Enders (29 page)

My heart sank. So Brockman was as bad as Hyden had said—and worse.

One thing I didn’t understand at all—the Metals had tubes in their noses that led to small plastic pouches strapped across their chests. Why?

As I glanced around, I recognized some of the faces: Briona. Lee. Raj. I’d spent time with those bodies, but not those people. I knew them only as donor bodies occupied by Doris, Tinnenbaum, and Rodney, the horrible Enders at Prime
Destinations. They’d spied on me. At least, I’d thought so at the time. Now I knew differently. Doris and Rodney had been keeping an eye on me for Hyden. To make sure I didn’t kill the senator. And then maybe to protect me.

Tinnenbaum had been keeping an eye on me for Brockman.

I stepped on a squeaky floorboard and the nearest Metal, Lee, stirred. I took another step and he opened his eyes.

The real Lee was the Asian guy with incredibly good looks. He squinted at me a moment in the dim light. “Who’re you?” he asked in a groggy voice.

Briona, nearby, was awakened by his voice. She turned her head to examine me. “She’s new,” she said slowly.

She was as beautiful as ever, with her buttery bronze skin, but now she had desperate, haunted eyes.

“How come you’re dressed like that?

“I’m here to help,” I whispered, hoping she’d keep her voice down.

“And they let you walk around?” she asked.

The nearest Metals began to wake. Raj was one, the third member of their trio. No one was able to sit up; they were all tied to their beds. I examined Lee’s restraints. They had small metal pads on them. I pulled out Trax’s key and pressed it to Lee’s right arm restraint. It unlocked, but he didn’t move.

“What’re you doing?” he said. “I’ll get in trouble.”

“What have they done to you?” I asked. “What’s that tube?”

“It’s how they feed us if we’re not working,” Lee said. “It keeps our weight steady.”

“And makes us dependent on them,” Raj said in his lilting Indian accent.

“Please undo me,” Briona said. “I have nightmares. Things they made me do … I relive them.”

More Metals started to wake up.

Raj stared at Briona. “Shut up, Briona,” he said. “She can’t help you. She’s stuck here like us now.”

He hadn’t seen what I could do. I unlocked Briona’s restraints. She sat up and rubbed her wrists.

“Says you. Look at me. I’m free,” Briona said.

“Do me!” a blond girl shouted.

“Shhh,” I said, my voice lowered. “I’ll unlock all of you. We can’t get you off the compound right away,” I said. “But we will. For now, tell me what you know about this place.”

Lee found the courage to sit up. I moved on to unlock the rest. There must have been twenty Metals in this one room. One of them looked familiar.

Blake.

He looked so pitiful and strange with a tube coming out of his nose.

He was groggy. He struggled, as if trying to sit up, but his bindings kept him down.

“Blake, it’s me, Callie.” I unlocked him.

“Callie?”

“How long have you been here?” I asked.

“Too long,” Blake said. “But not as long as some. Some have been here for months. Did they catch you too?”

“No, I’m here to get you out,” I said. “Are there more of you?”

He nodded.

“How many?”

“Another three dorm rooms,” Lee said.

Maybe as many as one hundred Starters here, kept captive.

“Have any of you ever seen a man, a Middle, named Ray Woodland? He has dark brown hair, tall, good-looking? He has one scar on his cheek, here.” I pointed to my face.

They shook their heads.

I refused to believe my father wasn’t there. Brockman was keeping him hidden, I was sure of it.

“Where are the guards?” I asked.

“Don’t know. Asleep? It’s late,” Briona said.

“No, someone’s awake.” Raj came up and joined us. “There’s always someone at night.”

I was hoping that was Trax.

“Are you guys healthy enough to fight?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” Lee said.

I asked them all my questions and they answered them. I promised that my two friends and I would help them escape. But first, I had to find my father. Then I heard a voice in my head.

Callie Woodland?

“Who is this?”

“Who’s she talking to?” Briona asked the others.

I walked away from them, toward the door, so I could listen.

I’m disappointed. You seemed like such a smart girl
.

Of course I knew who it was. But I was so hoping he’d be asleep right now and never know I’d crashed his facility.

“So do I call you Brockman or just Hyden’s dad?”

He chuckled.
I am so happy you finally came. As I’d hoped
.

“You hoped?”

I opened the door and motioned for the Starters to come
with me. Briona, Lee, Raj, and several others followed. I averted my eyes from them so Brockman wouldn’t see them.

I couldn’t get my latest young Starter to bring you in
.

“That driver.”

Yes. Shame to lose a valuable commodity like that
.

I slipped the key to Briona behind my back and closed my eyes. I let the Starters move down the hallway without me. When I opened them, they had disappeared in another room, probably one with more sleeping Starters.

But I needed both of you, and Hyden isn’t good about keeping in touch
.

“You didn’t really expect that Metal to get us. You just wanted him to lead us to you.”

It worked, didn’t it?
He paused.
What are you looking for here?

“My father. Where is he?”

Would you like to see him?

“Of course.”

I can arrange that. But first, why don’t we take this opportunity to meet each other?

All of a sudden, I came to a halt. I stood rooted, growing slowly aware of someone gaining control of my body. It felt like I had heavy mercury rushing up through my spine. From my feet to my legs, my hips, my abs, my chest, my arms. Even my throat felt constricted. One female Metal came out of a room. With what was left of my voice, I shouted, “Run. Run and hide!” It was raspy and not as loud as I’d hoped.

Fear clouded her face. She hesitated, then ran off, notifying the others.

The sensation continued up my neck and finally reached my head. I felt like I’d turned to stone.

My right foot moved forward, then my left. I was jerky at
first, almost robotic. After a moment, I walked in a smooth movement that would have fooled an onlooker into thinking I was doing exactly as I wanted.

I bet you’re wondering where you’re going
.

I would have answered, but unlike previous times when I’d been controlled, I could not speak.

He made me walk to the end of the hall and turn right. It was so strange moving this way. When Hyden had controlled me at Dawson’s lab, it felt like when you stepped on your daddy’s shoes and let him move your feet to dance. This was like being invaded, possessed but aware of every awful moment of it.

I tried to hide my torment as I watched my arm shoot forward to open a door at the end of the hallway. Then I remembered—the reversal. It hadn’t worked before, but I could try again.

I concentrated on pulling my arm back before it could open the door. But my fingers wrapped around the handle.

No, I told myself, don’t. Let go of the handle.

But I had no control. Brockman overpowered me. My hand opened the door.

I entered the lobby of a building. It had an open configuration, with a second story, all surrounded by glass. Several guards approached me.

I handed them all my weapons. My own hands patted me down to make sure nothing was left.

The guards took the weapons away, leaving me alone. Then I felt my body return to me. It started from the tip of my head, a tingling sensation that vibrated down through my face, my neck, my chest, my belly, my hips, my legs, and
finally my feet. It felt like shaking the pins and needles from your foot after it’s fallen asleep.

I looked around, trying to decide where to run. I started to go across to the other end, but I heard a noise up above, on the second story.

“Where are you running to, Starter? Or would you prefer to be called a Metal?” I looked up and saw a Middle standing there above me. He leaned casually against thick, bulletproof glass, grinning down at me like the Cheshire Cat in his tree.

He looked to be in his forties, fit and stylish in an illusion suit that changed colors as he shifted his weight. His handsome features, his chiseled bone structure, even his posture looked exactly like Hyden’s.

So this was Brockman. Hyden’s father.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Brockman stared down at me, arms folded like a pompous dictator. Now that I had control of my body again, I moved toward the open stairway. A guard stepped out of the shadow, blocking the way.

A microphone in Brockman’s room amplified his voice. “So, it turns out you are very easy to control.”

“Where’s my father?”

“You’ll get to see him very soon,” he said with a smile. “In fact, I’m dying to have you see him. But first, let’s talk a little. You are a very special girl, Callie Woodland. And of course you are the only M.A.D. Oh, if only we had more of you.”

“But you don’t,” I said. “And you don’t really have me.”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong.” He looked past me. “And you know who else we have?”

He nodded to someone behind him, there in his office, someone I couldn’t see. Two guards stepped forward, wrestling another person between them. Michael. His hands
were cuffed behind his back. He pulled away from them and lunged toward the glass.

“Don’t hurt him,” I told Brockman.

“I don’t think there will be any need to,” Brockman said. “Because you’ll be doing exactly what we want you to do.”

He motioned for the guards to pull Michael away, out of sight.

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

“I have several prominent guests staying here from various countries. Now that you have arrived, we’re going to hold a special demonstration of the technology. And then we’ll have a little auction.”

My pulse raced.

“You’re going to sell us like slaves?” I asked.

“No one is going to hurt you. They’ll want to take very good care of their investment.”

“So you’re all about the money? You’re not even doing this because you believe in something?”

“People will do anything for money.” He examined his fingernails. “Don’t you know that by now?”

I hated him. He was as cruel as Hyden had said. It killed me to see so much of Hyden—his facial features, voice, even little mannerisms—in this despicable excuse for a human being. Why did the good people like my mother die and scum like him survive?

“My son is obviously infatuated with you, and I can see why. You have everything—brains, looks, courage, and the only killer neurochip.”

He turned and walked down the open stairway until he was on my level. He came closer.

“Yes, you are exquisite. The bidders will be excited to see you. They have been notified of your arrival and are getting ready.”

A guard whispered in Brockman’s ear.

“Wonderful. Bring him in.”

Another guard escorted Hyden into the atrium. Brockman looked at Hyden from head to toe. “You’re looking fit. Good to see you without that silly disguise. Now that you’re here, I can demonstrate this to both of you.”

Brockman pressed a spot behind his ear while staring at me. I felt that awful sensation come over me, from my toes on up to the top of my head. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t make an expression, no way to let Hyden know what was going on.

But I’m sure he guessed, because his face reddened.

“Stop this,” he said to his father. “Leave her alone.”

I saw my body turn toward Hyden, my arm lift, and my hand slap him hard across the face. Brockman broke out in a huge grin.

“I just love controlling Metals,” he said. “And it’s even better with you, Callie, because you’re aware of it. Such an intimate, sharing experience. Makes me tingle all over.”

Hyden glared at his father and leapt toward him, punching him hard in the jaw. Brockman was caught by surprise, and Hyden grabbed his shoulders and took him to the floor, attacking him. Rage, it appeared, was the cure for his condition. The guards jumped in and pulled him off his father.

I regained my control the moment Hyden hit him.

“Hyden!” I shouted.

Hyden was on the floor with one guard holding him down. Brockman grabbed the ZipTaser from the other guard and turned it on Hyden. The blue light arched to Hyden’s
body. Hyden shook and let out one piercing scream.

“Stop!” I said.

Brockman shut off the ZipTaser. It had done its job. Hyden was unable to move, on the floor in extreme agony. Then he went completely silent. Was he all right?