says. âDo you have any idea what a headache bio-index interfacing is with these old things? Thereâs a point-six-second lag with this hardware, but none with the latest models. But then again, system updates are such a pain in the exhaust.â
âOh yeah?â Iâm not exactly sure whatâs she talking about, but I appreciate her breaking it down for me. Sindalâs not as impressed. He inspects his fingernails. The securityguard barely blinks. âSo,â I say to Miyu. âYouâre a crack pilot and a tech expert?â
âNot at all. My girlfriendâs an intern at AltaGen. Research and development,â she says. âThatâs her day job, at least.â
âWhat else does she do?â
Miyu smiles. âLetâs just say she takes on a lot of freelance work.â
I donât have the chance to pry any deeper. The elevator stops and the doors open.
âHere we are,â Sindal says. He steps out, and we follow.
There it is. What weâve come for. Right in front of me: a massive armored entrance.
Immediately, weâre scanned again, baptized in another grid of red laser light. A second later, thereâs a pressurized gasp, the metallic snap of bolt after bolt after bolt, and the motorized buzz of a yawning hinge. It hums through me like a signal, a hundred-decibel warning that my futureâs about to be irrevocably altered. I take a deep breath.
The vault opens.
Sindal and the security guard lead us inside the vault. Each part of the room seems to tell a different story. According to a large panel of gray-faced, closed safety-deposit drawers, this is just another part of the bank. But the luxe rugs on the floor, the table and chairsâthey whisper comfortand living space. Through an open doorway, I see a bedroom, and Iâm pretty sure weâve stumbled into the planetâs swankiest subterranean apartment.
But itâs the desk that draws my eye. I have seen this flex-topped monster of a table before, or at least one like it, in another place, on another planet, not more than four months ago. The high-backed chair behind it swivels our way.
For a second, Iâm not sure if my legs are going to give out. But the panic attack doesnât come. Instead, a different shot of jarring anxiety hits. Relief. Rage. Joy. Grief. Itâs as if all my emotions have been dumped into one combustible fuel cell, then locked, loaded, and fired.
My uncle James stands up.
âItâs good to see you too, Phee.â He doesnât smile. No, he doesnât dare. But heâd like to, I can rusting well tell. Which makes me want to crack his skull. I thought he was dead. They said he was . . .
âSon of a . . .â I say, my voice already tightening into a croak. âYou mother-rusting son of a bitch.â
I lunge toward the table, but Sindal drops our bundle of robes and reaches out to stop me. Lucky for him, the security guard catches me first. The guy gets an arm around my waist, and I canât quite slip out of his hold. Iâm about two seconds from elbowing him exactly where it hurts when James starts in.
âPhee, calm down,â he says, inching closer. He approaches like a wild-animal handler.
âThey said you were dead.â Iâm losing it, squeaking out the words.
âBefore you climb over the desk and punch me in the face . . . you need to understand that everything Iâve done has been for your own good.â
âI didnât know where you were, or if you were alive . . . and I thought . . . You shouldâve . . .â I say, half breathless. Then I twist and growl at the guard. âGet off of me!â
âLet her go,â James orders. âFor sunâs sake, just let her go and be done with it.â
When the bodyguard complies, I nearly tumble to the floor. Miyu reaches out just in time, and I cling to her arm, catching my
Yenthu Wentz
Aneesa Price
Suzanne Weyn
Mary Marks
Craig Johnson
Patrice Michelle
Kate McMullan
Sherryl Woods
Steven Savile
Hallie Swanson