Unforgotten(106)

It’s the old Kaelen—the brainwashed, programmed, order-abiding version of himself—declaring war against this new, unfamiliar rebellious one. Attempting to regain control.

I stare in stunned silence as the internal battle wages on. As his eyes squeeze tightly shut. As his face contorts into what I can only describe as torment.

“Kaelen,” I finally say, gently placing my hand on his. He jumps at the contact and his eyes flicker open. “Are you all right?”

With visible effort, his mouth moves. His fingers curl into a tight ball underneath my hand. And for a minute I think he’s going to let out a scream.

“It’s okay,” I assure him, rubbing his tense, white knuckles. “You’re safe. You’re with me.”

For some reason, my comforting seems to work. After minutes of brutal combat, a victor emerges. The old Kaelen is shoved back down into the dark corners of his mind. And the new Kaelen speaks. His voice breathless and weary. His words choppy and clipped.

“Dr.… Rio…”

“What about him?” I ask, my eyebrows pinched together.

“He’s … not … dead.”





60

INCISED



I saw him.

I saw him fall. I saw him shake and shake and shake until he was deathly still. I saw the life fade from his eyes. Right in front of me. In that cave.

I saw him die.

The memory has haunted me since that day.

“But the Modifier.” I stumble through the words. “Alixter turned it all the way up.”

“It’s a destructive setting, yes,” Kaelen admits. “But it’s not fatal on its own.”

“What does it do, then?” I ask, my voice trembling as I remember Alixter describing the setting as something he called scramble.

“His brain has been severely damaged,” Kaelen explains. “Dr. Alixter brought him back to the compound after your escape. The lack of brain activity will eventually cause his body to shut down permanently. But Dr. Alixter has been keeping him alive. Artificially. He’s in a guarded room at the compound’s medical facility.”

Bombs are exploding in my head. Tiny detonations of joy. Of relief. Of hope.

“How do you know this?” I ask, a small shadow of my former distrust resurfacing.

“It was part of my intelligence briefing before I was sent on this mission. And”—Kaelen hesitates, his eyes shifting—“I’ve seen him.”

“We have to go there,” I say immediately, surprising myself with my own eagerness.

This is Diotech I’m referring to.

The place where I was made. Where I was imprisoned. The place Zen fought so hard to help me escape from.

But if that’s where Rio is, if that’s the only clue to finding Zen’s cure, then there is no hesitation.

“You have to take me there,” I tell Kaelen. “Rio knows where the other two doses of the repressor are.”

Kaelen’s head is already swinging back and forth before I’ve even finished speaking. “His brain is in an indecipherable state. He’s not even conscious. He’ll never be able to tell you where it is. He won’t even know you’re there.”

But I’m not deterred. Not when this is my last chance. “We have to try,” I vow. “I have to try. For him.”

Kaelen looks away, refusing to meet my eye. “Are you sure you want to go back there? If you’re caught—”

“I know the risks,” I say quickly, before he can finish the thought. I fear that if I hear the consequences aloud, I’ll lose my nerve.

I don’t have to guess what Alixter will do if he finds me there. If I’m apprehended. He’s already made his intentions for me perfectly clear.

I won’t lie. The thought of returning to the Diotech compound nearly paralyzes me. But there’s only one thing I’m sure of. And that is my desire to save Zen. Even if someone told me I had to go to the moon to do it, I would say yes.

Always yes.

“You said Rio’s room was guarded,” I say.

“From the outside,” Kaelen clarifies.

“Can you get us directly inside then?”

He nods. “Yes.”

Then there’s nothing else to debate. The decision is made.

I reach for the locket that’s still dangling from my wrist and ease open its door. Then I slide my hand into Kaelen’s and he closes his eyes, focusing.

I wait, staring down at our intertwined fingers. And that’s when I see it.

Peeking out from underneath the sleeve of his shirt.

His tattoo. His black scar. His tracking device.

I quickly fling his hand away. “Wait!”

Kaelen’s eyes snap open. “What?”

I flip over my own wrist and show him my matching mark. I can see the comprehension flashing over his face.