"Oh?"
"Cody…Cody's gone."
I stared in shock. "Like dead?"
"No!" Dr. Hill shook her head violently. "That would make things simpler. He disappeared a day ago. Escaped. Kidnapped. We don't know."
I couldn't believe it. It seemed like the Mekanics, the Second Strain, whatever we were fighting—they had our number. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Like Drake had said…
"We're losing badly, aren't we?" I asked.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Dr. Hill said. "One more squad of overpowered kids isn't going to make a difference in the War. We need something more. A seed for the future. A change of direction. Think about that."
I left Dr. Hill with her sobering thought. Zoe didn't say anything on the way back to my room. When I arrived, it was crawling with a bunch of nerdy-looking snoops. I left and headed to the mess hall instead.
Just a short while ago, Zoe had been excited at uncovering a link between the Second Strain and the Mekanics. But now, pursuing that link seemed distant, maybe even impossible, and new issues had taken a front-row seat. Everyone was distracted, with too many holes to plug and not enough hands. Like Dr. Hill had said. The air was heavy with desperation.
I admit I've been distracted, Dustin. But we can't give up. We have to keep trying.
Damn it. This isn't what I had in mind when I signed up. That I would be joining the losing side.
CHAPTER 8
At the mess hall, I wasn't hungry, but I grabbed an apple for myself and a cup of milk for Zoe. I needed something to take my mind off the talk with Dr. Hill. We settled down on the far end of the mess hall, away from the entrance where it was mostly empty. The lone soldier there left when he spotted me. Geez.
Was I being overly sensitive about this? Maybe the others were right. This was a chance to sow my wild oats—wasn't that every young guy's dream? And it might help us win the War.
If it took a thousand tortured Cody's to win the War, wasn't it worth it? For humanity's sake?
Zoe had sensed my mood and kept quiet. I reached over to scratch the heavy folds of her neck.
What do you think, Zoe? Seriously.
Zoe lapped up the last of her milk before replying.
I believe one of you humans said it best: war is hell. But…
But?
You had an interesting point. For humanity's sake. If you sacrifice your humanity, are you really saving it?
I couldn't help myself. I chuckled. That was my cat, pervert and philosopher.
Aw, that's sweet of you.
I sighed. I knew so little about the War. The recent Mekanic incursions. What were they looking for? And Cody missing? What was that about? When would the Second Strain strike next?
The military didn't know much, either, and what little they knew, they were keeping to themselves.
Dustin…I saw something just now. Staccato's file.
What do you mean?
After you unmelded, while Hill was cleaning up her desk. Staccato's file was open on her computer screen. Look.
Zoe sent the image she had nabbed. I scanned the words. It was only one screen worth of information, but what I could make out was terrifying.
Preston had been experimenting on Staccato and his Avatar. At some point, Staccato had suffered a mental breakdown and his Avatar had died. That much I had already guessed, but the details of some of the notes were beyond horrifying. They had taken him apart and put him back together, literally.
Vivisection. I had seen that word before, in school. Zoe…
A living dissection. Zoe's disgust flowed through our bond. For him and his Avatar.
I forced myself to read further. There was something about failed attempts to bond him to a new Avatar after his first died. As one of the best Beastmasters, they had tried to bond him with another Chimeric, and when that didn't work, they had tried to bond him with some kind of modified Chimeric. The page of notes cut off at that point.
I put my arm around Zoe, pulling her closer in a tight hug. I wouldn't let anyone touch Zoe, not if this is what they had in mind. And Dr. Hill had known all of this!
Damn, how the hell had Staccato survived so long afterwards? How had he not turned on us sooner?
And that video with Cody earlier. Shit! Dr. Preston hadn't changed his methods. They hadn't learned anything from their so-called biggest failures.
I almost didn't blame Cody for who he was. Almost. He was still the biggest douche I had ever met.
There's more. In the upper corner, Dustin.
There was a brief note. Last sighted. I checked the date. One day ago.
"Fuck, he's alive," I whispered. Cody's disappearance. It had to be related. Or was it all too convenient?
Zoe, what if it's a trick? From the Mekanic that contacted us?
That's what I thought at first, too. We should be skeptical, but…
Deep down, like Zoe, I suspected that the file was true. Just like the video from earlier.
"Dustin. Am I interrupting?" I whipped my head around. It was Mia. She gave me a shy smile.
"Nah. Got to keep those Avatars happy, right?" I motioned to the carrot stick Mia was feeding the turtle tucked under her arm like a football. I let go of Zoe, trying to calm my nerves from what I had just learned.
"Actually, Koopie's on a strict diet, like myself." She wagged a finger at her turtle. "This is the last one for today." The turtle slowly snatched the last piece of carrot from Mia's hand.
"So what're you up to?" I asked.
"I planned to get in a workout before dinner. Want to spar?"
Beating the shit out of each other's Beastforms was exactly what I needed to clear my mind.
"Definitely."
***
Mia and I were standing opposite each other in one of the smaller training rooms. Mia still held her turtle under one arm. Zoe rested her head on my feet.
I double-checked how close I was to my next evolution.
NEXT EVOLUTION: 92%
I gained one percent? I haven't fought since I last checked.
A lot has happened. Could be the stress of what you're facing.
"Anything in particular you want to work on?" Mia asked. "Any tactics, defense, offense?"
"Let me see…" Any suggestions, Zoe?
If you want to evolve, I would suggest basic sparring.
"Nothing fancy," I said. "Let's just spar, and don't go too easy on me. I want to hit my next evolution."
"Very well." Mia gave a short bow, then melded without waiting for me.
I melded and attacked immediately, swiping my claws at Mia's exposed face. I managed to place one hit before she retracted into her shell. I poked at the large green shell, then bounded away.
Great. She's doing her turtle thing.
Patience, Dustin. Don't feed her absorption ability needlessly.
I crouched and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Some people played a game of chicken. We played a game of…turtle.
Did anyone ever tell you how annoying turtles can be?
You just did.
Mia can probably do this longer than me. Hell, she's probably sleeping in there.
At that moment, Mia's shell swiveled and spun into me, a leg emerging at the right moment to kick me in the side. I tumbled away. By the time I recovered, Mia was back in her shell.
"You sneaky bitch!" I covered my jaws with a paw. "Sorry! I didn't mean it like that."