Program 13 Book One (6 page)

We headed north. Where we were going I wasn’t quite sure.
We’re going home
,
she whispered. But this wasn’t my home. I didn’t have a home.

“Emile,” Hayden said softly, turning to look at me. “As soon as we get home, we’re going to need to work quickly to perform the remaining hard drive installations. It won’t take long for them to check the house.”

I didn’t say a thing. I trusted Hayden. If I was going to make it out of here, it would be because of him. If I didn’t, that’d be okay, too. I made it out of Vesta Corp. I had a chance to see the outside world. Did it truly matter if they found me now?

But I knew that it did. It wasn’t only me that they would deactivate. They would deactivate Emile, too. She deserved more than that. She deserved any chance she could get to live her life again. I needed to remind myself of that. She wasn’t just a voice inside my head. She had a life once, and I was determined to help her get it back.

Something in me was different. I almost felt human. It was as if I was capable of feeling for Emile too. Her voice rang in my head.
He promised he wouldn’t fail me this time! He promised!
I’d heard Hayden speak those words before, but I was never quite sure what he meant by them. How could he have failed her before? How did he know Emile, and why was he so determined to save her?

“Almost there
.” He
peered over his shoulder back at me
. “We need to keep our pace. We cannot afford to slow down.” Hayden was pulling on my arm now.

I looked across the street and found the humans staring at us, frozen in place. They appeared to be curious. Did I look that much different from them? To me, I looked just like any other human. But this was my first time in the human world. It was safe to assume that I wasn’t the best judge on that.

And then there it was.

Straight ahead of us was home. I was not sure how I recognized it, or why I identified it as home. It just felt like home.

7
ALIVE

H
ayden pulled me in front of him as we approached the house. It was covered in vines. Its blue paint, chipping away slowly, revealed the cracks in its foundation. It was hard to believe that anyone lived here. He unlocked the door before pulling me inside with him.

The house was tiny, though I supposed anything would be tiny compared to Vesta Corp. On the walls were photos of a family. Some of the photos were cracked, the others faded like distant memories.
Before we all fell apart
, Emile whispered. Sadness filled her voice. It was as if she was once a part of this family, a key element in their lives.

“Do you remember any of this?” he asked as he looked around the house.

“Should I?” I asked, not understanding why he was asking.

“Never mind.” He sighed. “I’m going to set everything up. Make yourself at home.”

I watched as he walked to the corner of the living room and hovered over a computer. I could sense that he was upset, although I couldn’t fathom as to why. Why was he so desperate to save me?

A low humming noise filled the room. “We’re ready,” Hayden said. He pointed to the chair in front of him. Wires dangled from the back of the chair, connecting to the monitors that covered the walls behind me. It was as though I was standing back in Vesta Corp.

“I promise you, this will be quick. I’ve condensed all of the files onto one hard drive. The quicker we do this, the faster you can have your life back.” He was typing away on the laptop in front of him, his eyes darting back and forth between me and the screen.

“Hayden,” I whispered. “Thank you for saving me.” Even if I didn’t understand the reason behind his actions, I still could appreciate his willingness to help me.

He didn’t respond.

I walked towards the chair and sat down. Hayden came over and tightened the restraints, making sure my wrists and ankles were bound securely. Something I’d become used to during my time at Vesta Corp. It was something that came with being a Program. Restraints were a part of what I was.

“It’s time to begin. I’ll see you in a bit, Emile.” He smiled.

All of the lights shut off one by one throughout the house. Slowly, the monitors began to turn on. My readings were loaded on some of them, information on Emile on the others. Soon we’d be one. Soon I’d be alive.

I leaned back and closed my eyelids, allowing the buzzing of the wires to fill my head. Emile was quiet. For that, I was thankful. This process was hard enough on me. I didn’t need her to suffer, too.

Shock after shock. Image after image. Life soared through every wire in my body. Memories formed in my mind. Memories I didn’t remember, but knew were mine.

With each surge, I wanted to scream. I wanted to rip out the wires surrounding me. But I couldn’t. If I gave up, I would be giving up on Emile. That was something I just couldn’t do. Not when I had come this far, not when Hayden had fought this hard. This wasn’t just about me anymore.

But it was becoming too much. “Hayden,” I cried out. “Make it stop, please!”

She was taking over my core. Her thoughts were becoming mine. My body was becoming Emile’s.

“Hang in there, Emile. It’s almost finished, I promise!” He was trying to remain calm, but there was a hint of concern in his voice.

The next surge threw my head forward. Screams escaped from my dry lips. I felt everything - I felt. And then it was over.
I
was
Emile
. I was dead, but I was alive again thanks to my brother, Hayden.

He ran over to me and released the restraints binding my wrists and ankles. “Oh, Hayden,” I screamed, throwing my arms around him, trying to keep him here in my grasp. “You did it!”

A tear ran down his cheek as he turned to face me. “Yes. I kept my promise. I told you that you’d get your life back.” His voice was all but a whisper, as if he were in pain.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I thought I’d be happy.” He shook his head. “I hoped that the pain would disappear, but it just feels…wrong. Here you are, alive again, yet I can’t help but think this isn’t you. The outside is you, it’s your flesh, but your inside is all wire. You only exist on a hard drive, as a Program.” He pulled away from me and moved towards the wall full of pictures.

His hand brushed against one of the photos. Its frame was cracked. It was an image of a family in happier times. It was us when we were younger, when I was still alive and had a life ahead of me, a life that would later be cut short.

“Does it truly make a difference
how
I’m alive?” I asked him.

But he didn’t answer.

I walked over to where Hayden stood, resting my hand on his. I looked at the photo he held before making my way along the wall. Every photo was of our family. The family that existed before the accident. The family that existed before I was struck by a car. I wasn’t supposed to remember it, but I did. When they exported my memories and my life from my body, every trace of the accident was supposed to be erased. But it still remained.

You can’t erase death.

That was what Hayden was trying to tell me. No matter how much he wanted to forget, he couldn’t.

“Emile, I’m leaving the city. I’m going to head to Mom and Dad’s. I’d take you with me, but I think they may need some time to accept that you are…alive, again.” He shook his head as he placed the photo on a nearby table. He then reached inside the drawer below the table, pulling out a small, leather purse. “In the meantime, I rented a house about twenty minutes from here. Here are the keys and everything you’ll need to get by: an ID, a debit card, checks, and some cash. Out front, you’ll find a black car waiting for you. Be safe, please. But don’t be afraid to live.”

I didn’t want him to go, but I knew if he stayed here Charles McVeigh would find him. Who knew what he’d do to Hayden? It was best he got away. I was capable of taking care of myself. Although I would have loved to visit my parents, I had to accept that there would be sacrifices that I needed to make.

I grabbed the keys and the purse in his hand before leaning in to give him a hug. I couldn’t cry, something I’d need to adjust to, but if I could, I’m sure I would have been a complete mess.

“See you soon, Hayden,” I whispered, turning towards the door.

“Soon, Emile. I’ll see you soon,” he agreed. “Be safe.”

As I closed the door behind me, I wondered what lie ahead of me. My death was covered up, so outside of my family and Vesta Corp, no one was aware I’d ever been in a fatal accident. That was something I was thankful for now.

Sitting alongside the curb was a black car; the one Hayden said would be waiting for me. I made my way over to the car, inspecting every inch of it. On the backseats were bags full of clothes and shoes.

I opened the door and sat down in the driver seat, turning the key in the ignition. When the car started up, a GPS turned on, preparing directions to
Tukwila
,
Washington
. He must have already programmed the house’s address into the GPS.

Even in his absence, he still made it a point to look out for me.

I’d miss him, as I missed the rest of my family, but he needed to leave in order to be safe. I was a threat to him. My freedom was a danger to him. It was for the best that he left me to be on my own.

Alone, I could build a new life. I could live.

What more was I supposed to want?

8
COLTON

I
t was time to go. They would be here soon, looking for me. And I wasn’t ready to be found. Strapping on my seat belt, I pressed my foot on the brake and slid the car into drive. I listened to the strange voice of the GPS, trusting it to bring me to my new home safely.

The GPS was a lot like the Programs at Vesta Corp. It was built to replace an existing device – maps
–
  much like Programs were built to eventually replace the human race. The GPS and me, we were a lot alike.

Even now, I was a replacement. I overtook a Program in order to regain my life. Granted, it wasn’t all my choice. Hayden did everything he could to protect me. But I couldn’t help but wonder why we were so eager to replace everything with something better. Shouldn’t we be happy with what we had? Shouldn’t I be glad that I was able to live once already?

Was it necessary for Hayden to save me? As much as I appreciated it, I began to wonder how much he had altered by bringing me back. I was supposed to be dead. I wasn’t supposed to be driving off to some random house in the middle of nowhere, running from the White Coats at Vesta Corp.

As I drove along, the machine’s voice filling my head, I came upon a boy standing in the middle of the road. I slammed my foot on the brake. The car swerved to the right. The boy made no show of moving, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop in time.

The car spun beneath my grip, the tires squealing as they failed to grip the asphalt, sending the car crashing into a nearby tree. I waited to make sure that the car had come to a complete stop before peering over the damage.

I was fine, as to be expected, the joys of being a machine. But I wasn’t so sure about the boy. Worried, I yanked off my seatbelt and flung the driver side door open. I ran towards the middle of the road, not bothering to check for oncoming traffic, and found the boy hadn’t moved an inch.

I didn’t hit him. Thank goodness. The last thing I needed to do was add manslaughter to my record. I already had McVeigh and his men searching for me; I didn’t need the cops after me, as well.

“Excuse me?” I called out, hoping to get his attention. The boy looked over at me, his dark brown hair covering his eyes. “May I ask what you are doing in the middle of the road?”

No answer.

I moved closer to the boy, reaching for his arm. He flinched and pursed his lips. “I can wait here all day, you know?” I actually couldn’t, but he didn’t need to know that. In fact, staying here this long was probably going to cause me trouble as it was. They would be coming for me soon. I needed to get going.

“Look miss, why don’t you just go about your day? I’m fine. You didn’t hit me. Please, just go…now.” He stared at me, his piercing blue eyes full of pain. “I mean it. Just leave me alone.”

“Fine,” I said, walking back to my wrecked sedan.

There was nothing I could do for the boy. What was the saying? You can’t help someone who refuses to be helped. And plus, I didn’t have the time to beg him to allow me to help him.

“Wait.” His hand reached for my wrist to pull me back, but I pulled away quickly, afraid of that he’d notice the feel of the metal beneath my skin. “Just wait, please.”

“Are you sure?” I questioned. “I mean, you did just tell me to leave.”

“Look, I’m sorry.” He laughed as if recalling some sort of private joke. “I doubt you can help me.”

I wrapped my arms around my chest, peering over my shoulder. I knew it’d be a matter of minutes before they found me. I needed to leave. I should’ve already left. I knew that this Program was valuable to McVeigh, and that he’d find a way to locate her one way or another. But I also knew that if I left the boy here – if I left a trail – they’d kill him, and I refused to allow that to happen.