Read Online Unremarkable (Anything But) by Lindy Zart - Free Book Online
Authors: Lindy Zart
Ads: Link
closer.”
Isaac stopped with his hands up, holding in a sigh.
“Are you aware there is an unworkable tracking device on you?”
“ Yes. How do you know I have one?”
“ There is still activity associated with it that shows up on my radar—deactivated or not. Toss it over.” The voice came from around a corner, young and thick with bravado.
“ Is this necessary, James?”
“ Yes. I’m following protocol.”
“ The protocol I taught you?”
James sighed. “Okay. Come on back.”
Isaac fought to not roll his eyes as he turned the corner and entered a techno geek’s playroom. Electronics of varying sizes and shapes were set up on any desk, shelving, or space available—stacked upon one another, from the floor up. The blinking lights of red, blue, and yellow were a mockery of Christmas lights. Isaac got dizzy from staring at the display for too long. He averted his gaze, taking in the young UDK instead.
“ Any news?”
James nodded his shaggy dark head, pushing his wire-rimmed glasses up his nose with his index finger. “Oh yeah. Lots of news.”
The kid was sixteen, his intelligence level close to genius, and his views full of morality wasted by circumstances and fate. His face hadn’t lost its baby fat yet and the eyes behind his spectacles were large, brown, and soulful. Every time Isaac looked at him, he felt his insides twist. None of this should even exist for James, not a kid of sixteen. He should be playing video games, watching movies, and looking at girly magazines.
Isaac leaned against an inch of desk not taken up with gizmos and trained his gaze on James as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Spill.”
With a sigh, the teenager sat on his swivel chair. “Can I have the chip?” Reaching into his back pocket, Isaac tossed the baggie at him.
James fumbled to catch it, grace not one of his gifts. “I’ve been hearing all kinds of stuff about the carrier of this chip.” He looked down, and then raised his head to pierce Isaac with his serious gaze. “Honor?”
Isaac nodded brusquely, stoic and still, a faint tick in his jaw the only clue that the name Honor even registered in his brain.
“ She’s okay?”
“ For the moment.”
James inhaled slowly, nodding to himself. “Okay. Let me take a look at it, figure out what all it does.”
“Where’s the rest of the gang?”
“ Making rounds. They should be back any minute.”
“ I think they're back. I was being watched from the roof.”
“ That was Charlie. He's new. He doesn't do rounds, but he never misses a shot. We keep him on the roof.”
Isaac acknowledged that with a nod. “What have you been hearing on the bugs?”
“Well, it sounds like most of the facility didn’t even know she was there. The testing…that is undisclosed. I haven’t been able to find out what they’ve been doing to her, not all of it anyway. I did hear mention of a DNA strand.”
Eyes narrowed, Isaac demanded, “What about a DNA strand?”
James removed his glasses and wearily rubbed his eyes before resituating them. “Different strands play different roles in our bodies, right?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
“You know scientists mess around with strands, study them, and try to reproduce them, stuff like that?”
“ Of course. Scientists like to screw with the proper order of things, alter them. They’re much too curious for their own good—arrogant. Some of them even think they’re gods.”
“ Right. Sort of. Anyway, I heard this DNA strand mentioned in a conversation between August and someone else. I didn’t catch much of it. He’s smart, suspicious. August doesn’t give any more info out than is necessary.”
When James paused, Isaac motioned for him to hurry up and explain what he was taking his time getting at.
“I don’t know for sure…but what if…what if this virus we’re carrying—what if it wasn’t some accident at a testing lab? What if it was planned? What if they purposely let it loose and then
Isaac stopped with his hands up, holding in a sigh.
“Are you aware there is an unworkable tracking device on you?”
“ Yes. How do you know I have one?”
“ There is still activity associated with it that shows up on my radar—deactivated or not. Toss it over.” The voice came from around a corner, young and thick with bravado.
“ Is this necessary, James?”
“ Yes. I’m following protocol.”
“ The protocol I taught you?”
James sighed. “Okay. Come on back.”
Isaac fought to not roll his eyes as he turned the corner and entered a techno geek’s playroom. Electronics of varying sizes and shapes were set up on any desk, shelving, or space available—stacked upon one another, from the floor up. The blinking lights of red, blue, and yellow were a mockery of Christmas lights. Isaac got dizzy from staring at the display for too long. He averted his gaze, taking in the young UDK instead.
“ Any news?”
James nodded his shaggy dark head, pushing his wire-rimmed glasses up his nose with his index finger. “Oh yeah. Lots of news.”
The kid was sixteen, his intelligence level close to genius, and his views full of morality wasted by circumstances and fate. His face hadn’t lost its baby fat yet and the eyes behind his spectacles were large, brown, and soulful. Every time Isaac looked at him, he felt his insides twist. None of this should even exist for James, not a kid of sixteen. He should be playing video games, watching movies, and looking at girly magazines.
Isaac leaned against an inch of desk not taken up with gizmos and trained his gaze on James as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Spill.”
With a sigh, the teenager sat on his swivel chair. “Can I have the chip?” Reaching into his back pocket, Isaac tossed the baggie at him.
James fumbled to catch it, grace not one of his gifts. “I’ve been hearing all kinds of stuff about the carrier of this chip.” He looked down, and then raised his head to pierce Isaac with his serious gaze. “Honor?”
Isaac nodded brusquely, stoic and still, a faint tick in his jaw the only clue that the name Honor even registered in his brain.
“ She’s okay?”
“ For the moment.”
James inhaled slowly, nodding to himself. “Okay. Let me take a look at it, figure out what all it does.”
“Where’s the rest of the gang?”
“ Making rounds. They should be back any minute.”
“ I think they're back. I was being watched from the roof.”
“ That was Charlie. He's new. He doesn't do rounds, but he never misses a shot. We keep him on the roof.”
Isaac acknowledged that with a nod. “What have you been hearing on the bugs?”
“Well, it sounds like most of the facility didn’t even know she was there. The testing…that is undisclosed. I haven’t been able to find out what they’ve been doing to her, not all of it anyway. I did hear mention of a DNA strand.”
Eyes narrowed, Isaac demanded, “What about a DNA strand?”
James removed his glasses and wearily rubbed his eyes before resituating them. “Different strands play different roles in our bodies, right?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
“You know scientists mess around with strands, study them, and try to reproduce them, stuff like that?”
“ Of course. Scientists like to screw with the proper order of things, alter them. They’re much too curious for their own good—arrogant. Some of them even think they’re gods.”
“ Right. Sort of. Anyway, I heard this DNA strand mentioned in a conversation between August and someone else. I didn’t catch much of it. He’s smart, suspicious. August doesn’t give any more info out than is necessary.”
When James paused, Isaac motioned for him to hurry up and explain what he was taking his time getting at.
“I don’t know for sure…but what if…what if this virus we’re carrying—what if it wasn’t some accident at a testing lab? What if it was planned? What if they purposely let it loose and then
Similar Books
