Cridex

Chapter Six

The truck finally slowed after hours of riding on unpaved dirt roads. They all seemed used to the hours of idle sitting and the droning hum of the motor, though, keeping a carefree and light banter all the way. Laughter and jokes flitted through the air, with all three of them smiling.

I tried to distance myself from them and their conversation, and only spoke when needed, which was a rare occurrence. They obviously had noticed my lack of chatter, with Imogen raising an eyebrow, but no one commented on my strange behavior. Instead, they tried to convince me with their talking.

As much as I did not believe it, I feared that a small part of me was already falling into their well laid out trap.

Perhaps they had done something earlier to my eye that turned it blue. Because, for sure, I was certainly not a cyborg. I know I am human, and I believe that. Despite the seed of doubt curling and rooting itself in my gut, I had to believe that.

Maybe Camden was a cyborg. Maybe Imogen and Jonas were too. But I wasn't. I would have to be shown, with unrefutable proof, that I, myself, is a cyborg.

I watched as the truck came to a halt. The three of them jumped off and walked towards the woods. "Ellery!" Imogen said, and motioned for me to walk over with them. Jonas had gone ahead to do something, but Camden and Imogen were waiting for me.

I walked towards them and Imogen grinned at me conspiratorially. "You know what this is?" She whispered to me, as if she was divulging a top secret piece of information. I shook my head, and she leaned in. "The rebel base."

"What?" I said, a bit too loudly. Imogen nodded whilst I stuttered. "But... Isn't this- what am I doing here?"

"We will explain, all in due time," Imogen replied, striding down the path. Camden cocked his head towards the path, and I nodded weakly as I walked down the dirt after Imogen.

The path forked into many smaller ones, and I tried to note at each one we turned. Each path had at least three leading off of them, and Imogen walked them quickly and frequently, leaving me scrambling to keep up.

Soon, I had the suspicion that Imogen was just leading me in multiple directions, trying to get me confused and dizzy. I soon lost count of the different turns, and Imogen looked back to smile at me. "We're here."

Gesturing dramatically at the small brick building, she smiled. The building itself looked nothing special, and it was inconspicuous. Imogen and Camden strode in, and I warily looked around the woods. Deciding I had no choice, I followed them inside.

We entered into a small room in which a small fire was burning. Jonas was already inside, his sharp eyes travelling from Imogen, to Camden, and to me, assessing everything. We all stood quietly for a second, and I decided to break the silence. "W-what am I doing here?"

Jonas and Camden's eyes both went to Imogen, who sighed. "You are here because you are a cyborg. You are not safe in the midst of the city, where thousands of people are looking for cyborgs just like you."

"Why are they searching for cyborgs?" I asked.

"The revolution." Imogen replied quietly. "According to some, runaway cyborgs have become a rebel force."

"So the rebel force is not you three?" I frowned. "Is there- is there a larger, much more powerful rebel cyborg force?"

Camden nodded. "Yes. According to many cyborg rumors, of course."

"Then why bring me here?" I raised my eyebrow. "Why not just run and join the rebel cyborgs?"

Imogen sighed, rubbing her temple. "Because we do not know where they are. And we need information, information that you may have." I immediately stiffened, and they noticed my new demeanor. "It will be okay, Ellery." Imogen soothed.

I backed away from her touch. "What do you want from me?" I snapped.

"We just need you to answer a few questions." Jonas said quietly. "No harm will come to you at all. The questions you answer will only be for the better of cyborgs. We are fighting for equality, Ellery, and you can be the key to that."

"No. No." I muttered. They all frowned in unison. "I-I can not."

"Why not, Ellery? Why not?" Camden asked gently. "Why can you not answer questions? They are just questions."

"Is that the only reason you brought me here? And why are you asking me for answers? Why not those other cyborgs being brought down on those very roads next to my house?" I cried. "What is so special about me?"

Jonas looked at the ground. "You... you are her daughter."

"So?" I lashed out.

He kept his gaze fixed on the ground. "So... so, you could have insider information. Tell me, did you mother ever tell you anything?" He looked up at me, raising an eyebrow. "Did she never tell you about her work? Did she never tell you about what was happening in the world?"

I shook my head. Jonas continued talking, "Did she never tell you about the unfairness that is brought upon all cyborgs in the world currently? Did your mother, Elizabeth, never tell you anything?"

I stayed quiet. I had to be selective on what I would tell them- even if I did tell them anything. They must have took my silence for a good omen, and Imogen said, "Come on, Ellery. Let us get you settled. You had a very exciting day today, and you need rest."

Nodding, I let Imogen lead me into a room. "This is mine, but we will be sharing the room. You can have the top bunk." She said, pointing at the bunk bed against the wall. "You can also have that desk."

"Thank you." I said awkwardly and climbed up the ladder to my bed. Immediately flopping on top of it, I breathed a sigh of relief.

***

"Ellery! Ellery, wake up." I woke to the sound of Imogen shaking me. "Hurry up. We need to get ready." Before I could ask what to get ready for, she had disappeared out the door and I walked to the closet.

Uncomfortably, I dressed in Imogen's shirt and pants. It was a bit loose, but it was better than my old ones. I walked out the door and found Imogen walking down the hall. "Imogen!" I yelled, and she waved at me.

"Breakfast." She grinned. I gave a small smile in return. We finished the breakfast quickly, and I searched for Camden and Jonas but they were not in the room. "They are busy." Imogen said after seeing me look around the room. I nodded quietly.

After we finished breakfast, Imogen dragged me down the halls. "Where are we going?" I asked as Imogen strode down the halls.

"I am taking you to meet someone."