Page 131 of CHOICE Lover
“Lextr, come help me hold this wild animal down so we can get a sample.”
The scientist hisses as she kicks out and catches her in the shin. “Lextr, do as he says or I’ll recycle you,” she barks.
“Help!” She thrashes and wails, refusing to make it easy for them, but the big man spins her quickly, pressing her face first into the wall. Her cheek smashes into the cold surface and a shooting pain radiates over her face. She should have screamed before. She shouldn’t have let him take her.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if you drugged her?” Lextr offers. His clammy hands wrap around her wrists and press them into the small of her back.
“We wanted her awake for the ransom photo. Plus, too much of that drug in her system can contaminate the sample. If someone hadn’t compromised the blood sample they got, we might not need to do this. But since we’ve got her for the ransom, we might as well take full tissue samples so you can use them to verify the CHOICElover data and complete our little project,” the woman explains.
Blood sample? The cut from Saturday Sirens suddenly pops into her head. Was it not an accident like she thought? Electra whimpers as the big man moves the hair off her neck. Cool air hits her skin, and she feels a sharp pinch. The area goes numb. There’s pressure, then tugging.
Oh God. They’ve cut out a piece of her, and all she can do is stand there and let it happen. Her chest convulses as a sob racks through her. Each breath is getting harder. She’s becoming lightheaded.Do not pass out. You can’t pass out.
The big man presses her head harder into the wall. Tears run down her cheeks and onto the smooth concrete her face is pressed against. “Please stop,” she begs.
“If we killed her, we could get a brain sample,” the big man suggests.
Her heart seizes. Res6 told her the sample that brought her back was from her brain. Lextr would know that too. She reaches to the edge of her vision, hoping her pleading looks are enough to keep him quiet.
The woman sighs. “He won’t want her back if she’s dead. We’re counting on that because we need his data. These samples will have to do.”
“You’re overestimating her value to him. You should just collect the samples and let her go,” Lextr suggests.
Momentary relief floods through her. At least until another needle pierces her skin.
Lextr continues, “I would make a better hostage, considering my knowledge—”
“Quiet,” the scientist barks. “We need you to interpret the data.”
Lextr doesn’t say another word. At least he tried, even though she’s pretty sure he hates her very existence.
The scientist repeats the procedure at several other points on her body. By the time they’re finished, there are half a dozen precise cuts all over her. Her clothes are streaked with blood, and she’s exhausted. When they release her, she slumps onto the floor. The stitches on her wrist are haphazard. Didn’t Res6 say they had the technology to fix such minor cuts? They probably didn’t want to waste energy on a hostage.
She glances up to see a device pointed at her. If Res6 is going to see this image for a ransom request, she wants to make sure he knows that she still has fight left in her. She glares at her captors.
The big man looks over the scientist’s shoulder at the screen. “What about the blood?”
“The AI will edit it out.” The scientist packages up the dirty tools. “Come. Time to make our next move.”
Before the door closes behind them, the big man turns, looking directly at her. “You better hope that man cares more about you thanabout his company.” His grin sends a chill down her spine. “Otherwise you’re dead.”
“He’ll never give up the proprietary company information they’re asking for. We’re screwed!” Lextr moans from his huddle on the opposite side of the room.
“He will,” she repeats. They’ve been going over this since the abductors left them alone for the first time.
“I’ve known the man for fifty years. He single-mindedly cares about CHOICElover.” He hesitates. “And his secret Jerme experiment.”
“And me,” she adds. “I know about that, by the way.”
He rolls his eyes. “You’re being optimistic. Things aren’t how they were during your time. People don’t form the type of attachments you’re envisioning anymore.”
She just shakes her head.I refuse to think that way!Her voice is singsong in her mind. He loves me. He’ll choose me. Tears well in her eyes for an entirely different reason. She knows it’s true because she’s worth choosing. She belongs here in this world with him and all the happy things that go along with that. It’s too bad it took so much heartache and turmoil for her to realize that.
“Just think of the implications, Electra. If these men get caught with all CHOICElover’s experimental data, they’ll shut CHOICElover down. Then he won’t be able to resurrect his brother. You aren’t worth it to him.”
Her hands reflexively ball into fists as she absorbs his cutting words. Calmly, she places them in her lap, taking a deep breath.
He’s my twin—someone who feels like a missing half of my brain. But I’ve discovered that she’s the other half of my heart.Those are thewords from his letter. She believes him, which means she can’t give up hope. She turns to study Lextr. He’s sneering at her as if he resents her. “What’s your problem with me?”
