Power Play (Book 2)

Chapter 15: Face of the Enemy

Recap: Brandon caught up with the fleeing clones, who were supposed to be getting an injured Ryan to safety. The clones drained the energy from Brandon's nanobots and took him to Hong Kong, where he met Doctor Alexandra Daley. Doctor Daley used to work with Mandeville and is an expert on nanobots. She took a sample of Brandon's blood to examine his nanobots, then offered to release Brandon and finish helping Ryan recover. She only had one request, that Brandon help her assistant Cheng find his missing brother.

Winning Choice: I should take charge and demand some answers. I want to see the facility where Ryan is being held, and learn exactly what Dr. Daley plans to do with my nanobots. I'm not letting her out of my sight, or helping them, until I know what's going on.

Cheng watches me, his eyes filled with both hope and fear. I look from him to Daley and back, and when I meet his gaze again he can see I've made my decision. He looks down.

"I am sorry, Mr. Cheng, but I am not here for rescue missions. I hope your brother is safe and you find him quickly, but I can't help."

Daley puts her hand on Cheng's shoulder and says something quietly to him in Chinese. He nods, but when he glances up at her his eyes are filled with tears. She gives his shoulder a squeeze and nods towards the door. He leaves, and I feel a pang of guilt. Whatever else is tangled up with Cheng's brother, Cheng's feelings for him seem real. Cheng steps out through the reinforced door, closing it quietly behind him.

"I am sorry," I say. "I understand his feelings very well. They're the reason why I need to insist on seeing my friend Ryan."

Daley sighs. "As I explained, he is still in very serious condition and needs to be resting. I don't think that-" I hold up a hand to cut her off.

"I'm not looking to take him out dancing. I understand the shape he's in, and I appreciate what you've done for him. The problem is I really don't know you, or what you're all about, and the list of people trying to use me for their own agenda appears to be longer than the list of people on Facebook. So, nothing personal, but I'm going to have to insist." 

I look at her directly, but try not to appear threatening. She knows I'm not at full strength yet, but I want her to know I'm serious. The three other clones in the room tense up, but Daley waves her hand at them dismissively. She looks at me a moment, pursing her lips and thinking.

"Fine," she says. "I will make a call. I think this is a mistake, but if it is what you want I will ask."

"You're not in charge around here? Sure looked like it to me."

She turns to the door. "In my work, yes, but I am only a part of Samsara. Wait here, this won't take a moment." She pulls a phone out of her coat pocket and steps out of the room, leaving me with the clones. 

"I'm sorry I can't help your friend," I tell them as I fish around in the nightstand for more power bars. They all watch me quietly, so I continue. "It's not that I don't care, it's just that my own friend is my priority right now. But why don't all of you help him?"

Two of the clones exchange a glance, and the third makes a small frown. The one who frowned says "A few of us tried, but we weren't exactly welcome. Things got out of control and several people died."

"Several of them or several of you?" I ask, munching into the first of another box of bars.

"Both," he says. "You can do things we can't, so Cheng thought you could get to his brother. I told him you wouldn't do it, but he never gives up."

"Well, I'm the last person to criticize someone else for being too single minded. Why did you think I wouldn't help?"

"You're selfish, caught up in yourself and your life. You didn't earn what's inside you. You didn't pay the price the rest of us did." I stop chewing and put the rest of the bar down. I've just stuffed several thousand calories into my face so I think I'll be fine once it finishes digesting.