The Apocalypse Games--CyberNexis by D L Richardson

Author:D L Richardson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: D L Richardson

Chapter Nineteen: Jack

Five days after their arrival in NASA, recovered or not, the time to leave had finally come.

The crowd was manic and shouting as they headed to the front doors. People were carrying everything on their backs and in their arms. Reynolds was holding a piece of cloth over her face and yelling at everyone to line up. Staff were hastily unscrewing the boards that were covering up the windows and doors. Most of the other staff were nowhere to be seen.

Jack had no intention of leaving with the crowd, but he wanted to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond the boards. He didn’t need to lift himself up on his tiptoes to see; he was six-feet-tall, maybe a few inches shorter with the stoop from his injuries, but most everyone else was shorter than him anyway. Beyond the doors, everything was same gray color. Disappointment filled him. He really hadn’t known what to expect, fireballs, maybe. Fanged beasts instead of ordinary people stepping down off buses.

Pandora wouldn’t have disappointed him. She’d have sent in robots to destroy them all. He sighed. Why couldn’t he be back inside the game where things made sense?

He left the foyer and located Reekha in the cafeteria slurping on a mug.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

“We do have the ability. Just another thing that separates man from ape. Look how far we’ve evolved, and for what?”

He ignored her melancholy. There were moments she reminded him of his sister, and he didn’t need reminding that despite his promise to look out for Kelly, by refusing to leave, he was breaking that promise.

“When you had your check up with the doctor,” said Jack, “did he make you a proposition?”

She eyed him warily. “Oh, you mean talk.”

She indicated the empty chair with a wave of her hand. Jack slid onto the seat. She leaned back in her chair and gave him a defiant look.

“Yes, he made me an offer,” she said.

Reekha’s eyes flicked upward and past Jack’s shoulder. He didn’t need to turn around to know that someone had entered the kitchen. Casually, he turned and gave Tacaks and Armstrong a curt nod each.

“You’re supposed to be in the foyer,” said Tacaks.

“We’ve got ten minutes,” said Reekha.

The two computer engineers fetched themselves mugs and as they departed, they muttered something about troublemakers.

“People don’t like me,” said Reekha. “I hear them talk. They think I’m a liar, a thief, a saboteur. I’m not bothered by what people say. Just gives me a damned good reason to accept the doctor’s proposition. Besides, everyone is talking about finding their families and Naresh is all I have.”

She was talking about him in the present tense. “You believe he might still be alive?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know what to believe. All I know is my heart is telling me to stay.”

Jack feigned shock. “You have a heart? Does this means you’re not such a badass, after all?”

Reekha smiled. “I’m still a badass. My chest plate has a gaping hole where my heart used to be, that’s all.

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