Atomic Rebooted

45. Refuge

MIRA

I woke on the couch, leaning against a passed-out Henry, the sun streaming through the blinds. Despite the healing of my injuries, there was a phantom ache in my arm, leg, and temples. I slowly sat up to hear the singing of the birds. I moved myself away from Henry and observed him for a moment as I tried to recall the previous night.

Holy Hell, I thought as I watched him turn his head. His lips moved, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Otherwise, he was very still.

I rolled my neck and stretched my arms and legs. I wasn't used to sleeping by actually lying down on something. I liked it, I decided. It was a lot less hassle than getting into the sleeping tubes.

I glanced around me, at the Reagans' apartment. It was pretty much what you would expect from your average midwestern nuclear family living in the city. It was a larger apartment, likely afforded by the Reagans being a nurse and a doctor.

Photos of Henry and two siblings plastered the wall—there was an older brother and a little sister.

I frowned—I'd never heard about his family. With a growing shame in my chest, I realized I never thought to ask. I was so focused on my mission and myself, I'd neglected to ask Henry anything about himself, except when it was relevant.

I was terrible at being a person.

Then again, I wasn't supposed to be a person. I was a tool, a weapon.

And yet here I was, dealing with the emotional fallout of failing to be inhuman.

I was grateful that I didn't have my earpiece on me, and it was instead in the backpack.

But what was I going to do? I'd done exactly what Verity did. I'd gone rogue. There was no going back.

I had to leave, I realized. I was putting Henry and his family in danger by staying here.

Atomic Energy wouldn't come for me directly—after all, we hadn't done that for Verity. But I'm sure the alarm was up and everyone knew to look for me.

What did Saige, Aleister, and Ryder think of all this? Had Dr. Banning told them yet what I'd done?

Did they think that I'd betrayed them like Verity did?

I stood up, throwing my arms out to balance myself. I was still a little unsteady on my feet.

I heard a groan—I turned to see if Henry was waking up. But he had only rolled over, now that I wasn't weighing him down.

I breathed a little sigh of relief. He didn't need to see me leave. Otherwise he'd want me to stay, he'd want to continue helping me. Never mind the consequences.

He was too much of a hero for his own good.

That assumption hadn't changed, the more I got to know him. In fact, his confessions on the tram the night before only confirmed it.

I'm sorry you got hurt because of me. No more of that.

I started toward the door—my hand had only just clasped the door handle when I heard a voice behind me.

"Leaving so soon?"

I turned to see Carol Reagan emerging from the bathroom, an eyebrow raised in questioning.

I didn't know what I should say, so I said nothing. Instead I looked to the floor, trying to analyze what exact shade of brown or beige the carpet was.

"Come on, you're not leaving without something to eat." Carol approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder. She gently pushed me back into the living room and towards the kitchen/dining room hybrid. "And without POG juice."