Unremembered (Unremembered #1)(78)

‘Funny how life works,’ Alixter observes callously. ‘We confiscated this gun when we apprehended Lyzender.’ He chuckles. ‘I find it so ironic that he would be the one to help me in the end.’

A look of pure hatred flashes over Zen’s face.

Alixter looks at the weapon in his hands, examining it with great curiosity. ‘Huh,’ he muses. ‘I always thought these things were so outdated. So archaic. Not to mention absurdly heavy.’ He screws his mouth to the side. ‘It’s no wonder they stopped making them fifty years ago.’

‘Alixter,’ Rio warns, ‘you don’t want to do this. Think of the people you have to answer to. She’s worth too much to you.’

Alixter smiles. ‘This is true, but she’s clearly worth more to you.’ He lowers the gun a few inches and takes aim at my left leg. ‘I can repair any surface damage I cause and she’ll be as good as new. But would you really be able to stand seeing her in that much pain? Having an entire limb blown off can’t be comfortable.’

‘Wise choice.’ Alixter motions to the dark-skinned agent, who sprints across the cavern, scoops up the abandoned gun and grabs Rio by the arm, jamming a knee into his stomach. Rio groans and doubles over.

‘Please don’t hurt him,’ I whimper, tears springing to my eyes.

But no one seems to be listening to me. The guard leads Rio over to Alixter, kicking at the backs of his legs until they give out and he falls to his knees.

Alixter sighs and tucks Zen’s gun back into the waistband of his pants. ‘I’m sorry, Rio. But after this, I don’t think we can be business partners any more. I question your loyalty.’

Rio doesn’t respond. He bites his lip, seemingly in an effort to hold back another cry of pain.

‘We started Diotech together,’ Alixter explains wistfully, addressing me. ‘We had such high hopes and so many aspirations. I had the business background but he was the genius and brains behind the whole operation. The most brilliant scientist of his day, there’s no doubt about that. But I’m afraid, dear Rio –’ he peers down at him with a look of longing – ‘that you went a little soft during our biggest and most important experiment to date.’ Alixter nods his head ambiguously in my direction. ‘You broke the cardinal rule of science: never ever become attached to your test subject.’

I study Rio’s body language. His shoulders are slouched forward, his head hangs low. If it wasn’t for the bright red beard, I would say he looked like a scared little boy.

‘He put his emotions before his science,’ Alixter continues, looking at me again. ‘When it was discovered that you weren’t exactly what we anticipated, that you were more humanlike than any of us expected, I suggested you be repaired right away. There was just too much at stake to allow you to have a mind of your own. To form thoughts and opinions and escape plans. A few tweaks here and there and we could have easily avoided all of this. But Rio convinced me that the procedure was unnecessary. That you could be controlled with daily memory modifications. He became so fond of you, so protective, that at one point he even tried to convince me to release you, if you can believe it.’ He huffs. ‘It was almost as if he really did believe he was your father.’

I shoot a glance at Zen. He meets my eye and offers me an apologetic shake of his head.

‘Well,’ Alixter says with a small grunt of repugnance, ‘we can’t have trillions of dollars’ worth of research and scientific advancement – not to mention trillions more in potential profits – resting in the hands of a softy, can we?’

Rio lifts his head again. His eyes – where I once saw kindness and genuine remorse – now appear tired and conquered. ‘Seraphina,’ he says weakly, ‘I hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me.’

Then, for a brief moment, an unmistakable intensity blooms across his weary face and he stares at me with such pointed determination I find myself leaning forward slightly, being pulled into his sudden renewed willpower.

His gaze flickers down to my neckline briefly before returning to meet my eyes. And then he says it again. This time with an almost disconcerting conviction. ‘I hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me.’

I’m so overwhelmed by his message and its strange delivery that I barely notice Alixter handing his Modifier over to the agent who’s holding Rio. And by the time I do notice, it’s too late.

‘NOOOOO!’ I attempt to stumble forward but the other agent moves fast, thrusting me back with his leg. Everything seems to be moving in some kind of slow motion. The dark-skinned agent’s hand extends, the tip of the Modifier makes contact with Rio’s cheek and his entire body starts to convulse. It writhes violently as the electricity is shot into his brain and travels down the length of his body.

He falls hard to the ground, his bones making a horrific cracking sound upon impact.

Then the twitching stops and everything is silent.





45


OPEN


I stare, aghast, at Rio’s lifeless figure. His eyes are closed but his face is frozen in a state of sheer terror.

I know he’s not dead. He can’t be. I’ve seen the Modifier in action several times now. It doesn’t kill you. It only shuts down your brain for a few minutes, maybe a couple of hours at most.