The Deep Beneath by Natalie Wright Page A

ward. That commander lady may have been searching for him for a good reason.”
    “A psycho who can kill a man simply by thinking about it?” said Erika. “And since when do armed soldiers hunt down psych ward escapees? Not your typical tinfoil-hat-wearing nut job. The head of a psych ward ordering teenagers to be killed?”
    H.A.L.F. 9 did not participate in their conversation even though the debate directly concerned him.
    Despite the chill down her back that Erika got whenever she looked into his eyes, she had an irresistible urge to stare at him anyway. He was both frightening and intriguing. She wished they were face-to-face having this conversation. “What I want to know is why are you running?” she asked.
    H.A.L.F. 9 did not answer.
    “Look, if you want us to help you, you have to give us some answers.” Erika had tried her best to hide her irritation, but her patience with his aloof demeanor was wearing thin.
    “I did not ask for your help,” he said.
    Erika resisted the temptation to reach into the front seat and slap 9 for being so evasive. She threw her head back, took a deep breath and unclenched her hands. She had not realized she had balled them up into fists on her lap.
    “Don’t you have a name?” Jack asked.
    “We are identified by our number. I am number nine.”
    “Wait, that means that there are –” Ian said.
    “At least eight others,” Erika said. “How many of you are there?”
    “I am the only one of my kind. The eight before me … they –”
    “They what?” Erika pressed.
    “When I escaped, I saw them. They are preserved in glass cylinders. Some were what you might call grotesque. Deformed heads and hands. One had no legs. Most were quite small. Number eight was larger than the rest. It must have been at least one when it died. Or was killed.”
    “That’s awful,” Erika said. She reached her hand up and touched 9’s shoulder. He jumped under her touch and moved forward away from her hand. Erika pulled back. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I just meant to –”
    “It is all right. You did not know that I prefer not to be touched. You must understand. I have lived my life as a lab experiment. I have rarely been touched for any purpose other than to perform a medical test. Most times it involves a needle or surgical knife. ”
    The car fell silent. Though Erika still knew next to nothing about the stranger, each piece of information he offered made her feel more confident in her decision to help him escape the commander woman.
    “Do you think they’re still after you?” asked Jack.
    “Yes.”
    Ian looked up toward the top of the windshield. “I don’t see any helicopters. There aren’t any cop cars or tanks after us. I think you’re in the clear.”
    Erika wished she could join Ian’s optimism on the subject, but her gut told her otherwise. Commander Sturgis had looked far too emphatic about getting 9 back for Erika to believe that they’d seen the last of her.
    “I am the property of the U.S. government. Commander Sturgis is quite fond of reminding me of how expensive I have been to create and to keep. She will not let me go that easily. In fact, Commander Sturgis will never let me go.”
    H.A.L.F. 9’s voice got soft as he spoke the last part. Though his eyes remained focused forward, Erika wondered if he was sad about his long odds of permanent escape from the commander.
    Erika was angered and disturbed by his revelations. And with each passing minute she became more determined to help him escape so that he would not be returned to a place where he was held against his will and treated as though he were a mere object. “You’re part human,” Erika said. “You can’t be property. We have laws against that.”
    “Yeah, Erika’s right. What you need is a good lawyer,” said Ian.
    “I don’t think a lawyer is much help in a situation like this,” said Jack.
    “Forget a lawyer. You need to get a name. It’s bugging the