Lifel1k3 (Lifelike #1)(81)

Dread clawing her insides, Ana turned her attention back to the road, knuckles white on the steering wheel. Checking her flanks for their pursuers, listening for engines over the howling winds. She glanced in the rearview mirror.

“Crick, is Lemon okay?”

The little bot had fished some electrical tape from her satchel, secured the floor mats over the holes in the rear windows. Everything inside the cabin was covered with grit and glass. The little logika bent over Lemon, pulling off her headgear to inspect the wound.

“I think so,” he reported. “Maybe a concussion. But she’s breathing all right.”

Ana shook her head. That’d been too close. If anything had happened to Lem …

They drove on, the storm pummeling their little truck, all the world gone black. The headlights cut a swath through the darkness, glinting on the swirling shards, burning red as that strange lightning arced above their heads. The engine groaned and shuddered but held true. Dragging them on through the roiling night, closer and closer to Babel.

Closer and closer to home.

Ana glanced again at Ezekiel. The lifelike was wiping the blood and dirt from his face with his good hand. He’d just risked his own life, torn himself to shreds, to keep her in one piece. He hadn’t hesitated for a second. Her chest ached to see him hurt for her sake, filled with warmth to see him risk it in the first place. His vow in the ministry rang in her head. The truth of it now impossible to ignore.

There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.

She touched his arm, as lightly as feathers falling. “Thank you, Zeke.”

“For what?”

“For everything.”

He smiled lopsided, and gave her a small bow. “You want me to take the wheel?”

“Probably a good idea.”

She slid over his lap, he slid underneath, the pair momentarily tangled together as they traded places. Ana took a deep breath, checking again for signs of pursuit. All she could see outside was darkness. Glass and grit were still pouring in through the driver-side window, so Cricket crawled over Ezekiel’s shoulder and duct-taped another floor mat over the hole, intentionally sticking his hind parts in the lifelike’s face as he did so. Ezekiel was too busy steering to wave him away. The wind eased off, and Cricket gave his metal tush one more rub in Zeke’s grille before crawling into the backseat once more.

“Enjoy yourself?” the lifelike asked.

“Immensely,” Cricket replied.

Ezekiel glanced at Ana, shook his head. “We should be clear of the Glass in an hour or so. If the storm reaches as far as Babel, that’s all good. The leftover Freebooters will probably give up when they figure out where we’re headed.”

She nodded. Risked a smile despite the bedlam and blood all around them.

“That was some fancy shooting back there.”

He winked. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“We make a pretty good team, huh?”

“We?”

She could see her smile reflected in the perfect blue of his eyes. She laid her head in his lap, felt the warmth of his skin through her rad-suit. Remembering.

“Yeah.” Ana sighed. “We.”

“I think I like the sound of that.”

He put his arm around her, squeezed her against him. And despite all the bedlam, all the blood, it felt right. It felt real. It felt like the way she wanted to feel forever.

Him and her. Together.

Forever.





1.26


TERMINUS

Red on my hands. Smoke in my lungs. My mother, my father, my sisters and brother, all dead on the floor beside me. Hollow eyes and empty chests.

The lifelikes stand above me. The four of them in their perfect, pretty row.

They have only one thing left to take from me.

The last and most precious thing.

The tempest followed them until dawn, smoky spears of light beginning to filter through the haze of dust and glass. Ana had eventually left Ezekiel to his driving, climbing over into the backseat and nursing Lemon in her lap. Her bestest was slowly coming to, murmuring softly. Her brow and eye socket were swollen and bruised, blood clotted in her lashes. Ana risked taking off the girl’s headgear again to wash the wound while Cricket and Kaiser looked on nervously.

“Lem?” Ana murmured. “Lem, can you hear me?”

“Nnnnn,” Lemon said.

“Are you all right, Freckles?” Ezekiel asked.

“No … ,” Lemon groaned softly. “Come kiss it b-better.”

“She’s gonna be fine.” Ana smiled.

Lemon opened her eyes a crack, hissing in pain. “What the hells … hit m-me?”

“Cybernetically enhanced killing machine,” Ana replied.

“Is it … T-Tuesday already?”

“Just lie still. You might have a concussion.”

Kaiser looked out through the windshield and growled.

“Ana,” Ezekiel said. “You better come up here.”

“Crick, give her some water,” Ana said. “Not too much, or she’ll be sick.”

Ana leaned down, kissed Lemon on the brow.

“You stay low, Lem. Keep your head down and don’t do anything stupid.”

“Too … late,” Lemon moaned.

“Ana … ,” Ezekiel warned.