Evolution by Stephanie Diaz

Author:Stephanie Diaz
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The apartment the guard takes me to is more luxurious than any I’ve seen before, even the other rooms I’ve had in the Core. The bed is huge, but there are also two lounge chairs and a sofa, positioned in front of a CorpoBot screen that’s almost as big as the bed. A remote on one of the dressers switches on a simulation of a starscape, a peaceful ocean, or a forest on all four walls. If I wanted, I could fall asleep surrounded by starlight. The comforter on the bed is made of silk, and the sheets are the warmest cotton. There’s a heater built into the bed that makes it even warmer. A screen on one of the walls spits out food and hot or cold drinks from a slot at the press of a button.

This apartment isn’t built for someone like me; it’s built for a Developer or a military leader. Clearly, Commander Charlie is trying to appease me. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t working a little bit.

The guard gives me a special wristband—a comm-band, he calls it—that I’m supposed to wear at all times. It will allow the Developers and their personnel to send messages to me, calling me for strategy meetings and the like.

A few minutes after the guard leaves, Logan comes out of the connecting bathroom, wearing only a towel wrapped around his lower half. His skin and hair are cleaner than they’ve ever been, finally rid of the dirt and grime from all the years he spent in the Surface work camp. He took showers in the Alliance compound, but nothing compares to the power of the steam-cleans here in the Core.

It’s been so long since I’ve seen him like this, without the threat of someone coming to drag him away and never let me see him again. I can sense Logan realizing the same thing. Our eyes lock together in the silence, the weight of the horrible days we were apart crushing between us.

He hobbles toward me on his crutches, and I rush to him from where I’m standing in front of the CorpoBot screen. He kisses my face and wipes away the tears welling up in my eyes. I run my hands over his bare shoulders and chest, reveling in the warmth of his skin. This boy I almost lost time and time again. He’s here and he’s alive and he’s not leaving. Emotion bubbles up and I realize I’m speaking nonsense. But no words are needed, not right now.

We cling to each other for a long time, until Logan can’t take standing on his hurt leg anymore. Moving over to the bed, he leans his crutches against the wall. He sits down on the bed and pulls me to him, kisses my mouth tenderly. His heart is beating almost as fast as mine.

I lean back onto the bed, pulling Logan with me, and kiss him some more. His towel starts to come undone and my nervousness gets the best of me.

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