from him and stood up, stepping around him and backed away. “Then how it is? You’re alive and clearly everyone but me knew that. Do you have any idea what hell I have lived thinking you were dead?”
He rose to his feet. “Sonia-”
“Did you fake your death for me?” she demanded, every word tight and exact. She was shaking. Tears prickled at the back of her eyes.
“I was trying to protect you.”
She hugged herself. Protect her. She didn’t even know what to say to that. “Why show yourself to me now?”
“Because I’m no longer the most dangerous person in your life.”
“You haven’t even been in my life so how could you be dangerous?”
“That’s the idea,” he said. “I had to stay away. And it killed me. I know you don’t understand, but-”
“I understand that you chose for me, which must mean you didn’t want me anymore. Why not just break up with me Kel? Why? Why let me mourn you?”
“Leaving you behind killed me, Sonia,” he said, his voice raspy with emotion she knew had to be fake. He’d left her. He’d walked away like she was nothing.
“And yet you did.”
“You would have chosen me,” he said. “I had to choose you.”
“By playing dead?”
“Yes,” he ground out, drawing out the word. “I chose your safety. You don’t understand what happened. I’ll explain-”
“You are Special Forces,” she said. “I knew the danger. Nothing you can say will change how much you hurt me. And now – now you say I’m in danger so you pull me back into your world by necessity, but not choice?”
“It’s not like that,” he argued and took a step toward her.
She backed away. “And yet it is. It is.”
“They changed me, Sonia,” he said, his voice gravely and thick. “They turned me into something I don’t even recognize.”
She hugged herself, not sure how she was holding back the tears, trying to control her shaking. “I don’t either, because the man I thought I knew and loved wouldn’t have done this to me, to us.” She inhaled and let it out. “Can I leave now?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why? What does that mean?”
“It means that you’re being hunted by Adam Rain and that’s a very dangerous thing to be.”
“Caleb’s brother?”
“Yes,” he said. “Caleb’s brother. He’s leading a rebel group called the Zodius who took over Area 51 and they intend to take over far more than that.”
“What?” she gasped. “Why? When did this happen?”
“The immunizations they were giving us at Area 51 weren’t immunizations at all. They were experimental DNA that changed us. We aren’t...human. Not fully anymore.”
She was stunned. “What does that mean? What kind of DNA?”
“The rumors of a ship that the government recovered in New Mexico were true,” he said. “And with it they acquired some unique DNA. After years of study, they finally decided to see if they could create what you might call a ‘super soldier’ while the government calls them GTECHs.”
She gaped in total disbelief. “Oh my God. And they didn’t tell you what they were doing?”
His lips thinned. “No. They didn’t tell us. The change took months to occur. That’s why I didn’t initially pull away from you. I simply had no idea what I was or what had happened. Once I knew, I was afraid of what I was becoming. For all I knew I might become a monster that would hurt you, or worse, kill you. Much later, Adam decided the GTECHs were evolution and overthrew Area 51 and created what he calls Zodius Nation.”
“Zodius?”
“Project Zodius was the name of the experimental program the Army undertook to make us,” he explained before going on. “Caleb organized the Renegades, an opposing force to the Zodius, and I knew I’d made the right decision. Anyone a Renegade loves is a weapon Adam would
He rose to his feet. “Sonia-”
“Did you fake your death for me?” she demanded, every word tight and exact. She was shaking. Tears prickled at the back of her eyes.
“I was trying to protect you.”
She hugged herself. Protect her. She didn’t even know what to say to that. “Why show yourself to me now?”
“Because I’m no longer the most dangerous person in your life.”
“You haven’t even been in my life so how could you be dangerous?”
“That’s the idea,” he said. “I had to stay away. And it killed me. I know you don’t understand, but-”
“I understand that you chose for me, which must mean you didn’t want me anymore. Why not just break up with me Kel? Why? Why let me mourn you?”
“Leaving you behind killed me, Sonia,” he said, his voice raspy with emotion she knew had to be fake. He’d left her. He’d walked away like she was nothing.
“And yet you did.”
“You would have chosen me,” he said. “I had to choose you.”
“By playing dead?”
“Yes,” he ground out, drawing out the word. “I chose your safety. You don’t understand what happened. I’ll explain-”
“You are Special Forces,” she said. “I knew the danger. Nothing you can say will change how much you hurt me. And now – now you say I’m in danger so you pull me back into your world by necessity, but not choice?”
“It’s not like that,” he argued and took a step toward her.
She backed away. “And yet it is. It is.”
“They changed me, Sonia,” he said, his voice gravely and thick. “They turned me into something I don’t even recognize.”
She hugged herself, not sure how she was holding back the tears, trying to control her shaking. “I don’t either, because the man I thought I knew and loved wouldn’t have done this to me, to us.” She inhaled and let it out. “Can I leave now?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why? What does that mean?”
“It means that you’re being hunted by Adam Rain and that’s a very dangerous thing to be.”
“Caleb’s brother?”
“Yes,” he said. “Caleb’s brother. He’s leading a rebel group called the Zodius who took over Area 51 and they intend to take over far more than that.”
“What?” she gasped. “Why? When did this happen?”
“The immunizations they were giving us at Area 51 weren’t immunizations at all. They were experimental DNA that changed us. We aren’t...human. Not fully anymore.”
She was stunned. “What does that mean? What kind of DNA?”
“The rumors of a ship that the government recovered in New Mexico were true,” he said. “And with it they acquired some unique DNA. After years of study, they finally decided to see if they could create what you might call a ‘super soldier’ while the government calls them GTECHs.”
She gaped in total disbelief. “Oh my God. And they didn’t tell you what they were doing?”
His lips thinned. “No. They didn’t tell us. The change took months to occur. That’s why I didn’t initially pull away from you. I simply had no idea what I was or what had happened. Once I knew, I was afraid of what I was becoming. For all I knew I might become a monster that would hurt you, or worse, kill you. Much later, Adam decided the GTECHs were evolution and overthrew Area 51 and created what he calls Zodius Nation.”
“Zodius?”
“Project Zodius was the name of the experimental program the Army undertook to make us,” he explained before going on. “Caleb organized the Renegades, an opposing force to the Zodius, and I knew I’d made the right decision. Anyone a Renegade loves is a weapon Adam would
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