Disruptor (21 page)

“Yeah, it’s here.”

Dani halted with her back to him. Her arms
and shoulders were an abstract of old and new bruises. “Good. I’ve
done all I can do. I need to leave town before the wrong people
find me.”

“There’s still one more girl out there.”

She started walking again. “Someone else will
have to find her.”

“Nobody can do what you can, Dani. She needs
you.”

This time when Dani stopped she turned to
face him. “What I can do? You mean fuck up and get her killed? She
doesn’t need that.”

He left the bed and went to stand in front of
her. “You have extraordinary abilities. You’ve helped so many
people. I know you want to help her, too.”

“I can’t. Don’t you get it? You think because
I saved your life that I’m some kind of hero. I’m not. Get that
through your head.” She turned away from him. “I’m not any kind of
hero.”

“What’s her name?”

“What does it matter?”

“Is it Molly?”

Dani froze. “How do you know that name?”

“You said it in your sleep, several times. Is
that what the last Russian girl calls herself? It’s not a very
Russian name.” He came up behind her and put his hands lightly on
her shoulders, wishing she would take the comfort he offered,
knowing she wouldn’t. “You said,
I’m sorry Molly. I’m so
sorry
. Who is Molly?”

She trembled under his touch then jerked
away. “None of your damn business.”

He clenched his hands in frustration then
dropped them to his sides. “You can talk to me.”

“I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I can’t do
any of it.”

“What can’t you do? You tell me what you
think you can’t do, and I’ll tell you how you’re wrong.”

Tense silence stretched out between them. It
gave him hope, that she was reconsidering, that she might actually
open up to him again. The secrets she’d shared about the lab and
what was done to her there – that was enormous. Why couldn’t she
trust him now, with whatever was tearing her up inside? Because it
was obvious something was, something more than Masha’s loss. When
the first girl was found dead, Dani had been so determined to save
the others and stop the killer. What had changed? Who was Molly,
and what did she have to do with Dani suddenly wanting to run away
and leave town?

Dani shook her head. “I can’t. Don’t ask me
to talk about it.” He reached for her, fingertips sliding down her
arm as she started walking again. “I need a shower. When I come
downstairs, I want the ID. It’s time for me to go.”

The bathroom door closed, and it felt like a
rebuke. He collected his sketchpad and left the room.

It was nearly an hour before she came
downstairs. Dani wore black jeans and a gray Henley underneath his
jacket. A small duffel was slung over her shoulder. She stopped in
the middle of the living room and looked everywhere but at him.
“Mind if I keep the clothes?”

“Of course not.” He gave her the envelope
with her new ID. “Keep the jacket, too. It looks good on you.”

Her gaze met his for nearly two whole
seconds. “Thanks.” She took the envelope, not bothering to look
inside. “Thank you for everything.”

He moved closer to her, then closer still
when she didn’t back away. Tipped her chin up and stroked her
jawline, her cheek. “I wish you would stay.”

“I can’t. You know that.”

“At least an hour or two. Let me cook you
breakfast.”

“No. I should go now.”

He nodded, because there was nothing else to
say. Not that would make a difference. “My door is always open, if
you change your mind.” He leaned down and kissed her, thrilled to
feel her kiss back. A soft brush of lips, just enough pressure to
make him want to take it further but not enough to be considered an
invitation.

Then she was gone.

Dani walked through the city. Point Sable in
the early morning hours was still vibrantly alive, if somewhat
subdued. There was so much light in the city center, it didn’t
matter that her night vision was still out of commission. Traffic
was sparse but still flowed. She could have taken a bus or hailed a
cab but with no destination in mind, she kept walking instead.

She had nowhere to go. No home and family to
return to, no friends to take her in. No idea what to do with
herself. The closest thing she had to a plan was to get as far from
Point Sable as possible and hide. Move around as frequently as
necessary. Work whatever odd jobs she could get. No roots, no
connections, no relationships of any kind.

Jesus, how pathetic. Every part of that
sounded miserable. She’d never wanted to live like that. But then,
she’d never had any idea of how she wanted to live. Even as a
child, she’d been too busy just trying to survive to give any
thought to the future. Making it through the week without getting
hit, or worse, had been her only real ambition.

Now here she was, with enhanced speed and
strength and all the skills she’d learned in the lab, and she was
still getting beat up. Went looking for it, in fact. One of these
days she was going to have to think about her unhealthy
relationship with pain, but not today.

The lights of a twenty-four hour fast food
joint beckoned. Dani crossed the street. The place was about half
full even at this hour, blue collar and service workers either
heading to jobs or heading home after their shift. Tired faces,
quiet and preoccupied with their own thoughts. No one paid any
attention to Dani, which suited her just fine. She ordered coffee
and a biscuit sandwich then stepped to the side to wait for her
food.

The woman working the counter to relay food
to customers looked barely awake. She yawned then shrugged when she
realized Dani had seen it. “Whew, it’s early.”

Dani nodded. “You used to working another
shift?”

“I had to close at my other job last night,
then come in here for the breakfast shift this morning. You know
how it is.”

Dani took a closer look at her. Definitely
not a girl, a grown woman probably in her early thirties. Dark
brown skin and a gently rounded face with large, expressive eyes.
She would have been pretty if not for the harsh lighting and the
polyester uniform and working herself to the bone. “Never stops,
huh?” Dani didn’t know what to say. She’d never had a real job.

“Not when you got kids to feed.” The woman
retrieved Dani’s order and placed the tray on the counter. “Can I
get you anything else?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Dani picked up the tray.

The woman offered a tired smile. “Take care
of yourself, hon.”

All the tables at the edge of the dining room
were taken so Dani sat at one in the middle. The coffee tasted like
crap compared to what she’d had at Kevin’s, but it was hot and
almost drinkable with enough sugar and creamer. Grease was the
primary flavor of the sausage and cheese biscuit. Nope, she
definitely wasn’t uptown anymore. Once she’d eaten all of the
biscuit she could stand, she discreetly checked the envelope with
her new ID. Driver’s license and passport – that, she’d expected.
The stack of cash didn’t faze her. The checkbook and credit card,
though…what the hell, Kevin? She could be tracked much easier
through bank accounts than using cash.

The number in the check register made her
want to throw something at Kevin’s head. She didn’t want his money.
She’d never helped anyone with the expectation of being paid. She
shoved the envelope back in her bag and fished out the phone. Okay,
yeah, the bag and phone he’d bought, but still. Somehow it felt
different.

The phone was cold in her hand. She stared at
it, her anger and confusion melting away. Replaced by the
temptation – no, need – to check the hashtag. Had Housecat been
able to find Tatiana?

Or had she been found by Bessonov?

In a rush, Dani closed the bag and hurried
back out into the streets. With nowhere to go, she just walked. Low
impact exercise was the best cure for shock overload, the lab’s
term for an enhanced subject being electrocuted into worthlessness.
The subjects referred to it as getting their brains fried like
Sunday chicken. The muscle aches sucked but after a while, because
of the procedures and the training, everyone in the lab got used to
that. It was what shock overload did to your head that was the real
bitch.

The neural interface was both tough and
delicate. Tough enough to survive repeated concussions and shock
overload, but still delicate enough to be temporarily scrambled by
such injuries. During training, the lab rats were sedated to sleep
through the worst of it. Initial testing, not so much. It had been
almost three years since Dani had suffered from shock overload and
had to feel the side effects. It had sent her vision and hearing
bouncing all over the place. A whisper became a shout and anything
louder than that was just so much unintelligible feedback. No night
vision, no zooming in. Also no camera, still or video. Worst of
all, no control. Dani had worked to the point of obsession to learn
how to work with and control the neural interface. It had not come
naturally to her like it did some. Losing that control, even if
only briefly, hurt in its own way as much as the physical aches and
pains.

Every step she took brought her body closer
to full strength, like a slow reboot after a system crash. Part of
the genetic modifications were for quicker healing. The neural
interface would take a little longer, but not much. It was too soon
to start test runs on it. If she tried it now, she’d wind up with a
splitting headache at the very least, passed out in the street at
the worst. Tonight, maybe tomorrow, she could try. For right now it
felt good just to walk and use the senses she’d been born with.

An hour later she looked up and realized she
was in an unfamiliar west side neighborhood. Businesses were
opening for the day. Buses for both city transit and schools
clogged the busy streets. She took a break at a bench across from a
school bus stop. Middle school aged kids played and talked as they
waited. One little girl stood a few feet away by herself, nose in a
book. Blond pigtails, not brown, but her face became Molly’s
nonetheless.

Dani took in a sharp breath. He skin went
cold and clammy, her heart sped up. Sweat broke out at her
hairline. Would this ever stop? Seeing her everywhere, hearing her
screams. Wearing the guilt like a second skin.

A man creeped up behind the girl, holding
something behind his back in one hand. With the other he reached
for the child. Dani was on her feet and weaving through traffic
before she had a chance to think about it. The girl screamed as the
assailant picked her up.

Then the scream turned into laughter.
“Daddy!”

Dani came to a halt at the curb, staring.

The man swung his daughter around before
putting her back on her feet then handed her a fat textbook. “You
forgot your math book again.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” She fought to find room in
her backpack for the textbook. The bus arrived and she hurried away
with a wave to her father.

Dani watched as the kids boarded, feeling
equal parts stupid and relieved.

The father eyed her curiously. “You thought I
was some stranger fixing to snatch her, didn’t you?”

“I’m sorry.” She held her hands up in
apology.

“No, no. Most people would have walked away.
Not want to get involved, you know?”

“Yeah.” Dani shoved her hands in her pockets.
“I know what you mean. I hope you’re not insulted. I was just
worried about the kid.”

“No offense taken. I’m glad there’s still
people out there who give a damn about strangers. You don’t see
that much anymore.”

“I guess not.”

He stepped closer and offered his hand. “I
gotta get to work, but thanks.”

Dani let his hand hang in the air for a
moment then shook it. “No problem.”

“Take care of yourself.” He went on his
way.

The need to get moving sent Dani in the
opposite direction. Not that she had anywhere to go. Shouldn’t she
be on a bus headed out of town by now? This aimless wandering was
pointless.

But she couldn’t stop. It was as if her body
demanded she keep moving until she figured out a destination.
Eventually she found herself on 110
^th
Street. She
stopped at a shuttered business a short distance from the
unofficial demarcation of the South Side. Climbing to the roof gave
her a decent view of the city. To the north, skyscrapers glittered
in the morning sun. To the south lay rundown neighborhoods barely
surviving. She paced the rooftop, the wind tangling her hair.

As the minutes ticked by, a truth sank deeper
under her skin and settled in the marrow of her genetically
strengthened bones. She would never be free, not really. Even with
a new identity, she’d always be looking over her shoulder. She
could leave Point Sable for another town, but she wouldn’t stay
long. She’d never be able to stay anywhere for very long. Her face
would stay the same because she couldn’t bear the thought of more
procedures. Her DNA had markers that not only identified her as
herself but as an enhanced person. A different name, birthdate, a
fake social security number – those things might slow them down,
but eventually they would still find her. There was no way they
weren’t searching for her.

From the day Wolff bought them from the
traffickers, Dani and the other three girls were nothing but
property. Even when Wolff was replaced with Dr. Hurd, they’d been
denied their freedom. Too much had already been done to them, too
many experiments and procedures that made them valuable to the
lab.

Before the lab…she hadn’t been free then,
either, and not just because she’d been underage. Her body had
never been her own. Somebody else had always been bigger, stronger,
willing to hurt her to make themselves feel powerful.

No more.