The Operator

Harmony nodded, focus distant as the elevator’s numbers counted down. “And you expect me to believe that bullshit? That you’re not running back to Bill?”

Peri looked at Harmony past her sweat-clumped hair, shoulders hunched and tired. “I want out. That’s all I ever wanted.”

Harmony’s grip on her arm tightened. “Why am I believing this?” she said. But it was obvious she did.

“You do know they’re going to demote your ass if they don’t outright fire you, right?” Peri asked as the doors slid open to show a familiar hallway, with thick glass doors at the end. It was an old Opti facility. No one built their containment like Bill. Her graduate thesis had been finding the holes and patching them.

“I won’t be demoted if I come back with Michael,” Harmony muttered, hand on Peri’s shoulder as she escorted her down the hall. “Allen is your goal. Michael is mine. If you leave before Michael is in my custody, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth. If you’re screwing with me and you’re trying to get back to Bill, I’ll not only hunt you down but kill you. Deal?”

Peri glanced sidelong at her, recalled Harmony’s haggard expression and haunted eyes atop the kitchen in the ductwork. “What did Michael do to you?” she asked.

Harmony took a breath, emotion clogging her voice until she looked away, pain etching her brow. “There’s usually a reason when chickens kill one of their own,” she said when the elevator dinged.

Oka-a-a-ay. Midwestern farm trivia aside, this felt right. “Deal,” she muttered as if she weren’t in cuffs, her lip bleeding and cheek scuffed. “But I’m not paying for the gas. You’ve probably got some lard-ass SUV that eats gas stations for lunch. I’ll get the snacks and water.”

Harmony smiled, steeling her face as she ran her card and the man on the other side of the glass wall stood up. “Fine with me.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Diary propped up on her chest, Peri lay on the foam cot, her jacket wadded up under her head. The hum of 741 Hz vibrated her synapses and prevented her ability to draft, and she couldn’t decide whether she was a trusting fool or just plain stupid. Sleep had been impossible, and now, after several hours of waiting for Harmony, even her diary was failing to distract her from the possibility that she’d fallen for a ruse designed solely to get her into the cell block. The other option, that Harmony herself had been found out and was in the next wing over, wasn’t much better. Fortunately, she’d helped design the safeguards to escape; she knew the ways around them. But it rankled, having trusted someone only to have it betrayed before the sun came up.

“She’ll show, babe,” Jack said, but Peri was too pessimistic to trust even her intuition.

“One of these days, you’re going to choke on your Pollyanna sandwich,” she said, hearing her words bounce back from the pages inches from her face. A feeling of what might’ve been homesickness took her as she looked at Jack lounging on the narrow cot opposite hers. His head was thrown back and his feet were spread wide. A featureless black tie hung loosely about his neck, and the white shirt was unbuttoned at the top. She vaguely remembered seeing him like that once before . . . just not the particulars.

I can’t wait any longer, she thought, squinting at her cramped handwriting. Steiner was a bastard. He might be grilling Harmony, keeping her stuck in an office somewhere.

Peri had gotten through almost an entire year of memories, and it was odd, seeing Allen as a frustrated suitor against the fabric of platonic partner she’d draped him in. In the pages, Silas’s mood had improved, even if he still held himself at a discreet distance, enjoying her company mostly because Peri kept the other women away. Seeing her own infatuation bothered Peri, and it was infatuation. It was only love when it was returned.

I can’t believe I was so stupid today. Silas and I were sparring before regular class, just warming up. He got me laughing so hard I almost peed my pants, which he then used to take me down. He was so cocky I couldn’t stand it, and like a dumb-ass, I kissed him. I don’t even know why I did it, except that he looked happy for once. He just stared at me, this empty expression on his face. I tried to apologize, but he said forget it, grabbed his stuff, and walked out. He missed the entire class, hiding like an old cat gone somewhere to die.

Allen saw the whole thing. He says Silas is still feeling guilty about Summer. She’s been dead now for almost a year, and she’s still in his mind. Maybe I should just let it go. It’s not as if there’s a real chance for us. He’s one hell of an anchor, but they’re going to move him fully into tech at the end of the year. It sucks, because he’d be good at this, too, and it’s what he wants. But he’s too smart to waste, even if a drafter will make him bulletproof. He knows it, and it makes him mad. Maybe Silas is the smarter of us, keeping his distance.

Peri turned the page to a new entry, her brow furrowed. She didn’t remember it, but it might explain why Silas had always refused to spar with her.

Good, good day, though I can’t shake this feeling of waiting for the second shoe to drop. I don’t know if I need to thank Allen or if Silas figured this out all on his own, but we’re good. Better than good. Silas showed up at the range this morning, just as silent and broody as always, but before I could get out my apology, he kisses me within an inch of me ripping his clothes off. It really wasn’t a kiss as much as a mutual mauling. He wouldn’t say I love you, and every time I tried to say it, he’d start kissing me again. I’m afraid to ask Allen what changed his mind, but I doubt Silas opened up to him about it. Frankly, I don’t care. I feel safe with him. His silence is worth more than a hundred declarations of devotion. I watched him mourn Summer, and I know the guilt is still in him. I’m willing to wait for those three words, even if I forget.