«Zoya.»
“Zoya!” Tyoma said, waving an arm to catch her attention. “He’s not going to hurt you.”
She flicked her eyes at him before turning them back to Bunny.
“I swear. He isn’t the man who attacked you before. My name is Dr. Artyom Grachev. This boy’s father has asked us to help you. Get you someplace safe.”
Zoya looked at Tyoma again and shook her head, but said nothing.
«You must move now or the police will have you!» Javier said. «You’ll need to take the freight elevator. It’s down the hall all the way at the other end.»
Tyoma reached out and tapped the stretcher bot. “All of you, get going. That way, to the freight elevator.” He pointed the direction. “Bunny, please pick me up.”
Bunny frowned and looked at Zoya, then stood up and hefted Tyoma in his arms.
Tyoma turned his attention back to Zoya. “Please come with us. It’s dangerous to remain here.”
Zoya didn’t move. Her body was trembling and her eyes seemed feverish.
“Get me closer, Bunny.”
Zoya had one hand up as if to ward off a blow. When Tyoma got close enough, he reached out to take it. She tried to jerk it away, but feebly, so he grasped it harder and gave a gentle tug. “Please. You’ll be safe once we get you out of here.”
«Tell her about Irina.»
«Who?»
«Irina. One of her friends. Tell her Irina is safe and we can take her to her.»
Zoya wasn’t budging. “Zoya, we’re going to take you to your friend Irina.”
At that her eyes cleared and she looked at him. He saw a mixture of doubt and hope in them.
“Come,” Tyoma said. “Irina is safe, and you’ll be with her soon.” He tugged again and this time she allowed herself to be drawn to her feet. “Slowly,” he said to Bunny, and they set off after the three bots.
«Okay, we’re moving. You said you’d explain.»
«Take the freight lift all the way to the bottom. Your colleague, Dr. Sakaev is waiting there with his air car.»
«Kostya? He’s all right?»
«He’s fine. I’ve already briefed him.»
«Well brief me then.»
They arrived at the freight lift and joined the bots on board. “All the way down,” Tyoma told the elevator and it began its descent.
«I’ve got my son on life support in the hopes that his mind isn’t damaged.» Javier said. «You’re going to scan his mind data.»
«You want us to bring him back? That’s—»
«I’m part of your team now. I’ll contribute more to the advancement of your projects than you ever dreamed. But you must do this for me.»
«We have no empty crèches…»
«Kostya tells me you have several clones of each of you at different ages. You can afford to free up two of them.»
«We’d have to kill two of our clones?»
«They have no minds yet; it isn’t murder.»
«Two?»
«Yes, the girl needs sleep and medical attention. When we get her to the compound you’ll put her to bed and you’ll scan her mind as well.»
Tyoma shook his head. «Why her?»
«Because today was the first time since I got my son off of his Mesh addiction that he’s shown feelings toward someone besides his mother. By the time his clone is ready, Zoya will be middle-aged and they won’t have a chance. I can’t force them together, but I can give them the opportunity to see what happens.»
«That doesn’t seem ethical to me, doctor.»
«And the work you do, does that seem ethical to you? Never mind, I don’t give a damn. This is what we’re going to do.»
Tyoma didn’t want to argue right now. Perhaps the rest of his colleagues could back him up once they reached the compound. «And…after?»
«Then we’ll do what we promised her. Contact her friend Irina and have her come get Zoya.»
Tyoma blew out his breath. He’d long admired Dr. Saenz and had always wished he could meet him, but the idea of scanning a mind without the permission of the individual made him feel dirty. «We should tell her.»
«She’s in shock. She’s can’t make any rational decisions right now. I doubt she can even know what feelings, if any, she has toward Marcus at this moment.»
The lift stopped and the doors slid open onto a garage. Kostya leaned against his air car a dozen meter away, a smile on his face. Relief flooded through Tyoma and he grinned back at his friend. “Come on, Bunny. Let’s go home.”
Epilogue
Marcus opened his eyes, feeling rested if a little groggy. His arms were crossed over his chest on a thin blanket pulled up to his chin. He blinked several times to let his eyes adjust to the bright light of the small room. Is this a hospital?
Two men stepped into view, one on either side of him. Both were strangers to him. They were elderly but in good shape, as most old folks were these days due primarily to nanobot technology.
Marcus tried to talk, but his tongue didn’t seem to want to work.
“Don’t worry,” said one of the men. “It’s only temporary. Do you feel all right? You can just nod or shake your head.”
Marcus looked down past his arms and noticed something strange. His belly was gone. Or rather it was flatter than it had been since he was a little boy. He had an instant cartoon image of his belly deflating after being punctured by the bullets. I must have been out a very long time. He nodded at the kindly-looking old man.
The other man said, “There’s someone who has been waiting impatiently to speak to you for many years.” He nodded his head.
«Hello, Marcus. I hope you feel yourself again.»
«Papa?»
«Yes. How do you feel?»
«Okay, I guess. I remember being shot. I thought I was dead.»
«You were.»
«This is the hospital? In Moscow?»
«We’re still in Moscow, but this is not a hospital. We are at the research compound. The one I was looking for, remember?»
Marcus examined the old men closer. «These are your scientists?»
«Two of them. They…we do remarkable work here.»
A third man moved into view, dressed in a lab coat like the others, but Marcus recognized him and it made no sense. His stomach roiled at the memories of being chased by the huge gangster Bunny. And it was clearly Bunny…except older and looking somehow less vacant of expression. Sophisticated almost. The man caught his gaze and must have seen the panic there, because he smiled kindly and patted Marcus’s shoulder.
“Calm down,” he said. “They told me what the original owner of this body did to you and I can only imagine how hard it must be to see me like this. We can talk about it later once you are ready. When you get your voice, you can call me Xax. I like that better than Bunny, and my original name is already spoken for.” He glanced meaningfully at one of the other scientists.
Suddenly the last moments in The Pyramid came back in a rush. The war bot firing… «Zoya! Papa, is she all right?»
«She’s fine. You’ll see her soon enough. You need more rest first.»
«I’d like to see her now. Haven’t I been resting long enough?» He looked at the aged Bunny—What did he say to call him, Xax? — and his breathing became labored. «Just how long have I been out?»
«You haven’t been out. You were killed. I managed to get your body on life support in time to prevent brain damage. It’s taken—»
«I’m a…» Marcus looked at his flat belly again. «You’re telling me I’m a clone!»
«Is that such a bad thing?»
The ramifications of what had happened were roiling in Marcus’s brain. Question upon question piled up one after another. Would I rather have remained dead? «What year is this?»