Cyber Dawn (A Ben Raine Novel) (7 page)

You never had cancer.

In the chaos of the previous eighteen hours, I had little time to really think about what she meant. Except that it made zero sense.

Having cancer was the one thing I was sure about in my life. It placed a permanent mark on my body and mind. My parents, sisters, and I had learned more about cancer than we ever cared to know. Either my diagnosis was the medical blunder of the century, or Megan was confused from blood loss.

But crazy or not, they were her final words. She didn’t say
thanks for being such a great friend
or
tell my parents I love them
. She chose:

You never had cancer.

The fact she picked those words over all the other things she could have said or asked me to do, meant they were important. I would have carried out any final request Megan had given me. I owed it to her to figure out what she meant.

Of course, deciding to do so and actually doing it were two different things. Calling my former oncologist, or even asking Dr. Merrick, seemed like a ludicrous idea. They would know the details about my cancer, but were more likely to send the white van and straightjacket to my house just for asking. It also would open me up to all kinds of questions about
why
I was asking. Being that I lied to Detective Frost about it, that wasn’t a bridge I was ready to cross.

No,
I thought to myself.
I’m on my own for this one.

I grabbed my iPad again and reopened the browser. I ran several searches about
medical mistakes, malpractice, cancer, misdiagnosis
, and any other relevant keyword I could think of. As with every health-related topic on the Internet, there were millions of hits. After the tenth page of search results, I decided to check just one more.

That’s all I needed.

On the eleventh page, I found an obscure blog post written by a man who spent two years dealing with an illness nobody could diagnose. Frustrated and almost bankrupt from medical expenses, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He requested and received his lengthy medical record and did his own analysis using online research and self-diagnosis. To his, and the entire medical community’s surprise, it worked. Where a dozen doctors failed, he had been able to figure out what was wrong.

While I highly doubted I was qualified to analyze my own medical record, I figured it couldn’t hurt to try. If anything, it would make for some interesting reading.

I opened a new browser tab and pulled up the Colorado Pediatric Hospital website. Scanning the navigation menu, I searched for an online form or email address I could use to request my medical record. After five minutes, the only reference I found on the website was in an FAQ. The text read:

All medical records must be requested in person. For children under eighteen, a signature from a parent is required. Note: it can take up to ten days for the request to be filled, and not all records are available.

I sighed and turned back to my lunch. “So much for that idea,” I said to myself.
Involving adults—especially my parents—is out of the question.

Still lost in thought, I sensed somebody walk up. Expecting to see Mason, I looked up with a mouthful of spaghetti. Instead of my friend, as my eyes tracked upward, I saw a pair of perfectly tanned legs, a cheerleader skirt, then a cheerleader sweater, and finally, long, wavy locks of black hair.

“Hi, Ben.”

I choked as I inhaled the mouthful of spaghetti. After a few agonizing seconds, I took a drink from my bottle of water and finally replied. “Hey . . . Katherine.”

If I made a list of all the people I never expected to talk to again, Katherine Nickel would have been at or near the top.

What is she doing here? And why is she smiling?

I swallowed and tried to slow my heart rate down to a more survivable level. Easier said than done when staring into Katherine’s big green eyes.

“Sorry about that,” she said. “Bad timing.”

“It’s okay.” I dabbed my mouth with a napkin and prayed I didn’t have marinara sauce all over my shirt. “Have a seat.”

“Oh, I can’t right now,” she replied. “I don’t have much time. I just wanted to stop by and say . . .”

She stopped mid-sentence and gazed down at the floor. She seemed nervous, which I figured wasn’t a normal emotion for the head of the school’s cheerleading squad. Nervousness was the effect she had on everyone else. Myself included.

In my peripheral vision, I spotted Mason walking over.

Lousy timing
, I groaned.

“I . . . I just wanted to say I was sorry about last weekend,” Katherine finally said, her smile shifting to a frown. “The text message. Bailing on you. Pretty lame of me.”

I sat motionless, stunned by the apology. Katherine, along with the rest of the school, had been furious with me. Not only for lying about my cybernetic augment, but also for potentially costing the school an important football win. She’d called off our date to the homecoming dance two hours before it was set to start. By text message no less.

“Oh, it’s fine,” I replied. “Totally understand. I deserved it.”

She shook her head and stared directly into my eyes. I used every ounce of will power I had to hold her gaze.

It took her a moment to answer. “No, you didn’t, Ben.” Another pause, then she added, “Maybe sometime we could . . .”

Mid-sentence, Mason arrived and interrupted. “Hey Kat, how you doin’?”

“Oh,” Katherine said with the hint of a groan. “Hi . . . Mason.”

“Sit down,” he offered. He pulled a chair out and motioned to it. “Let’s have lunch. My treat.”

“No thanks, I already ate,” she said.

“Come on,” Mason pressed.

“I can’t,” she snapped. “I was just saying hi to Ben.”

Mason shrugged. “Oh, well okay. Maybe some other time?”

I suppressed a smile. Mason sometimes had that effect on girls. He tended to be a bit—persistent.

Without replying, Katherine turned back to me and flashed a huge smile. “See ya around, Ben,” she said, before walking off.

“Bye, Katherine,” Mason and I replied in stereo.

I glanced at my friend and frowned. Mason spent more time talking and thinking about girls than anyone I had ever known. I considered giving him a hard time for running Katherine off, but decided there was no point. It’s not like I needed the complication anyway. And Katherine was
definitely
a major complication.

“Man, Katherine sure is hot,” he said as he glanced over his shoulder and watched her walk away. “Look at that—”

“Hi, Mason,” I said before he could finish.

He shook his head as he set his tray down on the table. “I still can’t believe she said yes to you for the homecoming dance.”

“Gee, thanks,” I replied. “Not that it mattered.”

Mason grinned, and said, “Now her ditching you I
can
believe.”

Under the table, I kicked him in the shin.

“Ow!”

“You deserved that,” I said.

He stared at me for several seconds, then shrugged. “Probably. How’d it go with Bradley?”

Great as always,
I said to myself.
Oh, did I mention she saved my life?

“All right, I guess,” I said aloud, wanting to change the subject.

“I’m sure,” he replied. He laughed and flipped his head in the direction Katherine had gone. “What was that all about?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Whatever, dude. You two are the talk of the school. I’m guessing she was here to tell you to never text her again. Right?”

“She was just saying hi.”

“Uh huh,” Mason countered.

“Speaking of that,” I said. “Should you be sitting here? My social status isn’t going to earn you any points with the
ladies
right now.”

“Don’t really care,” he replied. “Old news. If you ask me, that cyborg registry thing is a joke.”

I smiled to myself. Despite his quirks and obsession with the female sex, Mason was a good friend.

“Besides, there is this girl I like and she has an augment,” he continued. “Since you’re probably her new hero, I better stay on your good side.”

And there it is
, I thought.
Always looking for an in with the girls.

“Glad I could help your love life,” I said.

For the next ten minutes, we caught up while we ate. The latest video games, who was doing what at school, and whether or not I would try and rejoin the football team.

That would be a no.

As usual, Mason did most of the talking. I listened as he rambled on. While a small part of me enjoyed the conversation, the truth was, I didn’t really care. Not today. Video games, girls, exams, the daily grind of teenagers at Endo Valley, just didn’t seem important at the moment.

“So, I’m going to ask this girl out,” Mason said. “Why don’t you find someone and we’ll double?”

Against my better judgment, I took the bait. “Ask who? Katherine?”

Mason laughed. “Yeah right, that ship has sailed, buddy. I’m talking about one of my sister’s friends. You know they all like you, right?”

“You mean they
did
like me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mason said, waving his hand. “This thing will blow over in a few days when the next scandal erupts. Pretty soon you’ll be ancient history. Come on, just ask one.”

I groaned and wondered why he was always so concerned with finding me a girlfriend. “Maybe I’ll just ask Jessica,” I said.

Mason extended his middle finger. “Not my sister, you dick. You stay away from her. I said one of her
friends
.”

I grinned and took my last bite of spaghetti. Jessica, Mason’s younger sister, was smart, funny and really cute. She was also a great friend. Or, at least had been. After my weekend debacle, I wasn’t sure if that was still the case. We hadn’t spoken since Friday night.

“So, is she still mad at me?” I asked.

“Dunno. Probably.”

“Great,” I mumbled.

“Hey, you’re not getting off that easy,” Mason said. “Ask. One. Out.”

Does he have the ability to think about anything other than girls for more than a minute?

“How about Taylor?” he continued. “She’s totally hot. I wouldn’t call her desperate by any means. But you could at least try. Or Saige? Or even Isabelle . . .”

Guess not.

A commotion near the entrance of the lunchroom caught my eye. No fewer than a dozen letter-jacket wearing varsity football players walked into the lunchroom. At the front of the group was Danny Brewer. Somehow, he managed to make the rest of the team look tiny.

Oh right, steroids,
I thought.
That’s how.

I stood, grabbed my tray, and made my escape.

“Cassidy, Abby, Kate . . .” Mason continued.

“See you in class,” I said over my shoulder as he continued to rattle off the names of his sister’s friends. “Gotta run!”

11

Just in case, I wasted no time at my locker. After grabbing my bag and jacket, I turned to leave.

I didn’t get far.

Standing quietly behind me was Jessica. She wore a dark brown sweater and had a backpack slung over one shoulder. Her auburn-colored hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail. One look into her blue eyes, which were narrowed into tiny slits, and I knew Mason was right.

Still mad.

“Ben Raine,” she growled as she stepped forward.

At five three, Jessica was about eight inches shorter than me. That didn’t change the fact that I was terrified. With one hand, she reached up and grabbed my jaw, then proceeded to yank my head from side to side.

“I don’t see any data ports,” she said.

I swallowed hard, not sure what to say. It didn’t surprise me she honed in on the one thing Megan and the football coaches missed. After jerking my head around for another few seconds, she finally let go.

“I looked it up online, Ben. There isn’t a commercially available augment that doesn’t have a data port near the temple. Which means you have some top-secret augment.”

My heart stopped.

“Or you’re lying.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Anything I said at this point would just end up being another lie. I was already at my quota for the week.

“Fine, whatever.” Her face red with anger, she stepped back and turned away. “Keep being a jerk.”

“Jessica, wait,” I said, stepping quickly to her and gently grabbing her arm. “I’m sorry.”

She twisted out of my grasp. “Let go.”

“Look Jess, it’s . . . a long story.”

“Don’t care, Ben,” she said, walking away. “You don’t lie to friends.”

I jogged to catch up with her. “Please don’t be mad at me. You and Mason are like the only friends I have left. I’m sorry, I really am. When I can tell you about it, I will. Okay?”

After several more steps, she stopped and looked up at me. The fire in her eyes waned. “Fine, whatever, Ben,” she said. “But if you lie to me again, I will kick your ass.”

I grinned and put my hands up in a defensive posture. “I have no doubt.”

Without further comment, she turned and walked down the hall. As I watched her leave, an idea struck me. I jogged after her. “Hey, one more thing,” I said. “You worked at your mom’s medical office last summer, right?”

“Yeah, I was an office assistant. Why?”

“You know anything about medical records?”

“Medical records?”

“Sorry, weird question,” I said. “Thought maybe since you worked there, you might know a few things. I was hoping to get a copy of mine.”

“Not much,” Jessica said, frowning. “All the records were stored on a server. I didn’t have access. They keep them locked down.”

“Yeah, that’s what I figured,” I replied.

When we stopped at the next hallway intersection, Jessica turned to me, a concerned look on her face. “You okay, Ben?”