Cryostorm (27 page)

Chapter 38

I
stepped out of the shower to the scent of frying bacon. Robo Nate had been cooking me killer breakfasts for the past three days.

First day was pancakes with strawberries.

Second day was Belgian waffles with whipped cream and blueberries.

Today smelled like bacon, but I was sure there’d be something more. His meals were elaborate.

I stepped in front of the mirror and towel dried my hair. The blond roots were starting to show, and I wondered if they had any hair dye in this godforsaken place. I’d only seen testing room after testing room and our…
home
. Sure, the apartment rocked, but still…

And worse, there hadn’t been a flicker of My Nate this whole time.

At least Robo Nate had been kind enough to sleep on the couch in the living room, though he pressured me each night to join me in bed.

I threw on some jeans and a T-shirt then opened the bathroom door. A wave of cinnamon slammed into me. Smelled so much like My Nate I hurried down the hall.

“Morning,” Robo Nate said as he looked up from the pan he was hunched over.

A pile of cinnamon rolls sat on the top of the bar that hemmed in the kitchen. That’d been what I’d smelled.

“Hungry?”

I nodded and grabbed a pastry.

“Bacon’s almost ready. Sleep well?”

It was like he was trying to make us a happy little family. “So, is today the day?” I asked, like I had every morning since My Nate had last broken through Robo Nate’s programming to tell me he was going to get me out of here.

“Soon.”

And that was his answer each time. I was worried My Nate had been wrong to ask me to trust Robo Nate. I’d been cooperating with Bev’s testing, which was mostly freezing things and blasting objects with my snow in every form we could think of.

“I have a surprise for you today,” Robo Nate said as he handed me a plate with four pieces of bacon on it and some potato wedges.

Damn this robot could cook. Probably because he had every cooking manual memorized.

“Would you like to go to the movies today?” Robo Nate asked.

I looked up at him from my plate, mouth full of potatoes.

He grinned. “I’m glad you like my cooking. And yes, I just asked you out on a date.”

If he wanted to call it a date, that was fine by me, because if I got out in public, I was so going to kidnap him and figure out a way to get in touch with GEM if it was the last thing I ever did.

He glanced at his watch. “Next movie starts soon, can you be ready in ten minutes?”

I gulped my food in four minutes and pushed away from the counter. “Ready now.”

“I knew you liked movies…” Robo Nate grinned.

He wasn’t so…stiff. As a matter of fact, his entire demeanor this morning was relaxed. Wearing jeans and a black T-shirt he actually looked good. Reminded me of the night I’d met him—er—My Nate at the college party. Well, except that damned red light pulsing in his left eye.

Robo Nate snatched up my hand and guided me to the door. But this time, he threaded his fingers with mine instead of holding onto me like…a possession.

It made my chest ache for My Nate. He’d always held onto me with enough
you’re mine
and
I treasure you
. Almost like Robo Nate was holding me now.

We meandered down the hallway toward the elevators. I glanced at him, and he wore a slight grin.

“What’s with all the wall to wall white in these places?”

“I’ve wondered that myself. It’s so… cold,” he said as we stopped in front of the elevator.

We’d done this dozens of times the past few days. Head up to floor six, get out and test for a few hours, then head back down to the apartment. But this time, Robo Nate hit floor number one.

My heart leapt into my throat. We were leaving this place. I was going to get My Nate back.

He pulled me closer, then released his hold on me. His hand slid beneath my hair, and he gently cupped my neck. It wasn’t a possessive, domineering hold like I’d expected. Again with the tenderness.

He smiled down at me. Since I was on his right side, I didn’t see that annoying red light in his eye, and I almost believed—for a split second—that this was My Nate with me.

I missed him so much.

The door rolled open, and a room full of video games dinging and flashing lights greeted us.

Granted, it was empty, but still. I stepped out of the elevator and the scent of sugar and buttered popcorn whirled around my senses. I glanced back at Robo Nate and he stood there, his hands in his pockets, smiling.

I returned my focus to the huge room. It was filled with every game I could think of—not that I was a huge gamer by any means.

Even the classics like Donkey Kong and Pac Man, which my brother had always loved.

Off to the left were a row of basketball hoops and a basket of balls.

“Want me to try and win you something?” Robo Nate stepped beside me. “I’m rather good at shooting hoops.”

“I bet.” I doubted there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. “There’s an arcade at the GenCorp lab? I don’t get it.”

“Movie theatre is a ways back, but yes. This is pretty much a self-sustaining city.” He urged me toward the basketball game. “I can take you out for ice cream after the show if you like.”

I glanced around some more and noticed there weren’t any windows or doors from what I could tell. Only the elevators behind and games surrounding us. I’d not even seen the theatre doors yet. Dang this place was big.

“Come on. Let’s see who can make the most baskets.” He picked up a ball and held it out to me.

At least this was better than testing and labs. I reached for the ball. “You’re on.”

Thirty minutes later, I held a stuff animal the size of a life-size polar bear and Robo Nate wore a frown.

I’d kicked his ass.

“Guess you aren’t as good with a basketball as you thought.” I backhanded him in the stomach then froze. Not literally, but I stopped in my tracks. How dare I relax like this? How dare I talk with Robo Nate as if he was…My Nate?

Tears stung my eyes, and I looked around for the restroom. “Bathroom. I need a bathroom.” I handed Robo Nate my prize.

“You okay?” He pointed to his left, and that’s when I saw the sign.

I took off running.

“Amanda!” Robo Nate called after me.

I burst through the doors and skidded in front of the stool. Out came the breakfast he’d made for me. Good. I needed to purge that. How dare I let Robo Nate slip through my defenses.

I pushed off the toilet and hurried to the sinks. A quick swish with water helped with the nasty taste, but my stomach still churned.

“Amanda?” Robo Nate pounded on the door.

“I’m fine.” I leaned forward and stared at myself in the mirror. Judging by the bags under my eyes and the pasty look to my skin, I was so
not
fine. More like confused. I’d betrayed My Nate by getting comfortable with Robo Nate.
I’m sorry.
God, my head hurt—almost as much as my heart.

This shit with Robo Nate and Bev’s research needed to end, now, or so help me I was going to freeze this entire building down.

I went to the door and pulled it open. Robo Nate stood there, holding my ridiculous prize, looking at me with narrowed eyes.

“Are you sick?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” I stepped out and to the side, toward the movie theatre. “What’s playing?”

He cocked his head, watching me. He started to reach for me, but I shoved my hands in my pockets.

“X-Men marathon.” He offered a tentative grin.

Of course he’d know I liked those movies. He had access to My Nate’s memories. My heart cracked a little more. If only I was strong enough to break us out of here. Whisk us away to GEM. They’d figure something out to get My Nate back, wouldn’t they?

My heart couldn’t handle much more of this.

Chapter 39

“A
manda?” Robo Nate’s voice trickled through my bedroom door.

I turned over and faced the other direction, not saying a word.

The door creaked open, as I knew it would, because Robo Nate went wherever he wanted whenever he wanted.

It’d been three days since his attempt to take me on a date. I’d left the room only for testing, and he’d nearly dragged me out of bed to get me there. Today’s had been brutal.

I’d been poked and prodded more than I ever had. I wasn’t sure I even had any more blood in me. But when Bev had her nurse come in saying it was time for an internal exam, I turned on the cold.

No way was she going gynecologist on me. All I remembered was freezing the nurse, then Robo Nate busting through my ice and darts flying.

And then I was here.

One thing I realized while I was waking up—Robo Nate wasn’t going to help me escape this place.

It was all a lie.

But I didn’t know what the hell to do. How was I going to get us out of here? I didn’t dare try and escape and leave him here.

The bed sagged behind me, and I wiped my eyes. I hated feeling this weak and helpless.

The scent of cherry swarmed over me.
Don’t tell me he brought me
—

“I brought you something,” he whispered.

His hand came into sight and sure enough, he held a big bag of Red Vines. He’d been giving me all kinds of gifts the past few days. M&Ms, chocolate chip cookies, and now Red Vines.

The tears surged onward. He knew my favorites just like My Nate. Robo Nate was trying to take care of me. Get to know me.

“I’m sorry for what happened.”

“Oh, you mean the little fact that I killed someone today?”
Yeah, thanks for your sympathy.
“I hate it here.”

“I’m also sorry for taking you on that date. This… depression started directly after that.” He let out a long sigh. “I—Amanda—I wanted to make some memories with you.” Robo Nate settled behind me, and I tensed. “Everything I know is from someone else’s viewpoint. I’ve been watching, unable to experience anything for myself.”

“Shut up,” I said, my voice cracking.

“I love you, Amanda.”

I couldn’t stop the sobs hearing that from Robo Nate. His voice was so much like My Nate’s. And when My Nate brought me Red Vines at the cabin. And…well, everything.

“You remember…the college party…bumping into me,” I asked.

“Yes.”

“So, My Nate… our meeting was planned? He never really loved me, did he? It’s been you?”

Robo Nate’s hand came into sight again, but this time he pulled my hair back and leaned closer. “I wasn’t actively present when he first met you. Just watching—not even watching. More getting a sense of what he saw. Impressions. Feelings.”

I brought my hand over my face and bawled. I couldn’t help it. This was a total and complete nightmare. Robo Nate said he loved me. Nate said he loved me when he’d broken through Robo Nate’s grip. But I doubted both of them.

My Nate was literally created for me—from a freaking Petri dish. Then, to make things worse, a chip of some sort was implanted in his genius brain to make him want to have sex with me and make babies.

As if my life couldn’t get anymore effed up.

“Nate’s love for you is organic. He had no awareness of me or the grand design. My love for you is organic as well. From what I sensed through Nate and what I’ve seen of you since you’ve been in my care. I love you, Amanda.”

“You’re programmed to love me. It’s not real.”

“It is real.” The pillow sagged, and I felt his lips against the back of my head. “I might be a program inside a living being, but I learn things, absorb information, and I can come to my own conclusions. You’re selfless, you care about your family. You even regret killing that person today who you thought would hurt you.”

“Of course I’m upset for killing someone. I never wanted to be a killer. This is
their
fault.” More tears spilled onto my pillow. “They made me into a killer.”

“You’ve done what you’ve needed to survive.”

“Robot,” I whispered, working desperately to fight the feelings his closeness triggered in me. He wasn’t My Nate, but right now, and the last few days, Robo Nate had been so sweet to me. Caring.

So
not
like a robot.

“We are one. There’s no separating us.” He wove his arm around my waist and edged closer to me. “Ever.”

He weaseled his other arm under the pillow and tightened his hold until my back was flush against him.

I closed my eyes, wishing this was My Nate. If I kept my eyes closed and only listened to his voice and felt his gentle touch it would be My Nate.

Sort of.

“Allow me this one memory. This one chance to be close to you,” he whispered as his lips touched my neck. “You’re safe with me. We’re safe.”

“Never safe.”

“Tonight we are.”

Warm breath tickled my neck. I grabbed his arm that was across my waist and hugged it, tucking his hand beneath my cheek. I needed the comfort of My Nate close to me, and he was there, somewhere. I focused on that. He was the one comforting me right now, holding me tight, and keeping me safe.

I love you, Nate.

Chapter 40

R
obo Nate held my hand as we made our way down the hallway from our apartment to some more testing. It’d been three days since I’d killed that nurse, and for the most part, Bev and her perky scientists had left me alone.

Robo Nate had claimed we’d gotten the weekend off from work.

Work
.

My head was spinning these last three days. Robo Nate hadn’t pressed the
mating
thing any further, which was surprising.

His computer chip brain must have been picking up on my hints at relationship rules, though, because he got some flowers for me one day, more Red Vines another day, and yesterday chocolate.

He might be worried about my depression. Hell, I was getting worried. I needed to snap out of this funk and figure a way out of here. With Nate—er—Robo Nate.

Damn
.

Seriously. I thought my brain was going to cramp.