Cridex

Chapter Five

"Jonas," Imogen yawned from her perch in the back of the truck and leisurely stretched her muscles out, "You drive as if you are a robot."

I looked over from my view of the outside window to watch the two men in the front: Camden and Jonas, who had taken over the drivers side. We had long since passed the outer most limits of the city, and yet as we rolled along the unpaved roads outside any urban constrictions, Jonas had refused to speed up.

"I am a robot." He called back. "You are just simply stating facts, Imogen. You are not insulting me, no matter how hard you try."

"All I am saying," She leaned her chin over the head rest to speak lowly in his ear. "Is that you could go a bit faster, you know."

"My speed is reasonable," He argued back, "And more importantly than not drawing attention to ourselves, it is also safe."

Camden, whose feet had been propped up on the dashboard and who had been leaned back in his chair, spoke through tight lips. "He is fine. He is comfortable going slow, so let him go slow."

Imogen grunted, "If only I knew how to drive, I would-."

"You would what?" Jonas called, looking back at her using the rearview mirror, "Run me over like the speed demon you are?"

She growled, but he did not move, hands calm even though his dark eyes were flickering.

"Stop acting like children," Camden told them, eyes still closed, "It is not a flattering shade for either of you to don."

"Don?" Imogen asked, voice small.

"Wear."

"Yeah, maybe." She spat out lamely, and sat back down in the bed of the truck, leaning against the wall. I examined her as she crossed her arms and looked longingly up at the front.

I shifted my gaze back to the window, satisfied that the conversation was over, that I had not missed an important tidbit.

"What do you plan to do with me?" I asked them, my thoughts wondering as I spoke them out loud, "Subject me to your poorly orchestrated debates? Or your lies?" I glared over at the back of Camden's head, which remained still, then back to meet Imogen's eye, which had faded back to a soft grey once we were out of range of the city.

She shook her head, a small smile gracefully playing across her lips. "Lies?"

"I am not a cyborg. I am not one of you, and yet somehow you convinced everyone, even my own mother before you killed her, that I was an insurgent." I leaned forward. "You took everything from me, swept everything off from beneath my feet to leave me standing bare, with no other option but to ride along with you to wherever god knows, to see and meet whom ever you wish I see or meet, to do whatever it is that you want me to do."

She fell silent, but her gaze spoke volumes as she tried to examine me once more. "So let me ask again," I leaned forward more, eyeing Imogen, although I knew that Jonas and Camden had tuned in, "What do you plan to do with me?"

"We will take you to our leader." Camden joked softly, his voice tired, "Rather, take you home with us, in all actuality."

"And then?" I questioned him further.

"You will answer a few questions for us." Jonas grit out, grasping the steering wheel in a white knuckle grip.

"Will I?" I furrowed my brow and frowned at his command.

"That is," Jonas caught my eye in the mirror, holding my gaze captive until he looked away and spoke, "Only and only if you want to live."

"Jonas!" Imogen reprimanded him softly, grasping at the back of chair.