mean, there were words on the screen with my name."
"What were the exact words?"
I paused. I didn't have to tell them everything. "Hi Dustin. Would you like to end this war?"
"Then what?"
I shook my head. "Zoe attacked the screen. She thought it was a trap of some kind."
"A trap?" Dr. Hill glanced at the soldiers in the room. "I asked you to stop by to see me." She beckoned me. "Back to my office. Now." She turned to one of the soldiers. "Run a security sweep. Take his computer and see if you can find anything."
The soldier saluted. "Yes, ma'am."
Dr. Hill stepped to the door. "Hunter?" She glanced at Zoe. "Zoe?"
I scrambled to my feet. I started to talk, but Dr. Hill raised a finger to silence me. "In my office."
We continued in silence until the three of us arrived in Dr. Hill's office. She sat down at her desk, while I sat opposite her. Zoe sat at my feet.
Dr. Hill held up her finger again while she reached into her pocket and pulled out the small oval device that blocked the ever-present surveillance.
"Okay," she said after tapping the device several times. "We can talk now. What happened?"
"Zoe thinks it's the Mekanics," I said.
Dr. Hill looked down at Zoe, then back at me. Her lips pressed together tightly. "I see. Did it say anything else?"
I hesitated. "No."
Dr. Hill strummed her fingers on her desk, crossing and uncrossing her legs.
She can tell you're lying.
Even without her glasses? I thought you could mask my biorhythms.
I can't mask your voice, fidgeting, and obviously bad poker face.
"Well, it said one more thing," I said. "'Do you trust me?' That's when Zoe attacked the monitor."
"Trust?" Dr. Hill asked.
I sat up straighter. "Can I ask something?" I pressed on, not waiting for her to give me permission. "Where's Cody? What's happening to him?"
"He's recovering with Dr. Preston."
"Recovering? How? He wasn't injured, was he?"
"Not physically. But he's likely undergoing reprogramming. Behavioral modification. Dr. Preston is in charge of Cody. He doesn't fill me in on all the details."
"Do you trust Dr. Preston?"
Dr. Hill frowned. "He has his methods. I have mine. We disagree at times, but we share a common goal. Winning the War."
Do you want to end the War? The messenger's words echoed in my memory.
Ending a war isn't the same as winning it.
Thanks, Plato.
"Is this about our earlier talk?" Dr. Hill asked. "You have a choice, Hunter. Listen, if Dr. Preston has his way, he'll run the cloning program however he wants. If we go my route, I can make guarantees. That certain boundaries won't be crossed, for example." Dr. Hill rubbed the bridge of her nose. "There's more to this than what you see on the surface."
Sounds like a power struggle. Politics. You know which route I would choose.
Yeah, yeah.
"What about the potential traitors within headquarters? Or here at the Academy?" I asked. "After Staccato's betrayal, you told me you couldn't trust anyone else."
"Which is even more reason why you should listen to me! Who do you want to be in charge? My way is more humane." Dr. Hill leaned forward. "It can even be pleasurable."
Dr. Hill opened her mouth slightly. The tip of her pink tongue peeked out and swept across her full, red lips.
She's right, you know.
I didn't reply to either as I leaned away. Dr. Hill moved even closer, her entire upper body entirely over the desk, stalking me.
She continued. "It's perfectly natural. You. One of the girls. Just one to start. Don't lie to me or yourself. It's exactly what you want."
I turned my head to the side. "Not like this," I whispered.
Dr. Hill retreated, got up and circled around to stand behind me. She placed her hands on either shoulder. "I understand. Relationships are messy, aren't they? We can make it simpler, then. Your choice. We can surgically extract the meiotic tissue from your gonads—"
"What?" I yelped. I shifted in shock, but Dr. Hill pressed down hard on my shoulders, keeping me in place.
Zoe opened her mouth wide, then closed them sharply with a click of her teeth.
Hey!
Zoe looked up at me innocently. It was a yawn.
Dr. Hill slid her hands down the front of my chest. "But I think we would both prefer a more natural approach. A renewable approach." Her hands massaged my chest briefly, then slid further down. She pressed hard into my stomach as if she was giving me a checkup. My stomach muscles stiffened in response. Something else started to stiffen.
Dr. Hill whispered into my ear, her breath hot and heavy. "A hands-on approach." Her hands crept lower and lower, her fingers finding the contour of my groin and sliding further down.
Zoe was standing up on all fours, eagerly watching. I wonder what techniques she has? You seem to favor a very basic five-finger stroke—
There was no escape. I couldn't bring myself to move. My own body was betraying me.
So I melded.
Dr. Hill cried out. Papers went flying as I arranged my giant golden body on top of her desk. Something hard was pressing into my belly. Her computer. I shifted and swiveled to face her. She had fallen backwards in an awkward pose. I caught a flash of silky purple between her legs as she smoothed her skirt down. I closed my eyes briefly.
Dustin. I'm speechless.
I don't think you understand the meaning of speechless.
When I opened my eyes again, Dr. Hill was standing face to face with me, her arms crossed. She shook her head. "Really, Hunter? Get off my desk."
I unmelded and slipped off her desk. I looked down to check. Nothing was stiff anymore.
Dr. Hill bent over to pick up the fallen papers, while I shuffled my feet awkwardly in the corner of the room.
"Hunter, what is it? God knows you've wasted enough of your precious fluids down the shower drain. Why not donate some for the War effort?"
I would have been embarrassed in another situation, but the whole business was too unsettling. I turned to face her. Dr. Hill had cleaned up her desk and was back sitting behind it.
"What happened to Staccato?" I asked, meeting Dr. Hill's eyes. She didn't flinch.
"That's classified, but I can tell you that was all Preston. This is me."
We stared at each other for another ten seconds.
"What if they turn out like Cody? Is he the best you have? Because there's no way in hell I help you make more of him."
"I'll be honest. We don't have an optimal programming protocol yet. That's why we need you. We need more subjects. More trials. This is an experimental project." Dr. Hill's voice softened. "And for the record, no, Cody's not the best we have."
I waited, but Dr. Hill didn't say anything else.
There are more? Who else? Can you tell?
No. I couldn't even be sure that Cody was different.
"I need time to think about it," I said.
"Fine. But don't take too long. Time isn't on our side." Dr. Hill pursed her lips. "I shouldn't tell you this, but we all have to be on our toes. Even more now, with your hacking incident."