was trained on the boy, showing him clearly in the dark interior of the building. In Nick’s experience, that meant he was bait. Since he didn’t see a little girl, Nick assumed that she was the one they were hoping to draw in with bloody and battered William as the lure. Not a solid proposition for attracting a twelve year old girl.
That lead him to believe that these men probably didn’t know that Iris was dead. It made more sense that the hostage was to get the older girl’s cooperation. When Nick found her body back in the house in Clarkeston, the dead mercenary was still there. He must have been alone when he attacked her. Nick didn’t think these men would be so sloppy as to leave behind one of their own to be identified. Which would explain why no one had searched the house for the notebooks.
He looked through the shadows to find the white-haired guy, but couldn’t locate him. The mercenaries were still oblivious of the intruder. Nick was impressed with the guy’s skills, moving through broken glass and tumbled bricks without a sound. There were a million places to hide in the slumped walls and piles of debris inside the building. Nick would never have set up in a place like this. These guys were over confident. But Nick didn’t think three to one were good enough odds that he would have infiltrated on his own. He wondered what the white-haired guy’s plan was, and if he was working alone. The next move surprised him.
The white-haired guy sauntered into camp. Apparently he’d been too quiet, so he scuffed a toe across a loose pile of stone. That caught their attention. There was an explosion of reaction, of anger and swearing. The mercenaries were on their feet, grabbing for weapons in a hot minute. The intruder was too fast to watch, white braid flying, tanned arms a blur. The first man went down with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. The second man shot at him as soon as his colleague hit the dirt. The intruder came in close with a rapid sequence of martial arts moves that made Nick think of the old Chinese movies. The gun flew across the factory, kicked out of his hand, and the second man went down. The guy at the cook fire charged with a burning branch. By the time Nick climbed through the broken window, that guy was down, too. He grinned. Who needed a plan when you had mad skills like that?
“Come. The boy is injured.” The white-haired man stood examining the boy, clearly illuminated by the floodlight. Nick tripped over a brick, his question frozen in his throat. Pale eyes, super strength, and in the light he saw the numbers tattooed down his neck. The guy was a biobot. What did he want the child for? Nick raised his gun.
“You did it!” A child's voice, high pitched and gleeful cut into Nick's deliberation. Out of the rubble a young girl ran over and hugged the biobot. “Oh, Wisp, you were right. The bad men hurt him. Can you fix him?”
Nick was flummoxed. These two children must be William and Lily. There had not been any mention of a biobot. He was sure Angus would have definitely told him about something like that. “Are you Lily?”
She slid a step behind the biobot, taking his hand. “Who are you?”
The biobot spoke to her softly. “He will not hurt you Lily. He is a good man. He will help us with William.”
Nick stared. How did he know?
Chapter 8
“At this point, with one crisis after another, the authorities stopped hunting any escaped biobots. Those with keepers were assumed to be under control. Those on the loose were expected to succumb in similar numbers to the virus. Records concerning them are difficult to find.”
History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss
“I will cut the ropes, please hold the boy. He is unconscious.”
Nick hesitated. It was a reasonable request, but he didn’t like taking orders from a biobot. Helping the children was the reason he was here. But it seemed he might not be alone in that. Lily looked totally at ease with the biobot, but
That lead him to believe that these men probably didn’t know that Iris was dead. It made more sense that the hostage was to get the older girl’s cooperation. When Nick found her body back in the house in Clarkeston, the dead mercenary was still there. He must have been alone when he attacked her. Nick didn’t think these men would be so sloppy as to leave behind one of their own to be identified. Which would explain why no one had searched the house for the notebooks.
He looked through the shadows to find the white-haired guy, but couldn’t locate him. The mercenaries were still oblivious of the intruder. Nick was impressed with the guy’s skills, moving through broken glass and tumbled bricks without a sound. There were a million places to hide in the slumped walls and piles of debris inside the building. Nick would never have set up in a place like this. These guys were over confident. But Nick didn’t think three to one were good enough odds that he would have infiltrated on his own. He wondered what the white-haired guy’s plan was, and if he was working alone. The next move surprised him.
The white-haired guy sauntered into camp. Apparently he’d been too quiet, so he scuffed a toe across a loose pile of stone. That caught their attention. There was an explosion of reaction, of anger and swearing. The mercenaries were on their feet, grabbing for weapons in a hot minute. The intruder was too fast to watch, white braid flying, tanned arms a blur. The first man went down with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. The second man shot at him as soon as his colleague hit the dirt. The intruder came in close with a rapid sequence of martial arts moves that made Nick think of the old Chinese movies. The gun flew across the factory, kicked out of his hand, and the second man went down. The guy at the cook fire charged with a burning branch. By the time Nick climbed through the broken window, that guy was down, too. He grinned. Who needed a plan when you had mad skills like that?
“Come. The boy is injured.” The white-haired man stood examining the boy, clearly illuminated by the floodlight. Nick tripped over a brick, his question frozen in his throat. Pale eyes, super strength, and in the light he saw the numbers tattooed down his neck. The guy was a biobot. What did he want the child for? Nick raised his gun.
“You did it!” A child's voice, high pitched and gleeful cut into Nick's deliberation. Out of the rubble a young girl ran over and hugged the biobot. “Oh, Wisp, you were right. The bad men hurt him. Can you fix him?”
Nick was flummoxed. These two children must be William and Lily. There had not been any mention of a biobot. He was sure Angus would have definitely told him about something like that. “Are you Lily?”
She slid a step behind the biobot, taking his hand. “Who are you?”
The biobot spoke to her softly. “He will not hurt you Lily. He is a good man. He will help us with William.”
Nick stared. How did he know?
Chapter 8
“At this point, with one crisis after another, the authorities stopped hunting any escaped biobots. Those with keepers were assumed to be under control. Those on the loose were expected to succumb in similar numbers to the virus. Records concerning them are difficult to find.”
History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss
“I will cut the ropes, please hold the boy. He is unconscious.”
Nick hesitated. It was a reasonable request, but he didn’t like taking orders from a biobot. Helping the children was the reason he was here. But it seemed he might not be alone in that. Lily looked totally at ease with the biobot, but
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