her chin. Probably from when she coughed up blood.
She lifted her arms toward us. The sick rarely fought.
“I got her,” Twenty-two said, scooping her up.
“You need to cuff her,” I said.
“Why? What’s she going to do? Run?” He looked down at the human. “KDH?”
She nodded, her head wobbling around like a newborn. He carefully placed it on his chest.
“Don’t talk to her, Twenty-two.”
He only frowned in response and turned away as he headed for the shuttle.
“Twenty-two!” I let out an exasperated sigh and spoke into my com. “Wren One-seventy-eight with Twenty-two. We have the assignment.”
“Proceed to shuttle. Control your newbie, One-seventy-eight.”
I jogged to catch up with Twenty-two, who had his head down, speaking to the human.
“You eventually won’t feel anything at all,” he said.
“Twenty-two!”
“Everything goes numb. You won’t even realize it when you die—I promise.”
“You don’t speak to the humans,” I said, grabbing his arm. He stopped and glared at me. He yanked his arm away but was silent as we continued. He set the human down gently in the shuttle with the other sickies, pretending not to notice my annoyed expression as we trudged to our own shuttle.
The other Reboots stood in line and we joined the end. I felt my stomach clench as the officers frowned at us. Something was off. I glanced at Ever but she stared blankly at the ground.
“We’ve got Reboots bringing in items from the field and threatening officers,” Paul said. “We gotta search before boarding now.”
I took off my top shirt and spread my arms, like usual.
“Everything,” Paul said with a wave of his hand. “Undershirts, too. Pull your pockets out and drop your pants. Leave the underwear. We don’t need to be seeing that.”
The other Reboots followed the order immediately, shirts coming off and pants hitting the ground with a soft swish.
I fingered the button on my pants, my eyes flicking to the bare chests down the line. None of them even seemed fazed by the order. They’d probably all seen one another in their underwear anyway. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that even Twenty-two had followed the order.
No one had ever seen me without my clothes on.
“Hey.”
I looked up to see Yellow Teeth lift his gun at me. He jerked his head, indicating for me to follow the order.
My fingers trembled so badly I couldn’t undo the button on my pants. It wouldn’t go through the hole. This wasn’t even the bad part. The pants, fine.
But the shirt. I couldn’t take off the shirt.
“Who is that?” Yellow Teeth asked.
“One-seventy-eight,” Paul said.
I shouldn’t have to take them off anyway. I saved Leb. It wasn’t me who pulled a knife on an officer.
“What’s wrong with you?” Paul demanded, shoving his gun into my back.
Every Reboot head down the line turned to me. Marie One-thirty-five frowned deeply, almost concerned, as she nodded for me to follow their orders.
I saved him . I wanted to scream it at them.
“Hey,” Twenty-two snapped, his hand shooting out and grabbing the barrel of the gun. I gasped. “Would you stop it? She shouldn’t have to if she doesn’t want.”
Paul wrenched the gun back and slammed the barrel into Twenty-two’s head. I winced as he stumbled, and I tugged at the button on my pants again. Paul stepped away from me, gun trained on Twenty-two instead.
Yellow Teeth let out an annoyed sigh and holstered his gun, striding over to me. He yanked me to him by the waist of my pants, tugging the button through the hole and pushing them down.
“Anyone else would have gotten a bullet in the brain,” he muttered, grabbing the bottom of my shirt and jerking it over my head.
I pressed my arms against my thin white bra and tried to breathe, but my lungs wouldn’t cooperate. My chest rose and fell too fast, my throat tightening up painfully.
“For the love of Texas,” Yellow Teeth said in utter exasperation, pulling my arms out
She lifted her arms toward us. The sick rarely fought.
“I got her,” Twenty-two said, scooping her up.
“You need to cuff her,” I said.
“Why? What’s she going to do? Run?” He looked down at the human. “KDH?”
She nodded, her head wobbling around like a newborn. He carefully placed it on his chest.
“Don’t talk to her, Twenty-two.”
He only frowned in response and turned away as he headed for the shuttle.
“Twenty-two!” I let out an exasperated sigh and spoke into my com. “Wren One-seventy-eight with Twenty-two. We have the assignment.”
“Proceed to shuttle. Control your newbie, One-seventy-eight.”
I jogged to catch up with Twenty-two, who had his head down, speaking to the human.
“You eventually won’t feel anything at all,” he said.
“Twenty-two!”
“Everything goes numb. You won’t even realize it when you die—I promise.”
“You don’t speak to the humans,” I said, grabbing his arm. He stopped and glared at me. He yanked his arm away but was silent as we continued. He set the human down gently in the shuttle with the other sickies, pretending not to notice my annoyed expression as we trudged to our own shuttle.
The other Reboots stood in line and we joined the end. I felt my stomach clench as the officers frowned at us. Something was off. I glanced at Ever but she stared blankly at the ground.
“We’ve got Reboots bringing in items from the field and threatening officers,” Paul said. “We gotta search before boarding now.”
I took off my top shirt and spread my arms, like usual.
“Everything,” Paul said with a wave of his hand. “Undershirts, too. Pull your pockets out and drop your pants. Leave the underwear. We don’t need to be seeing that.”
The other Reboots followed the order immediately, shirts coming off and pants hitting the ground with a soft swish.
I fingered the button on my pants, my eyes flicking to the bare chests down the line. None of them even seemed fazed by the order. They’d probably all seen one another in their underwear anyway. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that even Twenty-two had followed the order.
No one had ever seen me without my clothes on.
“Hey.”
I looked up to see Yellow Teeth lift his gun at me. He jerked his head, indicating for me to follow the order.
My fingers trembled so badly I couldn’t undo the button on my pants. It wouldn’t go through the hole. This wasn’t even the bad part. The pants, fine.
But the shirt. I couldn’t take off the shirt.
“Who is that?” Yellow Teeth asked.
“One-seventy-eight,” Paul said.
I shouldn’t have to take them off anyway. I saved Leb. It wasn’t me who pulled a knife on an officer.
“What’s wrong with you?” Paul demanded, shoving his gun into my back.
Every Reboot head down the line turned to me. Marie One-thirty-five frowned deeply, almost concerned, as she nodded for me to follow their orders.
I saved him . I wanted to scream it at them.
“Hey,” Twenty-two snapped, his hand shooting out and grabbing the barrel of the gun. I gasped. “Would you stop it? She shouldn’t have to if she doesn’t want.”
Paul wrenched the gun back and slammed the barrel into Twenty-two’s head. I winced as he stumbled, and I tugged at the button on my pants again. Paul stepped away from me, gun trained on Twenty-two instead.
Yellow Teeth let out an annoyed sigh and holstered his gun, striding over to me. He yanked me to him by the waist of my pants, tugging the button through the hole and pushing them down.
“Anyone else would have gotten a bullet in the brain,” he muttered, grabbing the bottom of my shirt and jerking it over my head.
I pressed my arms against my thin white bra and tried to breathe, but my lungs wouldn’t cooperate. My chest rose and fell too fast, my throat tightening up painfully.
“For the love of Texas,” Yellow Teeth said in utter exasperation, pulling my arms out
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