Cryo-Man (Cryo-Man series, #1) (30 page)

She frowns. “Still only have the one memory after all this time?”

I nod and think back to chasing Henry through our house, hearing his squeals of delight as I run after him. I see his face clearly in my mind, more clearly than I have in a long time. I don’t know if escaping 37’s signal or having my freedom has cleared the fog in my mind but I’m thrilled either way.

“Did you get
your
memories back?” I ask.

Mom thinks for a moment before shaking her head. “Nothing new.”

“The man who controlled me burned my folder and the photo of my sons. I barely remember what they look like,” I say. Mom frowns and appears genuinely upset for me. “Even worse, he disabled my GPS tracking system and destroyed my papers containing the Heaven Box coordinates. But after being stuck in that forest for so long, nothing will stop me from looking for that box, even if I have to search for years.”

Until this moment – until I say those words – I don’t realize how desperate I feel to get that box, how determined I am to find it. I feel reawakened, the love for my sons as strong in my heart as ever.

“I might be able to help you with that,” she says.

I shake my head. “Please, you’ve done so much for me already, you’ve more than fulfilled any debt you owe E. I don’t know how long the search could take or what kind of danger I’m heading into. I can’t expect you to follow me, not when you can go off and live your own life.”

“Actually,” Mom says sheepishly, “it might not take as long to find as you think.”

I look into her eyes, trying to figure out what she means. For once, she doesn’t look away and stares back into my eyes. We share a strange moment that somehow seems familiar. I feel like there’s something she’s not telling me, a feeling I’ve gotten from her before. Suddenly the answer dawns on me.

“You read my file?” I ask. Initially, I’m angry that she lied about respecting my privacy. But worrying about that now is ridiculous. Instead my heart fills with hope and desperation at the thought of my Heaven Box not being as lost as I feared. “
Please
tell me you read my file.”

The old woman frowns, as if she’s disappointed for some reason. But before she has the chance to answer, we’re interrupted by a pained groan. I turn to see Nej sitting up behind a tree, safely out of view from anyone within 37’s forest. I can’t believe I haven’t thought about him since waking up. I’m glad to see him not just still alive but also conscious.

“We have to help him,” I say.

I rush over to the trees and Mom is close behind. Nej is only half-conscious, his eyes glazed over, his face contorted in a grimace. The blood from his scalp has been wiped clean and makeshift bandages are wrapped around his head and leg. He looks up at us and it takes a moment for his eyes to focus. When they do, his brow furrows in fear and he tries to stand. He no sooner puts weight on his leg when he collapses, though I’m quick enough to catch him before he falls.

“Is she controlling you?” Nej croaks.

I shake my head and smile. “I’m controlling myself. And you don’t have to worry about her, she’s one of the good guys. She helped us escape.”

“You never told me there was another like you,” Nej says.

I look to Mom, who glares at me.

“I’m sorry to say I forgot,” I tell Nej, though I mean the apology for the old woman. “But if it wasn’t for her, neither of us would be here, neither of us would be alive. She even patched you up.”

Nej looks down at his leg.

“It was a clean shot, the bullet went right through, didn’t hit anything important,” she says. “That bump on your head is pretty nasty. I’m sure you have some sort of concussion but it’s a good sign that you’re awake already. You’ll be sore a few days but you’ll survive.”

Nej looks around the tree toward the clearing. Then he slowly turns toward the part of forest he’s never seen before.

“We’re… free?” he asks, his voice barely a whisper.

“We’re free,” I say.

The look of fear suddenly returns to his face.

“We’re not far enough away,” he says in a panic. “The robots might not be able to come after us but my father and brothers can. If he finds us this close to his land, he’ll come out here and shoot all three of us.”

I shake my head. “That won’t happen. Your father is dead.”

Nej looks confused at first but then calms down, nodding his head slowly. He doesn’t exactly seem happy by the news but it must finally sink in that he’s no longer safe in this world.

“What about my brothers? They can still take control of his land,” he says. “And they’re just as sadistic as he is…
was
.”

“I haven’t seen them,” I say, looking across the clearing. “But if they know about your father or the other destroyed robots, they might not want to rush into a situation they think is dangerous.”

“Not until they’re properly armed,” Nej adds.

“Then we should leave right away, get as far from here as possible,” Mom says. “We can circle around these woods – it’ll take a few extra days but I know the way – and continue on your journey to retrieve the box. Now that we’re both fully recharged and ready to run, it won’t take long for us to get miles from here.”

I want nothing more than to accept her offer. I’ve dreamed about leaving here for years, dreamed about getting as far from this hell as possible. It’s obvious that Mom expects the two of us to leave together –
only
the two of us. I’d promised to stay with Nej if he helped me escape but that’s no longer a possibility now that Mom can bring me to the Heaven Box. Still, I can’t leave Nej alone, especially since he put himself at so much risk to help me.

             
I suddenly think of a promise I made the young man earlier. During our escape, I told him we’d worry about the princess later, an empty promise at the time to make sure Nej kept moving. Now that the prospect of the Heaven Box has been added to my freedom, it’s insane to consider following through with a rescue attempt. But it doesn’t feel right to abandon Nej, to abandon my word. I can’t bring Nej with us but there’s a way to keep my word
and
make sure he’s not alone.

             
“Was Nej holding anything when you found him?” I ask Mom.

             
“Next to the tree over there, some kind of contraption was clutched tightly in his hand,” she says.

             
“The camera headset,” Nej says weakly.

             
“I think he might’ve been holding that thing tighter than the remote you were holding,” she says.

             
Before I ask her for it, she tosses me the remote, which I snag out of midair. I grab the headset and find them both in working order. I no longer have any excuse to back out of this.

             
“I have to go back in,” I tell Mom. “I have to save the princess. Now that the old man is dead, I’m not sure how long the others will keep her alive. I have to make sure no more innocent people wander into this territory. I can’t let 37’s sons cause as much death as their father.”

             
I expect the old woman to call me crazy or try talking me out of it. Instead, she nods. Her eyebrows turn down in a worried scowl but I think there’s a sparkle of pride in her eyes.

             
“I waited a long time to be with you again,” she says. “I better not lose you another time. I don’t think I could wait again.”

             
I frown but nod, unsure whether she’s serious or this is her attempt to make light of the situation. I tell Nej my plan and he smiles weakly. He thanks me for taking such a risk to save the princess. But when I hand him the remote and headset, he barely holds them before slumping over, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

             
“What’s wrong with him?” I ask Mom.

             
“I’m fine,” Nej says through gritted teeth.

His face is whiter than a cloud, a balmy sheen of sweat covering him. His eyelids flutter but though he wins the fight with consciousness, his breathing comes in ragged gasps and his eyes refuse to focus longer than a few seconds at a time. There’s no way this is going to work.

              “Nej, will the remote work outside of your father’s forest?” I ask.

             
He mutters a few unintelligible words before slumping over. I try to smack him lightly on the cheek but my metallic fingers are too hard and he grimaces each time I touch him.

             
“Yes,” he finally mutters.

             
I take the gadgets from him and hand them to Mom.

             
“You have to control me from out here,” I tell her. “You have to steer me and control me and make sure I save the girl.”

             
I expect the older woman to refuse, to tell me that she doesn’t know how to work such contraptions. I seem to recall that technology and the elderly often didn’t mix well. But the doubts Mom has don’t seem to be whether or not she can properly work the remote.

             
“Sure you trust me?” she asks.

             
It’s a question that will certainly involve my life or death, a question that should require extensive contemplation. But a single look into Mom’s eyes tells me everything I need.

             
“If you waited for me this long, you must deserve my trust.”

             
She smiles. “You have no idea.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

             
Each step I take toward 37’s forest is against my better judgment, bringing me closer to enslavement and possible death. Only a crazy person would willingly walk back into Hell after escaping once, but that’s exactly what I do as I cross the small clearing filled with beautiful wildflowers. I only pray this isn’t the last time I step foot in this field.

             
My footsteps become heavier, more plodding, clumsier. I can’t believe I walked across this field the first time without noticing the signs of danger. Before I step foot into the line of trees, I slowly turn to look back at Mom. She wears the headset over her glass dome – a funny sight in itself – so her eyes are covered and she doesn’t see me turn around. But now that she’s tapped into my visual connection, she sees what I see through my eyes. She waves and offers me words of encouragement.

             
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” she says loudly, her voice ringing within my eardrums.

             
“You don’t have to yell,” I tell her. “Just talk like normal into the headset, I’ll be able to hear.”

             
“Sorry.”

             
I move slower and slower, struggle more and more with each movement, until eventually I come to a complete stop. The override signal has ensnared me and I feel an overwhelming sense of weakness, helplessness. Being out of control is a terrible feeling I never wanted to experience again. A part of me wants to tell Mom to turn me around right away. But I have to trust the older woman and see this through, whether I want to or not.

             
“Okay, you’re in control of me now,” I say.

             
“I never thought I’d hear those words from you,” Mom says. I can hear the smile in her voice.

             
My next few steps are clunky and don’t inspire much confidence. Before we proceed farther into the forest, Mom practices moving me, walking and jumping and using my arms. She’s a fast learner and I hear the sound of Nej’s voice telling her what to do. He might not be in good enough shape to control me but it’s a relief that he’s there to help the old woman.

             
Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to let her practice. Once she gets the hang of normal movements, we proceed toward the forest. I walk past the boulder first and can’t stop from looking at the puddle of blood oozing from underneath. I witnessed – and participated in – so much violence within these woods that I never expected to be glad to see more death. I was wrong about that.

I head farther into the woods, again seeing the familiar territory I once roamed so often. I listen for any sign of robots or humans but the forest is unnaturally quiet, no sound beyond the stomping of my own feet. Hopefully, any enemy out there thinks my footsteps belong to the other robots. Mom doesn’t know where to go but Nej is strong enough to direct her. I’m glad I don’t have to tell her; I don’t want my voice to add to the noise I’m making.

Mom quickly gets used to the controls quicker than it took Nej. Within minutes, I’m running through the forest, moving with the speed and smoothness as if I controlled myself. I don’t tell her how impressed I am, though; I have a feeling she’d love any chance to gloat.

“The princess is probably being kept at my father’s mansion,” I hear Nej say.

He tells Mom where to turn and it’s not long before I enter a section of 37’s territory where I spent little time. In the distance, I see the broken stadium rise above the trees. I hope to never step foot in that prison again. But in the other direction I have a clear view of a blinking red light that stretches higher than the top of the stadium. I can’t believe I never saw it before, though I can only assume 37 purposely kept me from it. I don’t have time to give it much thought before tall trees once again block my view.

“Slow him down,” Nej tells Mom. “If my brothers pulled back the robots, this will be where they’re waiting. We’ll try to sneak around from the back.”

I slow to a walk and don’t make nearly as much noise. Through the trees, I see the large neighborhood houses, including the one where 37 and I took his daughter. Several robots patrol the empty street, their guns raised and ready. I circle wide around the final mansion at the end of the cul de sac. Mom moves me toward the tree line, where I glance out at 37’s immaculate backyard. Not a single blade of grass is out of place, which isn’t surprising since the mansion looks to be in pristine condition. I used to wonder what the rest of 37’s sons spent their time doing but now I think I know. The men must’ve practically been slaves themselves. Though I’d never condone the type of violent spectacles that took place in the stadium, at least I have a better understanding why the men were excited to forget their monotonous lives for a while.

Nej swore his half-brothers were just as cruel as their father. But with 37’s death, I hope these men will merely be glad that the old man is dead and their enslavement is over. Hopefully they’ve already released the princess or will be willing to do so if I run into them.

“Okay, everything looks clear, we can keep going,” I whisper.

Mom steers me through the backyard but every door and window at the back of the house is heavily barred.

“My father was always paranoid of intruders,” Nej says. “Not that anyone ever made it by his robots.”

I’m strong enough to yank the bars off the house but I don’t want to initiate any aggression that could be misconstrued as an attack. I head to the front of mansion but don’t reach the front door when patrolling robots spot me and begin to fire. So much for the thought of the robots turning peaceful after their master’s demise…

“Please, I don’t want trouble,” I call out.

“No time to wave white flags,” Mom says, trying to sound relaxed though I hear fear in her voice.

She launches me forward, dodging the hail of bullets speeding my way. Luckily these robots are older models than the ones that chased Nej and me during our escape. They don’t move nearly as well as I do and can’t adjust their aim quickly enough to hit me. Mom proves to be a natural fighter, too, and has me destroy the pair of robots with a few well-placed punches to their cores.

“That wasn’t so bad,” she says.

“But now our element of surprise is gone,” Nej says. “No need to sneak around anymore.”

Mom agrees. She runs me back toward the house, turning my head at the last moment as my shoulder crashes through the front door.

“It came back,” a voice yells in the dark house. “Shoot it!”

Gunfire erupts, ripping apart a chandelier in the cavernous foyer. It’s dark inside the house but I spot flashes of gunfire coming from atop the sprawling staircase. Two of 37’s sons don’t wait for an explanation before shooting.

“Please, I just came for the princess,” I yell, though the sound of their guns drowns out my voice.

“They won’t listen to reason,” Nej calls out in my ear.

I’m afraid he’s right. I see a quick flash of their faces and they don’t appear afraid, more like bloodthirsty. Before I know what’s happening, I dive into a nearby living room, listening as bullets thud into the wall.

“Everybody to the mansion, the man-bot is back!” yells one of the sons once the gunfire quiets.

“You don’t have much time,” Nej warns Mom.

I stand up and rush into the living room, stopping in front of an ornately carved white couch. It seems an odd thing for Mom to focus on until she has me pick it up and rush back to the foyer. The two men begin to shoot again but I use the couch as a shield, at least for a few seconds before launching it toward them. The guns stop long enough for me to take two giant leaps up the staircase, where I find the men scrambling to get the busted couch off them.

Mom shows no mercy. I strike both men so hard that they’re thrown back and crash into the wall, crumbling to the floor, a pair of unmoving heaps. I’ve killed enough humans in my time to know that neither man likely survived. I stalk down the hallway in silence. Mom must be able to sense my surprise.

“They were trying to kill you,” she says. “I wasn’t giving them another chance to do that.”

I don’t know what to say so I remain silent. I listen for the sound of more humans but these are the only sons of 37 I find after kicking in door after door. The house is huge and Nej doesn’t know exactly where the princess is being kept.

“My father rarely let me inside,” the young man says. “Things happened in that house that he didn’t want anyone else to know about.”

I find it hard to believe that horrors could take place among such elegance. Every room I see is nicer than the last, until I reach the final room at the end of the hallway. It’s so dark and dingy and dirty that I swear I walked into a huge closet that hasn’t been used in years. But then I hear a voice laden with pain.

“Tell your boss he’ll have to do worse than that,” the voice says. “I’ll
die
before I’ll be with him.”

The princess is chained to the back wall, her arms and legs outstretched, her body leaning forward in a pose that must threaten to pull her shoulders from their sockets. When I step closer, I see her face is battered and bruised, streaked with blood. Her clothes are torn in many spots, barely covering her. I can’t imagine the torture she endured last night but her eyes still burn with anger. I’m glad 37 will never get the chance to extinguish that fire within her.

“He’s not my boss, he was my controller. But not anymore,” I say. “I’m here to get you out.”

The princess is clearly skeptical and I can’t blame her, especially considering what she saw me to do to her family and friends.

“I think my fingers can snap the chains,” I tell Mom.

“Copy that,” she says.

Princess Regina looks confused. “Then get them off me already.”

I don’t have time to explain who I’m really talking to. Mom moves me forward and carefully maneuvers my fingers through the chain just above the young woman’s wrist. With a quick snap, I crush the metallic link, freeing her arm. The princess slowly rotates her arm, obviously in pain though she fights the urge to grimace or show weakness in front of me. She continues to watch me with great suspicion, as if I might attack at any moment.

              Once I break her final chain, I tell Mom to move me back a few steps to show the princess I mean no harm. But the young woman seizes that opportunity and runs for the door, or at least it starts off a run before quickly turning into more of a stumble. Still, she doesn’t allow weakness to deter her. I appreciate her determination in the face of such danger; I didn’t think anyone else wanted to escape worse than me but I might have an equal.

             
She no sooner reaches the doorway when I hear men yelling and gunfire from somewhere within the mansion. Backup has arrived at the worst possible moment.

             
“Stop, Princess,” I call out. “It’s dangerous out there. Send me after her already!”

             
Mom doesn’t hesitate. When I reach the hallway, I see the princess lying on the floor a few feet short of the staircase. My first panicked thought is that she’s been shot. I hear the sound of clattering footsteps coming from the foyer but no other humans or robots are up here yet. The princess rubs her legs. She tries to stand when she sees me but she doesn’t have the strength to remain upright more than a few seconds.

             
I don’t need to tell Mom to have me pick up the girl. Once she’s in my arms, she tries to wiggle free, just like the last time I held her.

             
“Get off me!” she screams.

             
If the others didn’t know where to find us before, they certainly do now.

             
“I’m here to help,” I snap. “37 is dead; the old man is dead. I helped kill him. We’ll be dead too unless you calm down and let me get us out of here. If I wanted to hurt you, don’t you think I would’ve already?”

             
Princess Regina frowns. The pounding footsteps have reached the steps, only seconds from reaching us. The girl doesn’t speak but her silence is answer enough.  She stops squirming and wraps her arms around my metallic torso. She might still be nervous of me but I’m not so comfortable myself with her hands so close to my core.

             
“I can’t protect her and fight my way out at the same time,” I tell Mom. “Turn me around and run.”

             
Mom follows the command right away. Within seconds, we rush back inside the princess’s cell. Gunshots explode from down the hallway behind and smash into the wall in front of us.

             
“We’re trapped in here,” the princess says.

             
I suddenly wish we’d chosen
any
other room except the one without windows. But the wall leading to the back of the house is missing one thing that all the windows have: bars.

             
“Move me in front of the wall,” I say.

             
My legs walk me to the spot I need to be.

             
“Who are you talking to?” the princess asks.