The Beyond: Dystopian Survival Fiction (The Breeder Files Book 4) by Eliza Green (best ebook reader for surface pro TXT) 📕

‘I agree. He’s always had too much control over the Collective.’

‘Over all of us.’

The Inventor let out a deep, frustrated sigh. Carissa had become attuned to his noises and what each one meant.

She got to her feet and walked over to him. ‘What did you find out?’

‘Not much, miss. 118-C’s recollections have been interfered with.’

‘By whom? The Collective?’

‘Who else could it be?’ He sighed again. ‘I’m afraid I can’t shed light on where the Collective is hiding out, or find information on the Beyond.’

Carissa’s dream of abandonment hit her again. Her heart pumped fast and set her hands shaking. This was it. Everything that had happened—that was happening—would push her away from the Inventor.

But perhaps, for this plan to work, it demanded that Carissa let him go. Perhaps, to get out of this mess, she needed to make a sacrifice. A sacrifice could work. And that terrified her.

But the Collective’s unknown whereabouts still bothered her.

She turned to 118-C. ‘What happened in the days after our escape?’

118-C frowned at the ground, then at her. ‘I don’t remember.’

‘I’ve been hearing Quintus in my head these last few days. Is there a way he could be on a separate network?’

118-C considered it, then shook her head slowly. ‘I’m not sure.’

Carissa turned to the Inventor next, refusing to give up. ‘What about the frequencies? Could we determine where Quintus is hiding from those? Maybe he can lead us to the rest of the Collective.’

The Inventor nodded slowly, like the idea might work. ‘We could try.’

He gestured for Carissa to sit in the seat next to the diagnostic machine.

She did and he hooked her up to the machine. She settled back in the worn, leather chair and huffed out a breath. ‘There must be some trail his communications have left that can lead us to him. We can’t leave this place without knowing where he is.’

The Inventor and Thomas crowded around her. Vanessa and Charlie joined them. The presence of all four plunged her into deep shadow. 118-C got to her feet but stood back, looking uneasy about the new attention on Carissa. In some strange way, their proximity made Carissa feel safe—loved, even. And for that, she would do anything she could to protect them.

Thomas jabbed his finger at the screen. ‘Look, there’s a second frequency showing up. One is yours. I assume the other belongs to Quintus.’

‘Only one?’ Carissa asked, leaning forward.

The Inventor double-checked and nodded.

Her hope deflated. ‘That means Quintus has found a way to separate himself from the other nine.’

She sat back with a sigh. They had run out of time to find them.

118-C drew nearer to the machine. ‘Are you saying the others are gone?’

‘It’s possible.’ The Inventor frowned at the machine. ‘The frequency trail went cold some time yesterday.’

That information tied in with when Carissa had stopped hearing him. ‘I thought he might attempt reconnection, but I’ve heard nothing.’

The Inventor drew back from the machine in alarm.

Carissa’s part-organic heart thundered loudly in her chest. ‘What is it?’

He slid his eyes to her. ‘Communication stopped around the time we attempted to cross over to the Beyond.’

Vanessa said, ‘I don’t understand. Do you think the scanner above the door might have disabled his connection to Carissa?’

‘It’s possible,’ said Charlie.

No, that’s not what the Inventor was saying. Her hands shook and her breathing quickened.

‘Miss?’

She turned away from him, not ready to believe it. Her stomach churned. Her skin burned with a sudden fever. This was just... like... a panic attack.

The Inventor gripped her arm. ‘What’s wrong, miss?’

She looked up at him, eyes wide. Her mouth opened and closed but no words came.

She swallowed. ‘I think... I know where Quintus is.’

‘Where?’

Her voice was barely a whisper. ‘H-he found a way to cross. Using me.’

The Inventor straightened up. ‘There’s no evidence to say he’s left the city. It’s more possible the scanner disabled him as he attempted to hitch a ride on your connection.’

Carissa swayed as she stood. She gripped the back of the chair. ‘You don’t understand what he’s capable of. He’s... obsessed with the Originals. He ordered extra testing on Dom... when the other nine didn’t want to. H-he pushed the boundaries of learning so he could understand human behaviour.’

Vanessa said, ‘It’s still possible he never made it across and he was disabled.’

Carissa marched over to 118-C, pulled her over to the chair and sat her down in it. ‘She’ll know.’

118-C blinked. ‘But I don’t remember anything.’

‘We have Quintus’ frequency. We can use it to see what activities he had an interest in and what he ignored. The Collective talked about behaviour modifications. It was successful with Julius. I don’t know if the Ten had time to modify anyone else.’

The Inventor shrugged at the medic. ‘It can’t hurt.’

118-C allowed him to hook her up to the machine again.

He squinted at the screen. ‘I can see his signature. He checked in when you visited one of the labs in the medical facility.’

118-C nodded. ‘The labs are used for surgical procedures.’

‘Maybe he was removing information from Julius,’ said Charlie. ‘He spent months with Max and me. He amassed a lot of knowledge.’

‘Wait, there’s a snippet of transcript here,’ said the Inventor.

‘What does it say?’

‘He’s asking, “Is it done?” And you replied, “Yes.”’

118-C frowned at the floor. ‘I don’t remember speaking with him.’

Carissa worried the procedure hadn’t been completed on another Copy, but on someone closer to home. ‘His signature disappeared when the others passed into the Beyond. Only two people from that group could have been in surgery that day. Jerome or Alex.’

The others stared at her.

‘What are you saying?’ asked the Inventor.

‘That Quintus successfully inserted a behaviour modification in either