full of rat-snake, Nishi apparently had enough sense to stay put in the storm.
After the three of them had climbed inside, Risa closed the door. In the half-light of the bay’s illuminators, Kayla got a better look at the girl. Where her tunic and leggings were ripped, no doubt by sticker bushes, more lines of Scratch were visible—on her arms, her belly, her thighs.
“How long have you been sick?” Kayla asked.
“I’m not sick,” the girl said.
Kayla pushed up the unresisting girl’s sleeve. And saw what she’d never seen before. “Risa, they’re healing.”
“What do you mean?” Risa said, coming in for a closer look.
“The scratches are all scabbed over.” Kayla struggled to wrap her mind around the impossible. “And here—those marks are pale, not even red. And the skin there is smooth. No welts.”
“No one recovers from Scratch,” Risa said.
“Maybe some do.” Hope blossomed faintly inside Kayla.
“Get her to a safe house?” Risa suggested.
“Call Zul at the least and get her off the Grid. What’s your name and ID?” Kayla asked.
“I . . .” The girl’s brow furrowed. “It’s . . .”
“You don’t remember?” Kayla turned to Risa. “Could the Scratch have damaged her bare brain?”
The girl shook her head. “Do remember. Except . . . my name is Gemma 4727. And my name is Gabrielle 6181.”
Kayla glanced over at Risa. “There were a few GENs in Chadi sector that went by two names. But not two IDs. Even if she were reset, that should have wiped out the original ID.”
“You remember anything else, GEN?” Risa asked.
The girl didn’t answer. Her pale skin grew even paler and she started shivering so violently, Kayla feared the girl would hurt herself.
“Gemma!” Kayla shouted, but the girl didn’t respond. “Gabrielle, use your circuitry to warm yourself.”
The glassy-eyed GEN girl just kept shivering. The clamminess of her skin told Kayla she wasn’t in any state to use her circuitry.
“Shock, I think,” Kayla said. “We’d better get her into the sleeper.”
There was no way they could take her back out into the downpour, which meant they’d have to use the access hatch between the lorry’s bay and the sleeper compartment. But getting her up to the hatch required the GEN girl to climb a ladder from the lower bay to the higher level of the sleeper and cab. The girl looked ready to collapse, not at all fit to use a ladder.
“I’ll pull her up,” Kayla said.
She hurried up the ladder, slid aside the hatch cover. Easy enough for Kayla to squirm through the half-meter square opening, small as she was. The tall, slender girl would be more of a challenge, especially since she would be near dead weight.
Not just near, but total, Kayla realized as the GEN girl passed out and slumped in Risa’s arms. “Hey!” Risa shook her, tapping her cheek with an open hand. “Wake up, you!”
“Gabrielle!” Kayla shouted through the hatch. No reaction. “Gemma!”
The girl’s eyes fluttered open. She tried to focus on Kayla.
Kayla reached down through the hatch. “More Gemma than Gabrielle. Let’s assume that’s her name.”
Risa propped Gemma against the ladder, stretching first one limp arm then the other in reach of Kayla’s grip. Kayla lifted the GEN girl slowly, taking care not to bump her head as she angled her through the hatch.
Once Kayla got Gemma settled on the sleeper bed, she stripped the girl, dropping the soaked tunic, leggings, and underthings back through the hatch to Risa. She quickly dressed Gemma in one of Risa’s shirts and a pair of the lowborn’s leggings. The girl was too tall to wear Kayla’s things.
Kayla piled blankets on top of the ice-cold girl and slipped under the covers with her. Holding the girl close, Kayla used her circuitry to crank up her own body heat. As her warmth soaked into Gemma, the girl’s shivering eased.
Kayla called out to Risa, “The clothes help identify her at all? House GEN? Factory
After the three of them had climbed inside, Risa closed the door. In the half-light of the bay’s illuminators, Kayla got a better look at the girl. Where her tunic and leggings were ripped, no doubt by sticker bushes, more lines of Scratch were visible—on her arms, her belly, her thighs.
“How long have you been sick?” Kayla asked.
“I’m not sick,” the girl said.
Kayla pushed up the unresisting girl’s sleeve. And saw what she’d never seen before. “Risa, they’re healing.”
“What do you mean?” Risa said, coming in for a closer look.
“The scratches are all scabbed over.” Kayla struggled to wrap her mind around the impossible. “And here—those marks are pale, not even red. And the skin there is smooth. No welts.”
“No one recovers from Scratch,” Risa said.
“Maybe some do.” Hope blossomed faintly inside Kayla.
“Get her to a safe house?” Risa suggested.
“Call Zul at the least and get her off the Grid. What’s your name and ID?” Kayla asked.
“I . . .” The girl’s brow furrowed. “It’s . . .”
“You don’t remember?” Kayla turned to Risa. “Could the Scratch have damaged her bare brain?”
The girl shook her head. “Do remember. Except . . . my name is Gemma 4727. And my name is Gabrielle 6181.”
Kayla glanced over at Risa. “There were a few GENs in Chadi sector that went by two names. But not two IDs. Even if she were reset, that should have wiped out the original ID.”
“You remember anything else, GEN?” Risa asked.
The girl didn’t answer. Her pale skin grew even paler and she started shivering so violently, Kayla feared the girl would hurt herself.
“Gemma!” Kayla shouted, but the girl didn’t respond. “Gabrielle, use your circuitry to warm yourself.”
The glassy-eyed GEN girl just kept shivering. The clamminess of her skin told Kayla she wasn’t in any state to use her circuitry.
“Shock, I think,” Kayla said. “We’d better get her into the sleeper.”
There was no way they could take her back out into the downpour, which meant they’d have to use the access hatch between the lorry’s bay and the sleeper compartment. But getting her up to the hatch required the GEN girl to climb a ladder from the lower bay to the higher level of the sleeper and cab. The girl looked ready to collapse, not at all fit to use a ladder.
“I’ll pull her up,” Kayla said.
She hurried up the ladder, slid aside the hatch cover. Easy enough for Kayla to squirm through the half-meter square opening, small as she was. The tall, slender girl would be more of a challenge, especially since she would be near dead weight.
Not just near, but total, Kayla realized as the GEN girl passed out and slumped in Risa’s arms. “Hey!” Risa shook her, tapping her cheek with an open hand. “Wake up, you!”
“Gabrielle!” Kayla shouted through the hatch. No reaction. “Gemma!”
The girl’s eyes fluttered open. She tried to focus on Kayla.
Kayla reached down through the hatch. “More Gemma than Gabrielle. Let’s assume that’s her name.”
Risa propped Gemma against the ladder, stretching first one limp arm then the other in reach of Kayla’s grip. Kayla lifted the GEN girl slowly, taking care not to bump her head as she angled her through the hatch.
Once Kayla got Gemma settled on the sleeper bed, she stripped the girl, dropping the soaked tunic, leggings, and underthings back through the hatch to Risa. She quickly dressed Gemma in one of Risa’s shirts and a pair of the lowborn’s leggings. The girl was too tall to wear Kayla’s things.
Kayla piled blankets on top of the ice-cold girl and slipped under the covers with her. Holding the girl close, Kayla used her circuitry to crank up her own body heat. As her warmth soaked into Gemma, the girl’s shivering eased.
Kayla called out to Risa, “The clothes help identify her at all? House GEN? Factory
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